New Years Day Bowl News and Notes

TicketCity Bowl Preview
By: Matt Zemek

It’s going to be an early wake-up for two groups of young men as they start 2011. If a bunch of 20-year-olds doesn’t rise and shine in time, the first-ever Ticket City Bowl could slip slide away… especially for a man named Evan Watkins.

The venerable Cotton Bowl stadium no longer hosts the Cotton Bowl game on New Year’s Day in Dallas. Now the old ballpark will be able to host a brand-new bowl game matching the Northwestern Wildcats and the Texas Tech Red Raiders. The first Ticket City Bowl kicks off college football in 2011. What’s particular to this game is that it replaces – interestingly enough – the Cotton Bowl as the first game of New Year’s Day. In previous years, it was the Cotton Bowl that would start just after 11 a.m. Central time in Dallas, representing the very first college football game of the new year. Now, as the Cotton Bowl game moves to Jerry Jones’ pleasure dome in Arlington, it’s this newly-created contest which will prevent NU and Tech fans from being able to stay up late on New Year’s Eve. Perhaps some of the younger Wildcat and Red Raider fans will just stay up through the night and crash land after this game is over, but anyone over 40 years of age is going to have to go to sleep right after midnight and wake up no later than 9:30 in order to get to the ballpark in time.

The policy for players on these teams? Even worse – no midnight celebrations for Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald or Texas Tech boss Tommy Tuberville. Curfews are definitely going to be monitored on the last night of 2010, because 2011 will start very quickly for these clubs.

The Wildcats once again reached a bowl game under Fitzgerald, a leader who has done well in succeeding the late, great Randy Walker. Quarterback Dan Persa led Northwestern to riveting victories over Iowa, Minnesota and (non-conference) against Vanderbilt with one of the nation’s most precise throwing arms. However, Northwestern also flubbed big chances for wins against Purdue and Illinois, committing far too many penalties at times for its own benefit. The Wildcats were very undisciplined this year and made many silly mistakes. Yet, they’re in a bowl game and have done things that the program never could have dreamed of when it languished at the very bottom of the Big Ten in the 1980s and the early ‘90s.

The Red Raiders, for their part, were a wildly inconsistent bunch that could rarely produce the same kind of game in consecutive outings. Tuberville needed this season to get used to life in the Big 12 with players who were accustomed to a high-octane passing attack. What got lost in the shuffle was Tech’s need to beef up its defense, which got smashed by Iowa State (52 points), Texas A&M (45), and Oklahoma (45 more points). The Red Raiders got to this game in Dallas because they triumphed in a shootout over Baylor and then dug out a defensive struggle against Missouri, in what was surely the team’s biggest victory of the season.

This game comes down to one simple fact: Persa, a dynamic quarterback who can also scramble and make plays when the pocket collapses, will not be able to perform for Northwestern due to an injury he suffered in the win over Iowa. It’s going to be up to backup quarterback Evan Watkins, a man with a rifle arm, to read defenses a lot better than he did in the train-wreck against Illinois. Watkins doesn’t see the field well, and that’s what must improve if the Wildcats, undermanned as they are, expect to be competitive.

STAT PACK:

Northwestern

Passing Yards Per Game: 242.6 (National ranking out of 120 FBS teams: 40)

Rushing Yards Per Game: 149.8 (Ranking: 68)

Points Per Game: 25.4 (Ranking: 74)

Points Allowed Per Game: 27.7 (Ranking: 67)

Texas Tech

Passing: 314.8 ypg (Ranking: 8)

Rushing: 137.8 ypg (Ranking: 82)

Scoring: 32.1 ppg (Ranking: 34)

Scoring Defense: 30.3 ppg (Ranking: 85)

Outback Bowl Preview
By: Matt Zemek

The theme is obvious, the jokes by now predictable, the laugh lines something you can smell from 10 miles away, not just one. However, how can you deny the remarkable irony swirling around the 2011 Outback Bowl? This contest between the Florida Gators and the Penn State Nittany Lions pits a coach who is retiring against 84-year-old Joe Paterno.

Yes, life has a way of throwing a big overhand curveball at the world. For years and years, the college football world has speculated when JoePa would finally call it a career, but the man who turns 84 on December 21 of 2010 is going to outlast Urban Meyer in the college football coaching profession. Believe it or not, Meyer – due to health reasons that he publicly denied – will retire after this contest, thereby shrinking the list of active coaches with at least two national championships to their credit. Paterno is one of those guys, and the Penn State icon produced multiple other unbeaten seasons in which his team was not recognized as a national champion, either. It’s all so amazing that the old man, the true (Nittany) Lion In Winter, is going to keep coaching while the 46-year-old Meyer recuperates and tries to spend time with the family he’s rarely been around over the past decade of climbing up the coaching ladder before burning out. Paterno coached against former Florida icon Steve Spurrier in the 1998 Citrus Bowl, and now he’s going to match wits with another Gator great, Mr. Meyer, in another Florida-based New Year’s Day bowl game. The whole of the reality is impossible to fully wrap your mind around.

Now, on to the game that Paterno and Meyer are preparing for… Penn State and Florida are two proud programs, but they’ve both encountered major problems on offense in 2010. This tilt in Tampa should be dominated by the two defenses that will take to the gridiron at Raymond James Stadium.

The Gators had their worst season in the Urban Meyer era. Not even Meyer’s 2005 team was as bad as the 2010 Gators ultimately became. In 2005, Florida still went 9-3, but this year, the Gators made the Wile E. Coyote plunge into the abyss after crushing the SEC East in 2008 and 2009. Florida went just 7-5 and plainly withered on the offensive side of the ball. Offensive coordinator Steve Addazio came under fire for putting players in bad positions and telegraphing his intentions. Florida scored seven points or fewer in three separate games this season, a stunning total for a school that has the pick of the litter in terms of the high-school talent in the Sunshine State. Quarterback John Brantley rarely found any notable degree of comfort as the season evolved.

The Nittany Lions also struggled on offense, scoring just one touchdown against their first three BCS-conference opponents this season (Alabama, Iowa, Illinois). However, after starting the season 3-3 and being in danger of missing a bowl game, coach Joe Paterno switched quarterbacks, putting Matt McGloin under center in place of Robert Bolden. The move worked, and Penn State won four of its last six while scoring at least 33 points in each of those four wins. McGloin was certainly the solution the Nittany Lions were seeking at the quarterback spot.

Florida – after a month of coaching under the demanding eye of Meyer – will be better than it has been in 2010. However, the Gators might not be good enough to take this game away from a Penn State team that will also have a month to prepare. Paterno has won 24 bowl games, more than any other active coach, and he owns a winning record against SEC teams in bowl games. Can Meyer steal this game from JoePa, or will the old man beat the guy who is retiring at age 46?

Either way, sportswriters will have an interesting story to write… though they might not have an attractive ballgame to watch.

STAT PACK

Florida:

Passing Yards Per Game: 191.3 (National ranking out of 120 FBS teams: 85)

Rushing Yards Per Game: 165.6 (Ranking: 44)

Points Per Game: 29.3 (Ranking: 48)

Points Allowed Per Game: 21.1 (Ranking: 31)

Penn State

Passing: 231.3 ypg (Ranking: 52)

Rushing: 142.8 ypg (Ranking: 75)

Scoring: 24.6 ppg (Ranking: 80)

Scoring Defense: 22.6 ppg (Ranking: 41)

Capital One Bowl Preview
By: Matt Zemek

The Michigan State Spartans would much rather be playing in the Rose Bowl, since they did defeat the Wisconsin Badgers, the team that’s been given the chance to travel to Pasadena, California, for a West Coast date with destiny on New Year’s Day. However, if there was ever a good consolation prize for the boys from East Lansing, Michigan, they found it in Orlando, Florida. The 2011 Capital One Bowl is as good a non-BCS bowl game as you’re going to find in the latest college football postseason parade.

The BCS bowls – certainly the Fiesta Bowl, saddled with that Connecticut-Oklahoma mismatch – should be downright envious about the quality of the Capital One Bowl this season. Defending national champion Alabama takes on co-Big Ten champion Michigan State in one of the very best bowl games on display. Bama coach Nick Saban used to coach at Michigan State, making this game sexy and significant for multiple reasons.

This is going to be a contest that will say a lot about the relative strengths of the Big Ten and the SEC, the two most politically powerful conferences in college sports, and hence, the two leagues that regularly get a chance to play in bowl games. While the Pac-10 rarely plays the Big Ten or the SEC in bowls (the Rose Bowl being the one regular exception), the SEC and Big Ten get it on all the time in the Outback Bowl and here in the Capital One encounter. This season, Ohio state and Arkansas will make noise in the Sugar Bowl, but before that Jan. 4 matchup, Bama and Sparty will have a score to settle. If the Tide, at 9-3, knock off the 11-1 Spartans in decisive fashion, SEC fans will have a lot to crow about. If, on the other hand, Michigan State can stem the Tide, the Big Ten Nation will have very good reason to say that the SEC (more specifically, the SEC West) is overrated. Add in the Saban factor linking these two schools, and you have the potent mix for a very intriguing afternoon.

The Crimson Tide did not expect or want to be in Orlando for New Year’s Day. The defending national champions were the preseason No. 1 team in the United States, and while they undeniably sported a young defense, they returned all their prime studs on offense. The defense did struggle at times, especially in the secondary (against South Carolina and Auburn), but the real story of the 2010 Crimson Tide is that their offense didn’t really max out at any point in time. The offensive line didn’t blow opponents off the ball with regularity, and 2009 Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram was a shadow of his old self this season. Alabama did beat Arkansas on the road, but the Tide faltered in ballyhooed battles against LSU and especially Auburn. Alabama had a 24-0 second-quarter lead but watched it evaporate in a wrenching 28-27 loss. The Tide’s quarterback, Greg McElroy, will play against Michigan State, but he got injured against Auburn.

The Spartans simply had their best season since the 1987 Rose Bowl year. Coach Mark Dantonio had a heart attack, yet Sparty won 11 games in a regular season for the first time ever. The program won a share of the Big Ten title for the first time since 1990 and beat Notre Dame along the way. The only loss for MSU came at Iowa, but other than that game, Dantonio’s team avoided the sickening upset losses and cringe-inducing ambushes that have haunted the Spartans in the past. The most impressive escape job came when MSU brushed off a 17-point first-half deficit to win at Northwestern, thanks in part to a successful fake punt in the fourth quarter.

This should be a fantastic game. Michigan State will be excited to play Alabama, whereas the Spartans might have complained about missing a BCS bowl against another school. Bama wants to end the season on a high note after fading against Auburn. Michigan State will put up a good fight, but the Crimson Tide will put up their dukes as well. Get ready for a slobberknocker showdown and a terrific tilt at the Citrus Bowl stadium.

STAT PACK

Alabama

Passing Yards Per Game: 260.3 (National ranking out of 120 FBS teams: 28)

Rushing Yards Per Game: 175.3 (Ranking: 36)

Points Per Game: 34.6 (Ranking: 21)

Points Allowed Per Game: 14.1 (Ranking: 5)

Michigan State

Passing: 237.8 ypg (Ranking: 44)

Rushing: 168.8 ypg (Ranking: 39)

Scoring: 31.3 ppg (Ranking: 39)

Scoring Defense: 20.1 ppg (Ranking: 26)

Gator Bowl Preview
By: Matt Zemek

The 2011 Gator Bowl is not going to decide a national championship. It's not going to place the winning team in the top 10 of the season-ending rankings. It's not going to draw a sellout crowd, and it won't generate an electric brand of buzz. With all those things having been said, it's as significant as a bowl game can be in light of its lack of five-star qualities.

Yes, the backdrop to this joust in Jacksonville between the Michigan Wolverines and the Mississippi State Bulldogs is as fascinating as one can imagine for a relatively off-the-radar event. Just consider the many crosscurrents that have swirled around this Big Ten-SEC battle.

The moment this game was announced, it immediately acquired significance because it represented a final proving and testing ground for embattled Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez. The former West Virginia mastermind is finishing his third season in Ann Arbor, and only now has Rodriguez finally managed to reach a bowl game. Moreover, he's done so with a thoroughly mediocre and uninspiring 7-5 record. That's not what Michigan fans expect. Rodriguez always needed this game, and that portrait of instability has fittingly remained... well, there's no other word for it... stable in the time since this matchup became official.

What hasn't been stable is the Mississippi State side of this pigskin passion play. When Florida coach Urban Meyer abruptly retired right after the end of the regular season, MSU head coach Dan Mullen - Meyer's former right-hand man and the architect of two national championship-winning offenses at Florida - shot to the top of the Gators' list of head-coaching prospects (at least, that's what many reports said in the wake of Meyer's bombshell announcement). Suddenly, at least for a few moments, Mississippi State's coaching situation was thrown into a state of uncertainty. The questions surrounding the Gator Bowl flew fast and furious: Would Mullen bolt? If he did, how would Mississippi State react? If MSU played like a distracted team without Mullen on the sidelines, would that diminish the value of a Michigan win for Rodriguez and the not-so-small matter of his job security? If a Michigan win over a Mullen-free Mississippi State club still registered favorably on UM's Ann Arbor campus, it could have been said - fairly and directly - that Urban Meyer's retirement could have saved Rich Rodriguez's job, and kept Michigan from asking alumnus Jim Harbaugh to become the Wolverines' new coach.

That's how complicated the Gator Bowl's coaching backstory was... at least for a few days. Now, though, things are different.

Florida selected Will Muschamp to be its next coach. Mullen was not selected by either Florida or the University of Miami. Mullen is staying at Mississippi State for at least the 2011 season. Now, MSU can expect to not only compete, but be re-energized by the knowledge that its dynamic coach will be staying. Now, Michigan's chances of winning have dimmed ever so slightly. None of this stuff is going to decide the game, but it has to be acknowledged that MSU without Mullen would have had a much smaller chance of winning than an MSU crew with Mullen calling the shots on the sideline. It all makes for a fascinating backdrop to a second-tier bowl.

Michigan enters the Gator Bowl at 7-5. The Wolverines will almost surely be playing the last game with defensive coordinator Greg Robinson. Michigan's defense gave up 65 points in a win over Illinois, and got absolutely shredded by most of the Big Ten defenses it played. Instructively, a Penn State offense that could barely tie its shoelaces in the first half of the season scored 41 points against Michigan. The Maize and Blue coughed up 48 more points to Wisconsin and 37 points to FCS-based Massachusetts. Michigan was incredibly bad on defense; only the exploits of dazzling quarterback Denard Robinson - and a soft nonconference schedule - allowed the Wolverines to finish just a little bit above the .500 mark.

Mississippi State produced an 8-4 season that ranked as a tremendous breakthrough for the program. The Bulldogs have had far more losing seasons than winning seasons over the past decade; any bowl year is a great year in Starkville. Mullen brought balance, physicality and sound execution to the Bulldogs' offense, and its defense was flinty enough to keep mediocre foes at bay. Similarly to Michigan, MSU fattened up on so-so teams but couldn't take down any superior club. MSU lost to the four teams in the SEC West that finished in front of the Bulldogs: Auburn, Arkansas, LSU and Alabama.

These are evenly-matched teams with coaching intrigues fresh on the minds of each fan base, but more real and urgent on the Michigan side of the divide. Buckle up for an intriguing encounter in the northern part of Florida.

STAT PACK

Michigan

Passing Yards Per Game: 249.8 (National ranking out of 120 FBS teams: 35)

Rushing Yards Per Game: 251.1 (Ranking: 11)

Points Per Game: 34.3 (Ranking: 22)

Points Allowed Per Game: 33.8 (Ranking: 102)

Mississippi State

Passing: 178.6 ypg (Ranking: 91)

Rushing: 215.8 ypg (Ranking: 16)

Scoring: 27.1 ppg (Ranking: 58)

Scoring Defense: 20.3 ppg (Ranking: 27)

Rose Bowl Preview
By: Matt Zemek

College football purists will say that the 2011 Rose Bowl should pit Stanford against Wisconsin, the way nature intended. Traditionalists will say that the latest Granddaddy Of Them All will not be the mother of all matchups. Those statements might be true, but let’s at least acknowledge the claim that college football’s most picturesque and romantic bowl game still has one heckuva pairing, a game that will genuinely excite the nation on the first afternoon of the new year.

Yes, the Rose Bowl doesn’t have its traditional matchup between a Big Ten and a Pac-10 school, but it has still put together a compelling event. TCU carries the flag for non-automatic-qualifying schools against BCS heavyweight and co-Big Ten champion Wisconsin in Pasadena, California. This is, without question, the most significant and anticipated bowl game other than the BCS title tilt between Oregon and Auburn. Since the Rose gets to play this contest nine days before the BCS championship showdown, all eyes will be on the Arroyo Seco for this classic confrontation set against the backdrop of the San Gabriel Mountains. This is the kind of game Mr. College Football, Keith Jackson, would have loved to announce… not just because of the teams involved, but because the Rose Bowl simply sets the gold standard for big-game atmosphere in college football. If it’s 5:10 p.m. Eastern time on January 1, you know that kickoff is at hand on a sun-splashed and perfectly manicured field in Southern California. Pro football has the Super Bowl, but nothing matches the Rose Bowl for a magical and transporting football experience. How honored TCU and Wisconsin must be to experience the Granddaddy’s signature charms.

The Horned Frogs of TCU are the men that America will be eager to evaluate in this game. Plenty of people know who and what the Badgers are, but TCU hasn’t received the same amount of regular television coverage. Just to inform you, then, the Frogs went 12-0 in 2010, marking the second straight regular season that the purple people from Fort Worth have done the deed. Coach Gary Patterson steered TCU around landmines once again, proving his worth as a sideline sultan. Quarterback Andy Dalton lost the mustard on his fastball at times, but Patterson’s field general played extremely well in major moments, especially a 47-7 rout of Utah that put the Frogs on the national radar screen and ultimately in this game. On a few occasions in 2010, TCU failed to play with the consistency of a championship-level team; the Frogs expect to be at their best every time they step onto the field. However, when the Frogs were in need of a big play, receiver and return man Jeremy Kerley answered the bell. Kerley delivered a timely kick return that changed momentum in a road win at SMU in late September. Kerley then converted a fourth-and-four play late in the first quarter to help TCU erase a 14-point deficit and defeat San Diego State on Nov. 13. TCU has playmakers on both sides of the ball. The Frogs have the horses to stay with Wisconsin.

The Badgers slipped only once this season in a road loss at Michigan State. They were fortunate to escape at home against Arizona State when they blocked a tying extra-point by the Sun Devils late in the fourth quarter. However, for the most part, coach Bret Bielema’s boys were outstanding in 2010, and they became a juggernaut in November against weak opponents. Wisconsin was decidedly better than Ohio State; the Badgers roughed up the Buckeyes on Oct. 16 in Madison. Wisconsin then went to Iowa and pulled out a 31-30 win that was the most significant triumph of the whole season. After that game, the Badgers exuded confidence while Iowa largely crumbled. Had the Badgers not won in Iowa City, they wouldn’t be here right now. They also wouldn’t have flexed their muscles in an 83-point showing against Indiana and a 70-point outing against Northwestern. This is the hottest team in America; one wonders if Wisconsin will be able to pick up where it left off.

TCU is talented, but the Horned Frogs have a history of playing very nervously in front of the national cameras on a big stage. The Frogs dropped stacks of passes in the 2010 Fiesta Bowl against Boise State, and Dalton played an extremely shaky first half that caused negative body language to flow through TCU’s offense (the defense played really well; it’s the offense that must step up in this game for the Frogs). Wisconsin is the more proven big-game team, given its weekly battles against the likes of Ohio State, Michigan State and Iowa. Experience and composure, not Xs and Os, will loom large… TCU’s mental toughness will be tested as it has never been tested before. We’ll see if the Granddaddy’s gameday atmosphere makes TCU into a midget or a giant.

America awaits the answer.

STAT PACK

TCU

Passing Yards Per Game: 230.3 (National ranking out of 120 FBS teams: 53)

Rushing Yards Per Game: 261.2 (Ranking: 8)

Points Per Game: 43.3 (Ranking: T-4)

Points Allowed Per Game: 11.4 (Ranking: 1)

Wisconsin

Passing: 202.8 ypg (Ranking: 74)

Rushing: 247.3 ypg (Ranking: 12)

Scoring: 43.3 ppg (Ranking: T-4)

Scoring Defense: 20.5 ppg (Ranking: 29)

Fiesta Bowl Preview
By: Matt Zemek

It’s hard to avoid the temptation to be a killjoy in advance of the 2011 Fiesta Bowl. To be brutally honest, this is the kind of game in which the television and radio broadcast crews are going to need a lot of filler material and anecdotes to pass the time in the second half of play.

Sure, the Oklahoma Sooners have lost all three of the January Fiesta Bowls they’ve ever played, including two of them in the past five seasons when they’ve been a clear favorite. Yes, Oklahoma has been terrible in BCS bowls ever since it won the 2003 Rose Bowl against Washington State. Yes, this is far from Oklahoma’s best team in the Bob Stoops era, a balky ballclub that benefited from the downfall of the Texas Longhorns plus a schizoid Nebraska team that simply couldn’t pass the ball when it mattered. However, none of those deficiencies or limitations should matter when the Crimson and Cream take their traveling road show to Glendale, Arizona, for another BCS bowl on New Year’s Night. It would take a cataclysmic series of events to deny the Sooners of a comfortable and decisive win against an overmatched opponent when this prime-time tilt commences in the desert.

Everyone knows that the champion of the 2010 Big East Conference is not likely to be able to stand in the ring and take punches for 60 minutes, but as the backdrop for this game takes shape, it has to be said – with emphasis and passion – that the underdog in this game is not the group of people that should be blamed for this Fiesta Bowl matchup.

The Connecticut Huskies didn’t create the rules governing the Bowl Championship Series. They merely play by them, just like anyone else in college football. It’s the system’s fault – and a sport’s fault – that the Big East’s best team gets an automatic lock-in to a BCS bowl, but it’s certainly not UConn’s fault that it won the Big East and earned the right to play in a prestigious January contest.

The Huskies were nothing less than lousy in September and looked like they could very easily suffer a losing season. Losses to Michigan, Temple and Rutgers gave coach Randy Edsall’s team three kicks to the gut. However, Connecticut was able to make mid-course corrections and turn its season in the opposite direction. The Huskies’ offensive line got better, running back Jordan Todman flourished, and an opportunistic defense came up with huge late-game turnovers in home-field wins against Pittsburgh and West Virginia. It’s because of those two victories that UConn won the head-to-head tiebreakers needed to claim the Big East title. A mere split in those two games would not have done the job for the Huskies. Instead, they own their first conference crown and will make their first BCS bowl appearance on Jan. 1.

The Sooners were in big trouble in the middle of November. Stoops looked on in disgust as his team lost roadies at Missouri and Texas A&M. Quarterback Landry Jones was making markedly poor reads in road games, so when Oklahoma faced two final challenges at Baylor and Oklahoma State to close the regular season, there wasn’t a lot of optimism in the Sooners’ inner circle. However, Jones played extremely well in a win at Baylor and then brushed off some alarming mistakes to throw two late touchdown passes in a 47-41 win at Oklahoma State to seal the Big 12 South Division title. OU then dug out of a 17-0 ditch to topple Nebraska in the Big 12 Championship Game and get to this Glendale glamour game. Stoops won his seventh Big 12 title in the past 11 seasons.

This is a mismatch, and everyone except UConn knows it. Oklahoma is very strong in the trenches, and Connecticut lacks both the athletes and the depth to stay in this game for four quarters.

Get that filler time ready, announcing crews one and all. You’re likely to need it.

STAT PACK

Connecticut

Passing Yards Per Game: 145.1 (National ranking out of 120 FBS teams: 112)

Rushing Yards Per Game: 179.9 (Ranking: 31)

Points Per Game: 26.9 (Ranking: 62)

Points Allowed Per Game: 19.8 (Ranking: 23)

Oklahoma

Passing: 336.8 ypg (Ranking: 4)

Rushing: 141.3 ypg (Ranking: 77)

Scoring: 36.4 ppg (Ranking: 17)

Scoring Defense: 21.9 ppg (Ranking: 35)

New Year's Day College Bowl Betting Mismatches
By SCOTT COOLEY

TicketCity Bowl: Northwestern vs. Texas Tech (-9.5, 60)

Wildcats’ pass defense vs. Red Raiders’ pass offense

Texas Tech had a down year in terms of passing without the mad scientist concocting the aerial assault, but that phase of the offense still produced more than 310 yards per game.

Taylor Potts directed a passing attack that ranked eighth among FBS leaders. He finished third in the country in completions per game (27.2) while connecting on 65.9 percent of his passes for 3,357 yards and 31 touchdowns. Eight Tech receivers ended the year with at least 25 receptions.

Potts is apparently comfortable playing in the Cotton Bowl, as he threw for a season-high 462 yards and four scores there against Baylor on October 9. He ended the season strong as well, with 645 yards and seven touchdowns in six quarters of action over the final two games.

Northwestern allowed more than 230 yards per game through the air in 2010, which ranked 85th nationally. The Wildcats surrendered 118 points over their last two regular-season games. Wisconsin hung 70 of those points in the finale and while the Badgers operate a run-first offense, Scott Tolzien threw for 230 yards and four touchdowns on just 19 attempts.

Outback Bowl: Penn State vs. Florida (-7, 48)

Nittany Lions’ motivation vs. Gators’ motivation

Three weeks ago, Urban Meyer announced he was stepping down as Florida’s head coach. It doesn’t look like he’ll be able to retract his statement this time as the school has already filled the position with Texas offensive coordinator Will Muschamp.

Meyer got the Gators in the headlines in similar fashion last year. Citing health issues, he said he would coach in the Sugar Bowl against Cincinnati and then take a leave of absence. When that happened, the 10.5-point spread for the game went off the board and then resurfaced at 11.5. Florida cruised to a 53-23 victory.

This bowl spread hasn’t changed since Meyer’s announcement, but Covers Expert Ted Sevransky stated earlier that “the Florida number will be going up.” One can only assume the players will be amped to send the man who brought the university two national championships out on a high note.

Penn State fields a young squad that could be overwhelmed playing in its opponent’s backyard. Joe Paterno will have these players back in a bowl next season so this should serve as a good learning experience for them.

Gator Bowl: Michigan vs. Mississippi State (-4.5, 59)

Wolverines’ run defense vs. Bulldogs’ run offense

Vick Ballard and Chris Relf paced the SEC’s second-ranked rushing offense in 2010. Mississippi State posted 215.8 yards a game this season which was good for the 16th-best mark nationally.

Cries for the firing of Michigan’s defensive coordinator started in Week 3 when UMass rolled up nearly 500 yards of offense. That side of the ball was toothless and the run defense was the primary culprit.

The Wolverines ranked 94th in the country in run defense, allowing 187.7 yards per game and 30 touchdowns on the ground. Wisconsin steamrolled Michigan 48-28 in late November as two tailbacks eclipsed the 170-yard mark and combined for six touchdowns. In the season finale against Ohio State, the Buckeyes racked up 258 rushing yards behind a 5.7 yards-per-carry clip.

Fiesta Bowl: Connecticut vs. Oklahoma (-17, 55)

Huskies’ defensive line vs. Sooners’ offensive line

Given the 17-point spread, there are mismatches galore when examining this BCS bowl.

Oklahoma got away from running the ball regularly during conference play but lanes could open up against UConn’s undersized four-man front. The Sooners’ average weight on the offensive line is 297.4 pounds and the shortest guy is 6-foot-3. The Huskies’ tallest player on the D-line is 6-foot-4 and that unit’s average weight is 267.5 pounds.

Landry Jones had plenty of protection this season behind nearly 1,500 pounds of meat. Oklahoma finished fourth nationally in passing (336.8 ypg), 13th in total offense (478.1 ypg) and 17th in scoring (36.4 ppg).

Tailbacks DeMarco Murray and Roy Finch each averaged better than 4.4 yards per carry this season for the Sooners. Oklahoma posted a 142.1 rushing-yards-per-game average while the Huskies allowed 147.3 yards a game on the ground.

New Year's Day Tips
By Brian Edwards

Three SEC teams will take on Big Ten schools during the afternoon on New Year’s Day. Let’s get your ready for all three of those contests and your wagering options for each.

**Florida vs. Penn State**

This is a rematch of the 1998 Citrus Bowl on New Year’s Day when Florida rode the legs of Fred Taylor to a 21-6 win over Penn State as a 14-point favorite in Orlando. This time around, most betting shops are listing the Gators as seven-point favorites with a total of 48. Gamblers can take PSU to win outright for an attractive plus-250 payout (risk $100 to win $250).

Florida saw its six-game winning streak against arch-rival FSU ended in embarrassing fashion in its regular-season finale at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee. The Seminoles dealt out woodshed treatment in the form of a 31-7 shellacking as 2½-point home favorites.

Penn State (7-5 SU, 5-6 ATS) won four of its last six games both SU and ATS, but it lost its regular-season finale to Michigan St. by a 28-22 count as a 1½-point home underdog.

Joe Paterno’s team is led by senior running back Evan Royster, who rushed for 85 yards and one touchdown on 14 carries against the Spartans. For the season, Royster rushed for 916 yards and six touchdowns, averaging 4.9 yards per carry. Sophomore QB Matt McGloin took over the starting job in late October and played well, posting a 13/4 TD-INT ratio for the season.

Urban Meyer’s team has been a single-digit favorite three times this season, losing outright in each instance. Meanwhile, PSU has posted an abysmal 1-4 record both SU and ATS when listed as an underdog.

UF will be without four starters due to injuries, including All-SEC cornerback Janoris Jenkins.

Florida’s offense has been anemic all year long. Jeff Demps and Chris Rainey, UF’s most explosive offensive weapons, both missed big chunks of the season due to injury and suspension. John Brantley played hurt at times, was asked to run too much and was hurt by poor route running by his wideouts. Brantley’s stats indicated those struggles with a mediocre 9/9 TD-INT ratio and 2,020 passing yards. Over the last month of the season, Brantley would often get yanked in and out of the lineup in favor of Jordan Reed or Trey Burton lining up at QB in the shotgun in running situations.

The word on the street Friday afternoon was that new UF head coach Will Muschamp is poised to hire Kansas City offensive coordinator Charlie Weis as the Gators’ new offensive coordinator for the 2011 campaign. If this indeed becomes a fact, it’ll be an extraordinary first hire for Muschamp to bring in Weis on several levels. For starters, the young Muschamp, who will be head coach for the first time, will have Weis, the former head coach at Notre Dame, to lean on for counsel. Most importantly, though, Weis is an offensive mastermind who called the plays for three Super Bowl winners during his time in New England. This year he’s helped the Chiefs get to the playoffs for the first time in several seasons.

The Gators are 4-1 both SU and ATS in bowl games during Urban Meyer’s six-year tenure. Meanwhile, PSU is going bowling for a sixth consecutive year. The Lions are 4-1 SU and 3-2 ATS in their last five postseason games, beating a pair of SEC schools in that stretch (19-17 over LSU last year and 20-10 over Tennessee in the ’06 Outback Bowl.

The ‘over’ finished the regular season on a 6-1 run in PSU games. On the flip side, the ‘under’ cashed in each of UF’s last three outings.

ABC will have the telecast at 1:00 p.m. Eastern.

**Alabama vs. Michigan State**

Nick Saban will go up against his former school in this season’s Capital One Bowl in Orlando. Most books are listing Alabama (9-3 SU, 7-5 ATS) as a 10-point favorite with a total of 52. Gamblers can back the Spartans to win outright for a plus-300 return (risk $100 to win $300).

The last time the Tide didn’t have much to play for in the postseason, the results were disastrous. That would be at the Sugar Bowl two seasons ago when Utah raced out to a 21-0 first-quarter lead and held on for a 31-17 victory as a nine-point underdog.

Alabama is 2-1 both SU and ATS in bowl games on Saban’s watch, including last season’s 37-21 win over Texas to win the national title. But a repeat wasn’t in the works for this year’s Tide, which suffered its first loss by a 35-21 count at South Carolina. Four weeks later, ‘Bama lost a 24-21 decision at LSU as a 6½-point road favorite. Then in the Iron Bowl at Bryant-Denny Stadium, the Crimson Tide jumped all over Auburn early and often, taking a 24-0 lead. But the Tigers would rally and eventually win 28-27 as 4½-point road underdogs.

Michigan State (11-1 SU, 6-5 ATS) won its first eight games before getting trounced 37-6 at Iowa. Sine then, however, the Spartans have won three in a row, although they only covered once in that span. That ATS winner was in the regular-season finale, a 28-22 win at PSU.

Michigan St. is led by junior QB Kirk Cousins, who connected on 67.5 percent of his passes for 2,705 yards with a 20/9 TD-INT ratio. However, Cousins will be without his favorite target against the Tide. WR B.J. Cunningham, who had 50 catches for 611 yards and nine TDs, will not player after suffering a broken foot at practice two weeks ago.

Michigan St.’s ground game is led by sophomore Edwin Baker, who has 1,187 rushing yards and 13 TDs for the year. Baker averages 6.1 YPC.

Alabama has two of the best RBs in the country in Mark Ingram, the 2009 Heisman Trophy winner, and Trent Richardson, sophomore who has blazing speed and is excellent at catching the ball from out of the backfield. With that said, Ingram’s numbers were down this year, as he rushed 816 yards and 11 TDs. In ’09, Ingram had 1,658 yards for 17 TDs. Richardson rushed for 658 yards five TDs, averaging 6.5 YPC.

Alabama senior QB Greg McElroy finally suffered a few losses this year after producing a perfect resume dating back to his prep days. He sustained a concussion and an injured shoulder in the fourth quarter, but he’ll be ready for this game. McElroy has completed 70.6 percent of his passes for 2,767 yards with a 19/5 TD-INT ratio. Julio Jones, a junior WR, had 75 receptions for 1,084 yards and seven TDs.

Bama has thrived as a double-digit favorite in seven instances this year, posting a 6-1 spread record. Meanwhile, the Spartans have gone 2-1 both SU and ATS when listed as underdogs.

The ‘under’ is 6-5 overall for MSU, going 5-2 in its last seven games with a total.

The ‘under’ went 7-4-1 overall for the Crimson Tide.

Kick-off is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. Eastern on ESPN.

**Mississippi State vs. Michigan**

As of late Friday afternoon, most sports books were listing Mississippi State (8-4 SU, 6-5 ATS) as a four-point ‘chalk’ with a total of 60. This represents a line move after the number was in the 5-6 range for most of the last few weeks. Bettors can take the Wolverines to win outright for a plus-160 payout (risk $100 to win $160).

As I’ve been saying all year, I expect Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez to be fired in the 24-72 hours following this contest. Rodriguez at Michigan has been a piss-poor fit from the get-go. He brought baggage and drama from West Va. that carried into his first season, an unfathomable 3-9 campaign. In Years 2 and 3, Michigan got out to good starts (4-0 in ’08, 5-0 in ’09), only to fall apart with L’s galore when it got into the thick of Big Ten play.

Michigan (7-5 SU, 3-8 ATS) lost five of its last seven games and failed to cover the spread in each of its last eight outings. In the regular-season finale, Ohio St. blasted Michigan 37-7 as a 16½-point home favorite.

Michigan sophomore QB Denard Robinson might have won the Heisman if the award was issued in early October. For the season, Robinson rushed for 1,643 yards and 14 TDs. His passing wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t spectacular either, as evidenced by his 16/10 TD-INT ratio.

MSU won seven of its last nine games, including an Egg Bowl victory over Ole Miss in Oxford. The Bulldogs beat the Rebels 31-23 as 2½-point road favorites. Chris Relf threw for 288 yards and three TDs and also rushed for 66 yards. LaDarius Perkins rushed for 98 yards and also had three catches for 140 yards and a pair of TDs.

Dan Mullen, who inked a lucrative contract extension a few days ago, saw his team as a single-digit favorite four times. The Bulldogs were a perfect 4-0 both SU and ATS in those spots.

Michigan has been an underdog four times, going 1-3 both SU and ATS. The Wolverines won 28-24 at Notre Dame in Week 2 as 3½-point puppies.

The ‘under’ went 8-3 overall for MSU, cashing in five of its last six outings.

ESPN2 will have television coverage at 1:30 p.m. Eastern.

vegasinsider.com

Handicapping the Fiesta Bowl
By Judd Hall

I don’t know what it is but Americans love a good underdog story. Whether it’s Rocky beating Apollo Creed, beating the Soviets in hockey or Average Joes beating Globo-Gym, we’re just suckers for a happy ending. That alone is worth bettors and football fans to keep an eye on Connecticut (8-4 straight up, 7-4 against the spread) as they take on the Sooners in the Fiesta Bowl at 8:30 p.m. EST on ESPN.

This isn’t exactly the showdown the good people of Glendale were expecting when they were giving out BCS. At least they’re getting a known quantity in Oklahoma (11-2 SU, 7-6 ATS) showing up for the festivities.

The Sooners have been the biggest favorites on the board when it comes to BCS bowls, listed as 16 ½-point favorites with a total of 55. Bettors can expect a hefty payday when taking the Huskies to pull off the upset for a plus-500 return (risk $100 to win $500).

Only 32 percent of the cash on money line wagers has come in on Connecticut at Sportsbook.com. And there isn’t much to argue as to why people are going the way of the “chalk” on this contest.

The Huskies are awfully sluggish on offense. How bad are they? UConn is 96th in the nation in total offense, gaining 325.0 yards per game. And don’t buy into them throwing the ball in this game with the 112th-ranked passing attack, picking up just 145.1 YPG going through the air. Luckily for the Huskies they can run the ball.

Jordan Todman doesn’t get the most attention because he isn’t at a football powerhouse, but he is one the best rushers in football this year. The junior rusher is only behind LaMichael James as the nation’s top rusher with 143.1 YPG on the ground and 14 touchdowns. And Todman could be just the reason for the Huskies to pull off a huge upset.

VegasInsider.com’s expert handicapper Dave Cokin even believes that Connecticut could be worth betting on Saturday night. “UConn-Oklahoma is a mismatch on paper. The Sooners have almost all the edges and there's no tangible reason this game should be close. But that's why the disrespected Huskies are live to get the money in this contest. Oklahoma could very well have a difficult time getting charged up for what seems like an easy win. Connecticut will take the field in Phoenix with a gigantic chip on its shoulder. Double digit dogs cover the spread more often than not in bowl games, so I would have to side with UConn to slip inside this monstrous number.”

As crazy as it might seem, there is some reason to believe in what Cokin is saying. Oklahoma is averaging just 151.8 YPG against the run this season. Although that has gotten better as the year progressed. The most notable recent performance was allowing the Cornhuskers to gain 145 yards on 43 carries in the Big XII title game. The Sooners don’t seem like they’ll be having issues against the pass this week with 212.2 passing YPG.

The Sooners are not as strong as you’d think they would be on the ground attack with talent like DeMarco Murray and Roy Finch in the backfield. They’re only picking up 141.3 rushing YPG, which ranks them 76th in the nation.

OU will be looking to win this game through the air on the arm of Landry Jones. It isn’t a far-fetched idea as Jones is averaging 329.9 passing YPG with 35 touchdowns and only 11 picks. Of course, it doesn’t hurt to have receivers like Ryan Bowls (111.7 YPG) and Kenny Stills (54.8 YPG) to target. And the Huskies are giving up 206.4 YPG on the year via the skies, so this could be the biggest showdown on the night.

Connecticut has been one of the best teams to take when listed as an underdog. How good are they? Try wrapping your head around the fact that the Huskies are 9-10 SU, but 14-5 ATS as pups over the last two seasons.

Oklahoma has gone 28-7 SU and 20-15 ATS when posted as the “chalk” over the past two years. However, they are just 2-1 SU and 1-2 ATS as a favorite against Big East foes since 2008. The ‘over’ is 3-0 in all three of those games.

Something else for gamblers to keep in mind for this game is the fact that the Sooners are 2-5 SU and 1-6 ATS in their last six bowl games. Tighten that number up to when they’re favored and it is 1-4 SU and 0-5 ATS.

vegasinsider.com

Ticket City Bowl
By Chris David

Gamblers looking for some early action on New Year’s Day can turn their attention to the Ticket City Bowl from the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas. The inaugural matchup will feature Northwestern (7-5 straight up, 2-9 against the spread) against Texas Tech (7-5 SU, 5-6 ATS). Kickoff is set for 12:00 p.m. and bettors can follow the action on ESPNU.

The Big Ten has performed well in this year’s postseason, winning both of their first two games while the Big 12 has struggled with a 1-4 mark. Will the pendulum swing the other way this afternoon? The sportsbooks believe so, listing the Red Raiders as 9½-point favorites.

Why is the line so high for a matchup between two clubs with identical records? Basically, it comes down to current form and injuries.

Northwestern will be without quarterback Dan Persa after he suffered an Achilles’ tendon injury in the team’s upset win over Iowa (21-17) on Nov. 13. Since the gunslinger went down, the Wildcats closed the year with double-digit losses to Illinois (27-48) and Wisconsin (23-70).

In those embarrassing setbacks, backup quarterback Evan Watkins completed 54 percent of his passes for 258 yards to go with four interceptions and one touchdown. To make matters worse for Watkins and the ‘Cats, they'll be using a make-shift ground game against Texas Tech as well. Leading rusher Mike Trumpy (wrist) is listed as ‘questionable’ and Persa was a solid dual-threat as a runner.

Even though Northwestern is banged up, they won’t be facing a brick wall in Texas Tech’s defense (30.3 PPG, 463 YPG). The Red Raiders were suspect through the air (306 YPG), giving up 27 passing touchdowns.

The Wildcats better hope they can put up some points because the Red Raiders know how to light up the scoreboard. Quarterback Taylor Potts (3,357 yards, 31 TDs) led an attack that averaged 32.1 PPG, and the offense finished the season strong. Texas Tech closed with solid victories over Weber State (64-21) and Houston (35-20), both occurring in Lubbock.

Northwestern has produced a 4-2 SU record on the road, but the team was just 1-5 ATS. And if you look at the victories, they came against Vanderbilt, Rice, Minnesota and Indiana. Those squads had a combined record of 14-34 and to make matters worse, three of the wins came by three points or less.

Except for a win against Missouri (24-17) in early November, Texas Tech doesn’t own any signature triumphs this season under first-year coach Tommy Tuberville. The veteran coach is hoping to close with a win and he’s been successful in bowl games, going 6-3 in his career. Five of those victories came during his tenure at Auburn. Make a note that, only one of those wins with the Tigers was by double digits, the others by four points or less.

Head coach Pat Fitzgerald and the Wildcats will be making their third straight postseason trip and they’re hoping to capture their first bowl victory since winning the 1949 Rose Bowl. Northwestern has been close, coming up short the past two years with overtime losses. The school fell to Missouri (23-30) in the 2008 Alamo Bowl and last year to Auburn (35-38) in the Outback Bowl. The Wildcats covered both contests as 12 and nine-point underdogs.

Can Fitzgerald and the ‘Cats get over the hump? Backing a team that’s gone 2-9 ATS this season won’t get many takers, especially versus a T-Tech team playing close to home.

And the Red Raiders have won three of their last four bowls, putting up 44, 31, 34 and 41 points in those affairs. Unfortunately, the defense has given up 36.8 PPG during this run.

The total is hovering around 60 points. Northwestern has watched the ‘over’ go 8-4 while the total held steady at 6-6 for Texas Tech.

vegasinsder.com

Rose Bowl Preview
By Judd Hall

The BCS title game is no doubt the game that everyone wants to watch. However, gamblers and casual fans should be paying close attention in what’s going on in Pasadena this season as TCU (12-0 straight up, 6-5 against the spread) gets set to face the Badgers in the 97th Rose Bowl Game at 5:00 p.m. EST on ABC.

This is an intriguiging matchup for the betting public is putting it mildly. Most every betting shop has the Horned Frogs listed as three-point home favorites with a total of 58 ½. People looking to back Wisconsin (11-1 SU, 6-5 ATS) for the outright win can expect a plus-130 (risk $100 to win $130) payout.

If money moves coming into Sportsbook.com are to be a precursor of what to expect, then the public is loving the Badgers. How much are they in love with Bret Bielema’s team? Try the fact that not only is Wisky getting 79% of the cash to cover the number, but 93% of all the money being playing for a SU winner is coming down on them.

It’s awfully hard to argue with the gamblers in their thinking with Wisconsin. The Badgers have been purveyors of butt-whippings on a consistent basis this season. This is a team that put up 31 points on Ohio State when they were the No. 1 team in the land. Then Wisky closed out the year with offensive outputs of 83, 48 and 70 against Indiana, Michigan and Northwestern.

Bielema’s team doesn’t use much flash when try to find the end zone as they run the ball down your throat. The Badgers are 12th in the nation on rushing offense with 247.3 yards per game. That is an easy number to put up when you have an offensive line that averages 319.8 pounds per lineman. The end result is a three-headed running attack of James White (997 yards, 14 TD), John Clay (920 yards, 13 TD) and Montee Ball (847 yards, 17 TD) that can punish any defense.

As strong as Wisky’s running game is, you can’t forget about its passing game. Nick Toon (413 receiving yards, 3 TD) and Lance Kendricks (627 yards, 5 TD) are very capable receivers. Yet those wide outs wouldn’t be able to do anything without Scott Tolzien under center. Tolzien doesn’t get a lot of publicity, but is fourth among quarterbacks in the FBS in passing efficiency with a 169.8 rating.

Wisconsin has perfected the art of bending but not breaking when it comes to stopping the run this year. This largely rebuilt unit has given up 131.7 YPG on the ground. The Badgers allowed 191.8 passing YPG, which was 25th in the country. Although that number is good like their turnover margin +14, it is tilted by the blowout wins they had at the end of the year.

TCU comes into the game with a lot to prove. This is the second straight year the Horned Frogs come into the bowl season with a perfect mark. Last season, they got beaten by Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl. But they’re coming into this battle playing its best football as they’ve covered the number in four of their last five games.

The Horned Frogs are just like Wisconsin in that they are a run-first kind of team, gaining 261.2 rushing YPG. Ed Wesley is still the main force behind their running game with 1,050 yards and 11 scores. But he is getting some help from Matthew Tucker by his picking up 669 yards on the ground with seven scores.

Even if you can stuff TCU’s running game, that means you have to take on Andy Dalton throwing the ball. The Horned Frogs’ QB saved his best work for his senior season, connecting on 66 percent of his passes for 26 touchdowns and just six interceptions.

Josh Byce has picked up the most receiving yards for the Horned Frogs (602), but Jeremy Kerley is the guy that finds the end zone with 10 touchdowns to his credit.

As good as the offense is for TCU, they hand their hat on arguably the most complete defense in the nation. Gary Patterson employs a 4-2-5 scheme that has given many teams headaches in preparing for this season. That setup has allowed them lead the nation in scoring (11.4 PPG), total defense (215.4 YPG) and 3rd down percentage (21.9).

The Horned Frogs should not be too cocky about being favored in this game. Rose Bowl favorites over the last seven year are just 4-3 SU and 3-4 ATS. The ‘over’ is 5-2 in those contests.

TCU is 3-1 SU and 2-2 ATS over its last four meetings with Big Ten foes, with the ‘over’ going 3-1. Meanwhile, Wisky has went 4-1 SU and 1-3-1 ATS since 2003 against teams out of the Mountain West.

The Badgers have been underdogs to play, evidenced by a 4-1 SU and ATS record in their last five games in this role. Plus, Wisconsin is 6-3 SU and ATS when posted as no bigger than a three-point pup over the last five years.

vegasinsider.com

What Bettors Need to Know: TicketCity Bowl

Northwestern vs. Texas Tech (-9, 60.5)

The Skinny:

Two teams from the middle of the pack in their respective conferences offer an intriguing matchup for the inaugural TicketCity Bowl, which will be played at the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 1.

Texas Tech (7-5, 3-5 Big 12) has an athletic team that is capable of producing a bushel of points. Northwestern (7-5, 3-5 Big Ten) enters having lost three of its final four games, but will have the opportunity to get several players back from regular-season injuries.

Which team will show up? Will it be the Northwestern team that battled Michigan State to the wire or the one that was beaten by 47 points by Wisconsin? Will it be the Texas Tech team that totaled 99 points in its final two games or the one that managed only seven against Oklahoma.

Texas Tech’s Edge:

The Red Raiders run an efficient passing offense that ranks No. 8 in the nation, with 314.8 passing yards per game. The running game is adequate: Baron Batch (805 yards, five TDs) and Eric Stephens (542 yards, five TDs) are a solid one-two punch. Favorite targets include Detron Lewis (79 catches, six TDs) and Lyle Leong (64 catches, 17 TDs). Lewis has caught a pass in 39 straight games, Leong in 35 straight.

Northwestern’s Edge:

Northwestern has been disappointing since winning its first five games, then losing five of the next seven, including giveaway wins against Michigan State and Penn State. The Wildcats have an outstanding corps of receivers, led by All-Big Ten choice Jeremy Ebert (919 yards, eight TDs). The defense is average at best; four of the last six opponents hung 35 or more on the Wildcats and Wisconsin scored 70 in the season-finale.

The Quarterbacks:

Texas Tech’s Taylor Potts has a good arm and has the ability to make quick decisions. He’s thrown for 3,357 yards and 31 touchdowns, including a 462-yard, four-touchdown effort against Baylor.

Northwestern’s Dan Persa, a first-team All-Big Ten selection, had thrown for 2,581 yards and 15 touchdowns with only four interceptions when he ruptured an Achilles tendon. He's done for the season, leaving Evan Watkins to take over. Watkins threw for 302 yards and one touchdown in the final two games.

NFL Prospects:

Texas Tech — DT Colby Whitlock, OLB Brian Duncan, WR Lyle Leong, RB Baron Batch. Northwestern — OLB Quentin Davie, DT Corbin Bryant.

Bowl history:

Texas Tech will be going to a bowl game for the 11th consecutive season. The Red Raiders are 11-21-1 in bowl games and have won six of their last eight, including a 41-31 victory over Michigan State in the 2009 Alamo Bowl.

Northwestern hasn’t won a bowl game since 1948, when it prevailed 20-14 over California in the Rose Bowl. The Wildcats are 1-7 in bowls, but have lost the last two years in overtime, including a 38-35 decision to Auburn in the 2009 Outback Bowl.

Etc.:

Texas Tech defensive backs Will Ford (hamstring) and LaRon Moore (concussion) are expected to be available, but receiver Alex Torres is out with a knee injury suffered in the ninth game. Northwestern will be without Persa, but should have running backs Jacob Schmidt (ankle) and Mike Trumpy (wrist) back for the bowl game.

What Bettors Need to Know: Capital One Bowl