EAGLE BANK BOWL @Washington D.C. 3:30 PM
Ucla (-5) Temple (46)
A costly final game loss cost the Owls a chance at the MAC Championship despite a 7-1 MAC
record. Temple faced one of the weakest schedules in the nation and only defeated one fellow
bowl team but it was a great season from a program that is only a few years removed from
being at the bottom of the college football world. UCLA gambled taking this bowl bid as they
would have sat out the postseason had Army upset Navy. This will be a rare game for UCLA
on the east coast and a chance to showcase the program to a new audience and a fertile
recruiting ground. It was a rough season for the Bruins but winning three of the final four
games gets UCLA back in a bowl game in Rick Neuheisel’s second season. It is a far drop
from a team that started 3-0 with three quality non-conference wins however and a team that
was projected to be a sleeper contender in the Pac-10. Both teams featured shaky QB play
despite making bowl games but Temple certainly featured a more reliable running game. The
Bruins faced a tough slate of run defenses but too often mistakes in the passing game have
led to losses for the Bruins. UCLA was out-gained in seven of the final nine games of the
season and for the Owls this will be a huge game making the first bowl appearance since
1979. Temple beat a Pac-10 team in that game and although the schedule raises a lot of
questions this is a team that posted impressive scoring numbers and seemed to improve as
the season went on. Temple out-rushed nine of its final ten opponents and the Owls could be
an underdog with an edge on the ground in this match-up. The ‘over’ actually hit in the final
seven games of the season for Temple and while UCLA has been the ultimate ‘under’ team
more scoring could take place in this match-up as the Bruins defense is a bit overrated and
Temple might have trouble getting stops with the big jump in talent. TEMPLE BY 3
CHAMPS SPORTS BOWL @Orlando, FL 7:00 PM
Miami, FL (-3½) Wisconsin (58½)
The Badgers pulled off an impressive upset in Coach Bielema’s first bowl game but the last
two years have resulted in disappointing efforts. Wisconsin was actually bumped down a
notch in the bowl order as the Outback Bowl chose Northwestern despite Wisconsin’s superior
record and the Badgers will return to the site of last year’s disastrous 42-13 loss to Florida
State. Wisconsin is an impressive rushing team led by John Clay but the Badgers are a team
that can be one-dimensional as the passing game has been inconsistent and QB Scott
Tolzien can be interception prone. The Wisconsin defense has had several impressive
performances however and the Badgers are a couple of close games from finishing with an
even stronger record. Miami got a lot of attention early in the year but proclamations that ‘the
U’ was back proved premature. The Hurricanes have impressive and intimidating talent but
Miami has struggled in most recent bowl games. These teams have very similar numbers
statistically with Wisconsin having slight edges on both sides of the ball but the much tougher
schedule for Miami must be taken into consideration. The Wisconsin secondary could be in for
a long day as Miami passed for 268 yards per game on the year but Jacory Harris did also
throw 17 interceptions. The Badgers should control the trenches in this match-up and decent
protection should be afforded in passing situations. Both offenses should have some success
as the high total indicates but the motivation edge should be with Wisconsin as Miami was
insulted to be placed in this bowl, being leaped over by a 6-6 Florida State team for the Gator
Bowl. Wisconsin travels well and the home state edge may not be as great as expected
playing in Florida. This game has to feel like a letdown for Miami when the Hurricanes were in
the national conversation and highly ranked much of the season before a couple of losses
came through while this will be a proving ground for a Badgers team that has endured
postseason disappointment the past two years. WISCONSIN BY 3
Nelly's Greensheet Newsletter 12/29
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