Bowls, bowls, bowls...

Though it will mean failing to address the beloved Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl St. Petersburg (in which I'm picking Louisville to win in a close one), length requires this post series focus on just the bowls where the Big Ten is represented this year.  You can thank them for earning a conference record-tying eight bowl invitations.

Quick note on the Championship game.  I keep hearing people talk about how Oregon has never seen anything like Cam Newton (offered up as The Reason the Ducks will lose).  But, after the break they tell us that, if they both enter the draft, Andrew Luck is the real number one pick.  I understand that they're quite different players, but I keep hearing things like, "They'll never be able to sack Newton."  But, Luck was only sacked 5 times on the year, and the Ducks handled him just fine.  I'm not picking a winner yet, but I don't think Oregon will just be outclassed by a Heisman hopeful QB, when they handled another one so easily.  On to the Big Ten!

Rose Bowl - Wisconsin (11-1) vs. TCU (12-0)

As Nate commented in the earlier TCU post, Wisconsin is a plenty fine substitute for an exceptional offense in lieu of an Auburn or Oregon matchup.  The Badgers hung 83, 48, and 70 on their last three opponents (albeit a weak group).  In fact, Wisconsin even had a few critics after that 83 (against Indiana), accusing the Badgers of running up the score.  True, they were throwing with a huge lead, but it was the backups in the fourth quarter who scored 24 of those points.  The point is, Wisconsin is clicking with almost every string.  But, TCU was absolutely dominant in a Mountain West Conference that's 11-3 against Automatic Qualifier conference schools since 2004.  People seem to forget, too, that TCU had a higher scoring average than all but 3 teams (that's better than Auburn), and were tied with these very Badgers.

This one will likely come down to which quarterback is most disrupted.  The Badgers have a physical freak in WR Lance Kendricks (6'4" 241) and TCU counters with a human blur in Jeremy Kerley, and no cornerback stay stay with either for more than a few seconds.  Which is why TCU wins this game.  TCU should be able to buy the seconds to get their receivers open.  Tolzien can't move.  He hasn't rushed for more than 7 yards in a game.  Andy Dalton, on the other hand, seems to prefer to pass on the move.  Wisconsin's offensive line will be in fits facing the speed and variety of looks that Gary Patterson has played with all year.

TCU 31 over WIS 21


Tomorrow...Sugar Bowl and Capital One Bowl.