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Gridiron - After mayhem, BCS picture now clear

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Also by Derek Zetlin:

Gridiron: BCS top 2 intact; who's No. 3? (November 29, 2007)
Cinderellas fly under national radar (November 1, 2007)
GRIDIRON - No sure bet this year in Heisman race (October 25, 2007)
GRIDIRON: Senior quarterbacks show potential (October 18, 2007)
USC loss keeps upset train rolling (October 11, 2007)

by Derek Zetlin

Thursday, December 6, 2007

Love it or hate it, the BCS selection process has come and gone. Illinois and Kansas are in, Missouri is out; LSU and Ohio State snuck into the national championship game after both Missouri and West Virginia fell last Saturday. The craziest regular season in college football history is complete, but plenty of interesting bowl games lie ahead. Let's take a look at the five BCS matchups, starting with the national championship.

National Championship: No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 2 LSU

After getting embarrassed by underdog Florida in last year's national championship game, the Buckeyes have earned an immediate shot at redemption against yet another SEC foe. Held in New Orleans, this game is a virtual home game for LSU, which is a definite advantage.

OSU's defense struggled against Illinois, the speediest offense in the Big Ten. The Tigers' offense is just that: fast, and it put up 38.7 points per game this season. Senior quarterback Matt Flynn gives them more of a traditional pocket-passing attack, while sophomore Ryan Perrilloux is more unpredictable and dynamic under center. James Laurinaitis — one of the best linebackers in the nation — needs to come to play in order for the Bucks to have a shot at stopping the LSU offense.

Ohio State quarterback Todd Boeckman is one of the most underrated quarterbacks in the country. In a run-first offense, he threw for more than 2,000 yards this season while completing more than 64 percent of his passes in his first year as a starter. He took over for Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith. However, the Buckeyes do not want to get into a shootout with the Tigers. They've ridden on the shoulders of running back Chris "Beanie" Wells all season, and in order to beat LSU, they need to do it again by controlling the clock. OSU does have some firepower with wide receivers Brian Robiskie and Brian Hartline, but Wells is going to be the deciding factor. If he can successfully run the football against Glenn Dorsey, the best defensive tackle in college football, the Buckeyes have a legitimate shot at becoming national champs.

Rose Bowl: No. 7 USC vs. No. 13 Illinois

Although the Rose Bowl is no longer exclusively Pac-10 vs. Big Ten, it turned out that way, as the Illini crept into the BCS picture, despite having three losses. Does Missouri belong in Pasadena instead of Illinois? Probably, but that's beside the point.

Illinois will flat out have its hands full with USC. The Trojans may be the most talented team in the country and are playing in basically their own backyard. However, crazier upsets have happened, especially this year. Juice Williams and Rashard Mendenhall run the triple-option offense as well as anyone in the land (especially now that Oregon's Dennis Dixon is out for the season). That said, Pete Carroll's defense is one of the stingiest around, giving up only 15.9 points per game in the offensive-minded Pac-10. But if what Oregon and Dixon were able to do to the USC defense is any indication of how the Trojans defend the spread, the Illini have a shot.

Still, Illinois will have to play a nearly perfect game — like it did against Ohio State in Columbus — to come away victorious. Senior linebacker J Lehman is one of the best in the nation and will come ready to try and stop John David Booty and the Trojan attack.

An Illini victory would certainly help the Big Ten's reputation out a great deal, after both Michigan and Ohio State got blown out in their respective bowl games last season.

Sugar Bowl: No. 5 Georgia vs. No. 10 Hawaii

The biggest BCS-related question still lingering may be: Can Hawaii compete with the top-notch programs that actually play defense? Last season Boise State — which like Hawaii, is from the WAC — stunned Oklahoma.

The Hawaii offense is centered around quarterback Colt Brennan, who threw the ball 42.9 times per game this season. It spreads out five wide receivers and lets it fly, a look that Georgia is not accustomed to seeing in the SEC.

Brennan and company will put up some points — they averaged more than 46 points per game — but stopping the Bulldog offense is another story; Hawaii gave up 24.2 points per game against teams much less explosive than Georgia.

Bulldogs freshman running back Knowshon Moreno has been a nightmare for SEC defenses, as he rushed for 1,273 yards in his rookie campaign.

If Hawaii can somehow find a way to slow Moreno down, it will come away victorious.

Orange Bowl: No. 3 Virginia Tech vs. No. 8 Kansas

A week after the Jayhawks got stomped by Missouri, they earn the BCS bid over the Tigers, despite finishing behind them in the BCS standings. Don't ask.

Kansas had a great season, but its only semi-impressive victory came against Kansas State. It didn't play Oklahoma, Texas or Texas Tech and got blown out by Missouri two weeks ago. Virginia Tech won the ACC, beating Clemson, Virginia and Boston College along the way.

KU quarterback Todd Reesing threw for more than 3,000 yards and 32 touchdowns this season, but will be tested against one of the best defenses in the country.

The quarterback duo of Sean Glennon and Tyrod Taylor will be up against an underrated Jayhawks defense. Should the game come down to special teams, Frank Beamer's club is always good for a blocked kick every now and then.

A shootout favors Kansas; if it's low-scoring, the Hokies will control the tempo and ultimately the game.

Fiesta Bowl: No. 4 Oklahoma vs. No. 9 West Virginia

All West Virginia had to do was beat Pitt and they were in the national championship game. Instead, they now face an OU team that may be even tougher than No. 1 Ohio State.

The question surrounding this matchup is: Can Oklahoma slow down quarterback Pat White and running back Steve Slaton? If they can, the Sooners will surely walk away victorious. However, that's easier said than done — just ask anyone in the Big East. Both White and Slaton rushed for more than 1,000 yards this season, not to mention Noel Divine, who may be the best backup running back in the nation.

Oklahoma has some ammunition of its own, led by quarterback Sam Bradford, who tossed 34 touchdown passes this season. Also, the running back duo of Allen Patrick and DeMarco Murray rushed for 21 touchdowns on 1,600-plus yards.

Both teams can put up points. The team that plays the best defense and forces turnovers will most likely walk away as the winner.

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Anonymous (December 6, 2007 @ 5:16am):

Colt Brennan - 131 touchdown passes, 23 NCAA records, only undefeated team in America. Who else can say that? How can Colt Brennan not win the Heisman? If you are skeptical, I challenge you to watch last week's Hawaii Vs Washington. Colt is incredible. You might become a believer.

Anonymous (December 6, 2007 @ 10:59am):

Good discussion of the BCS. I agree wholehearedly. What a season! Will it happen again next season? What do you think?

Anonymous (December 6, 2007 @ 12:54pm):

It will be hard to match this season, but parity is here to stay in college football.

-derek

p.s. if you look at the page, i chose hawaii to upset georgia, so i'm already a believer

Anonymous (December 6, 2007 @ 10:07pm):

No way Hawaii comes within 40 pts of Georgia's 3rd string sleepwalking thru the game. You gotta love Hawaii tho, undefeated and all, but what would the scores have been if Ga had played the same schedule. Div 1.5A conferences playing patsies all year need to get exposed for what they are: undeserving. Otherwise, we're two years away from La Tech vs UL-Monroe in the NC game.

Anonymous (December 7, 2007 @ 4:59pm):

For national title LSU has better chance, but im a buckeye fan and i say that Todd Boeckman and Chris Wells are gonna hand it out and win

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