Bowl Predictions?

[Ecrivain]

So, I'm curious to see how people predict the Pac-10 teams will do in their respective bowls.

My predictions:

Rose Bowl:

USC dominates Illinois. We already saw what they could do against a spread offense when they played Oregon. Yes, they lost but USC, like Oregon, was bitten with the injury bug most of the year and they have recently began to congeal as the team that they were supposed to be.

USC 31 - Illinois 20

Holiday Bowl:

ASU is a good team, although, they are much like Kansas having a good record while losing to ranked teams. I believe that they can beat Texas. Since Vince Young left there hasn't been a well-defined leader for them (read: no one to carry the team on his back). But the coach needs a quality win, he might be able to give them the passion to win. I'm still going with ASU in a close one.

ASU 21 - Texas 17

Emerald Nut Bowl:

The last few seasons OSU has sucked it up in the beginning of the season while really coming in strong at the end. They're playing a 6-6 Maryland team with few big wins from the ACC. However, they looked like fools almost losing to an Oregon team that offensively was mostly composed of 4th and 5th stringers. The defense was also running on 2nd and 3rd stringers. Yes, they did win the Civil War but barely and only because Chip Kelly doesn't know how to call plays when he doesn't have experience or extreme talent on the field. This bowl might be closer than we think.

OSU 24 - Maryland 21

Sun Bowl:

I want Oregon to win this one. I'm praying that the talent Roper displayed against OSU will be increased through more snaps with the starters over the down time. I'm also hoping that Oregon can heal up and bring back some starters for the bowl game. South Florida surprised the nation early in the season with some big upsets and garnering themselves a #2 ranking. Like Oregon they lost their next 3 games after getting that #2 though. They did end the season with wins though. They're a 9-3 team with a strong offense and a hungry defense. They want to prove that they are worthy of the national spotlight on a yearly basis and Bellotti needs a bowl win or else he could be in the hot seat in the next season or so. I'm picking South Florida for this one despite my inherent fandom for Oregon.

Oregon 28 - South Florida 35

Las Vegas Bowl:

UCLA has already beaten BYU this year. Which means that with UCLA down to their 5th string QB and without Dorrell for the game BYU will be looking to draw some blood. Rashaan has shown flashes of brilliance but his receivers don't get open and he seems to be constantly getting sacked. UCLA is a team that's falling apart. BYU for the win in a nasty way.

UCLA 10 - BYU 38

Armed Forces Bowl:

Cal is probably the biggest disappointment in the Pac-10 this year. Well, the biggest disappointment that isn't named UCLA. They have too much talent to be ending the season the way they did. I believe Tedford will be in the hot seat if he doesn't win this game. Jackson, Forsett, Longshore among others need to start playing like they were supposed. If the offense starts clicking like they were at the beginning of the season than Cal will win this game. Air Force has played a decent season and will be chomping at the bit to take down a Pac-10 team even if it is a broken Cal team. I'm taking Air Force on this one.

Cal 24 - Air Force 28

[BigdaddyQH]

I see USC and Oregon State winning. Arizona State-Texas will be tight, but Texas loves to win Bowl Games and ASU does not. Cal loses to Air Force unless they really get their acts toghther, which is doubtful. I think they have quit on their head coach. UCLA and Oregon get thrown to the dogs. Oregon is too injured, and UCLA is too, well UCLA. So 3-3 is best case senario for the Pac 10.

[Eksynyt]

All these Pac-10 bowls suck...the only thing that can happen is the teams get upset. If we win, we get no cred, because pretty much every team is facing an inferior team on paper. That being said, I think USC is the only sure thing.

[Daddy Duck]

USC 41 Illinois 17

Texas 37 ASU 31

Oregon State 34 Maryland 24

South Florida 21 Oregon 13

BYU 35 UCLA 20

Cal 38 Air Force 17

[Ecrivain]

Some interesting picks there DaddyDuck. You really think the UCLA game will be that close? Not that 15 points is close but still. I don't see UCLA putting that many points on the board especially after their last two Pac-10 games.

Otherwise, I could agree with all the rest of them.

[Daddy Duck]

Originally Posted by Ecrivain

Some interesting picks there DaddyDuck. You really think the UCLA game will be that close? Not that 15 points is close but still. I don't see UCLA putting that many points on the board especially after their last two Pac-10 games.

Otherwise, I could agree with all the rest of them.

Yeah, I think UCLA will get a little healthier for their Bowl Game. Ben Olsen probably starts and is able to drive them into field Goal range on a few occasions, they (UCLA) have a pretty good Kicking unit.

[Ecrivain]

Originally Posted by Daddy Duck

Yeah, I think UCLA will get a little healthier for their Bowl Game. Ben Olsen probably starts and is able to drive them into field Goal range on a few occasions, they (UCLA) have a pretty good Kicking unit.

They do have a good kicking unit. With the way UCLA's season has gone I wouldn't be surprised if Olson went out in the first half with another injury, that guy attracts injuries like trash does flies. I do like Cowen though. He is probably one of the toughest players in the Pac-10 and that's list with Jonathan Stewart on it.

I just reread your Oregon score and I think that Oregon can get a few more points than that. Same as UCLA a few weeks of healing and a few more starters back on board will strengthen the team as a whole. Like I said, if Roper gets a the snaps over the break with the A-team I think he has the talent to at least get to 21 points.

[Daddy Duck]

Originally Posted by Ecrivain

They do have a good kicking unit. With the way UCLA's season has gone I wouldn't be surprised if Olson went out in the first half with another injury, that guy attracts injuries like trash does flies. I do like Cowen though. He is probably one of the toughest players in the Pac-10 and that's list with Jonathan Stewart on it.

I just reread your Oregon score and I think that Oregon can get a few more points than that. Same as UCLA a few weeks of healing and a few more starters back on board will strengthen the team as a whole. Like I said, if Roper gets a the snaps over the break with the A-team I think he has the talent to at least get to 21 points.

I wish Roper were getting all the first string reps myself. From what I have been reading Roper and Kempt are splitting reps and Bellotti said that Kempt has been the impressive of the two. I definetly prefer Ropers Civil war experienced to Kempt's.

I'm not sure if you read Rob Moselys blog or not. If you haven't caught it... he's the Oregon Football, beat writer, for the Eugene Register Guard. It's a must read for any Ducks fan.

Have you heard anything new on the Terrelle Pryor sweepstakes? Man, I pray we can land that kid.

[Ecrivain]

Originally Posted by Daddy Duck

I wish Roper were getting all the first string reps myself. From what I have been reading Roper and Kempt are splitting reps and Bellotti said that Kempt has been the impressive of the two. I definetly prefer Ropers Civil war experienced to Kempt's.

I'm not sure if you read Rob Moselys blog or not. If you haven't caught it... he's the Oregon Football, beat writer, for the Eugene Register Guard. It's a must read for any Ducks fan.

Have you heard anything new on the Terrelle Pryor sweepstakes? Man, I pray we can land that kid.

Eksyinkt, I dunno how you spell his name, the guy with the Kevin Spacey Avatar was telling me about a kid out of Texas who is built exactly like Dennis Dixon and is thinking about committing to Oregon. I think is name is D. Thomas. I'll have to ask again, but he sounds pretty good.

I have heard of Pryor though. I know he's interested in Oregon but I couldn't say much else about him. He sounds good though. After we get another Dixonesque QB we need to get another Powerback like J-stew and a deeper recieving core. I'm liking Pflugrad though. I think he'll become even more of a go-to guy next year.

[Daddy Duck]

Originally Posted by Ecrivain

Eksyinkt, I dunno how you spell his name, the guy with the Kevin Spacey Avatar was telling me about a kid out of Texas who is built exactly like Dennis Dixon and is thinking about committing to Oregon. I think is name is D. Thomas. I'll have to ask again, but he sounds pretty good.

I have heard of Pryor though. I know he's interested in Oregon but I couldn't say much else about him. He sounds good though. After we get another Dixonesque QB we need to get another Powerback like J-stew and a deeper recieving core. I'm liking Pflugrad though. I think he'll become even more of a go-to guy next year.

Yeah, Thomas is another stud Quarterback that were looking at. He's like 6'4 and 210 lbs, looks very similar to Dixon. He originally committed to LSU but backed out, he now has Oregon at the top of his list.

Terrelle Pryor is the #1 Player according to Scout and Rivals. He's 6'6 235 lbs and has been clocked at 4.4 ("40). This kid originally was going to commit to either Ohio State or Texas. Ohio State doesn't run a spread and in Texas he was afraid of being compared to Vince Young. He's now deciding between Oregon, West Virginia and Florida.

Were also looking at Marquis Gray and Darius Banks at the QB position. Both are mobile spread type of quarterbacks and both are listed within the top 15 Dual threat QB's in Nation.

[Blaze_1UP]

USC 45-24
ASU 57-55 3rd OT
OSU 28-24
USF 27-24 last second FG
BYU 44-21
Air Force 20-10

[Daddy Duck]

Just a a quick update, Darren Thomas just gave his verbal to Oregon. We also just signed 5* Defensive Tackle Justin Thompson. Thompson chose Oregon over LSU, Oklahoma, Cal, Tennessee and Nebraska. Heres a piece on the Thomas verbal from John Hunt of the Oregonian....


"It's fun to picture Terrelle Pryor in an Oregon football and basketball uniform, as the Ducks try to land Vince Young II, but in the meantime, they may have gotten Dennis Dixon II.


OK, that's an unfair comparison, but rivals.com is reporting that Oregon has a commitment from Darron Thomas, a 6-foot-4, 195-pound quarterback from Aldine, Texas. Thomas is a four-star quarterback with 4.5 speed, a 39-inch vertical and some natural running skills.


Rivals had Thomas rated the No. 33 athlete in the nation, and Thomas appears to have chosen the Ducks over Florida, Miami, LSU, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma State and Minnesota.


Thomas isn't anywhere near as polished a passer as Dixon, and he might not end up as a quarterback - especially if the Ducks land a certain football/basketball prospect from Jeannette, Pa.

By the way, Oregon offensive coordinator Chip Kelly was in Jeannette on Tuesday, checking out uber-prospect Terrelle Pryor"

[Daddy Duck]

Heres the latest on the #1 player in America Terrelle Pryor. From Sports Illustrated....

Jeannette (Pa.) quarterback Terrelle Pryor, the nation's No. 1 player, added a new school to his short list of potential destinations this week and removed another. He also admitted that the race for his services is a bit more wide open than most think.
"Oregon is now on my list," said the 6-foot-6, 235-pounder. "I spoke with coach Mike Bellotti this week when he came out to visit. I think he was in New York with Dennis Dixon for some award anyhow, but they've been recruiting me hard for a long time and I really like the offense. They run pretty much the same stuff that we do. I'm thinking about taking an official visit out there."
"The quarterback situation out there looks pretty good as well. I don't believe anyone who tells me I'll play from snap one, that's just not the way it works but coach Bellotti never told me that, he was honest and up front."
As Pryor had added Oregon, he has eliminated another program. "Texas is out," he said. "They're just not recruiting me that hard and I don't want to deal with all the Vince Young comparisons. It's not a big deal, they weren't that high on my list to start with but I was a little interested."
Pryor has already taken an official visit to Ohio State and has his visit scheduled to West Virginia for either Jan. 11 or Jan. 18, he's not sure which. Other schools involved include Florida, Tennessee and Penn State.
"They've all been in this week. I think Oregon was in Tuesday and so was Penn State, West Virginia and Tennessee were in Wednesday and I don't remember when Florida and Ohio State were in. It's been crazy, I think I'm losing my mind trying to keep track of it all."
Pryor, whose team is still playing and battles Wilmington Area (New Wilmington, Pa.) this weekend, is looking more closely at the style of offense of each team on his list.
"That concerns me about Ohio State because they've never run an offense like the one we run at my high school or that they run at West Virginia, Florida, Oregon or other places. I'd like to see them run it first so I could believe they'll change it but I'm obviously not going to get to see that so it creates doubt.
"I don't have a leader right now, I'm staying open and I'm not going to decide until Signing Day. I still have some other visits to schedule. I might trip out to Oregon, I am looking at Florida and Tennessee and I've seen Penn State a lot so I'm just focusing on finishing our season undefeated."
Pryor will play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl on Jan. 5 in the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. The game will be broadcast nationally by NBC with a noon Central time start and covered by Rivals.com.