Orange Bowl News and Notes

Orange Bowl Preview
By: Matt Zemek

For the first time since 2006, the men in orange blazers, the people who comprise the Orange Bowl Committee, have a game they can really get excited about. Finally, College football’s second-oldest bowl game will once again own the spotlight in early January.

The past few years have been really rough for the Orange Bowl and its larger organization. The ACC tie-in and the sometimes-existing commitment to take the Big East champion have saddled this prestigious college football game – second only to the Rose Bowl in longevity – to settle for second-rate pairings in front of the national TV cameras. Last year’s game between Georgia Tech and Iowa drew fewer than 67,000 fans to Sun Life Stadium – that’s over 7,000 empty seats for a treasured centerpiece of the college football postseason. The 2009 game between Virginia Tech and Cincinnati didn’t even bring 58,000 fans to Miami’s big ballpark, the same stadium that has hosted several Super Bowls dating back to 1989. The Orange Bowl needed and deserved a five-star throwdown, and in 2011, it has finally received such a marvelous matchup, one to rival the Joe Paterno-Bobby Bowden battle that emerged in the 2006 game between Penn State and Florida State.

Yes, the Orange Bowl has failed to create much of a stir in the recent past, but this year’s game pitting the Stanford Cardinal against the Virginia Tech Hokies should move the needle on a national level and generate a fair amount of interest.

The Cardinal simply had their best season in a long, long time. Coach Jim Harbaugh took a rag-tag team in the middle of the past decade and has steadily improved it on a yearly basis. The centerpiece of Stanford’s renewal on the gridiron has been none other than quarterback Andrew Luck, the man who is certain to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft (and very probably a Carolina Panther), barring an injury or some other unforeseen occurrence. Luck carved up, ate, and spat out opposing defenses this season: Stanford scored at least 31 points in 11 of its 12 games and at least 35 points in 10 of its games. This offense is extremely consistent and dependable, thanks to a stout offensive line that provides great pass protection for Luck while also opening up running lanes for tailback Stepfan Taylor. The balance of the Cardinal is what’s going to be supremely difficult to defend for Tech’s lauded defensive coordinator, Bud Foster. The Harbaugh-Foster battle of wits is going to be worth the price of admission alone for fans in South Florida.

The Hokies, for their part, were derided and shouted down when they dropped their first two games of the season to Boise State and James Madison. Now, roughly three months after that awful six-day stretch in September, Virginia Tech is the champion of the ACC for the third time in four seasons. The Hokies are also the first team ever to go 9-0 in an ACC season (Florida State went 8-0 in 2000 but did not have the ACC title game available as a platform for a ninth league conquest). Virginia Tech is a model of consistency at a high level – perhaps not the highest level of all, but a very elevated one indeed.

This is a big-time matchup that will feature old-fashioned slobberknocker football between the tackles and vertical passing from two quality quarterbacks – Luck and his opponent, Virginia Tech signal caller Tyrod Taylor – who are operating at the peak of their powers. The Pac-10, in this game, is showcasing only its third BCS at-large team in the 13-year BCS era. This will be a big night for both teams and conferences in Miami, because the ACC has won only one BCS bowl over the past decade. Ultimately, Stanford has more to prove after making a cross-country trip. The Cardinal are very rugged in the trenches and will have a slight advantage. It will be up to Tyrod Taylor to change this game in favor of the Hokies. Taylor’s scrambling ability could frustrate the Stanford defense and score enough touchdowns to outpace Mr. Luck in a shootout.

The only thing left to say is this: Mr. Taylor, get your track shoes on. Don’t stop running. Ever.

STAT PACK

Stanford:

Passing Yards Per Game: 256.3 (National ranking out of 120 FBS teams: 30)

Rushing Yards Per Game: 211.0 (Ranking: 17)

Points Per Game: 40.3 (Ranking: 8)

Points Allowed Per Game: 17.8 (Ranking: 11)

Virginia Tech

Passing: 202.2 ypg (Ranking: 75)

Rushing: 208.9 ypg (Ranking: 18)

Scoring: 35.5 ppg (Ranking: 19)

Scoring Defense: 19.1 ppg (Ranking: 16)

Orange Bowl Preview: Stanford vs Virginia Tech
By: Stephen Nover

Never before in Orange Bowl history has an Atlantic Coast Conference team met a Pacific-10 opponent.

That changes when fifth-ranked Stanford takes on No. 12 Virginia Tech on Jan. 3 at 5:30 PT at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.

Stanford is minus three with the ‘over/under’ at 58½.

Virginia Tech persevered its way to this major bowl game by winning its last 11 games. Stanford is the glamour team, though, in this matchup. The Cardinal have a popular head coaching candidate in Jim Harbaugh and junior quarterback Andrew Luck could be the No. 1 overall pick if he forgoes his senior season.

No disrespect to long-time and respected Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer and Tyrod Taylor, the ACC player of the year, but it’s hard not to like Stanford at this pointspread.

Sparked by Luck, the Cardinal set a school record with 484 points in going 11-1. Their only loss was to undefeated Pac-10 champion Oregon, 52-31, as 6 ½-point road ‘dogs.

Luck threw for more than 3,000 yards, threw 28 touchdown passes – breaking the school record of 27 shared by John Elway and Steven Stenstrom – and was mobile enough to rush for 438 yards while being sacked just five times in 349 attempts.

Tyrod Taylor has drawn comparisons to Michael Vick due to his running and passing skills. The Hokies have an excellent ground attack featuring Taylor, Ryan Williams, Darren Evans and David Wilson. But the Hokies don’t have the vertical passing game Stanford has. The Hokies rank 75th in passing.

Luck may be the best pure passer in the country completing 70.2 percent of his throws. The Cardinal averages 40.3 points a game, eighth-highest in the nation.

Stanford also has an underrated defense. The Cardinal ranks in the top 25 in several categories, including scoring defense (11th allowing 17.7 points per game), total defense (24th), interceptions (17th) and rushing defense (24th).

Virginia Tech is the only team to win 10 games each of the past seven seasons. This is the Hokies’ 18th straight bowl appearance under Beamer. Virginia Tech is 8-9 in bowls during this time. This will be its fourth Orange Bowl.

Stanford is traveling cross-country. That could hurt its fan support. But the Cardinal will be excited to play in this big of a bowl. In just four years under Harbaugh, the Cardinal has gone from 1-11 to 11-1. They made their first bowl game last season since 2001 losing 31-27 to Oklahoma in the Sun Bowl as 10-point underdogs.

The Pac-10 turned out to be a very strong conference at the top with Oregon and Stanford. The ACC, by contrast, has been down for a while.

Virginia Tech caught a break in its 44-33 ACC title game victory against Florida State when the Seminoles star quarterback Christian Ponder was held out because of an elbow injury.

The Hokies expected to contend for the national championship. Those hopes were dashed early when they lost to Boise State in their opener, 33-30, on a touchdown pass with 1:09 left and then lost four days later at home to I-AA team James Madison.

It’s a tremendous credit to the Hokies to come back from those losses and capture their third ACC title in four years. But the Cardinal figures to be the more motivated squad as bowl games are something fairly new for them.

Virginia Tech is 14-5 ATS the past 19 times it has been an underdog. The Hokies also are 39-17 ATS versus foes with a winning mark.

The Hokies also have won and covered in their last two bowl games beating Tennessee 37-14 as five-point favorites last season in the Chick-fil-A Bowl and defeating Cincinnati, 20-7, as 2½-point underdogs two years ago in the Orange Bowl.

But I’m sold on Luck and Stanford.

What Bettors Need to Know: Orange Bowl

Virginia Tech vs. Stanford (-3.5, 58)

THE SKINNY:

As a reward for blowing away the bulk of the Pac-10, Stanford earned a trip across the country to South Florida. The Cardinal (11-1) had one of the best seasons in school history, losing only at undefeated Oregon on Oct. 2. Andrew Luck is a Heisman finalist and the current favorite to go No. 1 in the NFL draft and coach Jim Harbaugh is a hot name in coaching searches around the country.

Virginia Tech (11-2) lost its first two games — the second to FCS school James Madison — and then flew under the radar the rest of the season, knocking off the ACC with relative ease and putting up 44 points on Florida State in the conference championship game.

STANFORD’S EDGE:

Auburn’s Cam Newton might walk away with all the awards, but Luck can certainly make a strong case for himself as the best passer in the nation. The third-year sophomore has the Cardinal ranked eighth nationally in scoring offense at over 40 points per game and is completing 70.2 percent of his passes this season. He has the accuracy and arm strength to pick apart defenses.

VIRGINIA TECH’S EDGE:

Running back Ryan Williams is the other highly touted third-year sophomore in this game and will be one of the keys to keeping the ball out of Luck’s hands. The Hokies excel in the running game behind a trio of Williams, Darren Evans and David Wilson, who combined for 25 touchdowns this season, and quarterback Tyrod Taylor, who averages 10 rushing attempts per game and has broken off runs of 11 yards or more in all but one game this season.

THE QUARTERBACKS:

Luck has studied under a former NFL quarterback in Harbaugh for the past three seasons and it shows, as he passed for 3,050 yards and 28 touchdowns against seven interceptions in 2010. He may not be in Taylor’s class as an athlete, but he can get outside the pocket and make things happen with his legs when needed.

Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer recently suggested that Taylor could have been a Heisman Finalist if not for the two losses to open the season, and he might be right. Taylor set the school’s single season record with 23 touchdown passes and was named the ACC Player of the Year.

NFL PROSPECTS:

Stanford — QB Andrew Luck, FB Owen Marecic, WR Chris Owusu, TE Konrad Reuland, C Chase Beeler. Virginia Tech — RB Ryan Williams, CB Rashad Carmichael, WR Dyrell Roberts, QB Tyrod Taylor.

BOWL HISTORY:

Stanford is 9-11-1 all-time in bowl games and will be playing in the postseason for the second stright year after an eight-year drought. The Cardinal fell to Oklahoma, 31-27, in the Sun Bowl last year.

Virginia Tech will be playing in its fourth BCS Bowl in the last seven seasons and is 9-14 all-time in bowl games. The Hokies have played in 17 straight bowl games - going 8-9 - since Beamer took over the program, including three Orange Bowl appearances.

SUSPENSIONS:

Virginia Tech announced six players would not be making the trip out for the Orange Bowl for disciplinary reasons but coach Frank Beamer wouldn’t name the players or tell reporters the reason for their punishment.

Beamer did confess that none of the players were part of the Hokies’ two-deep roster. Last week Beamer suspended tailback David Wilson and backup safety Antone Exum from the first quarterback of the Rose Bowl for missing the team’s New Year’s Eve curfew.

ETC.:

Harbaugh has made some very critical comments about the Bowl system recently, especially in regard to the preference of choosing teams with fanbases that travel well and therefore bring in the most money. Many wonder if this will be his last game on the Stanford sidelines with higher-profile programs and NFL teams already calling.

BETTING TRENDS

The Hokies are 14-5 ATS in their last 19 games as underdogs and 4-1 ATS in their last five non-conference games.

Stanford is 4-0-1 ATS in its last five games and the over is 17-5 in Stanford’s last 22 games against teams with a winning record.

The over is also 4-0 in Virginia Tech’s last four games on a neutral field.

Tips and Trends

Stanford Cardinal vs Virginia Tech Hokies

CARDINAL: (-3.5, O/U 58.5) Stanford very well might be the best team in the nation with 1 SU loss. The Cardinal are 11-1 SU and 7-4-1 ATS overall this season. Stanford is 5-1 SU and 4-1-1 ATS overall away from home this year. Coach Harbaugh might just be coaching his final game for the Cardinal, as he's being pursued by other high profile schools and the NFL. The Cardinal average 40.3 PPG this year, 9th best in the nation. QB Andrew Luck is the likely 1st overall pick in the NFL Draft, whenever he declares. Luck had nearly 3,500 total YDS this season, including 31 TD's. Stanford has held their past 5 opponents to 17 PTS or fewer. For the year, the Cardinal are allowing just 17.8 PPG, 11th best in the nation. The Cardinal are 4-0-1 ATS in their last 5 games as the listed favorite. Stanford is 4-0-1 ATS in their last 5 games following a SU win. The Cardinal are 3-0-1 ATS in their last 4 games after allowing less than 20 points in their previous game. Stanford is 5-1-1 ATS in their last 7 games following a SU win of more than 20 points. The Cardinal are 5-2-1 ATS in their last 8 games played on grass.

Cardinals are 4-1 ATS last 5 non-conference games.
Over is 17-5 last 22 games against a team with a winning record.

Key Injuries - WR Chris Owusu (undisclosed) is QUESTIONABLE.

Projected Score: 27

HOKIES: Virginia Tech has won their last 11 games SU, an unbelievable turnaround considering they started the season 0-2 SU. The Hokies are 11-2 SU and 10-3 ATS overall this season. Virginia Tech is currently ranked #13 in the nation, but clearly they are one of the hottest teams in the nation. The Hokies are 4-0 both SU and ATS away from home this season. Tonight will mark the 1st time this season the Hokies will be the listed underdog at kickoff. QB Tyrod Taylor directs an offense that averaged 35.5 PPG, 19th best in the country. The Hokies average 208 YPG rushing this year, 18th best in the nation. Taylor has accumulated 3,150 YDS of total offense this year, including 28 TD's. Defensively, Virginia Tech has allowed 19.1 PPG, 15th best in the nation. The Hokies are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games after scoring more than 40 points in their previous game. Virginia Tech is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 non-conference games. The Hokies are 20-8 ATS in their last 28 games overall. The Hokies are 20-8 ATS in their last 28 games played on grass. Virginia Tech is 39-17 ATS against a team with a winning record.

Hokies are 14-5 ATS last 19 games as an underdog.
Over is 4-0 last 4 neutral site games.

Key Injuries - QB Tyrod Taylor (illness) is PROBABLE.

Projected Score: 30 (SIDE of the Day)