Predictions made for the 16 bowl games
Seventeen oowl games. Uh-Huh.
For football fans, it’s great. Lots of
games to watch while the snow piles
up outside. For sportswritcrs, like
myself, who have to write prediction
columns for their cranky sports edi
tors, 17 games may as well be a 15
page term paper.
Oh, well ... at least one of the
games has been played already. Now
for the other 16.
Independence Bowl, Dec. 23,
Southern Mississippi vs. Texas-EI
Paso. First-year Southern Missis
sippi coach Curly Hallman has led his
Eagles to a 9-2 record, and has played
a somewhat tougher schedule than
UTEP. The game is in Shreveport,
La. Who knows anything else about
these teams, other than people associ
ated with cither of them, is a mystery
to me. UTEP 35, Southern Missis
sippi 24.
Sun Bowl, Dec. 24, Alabama vs.
Army. Army is here because of its 9
2 season. Its 9-2 season is because of
Cadet quarterback Bryan McWil
liams, a graduate of Lincoln High
School. Unfortunately, Army isn’t
playing one of its East Coast powder
puffs. Alabama knows how to stop
the wishbone -- which Army em
ploys. The Crimson Tide has run it for
several years, and its defense is quick
and aggressive. This could be a bor
ing game by the second quarter. Ala
bama 38, Army 14.
Aloha Bowl, Dec. 25, Washing
ton State vs. Houston. For pure
viewing pleasure, this one could be
the best of the bowl season. The game
pits the Cougars against the Cougars.
Both teams have high-powered of
fenses and erratic defenses and both
quarterbacks are aerial wizards, who
uwld throw40limes inthisgame. I'll
pick Washington State because of
their tougher Pac Ten schedule.
Washington State 45, Houston 34.
Liberty Bowl, Dec. 28, South
Carolina vs. Indiana. Both teams
started the season with high hopes,
but both sputtered in November. The
Gamecocks have the services of
quarterback Todd Ellis, but the Hoo
siers have a swarming, blil/.ing de
fense that could give him fils. Both
teams could be lop-10 material in
1989. South Carolina 27, Indiana
22.
All-American Bowl, Dec. 29,
Florida vs. Illinois. Florida is an in
jury-riddled team and Illinois is an
up-and-coming contender. Gator
quarterback Kyle Morris is trying to
make Florida fans forget about Kcr
w in Bell — as if they ever will - and
Illinois signal caller Jeff George is a
notable passer. But the Florida de
fenders will be too much for the Illini
in this one. Florida 17, Illinois 6.
Freedom Bowl, Dec. 29, Colo
rado vs. Brigham Young. Take
away two turnovers against Ne
braska, and Colorado might have
upset the Comhuskcrs for the second
time in three years. This is Coach Bill
McCartney s best team in his Colo
rado career. BYU has, as always, a
plethora of talented receivers and a
good quarterback in Scan Covey, but
the Buffaloes arc just too big, strong,
last and tested for the Cougars. An
other possible blowout. Colorado
31, BYU 20.
Holiday Bowl, Dec. 30, Wyo
ming vs. Oklahoma State. Barry
Sanders, Mike Gundy and Hail Lee
Dykes. Need 1 say anymore? Okla
homa State 45, Wyoming 28.
Peach Bowl, Dec. 31, Iowa vs.
North Carolina State. Iowa coach
Hayden Fry is lucky to have a job.
He’s even luckier to have a bowl
herth. His Hawkeyes have lied three
games this season - Oooh! Aaahn! -
and have a 6-3-3 record. The
Wolfpack is loaded on offense but is
suspect on defense. Look for N.C.
Suite split end Nay. Worthen to catch
two early touchdown passes and give
the Pack momentum. N.C. State 28,
Iona 16.
• Ma/.4ft~GiUor ' Bowk - Jan.- 1,
Georgia vs. Michigan State. An
other lopsided game. Michigan Stale
has been overrated all season, earn
ing a 6-4-1 record. Georgia has had
hard luck all season, losing three
games the Bulldogs could have won.
This will be no contest. Georgia 41,
Michigan State 17.
Hall of Fame Bowl, Jan. 2,
Syracuse vs. Louisiana State. This
is a very evenly matched game.
Syracuse turned out belter than ex
pected this season, while LSU was a
disappointment to some. This game
will feature the passing talents of
Tiger quarterback Tommy Hodson -
a future member of a National Foot
ball League roster - and the defense
of Syracuse. It may comedown to the
wire, but LSU 27, Syracuse 24.
Florida Citrus Bowl, Jan. 2,
Clemson vs. Oklahoma. You know
you have problems when you wish
you didn’t have to start Jamelle
Holicway at quarterback. But that’s
what Sooner coach Barry Swit/.er has
to be thinking. Oklahoma starter
Charles Thompson is out with a bro
ken leg, which he suffered in the final
minute of the 7-3 loss to Nebraska.
Clemson, sporting a 9-2 record,
isn’t as good as last season, but is
adequate enough to defeat Okla
homa. If the Tigers get their running
game going, the Sooners, also not as
good as last season’s edition, are in
for a long afternoon. Clemson 23,
Oklahoma 17.
Cotton Bowl, Jan. 2, UCLA vs.
Arkansas. A few weeks ago, I would
have thought this game was going to
be a rout. But then I saw Arkansas
I
play Miami -- the nation’s best team
- to the wire on the Orange Bowl turf.
UCLA came out of the blocks fast
in September but has since dropped
off - probably due to the fact that
they play in a tough conference.
The key is for the Bruins to protect
quarterback Troy Aikman from the
blitzing Razorback defense. Miami’s
Steve Walsh had problems, and the
Hurricane line is one of the best at
holding . .. er, pass blocking. Look
for the Bruins to open up the passing
game and pull away late in the second
half UCLA 27, Arkansas 15.
Rose Bowl, Jan. 2, Michigan vs.
Southern California. The Big Ten
doesn’t usually win in the Rose Bowl.
Southern California is one of the na
tion’s three best teams, along with
Miami and Notre Dame. The Trojans
have won 10games this season. Make
that 11. USC 35, Michigan 21.
Sugar Bowl, Jan. 2, Auburn vs.
Florida State. Auburn has the best
defensive line in college football, but
the War Eagles (or Tigers, if you’re a
cat lover) don’t have what could be
called a real explosive offense.
Florida State, on the other hand,
has one of the most potent offenses on
any college campus in America. The
Seminole running attack has been
less-than-devastating, but it’s due.
Tailback Sammic Smith is one of the
best running backs in America, de
spite his poor showing this season,
and will be one of the nation’s top
contenders for the Hcisman Trophy
next season.
If Auburn’s secondary doesn’t
play well, thisgamc could get ugly. If
the War Eagle offense doesn’t estab
lish the running game early, it could
get even uglier. Florida State 20,
Auburn 6.
Sunkist Fiesta Bowl, Jan. 2,
West Virginia vs. Notre Dame. This
year’s “Game of the Century” could
be just that, or it could be a rout. This
is one of the hardest games of the
bowl season to figure, despite what
some “experts” will have you be
lieve.
Both teams are undefeated, and
Notre Dame has clearly played the
tougher schedule of the two teams.
The Fighting Irish have defeated
Michigan, Michigan State, Penn
State and Southern Cal. Noyc Dame
beat Miami on the scoreboard, but
only because the Hurricanes commit
ted seven turnovers -- one of which
was dearly not and would have given
Miami a first-and-goal on Notre
Dame’s 1 -yard line with two minutes
to go. But that’s beside the point.
Notre Dame has the nation’s most
balanced team. The Fighting Irish
feature what is arguably college foot
ball’s best offensive backficld. In
addition, the Irish have a viscous
swarming’defense.
Notre Dame, however, will have
its hands full stopping West Virginia
quarterback Major Harris. Harris, a
sophomore, is the best all-around
signal caller in the college game, and
is one of the leading contenders for
the Hcisman next year. He runs a 4.4
second 40-yard dash and can throw
the ball 60 yards in the air on the run.
And yes, he is better than Nebraska’s
Steve Tavlor.
The key to the game is defense.
Both teams will score their points.
Another factor is pressure. West Vir
ginia has nothing to lose - nobody
expects them to win. Notre Dame,
ranked No. 1, has everything to lose.
The teams have had two common
opponents this season and in both
cases, West Virginia’s victories were
much more convincing. So which
team will win? Drumroll, please ...
Notre Dame 27, West Virginia 24.
Orange Bowl, Jan. 2, Nebraska
vs. Miami. The game you’ve been
waiting for.
Nebraska has an improved team
from September, when the Huskcrs
were rocked by UCLA. Nebraska’s
defensive line is much improved, but
the Huskcr offense -- usually a
gleaming example of consistency --
hasn’t performed well the last two
games of the season.
Miami, however, is the nation’s
new example program — at least on
the field. The Hurricanes’ offense is
spearheaded by quarterback Steve
Walsh. Their defense is an attacking,
aggressive one, and it could cause
headaches for Nebraska coach Tom
Osborne.
The bottom line here is Miami’s
passing attack. Let’s face it, Ne
braska has not yet mastered the art of
pass defense. The Hurricanes have
the most sophisticated offense in
college football. Miami coach Jimmy
Johnson has never beaten Nebraska.
He thinks he will this year, and he
thinks his team is the best in the
nation.
He’s right on both counts. Miami
38, Nebraska 10.
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