Holiday Bowl:
No. 22 Arizona vs. No. 20 Nebraska
The Wildcats (8-4, 6-3) stunned USC (8-4, 5-4) to earn a spot in the Pacific Life Holiday Bowl on Dec. 30 at San Diego’s Qualcomm Stadium. Arizona will face off with Nebraska, which is coming off a heartbreaking 13-12 loss to Texas in the Big 12 Conference Championship game.
The Wildcats are led by sophomore quarterback Nick Foles, a transfer from Michigan State who threw for 2,438 yards and 19 touchdowns during the regular season. Against USC on Dec. 5, Foles threw for 239 yards and scored three total touchdowns in a 21-17 win. His 36-yard touchdown pass to sophomore wide receiver Juron Criner proved to be the game-winner.
The Wildcats’ potent offense averaged 406.9 yards per game, and Arizona outscored its opponents 29.7-23.2 for the year.
The Arizona offense will face one of its most challenging opponents yet in Nebraska. Led by All-American Ndamukong Suh, the Cornhuskers’ defense gave up just 11.2 points per game this season. Opponents averaged just 284.5 total yards against Nebraska, and the defense allowed just seven passing touchdowns throughout the season. Suh, a potential number one overall NFL draft pick, had 50 tackles, 12 sacks, and three blocked kicks on the year. The senior was particularly dominant against Texas on Dec. 5, totaling 10 tackles and 4.5 sacks.
Arizona is 6-7-1 in bowl games throughout the school’s history. Ironically enough, the last time the Wildcats played in the Holiday Bowl was in 1998 against Nebraska. Arizona won that game 23-20. The tie game occurred in 1985, when the Wildcats played Georgia in the Sun Bowl. Nebraska, meanwhile, is 23-22 in bowl games. Last year, the Cornhuskers defeated Clemson 26-21 in the Gator Bowl.
Sun Bowl:
No. 19 Stanford vs. Oklahoma
The Cardinal (8-4, 6-3) is off to Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso, Texas, for a showdown with the Sooners (7-5, 5-3) on Dec. 31. Though it originally looked as if California would snag a ticket to the Sun Bowl, its loss to Washington opened up the door for Stanford.
The Cardinal narrowly defeated Notre Dame 45-38 in its final game. Heisman candidate Toby Gerhart led the way with 205 rushing yards and three touchdowns. The senior was nothing short of prolific throughout the season, finishing with 1,775 yards on the ground and 26 touchdowns. As a team the Cardinal averaged 224.3 rushing yards per game, and 441.4 total offensive yards.
The Sooners, meanwhile, will look to end a disappointing season on a high note. Reigning Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford was lost for the year against Texas on Oct. 17, and Oklahoma’s BCS hopes were subsequently dashed. Redshirt freshman Landry Jones replaced Bradford, and finished with respectable totals of 2,780 yards passing and 23 touchdowns. Sophomore wide receiver Ryan Broyles led the team with 964 yards and 12 touchdowns, while senior running back Chris Brown added 703 yards and seven touchdowns.
Gerhart and Stanford’s bruising offense may struggle to produce against a fortified Sooner defense. Oklahoma gave up just 13.5 points per game for the season, and opponents averaged just 88.6 rushing yards.
Oklahoma and Stanford last met in 1984, and Oklahoma went on to win 19-7. Historically, the Sooners are 24-17-1 in bowl games. They played Florida in the BCS National Championship last year, falling 24-14. The Cardinal, meanwhile, finds itself in its first bowl game since 2001. That year, it lost to Georgia Tech 24-14. Stanford is 9-10-1 in bowl games.
Emerald Bowl:
USC vs. Boston College
The Trojans saw their season end with disappointment in a 21-17 loss to Arizona. Once considered favorites to play in the Rose Bowl, USC has fallen to the No. 4 bowl spot in the Pacific-10 Conference and will travel to San Francisco’s AT&T Park to play Boston College (8-4, 5-3) on Dec. 26.
It was an up-and-down season for quarterback Matt Barkley. After a hot start, the freshman’s inexperience began to show as the season wore on and he finished with just one more touchdown (13) than interceptions (12). Junior running back Joe McKnight led the team with 1054 yards to go along with eight touchdowns, and redshirt junior wide receiver Damian Williams added 821 yards through the air. The Trojans’ defense had problems throughout the season, giving up an average of 342.8 total yards. USC also had problems on third down, converting just 34% of its tries.
Boston College followed the lead of sophomore running back Montel Harris to a second place finish in the Atlantic Coast Conference-Atlantic division. Harris broke out for 1,355 yards and 14 total touchdowns on the year. The Eagles’ pass defense was also strong, giving up just ten touchdowns through the air.
The Trojans have won their last three bowl games, and are 31-16 throughout their bowl history. Last year, they manhandled Penn State in the Rose Bowl by a score of 38-14. Boston College has also seen success in bowl games with an overall record of 13-7, but it lost 16-14 in the Music City bowl to Vanderbilt last year. That was its first loss in a bowl game since 1999.
Las Vegas Bowl:
No. 16 Oregon State vs. No. 15 BYU
The Beavers (8-4, 6-3) dropped far down the bowl chain after their loss on Thursday to Oregon. Instead of heading to Pasadena, the team will head to Sam Boyd Stadium to play BYU (10-2, 7-1) in the Las Vegas Bowl on Dec. 22.
Oregon State’s explosive offense is led by senior quarterback Sean Canfield, sophomore running back Jacquizz Rodgers, and junior wide receiver James Rodgers. Canfield was 15th in the nation and first in the Pac-10 in passing efficiency (148.26), while Jacquizz Rodgers ran for 1377 yards and 20 touchdowns. For his part, James Rodgers caught 87 passes for 1004 yards and nine touchdowns. BYU, meanwhile, is red hot after four straight wins to end the regular season. Senior quarterback Max Hall wrapped up his career in style, throwing for 3,368 yards and 30 touchdowns. His passing efficiency of 160.93 also ranked third in the country.
As a team, BYU is 12th in the nation in scoring offense (34.75 points per game) but does have some problems on defense. The Cougars give up 331.08 total yards per game, so Canfield and the Beavers should have little trouble putting up points.
In past bowl games, BYU has struggled with a 9-17-1 record. This will be the fifth straight Las Vegas Bowl for the Cougars, who lost to Arizona last year 31-21. The Beavers have had a bit more success, with an 8-4 record overall. Last year, they defeated Pittsburgh in the Sun Bowl 3-0.
Poinsettia Bowl:
California vs. No. 23 Utah
California (8-4, 5-4) did itself no favors in a shocking 42-10 loss to Washington to end the regular season. The defeat sent the Golden Bears tumbling down the Pac-10 ladder, and now they will head to San Diego’s Qualcomm Stadium to face off with Utah (9-3, 6-2) on Dec. 23.
Though the Golden Bears were inconsistent throughout the regular season, it was not for lack of firepower. Despite missing the last three games of the season, junior running back Jahvid Best scored 16 total touchdowns on the year, while sophomore running back Shane Vereen added 12 of his own touchdowns with limited playing time. Junior quarterback Kevin Riley also threw for 17 touchdowns. The defense, however, had its fair share of problems and gave up 378 total yards per game.
Utah’s regular season came to a frustrating end in a 26-23 overtime loss to BYU. True freshman quarterback Jordan Wynn, who replaced junior Terrance Cain on Oct. 31, finished the season with 991 yards and 5 touchdowns through the air. Junior running back Eddie Wide gathered 1,032 yards and 13 total touchdowns, while senior wide receiver David
Reed added 1085 yards through the air.
The Utes were carried by a defense that gave up just 19.67 points per game and held opposing quarterbacks to a 100.10 pass efficiency (ninth in the nation). On the other hand, few of Utah’s opponents this season have had the offensive weapons California possesses.
California has won its last four bowls, and has a 10-8-1 record overall in bowl game appearances. The Golden Bears defeated Miami 24-17 in the Emerald Bowl last year. Utah has been even more impressive of late in bowl games, compiling eight straight victories including a surprising 31-17 dismantling of Alabama in the Sugar Bowl last year. The Utes are 12-3 in bowl games overall.
UCLA
The Bruins (6-6, 3-6) find themselves in an interesting position. They are bowl eligible with six wins, but did not earn one of the Pac-10’s automatic bids. They will be forced to wait until the Army-Navy game on Dec. 12 to find out if the EagleBank Bowl in Washington D.C.’s RFK Stadium is in their future. If Army prevails in that game, UCLA will be out of luck. Should the Bruins to make the cut, they would match up with the Temple Owls (9-3, 7-1).
UCLA lost its first five Pac-10 games before finally defeating Washington on Nov. 7. Freshman quarterback Kevin Prince showed glimpses of a bright future as the season progressed and finished with 1,829 yards passing. The Bruins made their living on defense, giving up just 21.25 points per game and averaging 7.83 tackles for a loss per game (eighth in the nation).
Temple, from the Mid-American Conference, has already accepted an invitation to the EagleBank Bowl. It is the Owls’ first bowl bid in 30 years, which breaks the third-longest active drought in NCAA. They are led by freshman running back Bernard Pierce and sophomore defensive end Adrian Robinson, Jr. Pierce, who rushed for 1,308 yards and 15 touchdowns, snagged first team all-conference honors and was named MAC Freshman of the Year. He led the MAC in rushing. Robinson was named MAC Defensive Player of the Year and led the conference with 12 sacks and five forced fumbles.
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