An American’s Guide to the World Cup 2014

By: Jack Kavanagh
 

               First I will say the talent in each squad at this World Cup will be tremendous.  Soccer is a sport where underdogs can compete with the giants at any stage (Northern Ireland earned a draw in Portugal during qualifiers so don’t write off any team).  Accurate predictions are near impossible to do especially because of the number of sides with a real chance to compete all the way up to the final.  There is probably ten to twelve teams if not more that could be crowned champions if everything fell their way.  When ESPN conducts a poll on which group is the group of death, as a fan you know you’re in for a good World Cup.  Criticize me all you like for my predictions but it’s very difficult to pick everything correctly and as we know anything can happen (Greece won Euro 2004).  Also don’t read too far into the FIFA Rankings as they do a poor job judging teams (how many of us truly believe Switzerland is a stronger side than the Brazilians? No one? Oh that’s what I thought).

 

 

GROUP A

-        Brazil should take the group rather easily.  Mexico looked terrible in qualifiers and Croatia is constantly overlooked.  I wouldn’t write off Cameroon either as these are four quality sides.  Second place in the group will be a good competition and Cameroon stealing a point from Croatia or Mexico could decide who goes through.

               -Brazil

Best Previous Finish: Five-time Champions

FIFA Ranking: 10
Coach: Luiz Felipe Scolari
Names to Know: Everyone but most importantly Neymar
Expectations: Very High
Prediction: Champions

               -Croatia

Best Previous Finish: 3^rd place finish

FIFA Ranking: 16
Coach: Igor Stimac
Names to Know: Modric, Srna, Mandzukic
Expectations: Medium
Prediction: Round of 16 loss to Spain

               -Mexico

Best Previous Finish: Quarterfinals

FIFA Ranking: 21
Coach: Miguel Herrera
Names to Know: Hernandez, dos Santos, Peralta, Marquez
Expectations: Medium
Prediction: Third in the group

               -Cameroon

Best Previous Finish: Quarterfinals

FIFA Ranking: 50
Coach: Volker Finke
Names to Know: Eto’o, Song, Makoun
Expectations: Low
Prediction: Fourth in the group

 

GROUP B

-        This is a tough group to predict especially with three strong sides and one somewhat weaker side similar to Group A.  Spain should win the group but they definitely dread a group like this one.  Netherlands and Chile can hang with the best of them.  Australia could be the key factor in this group if they are able to fight for a draw or even a win against any of the others.  In the end I think Spain wins the group and Chile beats Netherlands in their matchup to get through.  Interesting note: This group features a rematch of the 2010 World Cup final between reigning champions Spain and the Dutch runners up.

               -Spain

Best Previous Finish: One-time champion

FIFA Ranking: 1
Coach: Vincent Del Bosque
Names to Know: All 23 players
Expectations: Very High
Prediction: Semifinal loss to Argentina

               -Netherlands

Best Previous Finish: 2^nd place finish

FIFA Ranking: 9
Coach: Louis van Gaal
Name to Know: van Persie, Robben, Sneijder, Jan Huntelaar, and more
Expectations: High
Prediction: Third in the group

               -Chile

Best Previous Finish: 3^rd place finish

FIFA Ranking: 15
Coach: Jorge Sampaoli
Names to Know: Sanchez, Bravo, Fernandez, Beausejour
Expectations: Medium
Prediction: Round of 16 loss to Brazil

               -Australia

Best Previous Finish: Round of 16

FIFA Ranking: 56
Coach: Ange Postecoglou
Names to Know: Cahill, Kruse, Jedinak
Expectations: Low
Prediction: Fourth in the group

 

GROUP C

-        One of the weaker groups that seems rather boring for the normal fan.  Colombia should win the group but second place anything can happen.  Japan, Greece, and the Ivory Coast have enough talent to advance to the knock out stages.  Ivory Coast has more world-class players than the Japanese and the Greeks so I see them sneaking through.

               -Colombia

Best Previous Finish: Round of 16

FIFA Ranking: 4
Coach: Jose Pekerman
Names to Know: Falcao, Rodriguez, Cuadrado, Zapata, Guarin
Expectations: High
Prediction: Quarterfinals loss to Brazil

               -Greece

Best Previous Finish: Group stage

FIFA Ranking: 12
Coach: Fernando Santos
Names to Know: Mitroglou, Samaras, Karagounis, Papastathopoulos
Expectations: Medium
Prediction: Fourth in the group

               -Ivory Coast

Best Previous Finish: Group Stage

FIFA Ranking: 17
Coach: Sabri Lamouchi
Names to Know: Toure brothers, Drogba, Gervinho, Tiote
Expectations: Medium
Prediction: Round of 16 loss to England

               -Japan

Best Previous Finish: Round of 16

FIFA Ranking: 48
Coach: Alberto Zaccheroni
Names to Know: Kagawa, Honda, Nagatomo
Expectations: Medium
Prediction: Third in the group

 

GROUP D

-        This group and Group G are competing for the toughest groups in the competition.  Sorry Costa Rica no chance of making it out of this one but they can possibly influence the points if they can find a draw somewhere.  Italy always seem ready for the challenge when it matters most, while England does not and we cannot forget Uruguay’s breathtaking run to the semi-finals in South Africa.  This time around I see England’s loaded talent finally learning to play together under the guidance of Roy Hodgson and they go on to win the group.  Italy advances after Uruguay drops a vital two points against Costa Rica. 

               -Uruguay

Best Previous Finish: Two-time champions

FIFA Ranking: 6
Coach: Oscar Tabarez
Names to Know: Suarez, Cavani, Forlan, Rodriguez
Expectations: Medium
Prediction: Third in the group

               -Costa Rica

Best Previous Finish: Round of 16

FIFA Ranking: 32
Coach: Jorge Luis Pinto
Names to Know: Ruiz, Oviedo, Campbell
Expectations: Medium
Prediction: Fourth in the group

               -England

Best Previous Finish: One-time champions

FIFA Ranking: 13
Coach: Roy Hodgson
Names to Know: Rooney, Lampard, Gerrard, Hart, Baines
Expectations: Medium
Prediction: Quarterfinals loss to Spain

               -Italy

Best Previous Finish: Four-time champions

FIFA Ranking: 7
Coach: Cesare Prandelli
Names to Know: Balotelli, Buffon, Pirlo, Rossi (Born in New Jersey), El Shaarawy
Expectations: High
Prediction: Round of 16 loss to Colombia

GROUP E

-        Toughest group to predict out of them all in my opinion.  Switzerland really does not have the strongest squad but they are currently ranked in the top ten in the world.  I would not be surprised if they won the group or on the contrary finished with 0 points.  France will have the strongest squad in the group and should be the favorites to win.  Ecuador, like the other South American teams, is loaded with talent and will use that to claim a spot in the knockout rounds.  It seems unfair to give nothing to Honduras but in this group I don’t see them doing too much as they will fail to get out of the group.

               -Switzerland

Best Previous Finish: Quarterfinals

FIFA Ranking: 8
Coach: Ottmar Hitzfield
Names to Know: Shaqiri, Inler, Dzemaili, Senderos, Xhaka
Expectations: Medium
Prediction: Third in the group

               -Ecuador

Best Previous Finish: Round of 16

FIFA Ranking: 23
Coach: Reinaldo Rueda
Names to Know: Caicedo, Valencia
Expectations: Low
Prediction: Round of 16 loss to Argentina

               -France

Best Previous Finish: One-time champion

FIFA Ranking: 20
Coach: Didier Deschamps
Names to Know: Ribery, Benzema, Lloris, Pogba, Giroud, plenty more
Expectations: Medium
Prediction: Round of 16 loss to Nigeria

               -Honduras

Best Previous Finish: Group Stage

FIFA Ranking: 43
Coach: Luis Fernando Suarez
Names to Know: Palacios, Izaguirre
Expectations: Low
Prediction: Fourth in the group
 

GROUP F

-        Argentina should clean up this group with no trouble with Iran being one of the weakest sides in the tournament.  The most important match will be when the Bosnians face off against Nigeria.  Although the unaccurate FIFA rankings may not support this, Nigeria wins this game and goes onto the knockout stages.

-Argentina

Best Previous Finish: Two-time champions

FIFA Ranking: 3
Coach: Alejandro Sabella
Names to Know: Messi, Aguero, Messi, di Maria, Messi, Higuain, and Lionel Messi
Expectations: High
Prediction: Runners up to Brazil

-Bosnia and Herzegovina

Best Previous Finish: First Time Participant

FIFA Ranking: 19
Coach: Safet Susic
Names to Know: Dzeko, Begovic, Pjanic
Expectations: Low
Prediction: Third in the group

               -Iran

Best Previous Finish: Group Stage

FIFA Ranking: 34
Coach: Carlos Quieroz
Names to Know: Ghoochanejhad, Teymourian, Dejagah
Expectations: Low
Prediction: Fourth in the group

               -Nigeria

Best Previous Finish: Round of 16

FIFA Ranking: 41
Coach: Stephen Keshi
Names to Know: Mikel, Enyeama, Ambrose, Onazi
Expectations: Medium
Prediction: Quarterfinals loss to Germany

GROUP G

-        Group G has given us the highly anticipated Group of Death.  All four of these teams advanced to the knockout stage in 2010.  Unfortunate for the United States to get this draw and I just don’t see them competing against the likes of Ronaldo, Essien, or Ozil.  Germany and Portugal are the two strongest sides in the group and I see them advancing in that order.

               -Germany

Best Previous Finish: Three-time champions

FIFA Ranking: 2
Coach: Joachim Low
Names to Know: Schweinsteiger, Muller, Ozil, Neuer, Podolski, and others
Expectations: High
Prediction: Semifinals loss to Brazil
 

               -Portugal

Best Previous Finish: Third Place

FIFA Ranking: 5
Coach: Paulo Bento
Names to Know: RONALDO, Nani, Moutinho, Coentrao, Pepe
Expectations: Medium
Prediction: Quarterfinals loss to Argentina

               -Ghana

Best Previous Finish: Quarterfinals

FIFA Ranking: 24
Coach: Akwasi Appiah
Names to Know: Muntari, Essien, Gyan, Ayew brothers
Expectations: Medium
Prediction: Third in the group
 

               -USA

Best Previous Finish: 3^rd place finish

FIFA Ranking: 14
Coach: Jurgen Klinsman
Names to Know: Bradley, Altidore, Donovan, Dempsey, Howard
Expectations: Medium
Prediction: Fourth in the group

 

GROUP H

-        Weakest group in the entire tournament with Belgium being the heavy favorites and they should win the group.  Algeria and South Korea are two of the weakest squads and I don’t see too much quality in the current Russian side.  In the end South Korea represents Asia well by squeezing out of the group past Russia.

               -Belgium

Best Previous Finish: Fourth place

FIFA Ranking: 11
Coach: Marc Wilmots
Names to Know: Hazard, Vertonghen, Fellaini, Lukaku, Kompany, and many more
Expectations: High
Prediction: Round of 16 loss to Portugal

               -Algeria

Best Previous Finish: Group Stage

FIFA Ranking: 27
Coach: Vahid Halilhodzic
Names to Know: Feghouli
Expectations: Low
Prediction: Fourth in the group

               -Russia

Best Previous Finish: Fourth place

FIFA Ranking: 22
Coach: Fabio Capello
Names to Know: Shirokov, Akinfeev
Expectations: Medium
Prediction: Third in the group

-South Korea

Best Previous Finish: Fourth Place

FIFA Ranking: 53
Coach: Hong Myung-Bo
Names to Know: Lee Chung-Yong, Ki Sung-Yeung, Park Chu-Young
Expectations: Low
Prediction: Round of 16 loss to Germany

Memory Monday: Ali Farokhmanesh

By: James Decker

          

             To me, there is no better time of year in sports than when the calendar turns to March and the madness begins. After Selection Sunday many brackets are filled with wild upset predictions that I pray will happen just so I can be that guy who predicted the upset. I’m all about the typical underdog story. A team that is physically overmatched and less talented that somehow pulls together a string of great basketball and makes the NCAA Tournament what it is. Every major upset has that one defining moment. Whether it be the game winning three by Bryce Drew for Valparaiso, the backdoor cut and layup by Gabe Luwellis to give Princeton the 43-41 win over UCLA, there is always that one moment that everyone who watched that game will remember the upset by.

One of my favorite NCAA Tournament upsets was Northern Iowa knocking off the number 1 overall seeded Kansas. The Panthers had control over the game early and never gave up the lead. Ali Farokhmanesh made his first 4 shots and big man Jordan Eglseder knocked down two threes as well, despite shooting just 1-9 from downtown all year. Northern Iowa had the lead to as big as 11 in the second half, but Kansas stormed back into it by creating turnovers off of some full court pressure. They eventually cut the lead to 63-62. With 42 seconds left Northern Iowa had possession and two passes led to the ball in the hands of Ali Farokhmanesh. The game clock was now at 37 seconds and the shot clock at 30. Conservative basketball minds would think to wait for the offense to get set up and try to run down the shot clock before thinking about shooting. Instead, Farokhmanesh pulled the trigger and knocked down a dagger three-pointer to make the score 66-62. A charge on the other end pretty much sealed the deal to what was one of the greatest upsets in NCAA Tournament History. 

I had the pleasure of getting in touch with Ali Farokhmanesh via Facebook, and he was kind enough to answer a few questions about the game and his shot.

 1. What was your personal mindset prior to the Kansas game?

 “I was excited about the opportunity to play a team like Kansas. They were the consensus number 1 team all year long that season. It was a chance to prove what I could do on a stage like no other in college basketball. There were some nerves but mainly just pure excitement.”

2.  Before the play when you made the shot did you tell yourself that if you had an open look you'd let it fly or did you plan on killing clock?

“I didn't really think about what I was going to do exactly when I got the ball. I just knew that I wanted to win. So, when the opportunity to take that shot opened up, I took full advantage of it. I've shot that shot hundreds of thousands of times, so there was no thinking involved at that point.”

3. How often do people still talk about that shot and that game with you?

“People still talk about it with me every now and then. It's fun to relive it, and see what other people thought or how they reacted. Always get the stories about where people were when they were watching the game. It's fun, and brings back great memories for me too.”

First of all, much thanks goes to Farokhmanesh for taking the time to do this. I used to always friend request random NCAA players on Facebook and when the thought came to try to connect with a former player he was the first to come to mind. His shot was unreal in more ways than one. The fact that he just let it go with 30 seconds on the shot clock could have cost Northern Iowa the game if it hadn’t gone in. This shows that although it is essential to have a high basketball IQ in order to be successful at that level, sometimes basketball is a game of instincts. I love the line “There was no thinking involved at that point”, because I believe that shooters are at their best when they are shooting the ball with no conscience. Ali Farokhmanesh had no conscience when taking that three, which has become one of the most famous NCAA Tournament shots in recent years.

College Bowl Game Projections and BCS Farewell

    It's that time of the year again to watch mediocre .500 teams play under makeshift coaches in unattractive bowl games. Unfortunately (sarcastic), the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) will finally be put to rest on January 6, 2014. The BCS system has been in operation since 1998 and has been criticized ever since. No longer will a computer decide which games Americans will be waking up to after a New Year's Eve of scarfing down red wine the night before. Starting in 2015, the BCS will be transitioned into a four-team college playoff. This playoff will be similar to the Final Four in college basketball, in which many people seem to enjoy. So 'Tis the Season, here are my Bowl picks.

Gildan New Mexico Bowl
We kick our bowl season off with two decent football teams squaring off, Colorado State (7-6) and Washington State (6-6). Washington State was terrible this year versus their own conference (4-5), but did take down #25 USC earlier in the year and lost by only 7 to Auburn. The Cougars will be led by Connor Halliday and the 4th best passing offense in the league. On the other hand, Colorado State has not had great competition all year long, but will be led by a nice peanut butter and jelly combo of QB Garrett Grayson (3327, 21TDs) and RB Kapri Bibbs (1572, 28TDs). Both defenses are horrible so I expect a high scoring game.
Washington State OVER Colorado State

Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl
This is one game I am actually looking forward to watching between #20 Fresno State and #25 USC. Fresno State has not played great teams at all this year. The plus side, the Bulldogs have the best passing team in the country with QB Derek Carr (4866, 48TDs) and the 5th overall offense averaging 45.3 points per game. USC will have a tough time defending this, even with the 21st overall defense in the country. Unless Pete Carroll comes back and coaches USC, the Trojans will be playing an uninspired game with several coaching changes throughout the year.
Fresno State OVER USC

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Not too sure if it is Idaho that is famous or the actual potato from Idaho that is famous. This game will feature San Diego State the king of OTs this year and the Buffalo Bulls (not Bills). San Diego State's passing attack is not so bad at 35th in the country but their defense is horrendous at 97th. Buffalo does not have a lot of special attributes, except maybe that they have the 27th overall defense in the nation.
San Diego State OVER Buffalo

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
Tulane will play Louisiana-Lafayette on a Saturday at 9pm... If you are born and raised in Louisiana, I would still keep away from this stinker of a game. The Rajin' Cajuns have a semi-decent rushing attack ranking 26th overall. Tulane has a solid defense averaging 21.2 points per game, meanwhile their offense is atrocious. STAY AWAY from this game I repeat STAY AWAY. Watch the Pelicans vs Blazers game instead.
Louisiana-Lafayette OVER Tulane 

Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl
Possibly the most unappealing name for a bowl game, nonetheless will be played in Tropicana Field in Tampa Bay. East Carolina has a solid offense ranking 11th in points for. Ohio has nothing flashy about themselves at all. I expect East Carolina's QB Shane Carden (3866, 32TDs) to shred this Bobcats secondary.
East Carolina OVER Ohio

Sheraton Hawaii Bowl
This game will be played in the beautiful Aloha State featuring a Chris Peterson-less Boise State squad versus an Oregon State team that currently rides a 5 game losing skid. The Broncos are an overly solid all around team across the board. The Beavers are riding on their air attack which ranks 3rd in the country behind QB Sean Mannion (4403, 36TDs). The Broncos are gonna need a Christmas miracle to win this one and they will continue that 4 game Bowl win streak.
Boise State OVER Oregon State

Little Caesars Bowl
The Little Caesars Bowl or should I say the Pizza Pizza Bowl will be fought between Pittsburgh and Bowling Green. Pittsburgh actually went 3-5 in the ACC game but did play some good competition. Bowling Green is coming off a huge win against Northern Illinois and Heisman candidate Jordan Lynch. This Falcons defense is ranked 5th in the nation only allowing 14.8 points per game. Pittsburgh only wins this game if LeSean McCoy comes back and suits up for the Panthers.
Bowling Green OVER Pittsburgh

San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl
The name of this Bowl game gives me a headache, however I am looking forward to seeing Jordan Lynch and Northern Illinois take on Utah State. Northern Illinois as you should know has Jordan Lynch who can do everything from pass, run, and probably catch. The Huskies ran into a tenacious defense in Bowling Green last week and they run into another this week being the Aggies'. Utah State's defense is 7th overall and averages only 17.3 points per game. Northern Illinois for sure is the sexy pick, but I am thinking otherwise.
Utah State OVER Northern Illinois

Military Bowl
In a game for the troops, (We Are) Marshall will face hometown Maryland in Annapolis, Maryland. Marshall has a real good offense averaging 43 points per game and ranking 7th overall. The only thing Maryland has is the hometown advantage. Marshall will be led to victory by QB Rakeem Cato (3579, 36TDs) big time.
Marshall OVER Maryland

Texas Bowl
I am very excited to see an absolute putrid offense in Syracuse play a horrendous passing offense in Minnesota. The Orangemen are 100th in points for this year and 102nd in passing yards. The Golden Gophers are even worse with a 116th overall in passing yards. I will give the upper hand to Minnesota since they did beat #24 Nebraska earlier in the year
Minnesota OVER Syracuse 

Fight Hunger Bowl
Another Bowl game being played in a baseball stadium, this time between BYU and Washington. Both teams carry a run-heavy offense and will score a lot of points. Washington will have newly acquired coach Chris Peterson and he definitely still has some tricks up his sleeves. Huskies RB Bishop Sankey (18TDs) will bring his A game to the McCovey Cove
Washington State OVER BYU

New Era Pinstripe Bowl
Yet another bowl game being played in a baseball stadium. This game will draw a large crowd from Rutgers and Notre Dame, especially since Yankee Stadium is the host. Rutgers is not a good team at all, as a matter of fact, I do not know how they are in a Bowl game. The Irish are going to express their anger from last year's BCS Championship game and pound the Scarlet Knights in this one.
Notre Dame OVER Rutgers

Belk Bowl
This will be Cincinnati's second straight year in this Bowl and they will play hometown team North Carolina. The Bearcats have a solid passing attack behind Brendon Kay (3121, 21TDs) and the 12th overall defense in the country. North Carolina on the other hand started off 1-5 and they also got demolished by Old Dominion 80-20. There is nothing to see in this game. Brendon Kay will add his second straight Belk Bowl MVP to his trophy case after this game.
Cincinnati OVER North Carolina

Russell Athletic Bowl
This Bowl game will be a good one with Louisville facing off against Miami. The U has a solid offense behind QB Stephen Morris averaging 35.9 points per game. Little do they know, they are facing a Cardinals defense that is ranked 3rd in the nation only allowing 12.4 points per game. Louisville's Teddy Bridgewater should have a field day versus Miami as this could be his last college game of his career pending his decision.
Louisville OVER Miami

Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl
Unless you are a Michigan or Kansas State fan, this game will be boring. Michigan QB Devon Gardner will be the only human being keeping your attention in this one. I know "almost" only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades, but Michigan almost beat Ohio State (42-41 loss) on a two-point conversion miss. The only chance of me watching this game is if both teams have a hot wing contest consisting of Buffalo Wild Wings' Blazin' sauce instead of playing the game.
Michigan OVER Kansas State

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl
Not sure how Middle Tennessee received a Bowl game but they will play the triple option frenzy offense Navy. The Midshipmen are going to run all over this weak Conference USA Blue Raider squad.
Navy OVER Middle Tennessee

Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl
Take a breath after reading this joke of a Bowl game name. Besides the name, I do look forward to watching Ole Miss versus Georgia Tech. The Rebels' 7-5 record does not reflect their team accurately. They lost close games to Texas A&M, Auburn, and Missouri. Georgia Tech's record is 7-5 as well and will no doubt be running the ball the majority of the time. The Yellow Jackets rank 5th in rushing yards and average 311.7 yards per game. In the end, I will always lean towards SEC over ACC
Ole Miss OVER Georgia Tech

Valero Alamo Bowl
Let's just say this game is going to end fast, real fast. Even without Chip Kelly, Oregon should destroy Texas in this Bowl. The Ducks are 3rd in the country in points behind future NFL QB Marcus Mariota (3412, 30TDs). The Ducks will be flying high in these bad boys.

Oregon OVER Texas

National University Holliday Bowl
This is an interesting game that should be a blowout. Coming into this game, Arizona State has the 10th overall offense in the country averaging 41 points per game and has only one loss to a team not named Stanford. They will facing a pretty bad Texas Tech football team that is 4-5 in the Big 12, on a 5 game losing skid, and has a points against average of 31.2 points per game. The number 14 ranked Sun Devils prevail.
Arizona State OVER Texas Tech

AdvoCare V100 Bowl
Another vanilla Bowl game taking place between two 7-5 teams. This game will be all about ground and pound with Arizona versus Boston College. The Wildcats are ranked 11th in the nation in rushing yards behind RB Ka'Deem Carey (1716, 17TDs) and QB B.J. Denker (868, 12 TDs). Boston College is not far from Arizona's rushing attack. The Eagles are led by Heisman nominee and part-time tank Andre Williams (2102, 17TDs). This game will be down to the wire.
Arizona OVER Boston College

Hyundai Sun Bowl
This game will be battled out by a stout defense in Virginia Tech versus P. Diddy's son and UCLA.

 The Hokies' offense is pretty bad ranking 97th in the country but their defense will hold down the fort ranking 8th. The Bruins have an overall good offense averaging 36.5 points per game. This will be a low-scoring old fashioned battle.
UCLA OVER Virginia Tech

AutoZone Liberty Bowl
Another game that will put you to sleep between Rice and Mississippi State. The Bulldogs are 3-5 in the SEC, 0-5 versus ranked teams this year, and 82nd in points scored. They matchup versus a Conference USA Rice Owls team that heavily depends on the run game. Rice RB Charles Ross (1252, 14TDs) will lead the way to victory.
Rice OVER Mississippi State

Chick-fil-A Bowl
Texas A&M versus Duke is a non BCS game I am looking forward too for sure. The Aggies will be led by Johnny Football himself, Johnny Manziel (3732, 33TDs). This year's Heisman nominee and ex-Heisman winner leads the high-powered offense against a surprisingly good Duke football team. Notice I did not say basketball team because their football team is good for once. Although Texas A&M is 0-4 versus top 25 teams this year, I am still sticking with Johnny.
Texas A&M OVER Duke

Taxslayer.com Gator Bowl
Georgia will play Nebraska in what should be called the Deja Vu Bowl. Last year these two teams met in the Capital One Bowl on the same date, nearly the same time, and the same state of Florida. Georgia outlasted Nebraska 45-31 last year and this year the outcome is expected to be familiar. Georgia has a real solid offense and suffered through a tough schedule throughout the year. The only thing Nebraska has going for them is to save Bo Pelini's job from being terminated in Lincoln. Georgia wins this game unless this happens again.

Georgia OVER Nebraska

Heart of Dallas Bowl
The only person I can see watching this game is Jerry Jones. UNLV will battle North Texas in Dallas, Texas to try and win over the hearts of heart-broken Tony Romo fans. This is as boring as it gets but North Texas does win the battle of the better nickname, the Mean Green. North Texas also holds the 9th ranked defense only averaging 18.1 points per game.
North Texas OVER UNLV

Outback Bowl
LSU will take on the Iowa Hawkeyes. Iowa has real good defense averaging a mere 18.8 points per game. LSU also shares a strong defense but their offense is where the questions are asked. With star QB Zach Mettenberger out with a torn ACL, can the Tigers still perform offensively? I think so, Freshman Anthony Jennings will be taking over and he will have two 1000 yard receivers to throw to.
LSU OVER Iowa

Capital One Bowl
Wisconsin and South Carolina will sure be an underrated game to pay attention to. Wisconsin has played well all year and their three losses have come from only 7 points or under. They play phenomenal defense allowing only 14.8 points per game on average. The Badgers' offense will consist of a two-headed monster in RBs Melvin Gordon and James White with a combined total of 2,803 yards and 25 TDs. As I am speaking they are watching film on this video here of Jadeveon Clowney.

South Carolina will be lead by QB Connor Shaw who has only thrown one pick all year. South Carolina escapes a close game vs Wisconsin.
South Carolina OVER Wisconsin

Rose Bowl
The traditional Rose Bowl will be host to Stanford and Michigan State. Stanford is not afraid of anyone with an outstanding 7-0 record versus ranked teams this year. Their defense ranks 10th in the nation while averaging 18.6 points per game to opponents. The most points they have allowed in a game this year was 28 twice and they won both of those games. It should be mostly ground and pound with Tyler Gaffney (20 TDs). Michigan State actually has the better defense though, allowing a microscopic 12.7 points per game to opponents. The Spartans' biggest win of the year came in the Big Ten game against Ohio State. This game is going to be a gory battle for that prized rose at the end of the game.
Stanford OVER Michigan State

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl
Folks in Glendale, Arizona are in for a battle of high-octane offenses between UCF and Baylor here. Baylor has the number one offense in the nation by far averaging a whopping 53.3 points per game. Bryce Petty (3844, 30TDs, 2INT) will have all cylinders rolling this game despite UCF's defense. UCF's defense is 13th in the nation only allowing opponents to average 19.6 points per game. Baylor's only loss of the year came to a Oklahoma State defense that held the Bears to 17 points. UCF QB Blake Bortles (3280, 22TDs) is no Bryce Petty but will lead the Knights to an upset victory.
UCF OVER Baylor

Allstate Sugar Bowl
I do not know how Alabama and Oklahoma got paired up. Last time Oklahoma and Alabama met in a Bowl game was the year 1970 in the Bluebonnet Bowl, surprisingly ending in a tie game. When the defending champs (Alabama) have only lost 3 times in the past 3 years, it is hard to pick against them. Roll Tide wins this one by 20+.
Alabama OVER Oklahoma 

At&T Cotton Bowl
Missouri will be playing their old Big 12 partner Oklahoma State. Missouri carries a loaded offense behind multiple players with 10+ TDs. The Tigers also went through a tough schedule facing six top 25 teams and finishing 4-2. Oklahoma State did shut down Baylor with their reluctant defense holding the Bears to only 17 points. Missouri is going to want revenge from the Auburn loss and on an old friend. \
Missouri OVER Oklahoma State

Discover Orange Bowl
After Ohio State choked against Michigan State, they will get another test versus Clemson. Tajh Boyd (3473, 29TDs) threads the needle like no other. Clemson averages 40.2 points per game in the 12th best overall offense. The Buckeyes are very similar averaging 46.3 points per game with a 4th ranked overall offense. To go along with that, they have the 3rd best rushing attack in the nation averaging 317.5 yards per game. Ohio State is 24-1 behind Urban Meyer and are hungry for their first Bowl win.
Ohio State OVER Clemson 

BBVA Compass Bowl
Houston will get their chance versus the big boys in the SEC, Vanderbilt. Houston is riding high behind Freshman QB John O'Korn (26TDs). The Cougars have not faired well against top 25 schools falling to 0-2. Vanderbilt has held their own with the SEC going 4-4 in the conference.
Vanderbilt OVER Houston

GoDaddy Bowl
Arkansas State versus Ball State is not a tasty appetizer at all following the entree (Auburn and Florida State). Arkansas State's head coach Bryan Harsin left for Boise State leaving the Red Wolves in the wind. Keith Wenning (3933, 34TDs) is going to have a field day.
Ball State OVER Arkansas State

Vizio BCS National Championship
The Granddaddy of them all Florida State versus Auburn. Florida State has the 2nd best overall offense in the country averaging an astronomical 53 points per game. The heart and soul of the offense is Heisman winner QB Jameis Winston (3820, 38TDs). Auburn's defense will be in for a rude awakening. The Tigers' offense will be led by Heisman nominee RB Tre Mason (22TDs) + QB Nick Marshall's ground game. These two help Auburn to be the number one rushing offense in the nation. Florida State's defense is no joke at all ranked 1st in the nation only allowing opponents to score an average of 10.7 points per game. This game is going to be an epic battle of the best and I am leaning towards the SEC yet again.
Auburn OVER Florida State

Rest In Peace BCS (1998-2014)

Blog SH is a recently formed sports blog that will cover and capture all of the unique stories in sports. Blog SH stands for Blog Sports Here and was founded by three fans: Sal Pellone, James Decker, and Jack Kavanagh. We are all beloved sports fans that are trying to alter the sports world in a different, creative perspective. All three of us live and die by sports, but we live and die by different sports teams. Jack follows the New York Mets in baseball, New York Jets in football, Washington Wizards in basketball, Columbus Blue Jackets in hockey, and Newcastle United in soccer. He currently attends Coastal Carolina University and you can follow him via twitter @jackkavv . James Decker follows the Toronto Blue Jays in baseball, Buffalo Bills in football, Dallas Mavericks in basketball, Toronto Maple Leafs in hockey, and Toronto F.C. in soccer. He currently attends Fordham University and you  can follow him on twitter @JDecker1233 . Last, but not least, myself Sal Pellone. I follow the New York Mets in baseball, New York Jets in football, Brooklyn Nets in basketball, New York Rangers in hockey, and New York Red Bulls in soccer. I currently attend La Salle University and you can follow me on twitter @salpell1 .