[LLXC]

Temple coach Golden is a hot commodity in the coaching world. He's made steady improvement at what's been a football laughing stock for years, improving from 1 to 4 to 5 to 9 wins in his 4 seasons. Temple's 8 game win streak was halted at 8 when they lost at Ohio in a game that decided their half of the MAC. Still, the program has found some life and the Owls are making their first Bowl trip since the 1979 Garden State Bowl (in which they, ironically, upset another Pac 10 team, Cal, as a small underdog). UCLA had been to 6 straight Bowls before missing out last season, coach Neuheisel's first at his alma mater. The Bruins improved by 2 wins this season with their most significant win coming early in the season at Tennessee. Temple began the season with a 27-24 loss to eventual FCS Champion Villanova, followed by a loss at powerful Penn State before reeling off those 9 straight wins. Their most notable win was at Navy and for the most part the other 8 wins came against weak MAC foes. Still, Temple is to be lauded for their successful season that was based largely on a strong running game. Temple ran for over 210 yards in each of the last 6 games. Their passing attack was limited. The statistics were fairly even although UCLA clearly played far better competition. Temple was opportunistic on offense, ranking # 89 in yards gained (338) but # 35 in points (30.2). The intangibles seemingly favor Temple and they should have the clear edge in fan support. UCLA's attitude may be suspect considering the cross country travel to play in a minor bowl in likely frigid conditions. UCLA QB Prince is probable for this game as is Temple star RB Pierce. Both were injured late in the season. This comes down to a matchup of UCLA's better talent versus Temple's enthuSIAsm. If UCLA made the cross country trip to play in a Florida Bowl there might be better support for a win. But Temple has accomplished much this season and they are looking forward to stepping up in class to face a big time program. They will not want to waste the opportunity to show how far the Temple program has come in just a few years. Temple pulls the upset, 20-16, making TEMPLE a 3 Star Selection and the UNDER a 4 Star Selection

This is a very attractive matchup between a perennial Big 10 contender and a Miami team rebounding from some average seasons but with a National Title within the past decade. Wisconsin is a typical Big 10 team in that they are physical and rely heavily on the running game. This year they did rely more on the pass and were almost perfectly balanced in averaging 207 rushing ypg and 209 passing ypg. They also play strong defense and were # 8 against the rush, allowing just 90 ypg while putting up average stats versus the pass. Miami was more of a passing team this season with two thirds of their yards through the air. QB Harris has great athleticism and is capable of making the big play from anywhere on the field. Wisconsin is in their eighth straight Bowl and are off of two straight Bowl losses. Miami had been to 9 straight Bowls before missing out 2 seasons ago. They returned Bowling last season, losing to Cal 24-17 in the Emerald Bowl, virtually a home game for Cal. Both teams should be motivated in view of their recent Bowl histories. Miami's most significant wins came early in the season against Georgia Tech and Oklahoma. They also have wins over 3 other Bowl bound teams. Wisconsin had no significant wins this season although they did outplay Ohio State in a 31-13 loss, outgaining the Buckeyes 368-184. They did defeat 4 teams headed to Bowls but none of the stature defeated by Miami. Wisconsin is usually well prepared for Bowls although they blown out last season by a faster, more athletic Florida State, 42-13 in this same Bowl. Miami has many of those same advantages. Although Wisconsin will want to make amends for that loss on this field they may find themselves overmatched. Ultimately Miami's greater team speed and more talent at the skill positions proves decisive. The Total may also provide a good play as each of Wisconsin's last 6 Bowls, and 7 of 9 dating back a decade, have produced 55 points or less with 7 of the 9 producing 45 points or less. Miami's last 5 Bowls have produced total points of 43 points or less. The forecast calls for Miami to win 27-20, making MIAMI a 3 Star Selection and the UNDER a 4 Star Selection

[LLXC]

From gg's tracking:

OVERALL: 15-8
SIDES: 6-5
TOTALS: 9-3

1 UNIT: 4-2
2 UNIT: 3-3
3 UNIT: 7-3