THE UNIVERSITY OF DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2007
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SPORTS
BIG 12
5B
Conference boasts array of bowl games
BY CASE KEEFER ckeefer@kansan.com
TOSTITOS FIESTA BOWL
Oklahoma vs. West Virginia
Location: Glendale, Ariz.
Date: Jan. 2, 7 p.m.
TV: FOX
Everyone knows the Sooner defense is fast. The question is whether it's fast enough to keep up with the Mountaineers' speed-addicted offense. West Virginia junior quarterback Pat White was injured in the Mountaineers' loss to Pittsburgh but is expected to make a full recovery by the Fiesta Bowl. White is the team's leading rusher and averaging 99 yards per game on the ground. West Virginia's other big name rusher, junior running back Steve Slaton, has slowed down considerably of late. Slaton has rushed for more than 100 yards only once in the Mountaineer's final five games and only gained 11 yards on nine carries in the season-ending loss to Pittsburgh. Meanwhile, the Oklahoma defense embarrassed Missouri in their season-ending game. Sooner junior linebacker Curtis Lofton has emerged as one of the nation's best linebackers. Oklahoma freshman quarterback Sam Bradford ranks first in the nation in passing efficiency and could shred the West Virginia defense.
PREDICTION: Oklahoma 35,
West Virginia 20
AT&T COTTON BOWL Missouri vs. Arkansas Location: Dallas Date: Jan. 1, 10:30 a.m. TV: FOX VS
Both teams enter the Cotton Bowl under peculiar circumstances. The Tigers feel as if they should be playing in a Bowl Championship Series game because they beat both Kansas and Illinois, teams that are appearing in BCS games ahead of them. The Razorbacks lost their coach, Houston Nutt, after defeating then-No. 1 Louisiana State in triple overtime. Missouri has the superior team but must avoid falling into the trap of feeling sorry for itself and blowing a winnable game. Arkansas matches up well against Missouri. Sophomore defensive back Jerell Norton leads a strong pass defense that could irritate Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel. And Arkansas running backs Darren McFadden and Felix Jones are never fun for opponents. Most of the Razorbacks expressed overwhelming support for their departed coach. They certainly seem to have more momentum heading into Dallas.
PREDICTION: Arkansas 31,
Missouri 24
KONICA MINOLTA GATOR BOWL
Texas Tech vs. Virginia
Location: Jacksonville, Fla.
Date: Jan. 1, noon
The Cavaliers set an NCAA record this season with six victories by two points or less. But their grind-it-out
Jeffery Fitzgerald shutting down opponent's rush games and putting pressure on the quarterback. But Texas Tech doesn't need to run the ball to move down the field and the offensive line is adept at picking up blitzes and stunts.
style may not translate smoothly into a victory against the Red Raiders. Texas Tech ranks first in the nation in passing offense behind junior quarterback Graham Harrell's average of 442 passing yards per game. Virginia is used to winning low-scoring games with defensive linemen Chris Young and
PREDICTION: Texas Tech 34, Virginia 14
INSIGHT BOWL
Oklahoma State vs. Indiana
Location: Tempe, Ariz.
Date: Dec 31, 5 p.m.
TV: NFL Network
The last time
the Hoosiers were in a bowl game, "Jurassic Park" was the top movie at the box office. And the Indiana players might look as helpless defending themselves against Oklahoma State's offense as the characters in the movie did against velocaraptors. The Hoosiers only beat one team with a winning record all season and didn't exactly stifle opposing offenses. Led by senior running back Dantrell Savage's 117 yards per game, the Cowboys offense has found the end zone regularly without a problem. Their defense, however, ranks 113th in the nation. Indiana dual-threat quarterback Kellen Lewis could have a big day.
PREDICTION: Oklahoma State 28, Indiana 10
PETROSUN
INDEPENDENCE BOWL
Colorado vs. Alabama
Location: Shreveport, La.
Date: Dec. 30, 7 p.m.
TV: ESPN
Colorado
will rely on a strong senior class to keep it focused in Shreveport, where Crimson Tide fans will largely out-number those in black and yellow. Senior linebacker Jordon Dizon ranks second in the nation in tackles, senior cornerback Terrence Wheatley is the best defensive back that no
one knows about in the nation and senior running back Hugh Charles is fearless. Alabama has a younger nucleus of talented centered on freshman running back Terry Grant and sophomore defensive back Rashad Johnson. Alabama coach Nick Saban's first season has turned sour as his team has lost four straight. But Saban knows an Independence Bowl victory is important to lead him into the final stretch of the recruiting trail.
Of all the lower-
PREDICTION: Alabama 17 Colorado 13
Or all the toweriier bowls, this one could be the most exciting. Texas hasn't played at quite the elite level the nation expected it to all season. Sophomore quarterback Colt McCoy has gone from a preseason Heisman candidate to a token example of a sophomore slump. McCoy has thrown 18 interceptions, more than twice as many as he did in his freshman season. In Tempe, Ariz., Dennis Erickson has made the Sundevils a 10-win team in his first season as the coach. Junior quarterback Rudy Carpenter has thrown only one interception in the last five games.
PACIFIC LIFE HOLIDAY BOWL
Texas vs. Arizona State
Location: San Diego
Date: Dec. 27, 7 p.m.
TV: ESPN
PREDICTION: Arizona State 23, Texas 16
The Aggies might find themselves with a little bit of a home field advantage. The Texas A&M campus is more than 1,000 miles closer to the Alamo Bowl than Penn State's. But that didn't seem to matter to the Nittany Lions eight years ago when the two teams met in the Alamo Bowl. Penn State thumped Texas A&M in its home state, 24-0. The Aggies pound the ball up the middle efficiently with quarterback Stephen McGee and running back Jorovorskie Lane combining to average more than 130 yards per game. But the Nit-
PREDICTION: Penn State 21, Texas A&M 3
tany Lions strength lies in stopping the run. Linebackers Dan Connor and Sean Lee lead a run-stuffing defense that holds opponents to 87 rushing yards per game.
LENDY HOLMES
VALERO ALAMO BOWL
Texas A&M vs. Penn State
Location: San Antonio
Date: Dec. 29, 7 p.m.
TV: ESPN
JAMAAL CHARLES