Military Bowl | Dec. 29, 2010

Maryland vs. East Carolina: Maryland turned around an abysmal 2-10 season from last year into an 8-4 season that has earned them a place in the Military Bowl.  The team’s success is due to ACC Rookie of the Year quarterback Danny O’ Brien, who led the team to impressive wins over Boston College and NC State. East Carolina finished with a 6-6 record out of the Conference USA, led by a strong passing game behind quarterback Dominique Davis.  The team’s defense has struggled throughout the season allowing an average of 43 points a game.

Smarter Stats: The Military Bowl game will be Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen’s last game after being asked to leave. He has achieved a 74-50 record in 10 seasons with Maryland and is 4-2 in Bowl appearances.

Prediction: Maryland 35 East Carolina 13

Fiesta Bowl | Jan. 1, 2011

Connecticut vs. No. 7 Oklahoma: This game gives testament to the many flaws of the BCS Bowl system. UConn managed to win the weak Big East conference, finishing unranked with four losses and winning an automatic bid to a BCS Bowl game.  Oklahoma finished seventh in the BCS standings and won an impressive come-from-behind victory over Nebraska in the Big 12 Championship to earn a bid in the game. The team is centered on their third-ranked passing attack led by sophomore Landry Jones, who ended the season with an impressive 35 touchdowns and a 145.21 passer rating.

Smarter Stats: Oklahoma legendary coach Bob Stoops has lost his last five Bowl games, while UConn head coach Randy Edsall has the set school record for number of wins.

Prediction: Oklahoma 56 UConn 28

Orange Bowl | Jan. 3, 2011

No. 4 Stanford vs. No. 13 Virginia Tech: After losing back-to-back games against Boise State and James Madison, Virginia Tech went on a hot streak, winning 11 straight games and finishing with a win over Florida State in the ACC Championship game. Stanford is arguably the best one-loss team, with their only loss at the hands of top-ranked Oregon. Heisman candidate quarterback Andrew Luck has led the Cardinals with 41 touchdowns and a passer rating of  166.10.  The game features a Virginia Tech defense that has allowed only an average of 19 points a game versus a Stanford offense that is scoring 40 points a game.

Smarter Stats: Virginia Tech became the first team to reach a BCS Bowl game after starting 0-2.

Prediction: Stanford 31 Virginia Tech 17

Sugar Bowl | Jan. 4, 2011

No. 6 Ohio State vs. No. 8 Arkansas: Ohio State lost out in a tiebreaker to Wisconsin for a Rose Bowl bid in the Big Ten conference and now will come into the game with a chip on its shoulder. They enter the game with a balanced offence behind junior quarterback Terrelle Pryor, who is scoring 39 points a game.  But Ohio State’s success is mostly due to their third-ranked defense, which is only allowing 13 points a game. After beating fifth-ranked LSU at the end of the season, Arkansas will be making its first BCS Bowl appearance in 30 years. The team thrives off of their passing attack under junior quarterback Ryan Mallet, who is third best in the country.

Smarter Stats: Ohio State is 0-9 against SEC teams in Bowl games. Arkansas is playing in their first Sugar Bowl since 1980.

Prediction: Ohio State 21 Arkansas 17

Rose Bowl | Jan. 1 2011

No. 3 TCU vs. No. 5 Wisconsin: The TCU Horned Frogs became the first non-automatic qualifying conference team to receive a bid to the Rose Bowl in the BCS era.  TCU’s top-ranked defense has been shutting down its opponents, only allowing 11 points a game while also being the nation’s top-scoring defense. Wisconsin enters the game with a strong offense led by rushing duo James White and John Clay, who have made the team into the fourth best scoring offense with 43 points a game.  The matchup between TCU’s defense and Wisconsin’s offense is going to be a struggle all game and will come down to if TCU’s defensive line can get pressure against Wisconsin’s two All-American linemen Gabe Carimi and John Moffitt.

Smarter Stats: TCU has more national championships than Wisconsin, winning two in 1935 and 1938 while Wisconsin has yet to win one.

Prediction: TCU 27 Wisconsin 21

BCS Championship Game | Jan. 10, 2011

No. 1 Auburn vs. No. 2 Oregon: A first time in the championship game for both teams, Oregon and Auburn share a similar style of high profile rushing attacks.  The game promises to be high scoring, with both offenses averaging over 40 points a game and featuring two Heisman candidates. Auburn’s offense is led by Heisman trophy winner quarterback Cam Newton, who finished the season with over 2500 yards passing and over 1400 rushing yards and 48 touchdowns. On the other hand, Oregon is the fourth best rushing team in the league, led by sophomore Heisman candidate LaMichael James. While both offenses in this game will light up the scoreboard, look out for Oregon’s underrated defense which has totaled 20 interceptions this season and is only allowing 18 points a game.

Smarter Stats: This game is the first time Auburn and Oregon have ever played and is the first time a Pac-10 team has played an SEC team for the national title.

Prediction: Oregon 45 Auburn 38