Another jam packed day..

and the fun is just beginning! If you thought yesterday's post was long, get ready for this one!

Review: BYU 24 Tulsa 21 √
This game was a lot more exciting than I thought it'd be. I was glued to the television for nearly every play of this game. The first half was a good game, but when the clock got under a minute, that's when it really started to heat up. J.D. Ratliff of the Golden Hurricanes fielded a punt with several defenders around him, and sure enough, one of them knocked the ball free, giving BYU possession again before halftime. This time, they didn't fool around. One play later, quarterback Riley Nelson, completed a pass to Cody Hoffman for their first of three connections for touchdowns in the game. The pass was great, but the key part of the play was the block Matt Reynolds laid after already losing his helmet during the play. If you haven't seen it, look it up. That's effort and will to win. The Cougars took the lead in the third quarter, but were down late in the fourth. They got the ball back down 21-17 with four minutes to go, and got a key fourth down conversion at midfield to keep the drive alive and get inside Tulsa territory. Of course, a field goal wouldn't do any good, and with time winding down and no timeouts, the Cougars were in hurry-up mode. As the clock ticked under 20 seconds, on 2nd and goal, Nelson faked spiking the ball and connected with Hoffman for their final touchdown of the game, and the points that put them on top of Tulsa.

Review: RUTGERS 27 Iowa State 13 X
This one, not so much. I became disinterested after a certain point. However when Iowa State came back and pulled within a score with 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter, it was exciting, but a dagger-in-the-heart 86-yard touchdown sealed the Cyclones fate. Early in the game, the Cyclones faked a punt which led to their second field goal of the contest. They weren't the only ones to take a gamble though. The Scarlet Knights went for it on 4th and goal, but their gamble paid off with 7 points. On the following drive, Iowa State's quarterback Jared Barnett was sacked and fumbled the ball, which Rutgers recovered and that led to another 3 points for the Scarlet Knights. The Cyclones returned the kickoff for a sizeable gain, however, that play was nullified by a holding call. That drive ended in a missed field goal. Then we're back to the top of this, when things got interesting again. Three turnovers for Iowa State proved to be too much to overcome. Rutgers held the longest active bowl win streak with five wins, until the Bulldogs played.

Review: MISSISSIPPI STATE 23 Wake Forest 17 √
At least I rebounded with a victory. Too bad everyone else in my group had the Bulldogs winning too. This game didn't capture my attention as much as the BYU game either, but it was another good game between two well-matched teams. State's three touchdown's on the night were all over 30-yard plays including 60 and 72 yard rushing touchdowns from Vick Ballard. The Demon Deacons had their chances and kept the game relatively close. They made it a six point game with under four minutes left in the game, and got the ball back again 2:15 to go, but failed to get a first down and turned the ball over after running only 34 seconds off the clock. The Bulldogs secured their second consecutive bowl victory and winning season. They also have five straight bowl victories, tied with Rutgers for the longest active streak.

Review: OKLAHOMA 31 Iowa 14 √
Another late night, and it was almost another thriller as Oklahoma seemed to relax in the second half after coasting to a 21-0 lead, allowing the Hawkeyes to pull withing seven points with less than seven minutes left in the game. But the Sooners weren't the only ones with a close call. Iowa receiver Marvin McNutt got a close-up view of the overhead sky cam as it came crashing onto the field late in the fourth quarter. He became tangled in the wire and the game was delayed several minutes as the technical crews worked to get the camera and the wires off the field. Definitely something you don't see everyday. With under a minute left in the contest, the Sooners capped off the night with another touchdown run by Blake Bell, his third of the night. Oklahoma ended the season with 10 wins for the fifth time in six seasons.

Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas
Preview: Texas A&M v. Northwestern
Another new SEC member will be playing their final game before joining the conference. The Aggies began the year as the AP preseason number 8. Finishing the year at 6-6 doesn't quite qualify you for 8th in the country. Northwestern also finished at .500, and after going on a 5 game skid midway though the season, won four of the last five. The Aggies on the other hand had just the opposite happen as they lost four of their last five. Northwestern has been to a bowl three previous times under current head coach Pat Fitzgerald, but they have yet to win one since 1949. The Aggies head-man will be Kevin Sumlin next season, but they'll be under the direction of interim head coach Tim DeRuyter. This will be the first time these squads have met on the football field, and I see Northwestern falling in post-season play yet again. Go Aggies.

Hyundai Sun Bowl
Preview: Georgia Tech v. Utah
The Yellow Jackets looked to be starting strong going 6-0 out of the gate, but stumbled to a 2-4 finish including losses to Virginia, Virginia Tech and Georgia. The Utes finished the season strong winning four of their last five, with that loss coming against Colorado in the season finale and only by three points. Tech ranks second in the country in rushing yards, averaging 316 per game running the triple option. One of the key contributors in the running game has been quarterback Tevin Washington, who graduated from none other than Wetumpka High School! He's got 890 yards on the ground and thrown for over 1500. I've got family that have graduated from Georgia Tech so for them, Go Yellow Jackets. I see them securing a victory and Washington making Wetumpka proud!


AutoZone Liberty Bowl
Preview: Cincinnati v. Vanderbilt
This matches two teams who only combined for six wins last season. This year they both reached that mark (Cincinnati surpassed it) and became bowl eligible, and here we are. The Bearcats reeled off six straight wins during the season, while the Commodores began the season with three straight victories, only to lose the next three. Both these teams lost to Tennessee during the season. The final score of Cincinnati's game against the Vols was 45-23, while the Commodores fell to the Vols in overtime, 27-21. Vandy leads the all-time series 4-3 and I think they make it five tonight. SEC? Stay undefeated in bowl play.

Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl
Preview: Illinois v. UCLA
Can we go on and rename this one "The Replacements Bowl"? Both these squads will be coached by interim guys as their coaches were fired within a day of each other. The "Replacements" won't be in until after the bowl games, but the name is fitting. Though the name, "Fight Hunger," seems pretty fitting too, as Illinois is on a six game losing streak, and the Bruins will be looking to avoid being two games under .500 on the season (when does that even happen to a bowl team?), so both these teams should be pretty hungry for a win. I don't see a sub-par Bruins team, who wouldn't have even made a bowl had USC been eligible, beating the Illini tonight. Despite the Illini's six game losing streak they still rank 7th in the country in total defense. I see Illinois taking this one.

Chick-fil-A Bowl
Preview: Virginia v. Auburn
Is there any question who I'll have? I went to Arizona last year to see the Tigers play for the National Championship. I'll try to remove any bias I have, and I'll honestly evaluate the game, but I'll tell you now, I'm picking the Tigers. The last game for the Tigers was against the BCS title bound Crimson Tide, and I was there in the student section to witness it. Despite being an Auburn fan and the team getting beat soundly (that's putting it nicely), it was the most fun I've ever had at a regular season game (sorry Troy, you can't compare). Looking at the actual numbers though, the Tigers lost a good bit of their core from last year's championship squad, including Heisman trophy winner Cam Newton. They finished 7-5, but did win two games against top 25 teams, however, they also lost four more against the top 25. Virginia is 8-4, and 2-1 against the top 25 with that lone loss coming to Virginia Tech who'll be in a BCS bowl. Not too shabby, but most of the Cavaliers wins have been close games. Five games were decided by 7 points or less. Auburn could tie with Rutgers and Mississippi state with 5 consecutive bowl wins with a victory tonight. I already said who I'm going with, and this may just be for my heart, but War Eagle!