Glenn Mason, who spent ten season with the Minnesota Golden Gophers, was fired today following their 31 point choke job Friday night against Texas A&M at the Insight Bowl.

More tomorrow.

#9 12-0 (8-0), 1st Western Athletic
vs
#7 11-2 (7-1), 1st Big 12 - South Division

The Oklahoma Sooners come into this game with nothing to gain and really everything to lose. If they win, that’s great, but they beat a non-BCS school which did not beat a ranked team all year. If they lose, they will be the laughing stock of the college football world. Boise State has everything to prove, not just for them, but for every Non-BCS school. The fact that they belong playing in these types of games. Utah won the Fiesta Bowl a few years ago against Pittsburgh, but a Broncos win over the Sooners would be much bigger.

The Sooners had a rough start to their year, first Rhett Bomar and a starting offensive lineman were kicked off the team for taking a lot more money for a job than they should have. The Sooners bounced back under the new quarterback’s leadership, Paul Thompson who threw for 2434 yards with 8 touchdowns, and won their first two games. But we all remember what happened against Oregon. And then a loss two weeks later against Texas killed their hopes for a Big 12 title, so they thought.

The Sooners also lost their running back Adrian Peterson in the middle of the season but he will return to play in this game. Peterson rushed for 935 yards and 10 touchdowns in 6 games. His replacement Allen Patrick had 700 yards and 4 touchdowns in 9 appearances. Those two are going to have their work cut out for them as Boise State’s defense only gives up a little over 80 yards rushing per game. At WR Malcolm Kelly is the leading guy with 993 yards and 10 touchdowns. The Sooners have a tough run defense too giving up only 98.2 yards on the ground per game. It will test Boise State’s rushing attack lead by Ian Johnson.

Johnson missed one game this season due to a collapsed lung but still managed to rush for 1613 yards and an astonishing 24 touchdowns. Handing him the ball is Jared Zabransky who has similar numbers to Paul Thompson. Zabransky has thrown for 2325 yards with 20 touchdowns and 7 inteceptions. The Broncos have three receivers with 500 yards each in Drisan James, Legedu Naanee, and Jerard Rabb. The three have combined for 11 of the 20 touchdowns passes thrown by Zabransky.

The Broncos are no push over team so the Sooners cannot take them lightly. One has to wonder how Peterson will react to the first hit. The collarbone can be a sensitive area and if not totally healed it can have him running at less than 100%. Good thing for the Sooners that they have a good backup in Patrick. It is going to be a tough time for either team to find anywhere to run on the ground, but after the dust settles I think the Sooners will come out on top. It won’t be a big win, so Boise State will be proud of its performance, just not good enough to win. Oklahoma 27-21

Brian -Oklahoma
Husker Mike - Oklahoma
Ron - Oklahoma
Mountain Lair - Oklahoma
Mr. Cornnation - Oklahoma
Brian from CFR- Oklahoma
Charlie - Oklahoma
Chris -
Otto- Oklahoma
Mrs. Cornnation - Oklahoma

#8 10-2 (7-2), 1st Pacific-10
vs
#3 11-1 (7-1), 2nd Big Ten

In my opinion I think this will be the best BCS and could be the best bowl game of the season. Both teams were in the hunt for the BCS Championship up until the end. If USC would have beat UCLA in their last game they would be play Ohio State. Michigan’s only loss came to Ohio State, but was beat out by the voters and computers by Florida. Michigan could potentially still share the title if Florida wins and they win this game impressively.

The Trojans are led at quarterback by John David Booty and his 2956 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions. He has probably the best group of receivers to throw to in the nation. First there is Dwayne Jarrett and if he did not get injured during the season, he could’ve been in the race for the Heisman Trophy. Jarrett still had 810 yards with 10 touchdowns. Steve Smith was the leading receiver for the Trojans with 975 yards and 8 touchdowns and Patrick Turner is also someone that the Wolverines will have to cover.

At running back it has been more of a committee job led by Chauncey Washington. Washington rushed for 736 yards with 9 touchdowns. Emmanuel Moody and C.J. Gable also combined for over 800 yards on the ground and 6 touchdowns. On defense USC only gives up 97 yards on the ground and that will go right up against Michigan’s strength of running the ball with Michael Hart. The defense is led by LB/DE Brian Cushing. This USC defense might be the most athletic defense it has had in years.

Michigan is a run first pass later team led by Michael Hart’s 1515 yards and 14 touchdowns. Hart is a guy who will have a bunch of 4 or 5 yard gains then break a 20 yard one just at the right time. At quarterback Chad Henne is the man. This year Henne has thrown for 2199 yards with 20 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. Although they might not get the publicity that USC’s receivers do, Michigan has three good ones too. Mario Manningham, Steve Breaston, and Adrian Arrington are Henne’s main men. In 8 games Manningham has over 800 yards and 9 touchdowns. Breaston is more of a threat in the return game with a touchdown on a punt return and a 24 yard average on kickoff returns.

The Wolverines are led on defense by two ITB All Americans. First at cornerback Leon Hall will try to shut down Jarrett. Hall has 3 interceptions this year but more importantly his skill made opposing quarterback’s throw away from him. The defensive front four led by Lombardi Award winner LaMarr Woodley. Woodley will be in the backfield causing havok on Booty all day.

There is a rule of thumb each year in the BCS, there is always a team that thought they were snubbed and when it comes to bowl season that team that thinks they got snubbed gets beat really bad. But for the Wolverines’ case they still have a very outside chance of winning a share of the title. USC is going to really test the defensive backfield of the Wolverines. In the trenches, I think that Michigan’s offensive line is better than USC’s defensive line and the same goes with Michigan’s defensive line. If Booty has time he will pick apart the Wolverine’s D like Troy Smith did, but we all saw what happened against the pressure of UCLA. I think Michigan wins a close game and Michael Hart gets 100 yards against the tough USC run defense. Michigan 35-33

Brian -Michigan
Husker Mike - USC
Ron -Michigan
Mountain Lair - Michigan
Mr. Cornnation - USC
Brian from CFR- USC
Charlie - USC
Chris -
Otto- USC
Mrs. Cornnation - USC

#1210-3 (7-1), 1st Southeastern - West
vs
#6 11-1 (7-1), 2nd Big Ten

How many BCS Conference teams can say they have 11 wins and not end up in a BCS bowl? One, and that is Wisconsin. The Badgers lost once, to Michigan, and since Michigan and Ohio State got BCS bids, the committee decided against petitioning for a 3rd Big Ten team. So Wisconsin had to play in the Capital One Bowl. Arkansas on the other hand had their chance to play in a BCS game but a botched punt return begin the downfall for them in the SEC Title game. Both teams have a lot to prove to the country. There were a lot of critics that knocked Wisconsin’s out of conference schedule and the fact that they did not play Ohio State in Big Ten play.

The Badgers are led by super freshman PJ Hill Jr who rushed for 1533 yards and 15 touchdowns in his first season. Their QB John Stocco is nothing flashy but he embodies the grit and determinaton that Barry Alverez and now Bret Bielema instills in his team. Stocco threw for 1979 yards with 15 touchdowns and only 4 interceptions. He might not seem fast but he also picks up first downs with his feet if he needs to. Travis Beckum is the Badgers’ leading receiver with 821 yards and 4 touchdowns.

Defensively the Badgers are tough, giving up only 243.5 yards per game. A little over 100 of those yards come on the ground which could spell trouble for Arkansas’ run oriented offense. Finally the Badgers only give up 11.9 points per game.

The Jack of all trades for the Razorbacks is ITB All American and the runner up for the Heisman Trophy, Darren McFadden. On the year McFadden rushed for over 1550 yards and 14 touchdowns. He also spends time in the shotgun as the quarterback and is a threat at receiver. So to beat Arkansas, stop McFadden. Which is much easier said than done. But when you that, they throw Felix Jones and his 1000 yards rushing at you. No win situation.

Like their other conferencemates (So. Carolina & Georgia), the Razorbacks have liked to play musical quarterbacks. Their coach Houston Nutt has settled on Casey Dick for the stretch run over much touted freshman Mitch Mustain. In 9 games Dick has thrown for 893 yards and 9 touchdowns. Marcus Monk is the leading receiver with 949 yards and 11 touchdowns.

The Razorbacks are a little looser on defense giving up over 300 yards per game and 125 on the ground. This game is going to come down to who can run the ball better.

Wisconsin isn’t a flashy team, they don’t win pretty but they do win. Arkansas on the other hand throws all kind of gimmick formations at you to win. I really like the Badgers chances in this game. They faced some pretty good tailbacks in Big Ten play with Michael Hart and Tony Hunt and they held their own with them. I believe the Badgers will slow down (not stop) the Razorbacks’ rushing attack and force the game in Dick’s hands. This game will also premiere a battle between Hill Jr and McFadden for Heisman implications for 2007. Look for a good old fashioned smash mouth game. Wisconsin 37-33

Brian -Wisconsin
Husker Mike - Wisconsin
Ron - Wisconsin
Mountain Lair - Wisconsin
Mr. Cornnation - Wisconsin
Brian from CFR- Arkansas
Charlie - Wisconsin
Chris -
Otto- Arkansas
Mrs. Cornnation - Wisconsin

9-4 (7-1), 1st Atlantic Coast - Coastal
vs
#13 10-2 (5-2), 2nd Big East

A lot of Georgia Tech fans found it a blessing when their starting QB Reggie Ball was deemed academically ineligible for the Gator Bowl. Starting Cornerback Kenny Scott also is academically ineligible. Ball did not have the season that many expected of his as he only completed 44 percent of his passes for 1820 yards despite having probably the best WR in the country on his team in Calvin Johnson.

Johnson caught 67 balls for 1016 yards and 13 touchdowns. Replacing Ball at QB in this game will be Taylor Bennett who appeared in 5 games this season. In the backfield for the Yellow Jackets is leading rusher Tashard Choice who ran for 1304 yards and 10 touchdowns. The Mountaineers have shown some troubles defending big receivers so it might be a big day for Calvin if he can get the ball in his hands, no pun intended.

For West Virginia (my other National Title pick) they are lead by a two headed monster in Patrick White and Steve Slaton. The QB White is known more for what he does with his feet (and his meowing) rather than his throwing ability. I will admit though, his passing has gotten better as the season has progressed. White missed the final 3OT victory over Rutgers but rushed for 1074 yards and 10 touchdowns. His counterpart Slaton rushed for 1733 yards and 16 touchdowns in an offense that averaged 302 yards on the ground per game.

That rushing attack will butt up against a Georgia Tech defense that only gives up 88 yards on the ground per game. West Virginia is also stout against the run only giving up 87 yards on the ground per game.

It is up to Patrick White to get it to his receivers Brandon Myles, Darius Reynaud, and even Slaton out of the backfield so the Yellow Jackets cannot sell out on the run. I am skeptical to believe that Bennett will be able to get the ball to Calvin Johnson much better than Reggie Ball did because, let’s face it, if he could then he wouldn’t be backing up Ball. The Slaton/White duo is tough for any team to handle unless Slaton fumbles ala the Louisville game. This isn’t going to be a blowout like most expect but I still see the Mountaineers winning. West Virginia 36-20

Brian -West Virginia
Husker Mike - West Virginia
Ron - West Virginia
Mountain Lair - West Virginia
Mr. Cornnation - West Virginia
Brian from CFR- West Virginia
Charlie - West Virginia
Chris -
Otto- West Virginia
Mrs. Cornnation - West Virginia

#10 10-2 (6-2), 2nd Southeastern - West
vs
#22 9-4 (6-2), 1st Big 12 - North Division

Before the season started the Auburn Tigers were my pick to win the National Title. I thought they had a great defense and on offense I thought that Kenny Irons would carry them to the title. But after two losses to Arkansas and Georgia, the Tigers were banished to the Cotton Bowl. Nebraska was one win away from a BCS bid. They lost the Big 12 Championship game to the Oklahoma Sooners. Two of their other losses were close games against Texas and they held their own when traveling to LA to play USC.

Nebraska is back as an offensive power, but not the same way they use to be. Gone are the days of Tommy Fraizer and the option, now we have Zac Taylor and the Husker’s passing attack that is good for 253 yards per game. They compliment that passing game with a rushing attack that gains another 175 yards. Defensively there is room for improvement as they give up an average of 340 yards per game.

Zac Taylor leads the Husker passing game throwing for 3071 yards with 25 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. His main receiver is Maurice Purify who caught 7 touchdown passes. The point man in the rushing game is Brandon Jackson with his 950 yards rushing, but Marlon Lucky also had over 640 yards. The both combined for 13 touchdowns on the ground.

Auburn hurts people by rushing the ball and controlling the clock. The Tigers averaged over 170 yards on the ground per game. Kenny Irons is the leading rusher with 821 yards rushing and 4 touchdowns but his backfield mate Brad Lester has 9 touchdowns to go with his 510 yards rushing. The duo is tough to stop. Their QB has had some rough times this season. Cox finished the year with 2087 yards and 13 touchdowns. He seemed to vanish in big games.

The Tigers have a shut down corner in David Irons, the brother of Kenny Irons. Overall the defense is pretty stout holding opponents to 297.5 yards per game and they held LSU to 3 points in that victory.

I really like the job Bill Callahan has done with the Huskers, but I don’t think they are “there” just yet. Another year with his recruits and we may be telling a different story. I am going to stand by the team I thought was the best from the get-go and take Auburn in this one. I think their defense will hold the Huskers’ passing attack at bay and Kenny Irons will show flashes of why many thought he was a Heisman Candidate in the beginning of the season. Auburn 34-17

Brian -Auburn
Husker Mike - Nebraska
Ron - Auburn
Mountain Lair - Auburn
Mr. Cornnation - Nebraska
Brian from CFR- Nebraska
Charlie - Auburn
Chris -
Otto- Auburn
Mrs. Cornnation - Nebraska

#17 9-3 (5-3), 2nd Southeastern - East
vs
8-4 (5-3), 4th Big Ten

This Outback Bowl has the potential to be a really good game. Tennessee comes in with only 3 losses to Florida, LSU, and Arkansas. While the Nittany Lions have 4 losses to Notre Dame, Ohio State, Michigan, and Wisconsin. All four of those teams are ranked in the top 11 in the country. But most of the talk of this game is about if Joe Paterno, who just turned 80 years old, will be coaching from the sidelines or the box. Not on the two teams.

Erik Ainge has done an excellent job for the Vols this year when he has played. Late in the season he has been plagued with some injury troubles. That didn’t stop him from throwing for 2722 yards with 19 touchdowns and only 8 interceptions. The Vols lead the SEC in passing and their leading receiver Robert Meachem is a big reason why. Meachem has 1265 yards receiving this season with 11 touchdowns will prove a touch match up for the Penn State corners Justin King, Tony Davis, and AJ Wallace.

LaMarcus Coker leads a weak rushing attack for the Vols with 660 yards and 4 touchdowns. For the Vols to move the ball consistently on the Penn State defense, they must establish Coker and the running game.

Penn State comes into the game with a lot of question marks offensively. The offensve that looked so good last year, has sputter big time this season with most of the same cast returning. At quarterback, strong armed junior Anthony Morelli is the man for now. Morelli has thrown for 2227 yards but only 10 touchdowns passes. The heart and soul of the offensive is senior running back Tony Hunt. Hunt has 1228 yards with 11 rushing touchdowns, and he is also a big threat out of the backfield. The Nittany Lions need to find a way to get Deon Butler, Derrick Williams, and freshman tight end Andrew Quarless in open space. Those players can make people miss. Finally on offensive the offensive line, which has struggled in the big games, must protect Morelli or the tough Vols defensive line will be in the backfield all day.

On defense the Nittany Lions are led by ITB All American and two time Bednarik winner Paul Posluszny. This will be Posluszny’s last game in a Penn State uniform and he is one of the main reasons the Nittany Lions have turned it around over the past 3 years. Joining him at LB is Junior Dan Connor, who might also be playing his last game as a Nittany Lion because he hasn’t said if he is going pro or not after the season. The darkhorse at LB is Sean Lee, if you forget about him he will make a difference.

The past two times Penn State has played Tennessee in a bowl game they were not expected to win and each time they won pretty easy. All year Penn State fans have been waiting for the offense to show some life, and they will have life if the coaches mix up the play calling. Tennessee is no push over. They have a great passing attack and a tough defense to go with it, but I still think there is some magic in those old man’s glasses. I believe that the Nittany Lions’ defense will keep the game close in the beginning just long enough for the offense to gel. Penn State 24-20

Brian -Penn State
Husker Mike - Tennessee
Ron - Tennessee
Mountain Lair - Penn State
Mr. Cornnation - Tennessee
Brian from CFR- Tennessee
Charlie - Penn State
Chris -
Otto- Tennessee
Mrs. Cornnation - Tennessee

6-6 (3-5), 4th Atlantic Coast - Coastal
vs
8-4 (5-3), 3rd Western Athletic

For the Miami Hurricanes fans and players this season can’t end soon enough. On the field they have struggled, winning only 6 games. Their coach who lead them to a national title and another appearance in the game was fired, and this will be his final game coaching at Miami. Their Defensive Coordinator Randy Shannon will take over for Larry Coker after this game. Then there was the Brawl during the Florida International game that put a dark cloud over both teams. Off the field they had to deal with losing a teammate Bryan Pata in a tragic murder. Nevada, coached by Chris Ault who is fifth on the active Division 1-A wins list, comes into the game wanting to prove that they can play with the big boys. The have one loss in the conference to Boise State and would like nothing other than to send Miami home with a losing season for the first time in 9 seasons.

The Hurricanes thought coming into the season that Kyle Wright was going to have a breakout year but it is Kirby Freeman’s for the moment. In 7 games Freeman has passed for 600 yards with 5 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. True freshman Javarris James leads the team in rushing with 767 yards and 4 touchdowns but offensively the Canes only average 19 points per game. Their defense however is still tough. The Canes are only allowing 66.0 yards per game on the ground and did not give up over 100 yards on the ground in 10 of their 12 games.

The Wolfpack average 31 points per game on the offensive front and are use to playing on the Blue Turf in Boise. In the Pistol Offense they average over 175 yards on the ground and through the air respectively. Jeff Rowe is the man under center with 1700 yards passing and 16 touchdowns. Robert Hubbard leads the team on the ground with over 900 yards rushing while Luke Lippincott has 9 touchdowns on the ground. Cane’s QB must keep an eye out for Joe Garcia in the defensive backfield. Garcia has 6 interceptions, returning one for a touchdown.

I think Miami has a lot to play for in this game. They want to prove that this season was a fluke, like their counterpart Florida State did in their win in the Emerald Bowl. The Wolfpack are a good team but will have a hard time finding any running room against this tough Cane’s run defense. That will make them go one-dimensional and that is where the Miami athletes take over. Miami has played a lot of freshman this season, but by this stage of the season they aren’t green anymore. I think James will have a big game running and catching the ball out of the backfield. The Canes win on the Blue Turf. Miami 27-14

Brian -Miami
Husker Mike - Miami
Ron - Nevada
Mountain Lair - Miami
Mr. Cornnation - Nevada
Brian from CFR- Miami
Charlie - Nevada
Chris -
Otto- Miami
Mrs. Cornnation - Nevada

Well Sorta…..

On January 1st 2007, Michigan will meet USC in the Rose Bowl, and quite possibly a national title will be on the line. well sorta of… Well both these teams would rather be playing for the BCS Championship, it will give us answer once an for all…who has the hottest cheerleaders in College Football this year.

First off, one of the things I think that makes ITB great is it offers no nonsense College Football Analysis, thats why it is one of the best & fastest growing CFB sites in the Nation. But since it is the holidays, there can be a little break in all the intense football action. An I’m sure Rizzosports isn’t the only one who wants an answer to this question.

Who has the hottest Cheerleaders in College Football in 2006?

or

Happy 2007!!!!

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8-4 (4-4), 3rd Southeastern - East
vs
#14 10-2 (6-2), 2nd Atlantic Coast - Coastal

The Hokies of Virginia Tech might be one of the hottest teams in the nation coming into the bowl season winning six in a row including one over the ACC Champion Wake Forest Demon Deacons. They had two tough losses back to back to Boston College and Georgia Tech but regrouped and bounced back. As far as Georgia goes, the season has been up and down. The Bulldogs had two stints of losing two in a row, but finished the season winning two in a row against quality teams as Georgia Tech and Auburn.

The Hokies are nothing special on the offensive side of the ball. They use Branden Ore and his 1000 yards to set the pace and follow that with Sean Glennon throwing the ball. Ore missed their final game against Virginia because of a sprained ankle but is expected to play in the bowl game. The Hokies did also use Ike Whitaker and his athleticism at QB, but he will not play in this game because he is in an alcohol rehab program. It is on the defensive side of the ball where they shut down their opponents. During their six game winning streak the defense has given up an average of 4.8 points per game.

Georgia has gone back and forth between Joe Tereshinski and Matthew Stafford at quarterback but finally settled on Stafford. In the 10 games that Stafford has played he has thrown for 1620 yards and 6 touchdowns, but as most freshman do he struggled with 12 interceptions. In the backfield Kregg Lumpkin leads the team in rushing with 759 and 5 touchdowns. Tra Battle is the man on defense for the Bulldogs with 6 interceptions and 1 of those he took to the house for a touchdown.

I look for this to be a pretty good game. Georgia has hung in there with some tough teams only losing to Florida by 7, but had a huge collapse against Tennessee. The Bulldogs are going to have a tough time generating any offense on this tough Hokie defense. Frank Beamer is going to blitz and often to confuse freshman Stafford. The turkeys win this one in a defensive battle. Virginia Tech 20-6

Brian -Virginia Tech
Husker Mike - Virginia Tech
Ron - Virginia Tech
Mountain Lair - Georgia
Mr. Cornnation - Virginia Tech
Brian from CFR- Virginia Tech
Charlie - Virginia Tech
Chris -
Otto- Georgia
Mrs. Cornnation - Virginia Tech