Brady, Patriots get hammered by the NFL

This is a very appropriate punishment for Brady and the team known for bending and breaking the rules to win at all costs and ignore the integrity of the game. NFL Executive Vice President of Football Operations Troy Vincent has suspended New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady for four games all the way up to the Patriots game against the Indy Colts on Oct .18. The Colts are the team that were the victims of the Deflategate controversy in which two Patriots' ball boys deflated 11 of 12 balls for the game. And, according to attorney Ted Wells, who investigated the charges and wrote a 243-page report on it, Brady, "more than probably knew about it." NFL Network analyst Bill Pollian, who was a stellar general manager for the Indy Colts who drafted Peyton Manning in 1998, said that "more than probably" means that Brady did know. Brady is appealing, of course, so who knows what one of these arbitrators might rule. The arbitrator for Josh Hamilton, the LA Angels outfielder who violated his substance abuse issues for the fifth time in his career, ruled that Hamilton was not subject to punishment by MLB, which is preposterous. So Brady could get out of this, though maybe he won't. Also, the Patriots were fined $1 million and stripped of their first round draft pick in 2016 and a fourth rounder in 2017.

So I really like the way NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Troy Vincent have come down on Brady and the Patriots. Their arrogance needs to be controlled, and this is a good step. Hopefully an arbitrator won't ruin the punishment that fits this crime.

Will have Georgia football write up tomorrow along with a Regions Tradition and a Wells Fargo (PGA) preview.

Brady knew about Deflategate

In a story just release by ESPN, Ted Wells, the attorney for the NFL hired to investigate the Patriots' alleged deflating of the balls in their AF C championship game, has found in his 243 page report that it is more than probable that two Patriots' equipment guys DID deflate 13 footballs prior to the game, and that Surfer Boy Tom Brady more than likely knew about it. If this is the case, I think Roger Goodell should strip the Patriots of their Super Bowl 49 title. They blatantly broke the rules and Brady, who is considered possibly the only player to know about it though that hasn't been determined, was involved. Extreme discipline should be handed down and that, to me, means vacating the Patriots' Super Bowl. They are a recidivistic cheating team, see Spygate in 2007 and the highly questionable substitution-formation on offense against the Ravens in the second round of last year's playoff game, and they deserve the unequivocal punishment. That means taking away the Super Bowl title.

Belichick may not have known about this cheating scandal, but he knew about Spygate, and has a history of bending and even breaking rules to gain advantages. A friend of mine described Belichick as "Richard Nixon." That's a pretty accurate description of Belicheat.

Brady is just as bad and Gronkowski is kind of a clown who might know about this too.

I'm ready for Goodell to lay down the hammer for the integrity of the game. Can't let this stuff happen.

Observations from Auburn spring game; More Alabama thoughts; PGA Match Play, Kentucky Derby, Mayweather-Pacquiao

AU after the Spring

I thought Jeremy Johnson looked terrific in the AU spring game. The 6'5", 230 pound junior completed 14-of-22 passes for 252 yards and two TDs. Outstanding performance from a young man who looks like he'll be a real leader for the 2015 Tigers. Jeremy is the man. Sean White is coming along as his backup and early enrollee freshman Tyler Queen shows a lot of promise. Queen is 6'1", 241, has a good arm and can really run it. Like Jeremy's mobility as well. Jeremy looks like the complete package.

Roc Thomas looked outstanding as well. The 5'10", 203 pound running back from Oxford, Al. ran for 69 yards on 7 carries with a beautiful 36 yard TD run on the first team offenses' second drive and another four yard TD run. Really like what I'm seeing out of Roc. He's a stud. Jovon Robinson had his moments. The 6'0", 230 pound junior-junior college transfer has all the 5-star credentials. He didn't do as well as Roc, but he's got a chance to be good. I thought Peyton Barber was really good at running back. Peyton ran for 46 yards on nine carries. If I had a depth chart right now, I'd put Roc as first team, Peyton as his first backup and then Robinson. Auburn also has 98 rated four-star Kerryon Johnson from Madison, Al. coming in, and I watched some film on Kerryon and he looks like a real stud. AU is good at running back. Always need to stay healthy, but looks good right now. The receivers need to keep developing. Duke Williams is back and should have a big year. He struggles with some drops every now and then, but he's a playmaker. Ricardo Louis will add game breaking ability and some jet sweep opportunities much like Onterio McCalebb did a couple of years back. Marcus Davis (not big, 5'9", 180, but looks pretty sure handed), Melvin Ray (6'3", 215, Myron Burton (6'2", 201) and Jimmie Stoudemire (6'3", 192) look to have pretty good potential. Jaylon Denson (6'3", 218) will be back from injury and he's talented. Kamryn Pettway (6"0", 242) looks like a good player at fullback/H-back. Didn't see much from the tight ends. C.J. Uzomah is gone, so there needs to be a couple of replacements. That hasn't really been determined from what I saw. O line looks stout Robert Leff at center, Braden Smith a left guard and Shon Coleman at left tackle all look like beasts. Devonte Danzey at right guard and Avery Young at right tackle look pretty tough too. Alex Kozan, the awesome guard, will be back for the fall. He will really solidify the line and make this what could be a very dominating group. There is quite a bit of depth.

So the offense looks ready to go.

Will Muschamp has brought energy to the defense and he has good players on his side of the ball. With Carl Lawson (6'2", 257)  coming back from injury and joining Montravius Adams (6'4", 296)  and Elijah Daniel (6'2", 282) up front and with the depth there, the d line should be very good. I like Gimel President (6'4", 263) up front, too. Kris Frost (6'2", 240) and Casanova McKinzy (6'3", 253) return at linebackers along with Cameron Toney (6'1", 243).  The front seven should be stout. There is pretty good depth at linebacker. Ready to see high high four star (Rivals) and five star (247 sports) Tre' Williams be a player for the Tigers at linebacker this season. Williams will be a sophomore and he was highly touted coming out of St. Paul's in Mobile. I also like Justin Garrett (6'1", 238) to make his mark at linebacker this year. There will need to be some guys step up for more depth, but that group of players looks pretty stellar. It's the back end that has Muschamp  concerned somewhat, but there are good players. I love Jonathan "Rudy" Ford at safety. Tray Matthews, the young man who couldn't make it at Georgia due to discipline reasons, looks like he has pretty good talent at safety alongside Ford. Jonathan Jones and Joshua Holsey could be the starters at the corners, but there are some young guys and freshmen coming in who could challenge them. Daniel Carlson is back to kick this year, and he could punt, though Kevin Phillips looks like he has a pretty good leg for punting if Gus wants to use Carlson just as a kicker. Kicking game looks pretty good. I can see Ricardo Louis and Rudy Ford returning kicks, but it was hard to tell since they didn't play the return game live. Louis or Ford could return punts as well.

Overall, I like this AU football team. They can be very good if the defense can produce under Muschamp. The offense looks excellent, and there are a lot of good players on defense, so with an aggressive, attacking, playmaking coach, this defense could be vastly improved.

Schedule:

The Tigers open with Louisville in what is a pivotal game right off the bat. Will be a tough one in Atlanta at the Chick fil-A Kickoff Classic on Saturday, Sept. 5th, with the TV and time to be determined. Then Auburn comes home Sept. 12 to play Jax State, then the Tigers go for a colossal matchup with LSU at Death Valley on Sept. 19th. The next week, Sept. 26th,  AU faces Dak Prescott and Mississippi State at home, then San Jose State plays at Auburn on Oct. 3rd. After a week off, the Tigers then travel to Kentucky for a Thursday night game on Oct. 15th, most likely on ESPN,  in what could be a little bit of a tricky game, then the Tigers are at Arkansas, Oct. 24, in what should be quite a game, but one I can see the Tigers pulling out. Then AU plays Ole Miss at home on Oct. 31st. Should be interesting, but Ole Miss is trying to figure out their quarterback situation, so AU should have the advantage. At A&M on Nov. 7th,  will be tough. Doable, but tough. John Chavis has taken over the Aggie defense, so they'll be better on D, and they will have a fine offense with gunslinger Kyle Allen at the helm at qb. So that's one that could be tricky. Then the Dawgs come to the Plains for another epic on Nov. 14th. The Dawgs should be very good with Nick Chubb, Sony Michel, but they'll have a first year starter at quarterback. I see them coming out of the East though. AU will be challenged here, but the home field will really help. The Tigers then host Idaho on Nov. 21st, then the Crimson Tide comes in for the Iron Bowl on Saturday, Nov. 28th in what very well could be a game that has SEC West-Championship implications and playoff implications. Should be another blockbuster Iron Bowl.

I see the Tigers having a very good season with 10, 11 wins and maybe even better depending on health. The defense is the key, and I see Auburn making major improvement under Muschamp. The defense looked a lot more aggressive in the spring, harder hitting and more opportunistic. That was a great move by Gus to hire Muschamp. He could be a difference maker for the Tigers this season because the offense is going to be prolific. They'll have to stay healthy for the most part, as all teams do, but there is full stable of talent on both sides of the ball. The SEC championship and a playoff berth are certainly possibilities. Should be an electric season for the Tigers in 2015.

More thoughts on the Crimson Tide after Spring

I didn't mention some of the top defensive players for the Tide coming out of the spring. Reggie Ragland (6'2", 252) is a certified hoss. He'll be awesome at linebacker. Ruben Foster (6'1", 240) is a headhunter linebacker for the Tide. Dillon Lee (6'4", 242) looks excellent and another play maker at linebacker. Almost a game changer type of player. Up front A'Shawn Robinson (6'4", 312) and Jarran Reed (6'4", 3130 look dominating in the middle of the line. Defensive end Jonathan Allen (6'3", 272) could have an All-American year. Wow, he's physical. Can really lay the hammer down. I'm also expecting big things from d end Da'Shawn Hand (6'4", 273) and Rashaan Evans (6'3", 225). Denzel Deval (6'2", 252)  will be back at linebacker. There is good depth, as much as can be for an 85 player limit, but there are a lot of very good football players for the Crimson Tide on defense. The secondary will be interesting to see who starts. Marlon Humphrey looks like he's ready to step in as the starting corner. Tony Brown was highly touted as was Humphrey (both 5 stars) and both should be huge playmakers in the secondary. Bradley Sylve should help at corner. Eddie Jackson is one starting safety and when Geno Smith gets it together he may be the other safety. Cyrus Jones is having a discipline issue stemming from his assault of a woman in Tuscaloosa. He broke the girls cell phone and threatened her, so not sure what's going to happen there. He didn't touch her, but with the heightened awareness of assault on women, there could be some pressure on Saban to keep him out of the lineup for a while.

But all in all, the defense has the makings of an excellent outfit. They had six interceptions in the spring game, so not only are they hard hitting and aggressive, they have playmakers.

The question surrounding the program right now is what will happen if the Tide gets Braxton Miller to come to Tuscaloosa? I've talked to two people I trust. A friend of mine, who's a big supporter of the team, said he doesn't like it. He thinks it would be a bad message to the rest of the quarterbacks and recruits showing them that they can't earn the job if there is somebody else out there willing to transfer. My wife, who is also a huge fan, graduate and MBA graduate of Tuscaloosa, said maybe it's a bad message, but Bama would take him if he decided to come.

From an objective point of view, I agree with my wife. While some may say that Braxton may not work for Lane Kiffin's system, Blake Sims was a very similar quarterback as Braxton, and Blake was prolific for most all of the season last year. The Tide made it to the playoff and if it wasn't for a red hot Ohio State team, could have won their fourth national title in seven years. So Miller would be a take if he's available and wants to come to Tuscaloosa. Jake Coker shows promise, so does Blake Barnett and David Cornwell, but I think Miller would be a step up at this point over all three of them. He's pretty awesome and would make this offense even more electric. Really like the oline led by Ryan Kelly (6'5", 300)  at center and Cam Robinson (6'6", 326)  at left tackle. Should be a stellar group. Love the running backs. Derrick Henry and Kenyan Drake should be awesome. Early enrollee DeSharrius Flowers and stud incoming freshman Damien Harris will be an epic running back for the Tide, if not this season, in the future. But I see Harris making a mark this season.

Another SEC Championship and national title opportunity is definitely attainable for the 2015 Crimson Tide.

As for the draft, Amari Cooper should go top 10. I saw a guy project him to the Chicago Bears last night as the eighth pick. Jay Cutler needs all the lifelines he can get and Amari would certainly give him a shot to achieve something better than 8-8. Cutler is on the hot seat and Amari could definitely get him out of hot water. The Bears have a new head coach in the veteran John Fox. Fox is good. Adam Gase, who was Peyton's offensive coordinator at Denver the last two years, takes over the offense. Amari could shine in Gase's offense. The Bears will need to get better on defense and they hired former 49ers defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, who is outstanding and likes the physical, dominating defenses. This could be a very good place for Amari if Cutler can get it done. This may be his last shot with the Bears.

Landon Collins was projected by the guy I read last night to go at number 20 with the Eagles. That would be a good place for Landon, too. Chip Kelly has assembled some very talented pieces on offense and his defense should be a lot better than last year. This could be an opportunity for Landon to start. T.J. Yeldon could be a mid- to-high second or a third. T.J. can be an effective running back in the NFL if he can stay healthy, which is hard to do playing running back in the National Football League. DeAndrew White could get a shot. Certainly a good player. Jalston Fowler could be a good player in the NFL. Fullbacks are still important and Jalston with his physical blocking ability, his good running ability and his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield, could be a real asset for a team.  Some others like Austin Shepherd, Trey DePriest, Christion Jones and Xzavier Dickson should get a shot if not drafted, as free agents. Auburn will have Reese Dismukes, who looks like a mid-round pick and Sammie Coates, a late second or early third round possibility in the mix to make their mark in the NFL.

WGC-Cadillac Match Play

Being played at Harding Park in San Francisco. I'm going with Jordan Spieth over Rory. Should be a stellar heavyweight fight between the two best players in the world, but I like Jordan's overall game a little better than Rory's. Jordan is such an exceptional putter that I believe that will be the key at the end. You have to keep it in the fairway off the tee, and Rory can be a little bit wild with his driver. Jordan can too, but I like his recovery ability a little better than Rory's and he has a decided advantage with his putter.

Spieth over McIlroy

In what should be a total classic on Sunday.

The 141st Kentucky Derby

Going with American Pharoah to get it done at the Derby. American Pharaoh is a 5-2 favorite. AP has won four races in a row. Like the strength to continue at the 1 1/4 mile Churchill Downs track. But 3-1 Dortmund will be a factor. Trainer Bob Baffert trains both horses. Like Pharaoh to edge out Dortmund and give Egyptian Ahmed Zayat his first Derby title after some near misses over the past several years.

Winner: American Pharaoh

Mayweather vs. Pacquiao

I'm going to take Manny Pacquiao in this one over Floyd. Floyd is 47-0 and Manny is 57-5-2, but I like his aggressive, punching style over Floyd's defensive style. It's going to be a heckuva fight. I haven't been this excited about a fight since the 1975 "Thrilla in Manilla" between Frazier and Ali. This will be a classic. 9 PM ET/8 PM CT on pay per view. A little bit costly at $99, but I think it's worth it. Like it to go the distance and Manny to outlast Floyd. If there is a knockout, it'll be Manny in the seventh or eighth. As long as this thing isn't rigged, I like the Filipino, Pacquiao to capture the Wealterweight crown and win this "Fight of the Century." Will be phenomenal.

Winner: Manny Pacquiao

Pick this week at the Zurich Classic, Tide, AU

Going with the young man from the University of Alabama, Justin Thomas, to win the Zurich Classic in New Orleans this week. The 21 year old former Crimson Tider has been playing some awesome golf this year and been in the hunt quite a few times, and will challenge Jordan Spieth and others in the coming years in regular events and majors. Really believe in Justin. He's pretty long and very accurate off the tee, he's an excellent ball striker-approach shot player, and he has a very good short game including an excellent putter. Like Justin to get it done this week on the 7,399 TPC Louisiana course.

Will have Alabama and Auburn spring game write ups this weekend starting Friday. Watched Bama on Monday and liked what I saw. Jake Coker looks like he has potential to be a pretty solid quarterback for the Tide. Needs to sharpen up some things, but he had a nice first half in the spring game including a 40 yard TD strike to Robert Foster, who looks like he'll be awesome. Derrick Henry looked solid,  and Kenyan Drake could be primed for a huge year along with Derrick. Like what I'm seeing out of wide receiver Ardarius Stewart as well. Both Foster and Stewart caught passes for over 100 yards. Still think Chris Black can be an excellent receiver as well. Defense intercepted six passes. Looks like a talented, ball-hawking group. See potential for a very good season. The Tide could certainly win the SEC and be back in the playoff again.

Jeremy Johnson looked terrific in AU's spring game. Really looking forward to seeing Jeremy play. Roc Thomas and Jovon Robinson are the real deal at running back for the Tigers. Defense will be much improved under Will Muschamp.

Both Bama and AU will have very good offensive lines. Alabama held out six players on defense in the spring game and still looked pretty good on D. AU held out a lot of players as well. Both have a shot at making a deep run next year and could be playoff bound depending on the outcome of the Iron Bowl at AU on Nov. 28th (Saturday) . Auburn plays at LSU (Saturday, Sept. 19th), @ an improved Kentucky team (Thursday, Oct. 15th), @ Arkansas (Saturday, Oct. 24th), @ A&M (Saturday, Nov.7th) and open with Louisville @ the Georgia Dome, Saturday, Sept. 5th. The Tigers have State at home, Saturday, Sept. 26th, Ole Miss at home, Saturday, Oct. 31st, and Georgia @ home, Saturday, Nov. 14th, along with the Iron Bowl. Other non-ocnference games include Jax State (Satiurday, Sept. 12th), San Jose State (Saturday, Oct. 3rd), and Idaho ( Saturday, Nov. 21). All three of those are at Jordan-Hare. Tough, but navigable. Will be good for AU to get back Alex Kozan on the oline and Carl Lawson on the defensive line.

Bama plays Wisconsin in their opener at Jerry World in Arlington Texas on Saturday, Sept. 5th. That's an interesting opener. Road games are @ Georgia (Saturday, Oct.3rd), @ A&M (Saturday, Oct. 17th), @ State (Saturday, Nov. 14th) and @ AU (Saturday,. Nov. 28th). Home SEC opponents are Ole Miss (Saturday, Septh. 19th), Arkansas (Saturday, Oct. 10th), UT (Saturday, Oct. 24th), and LSU (Saturday, Nov. 7th). Bama has an open date Oct. 31st before the LSU game Nov.7th and after the Tennessee game, Oct. 24th. Other non-conference games are Middle Tennessee State (Saturday, Sept. 12th), Louisiana Monroe (Saturday, Sept. 26th), and Charleston Southern (Saturday, Nov. 21st).

The key stretches for the Tide are the opener against Wisconsin. Can the Tide get out of the blocks well against a quality opponent, though with a new coach, but one who knows the Wisconsin system? Paul Chryst was the offensive coordinator for the Badgers under Bret Bielema before becoming the head coach at Pitt for a couple of years. He's back at the helm at Wisconsin, so it may not be a major adjustment for them with Chryst in charge. Will be an important start for S and his team. Then the stretch in October @ Georgia, home against  Arkansas, @ A&M and the 12th man, and a young gunslinger quarterback in Kyle Allen, and a much improved Tennessee team at home. That will be a pivotal month of the season.

For AU, of course, @ LSU with stellar tailback Leonard Fournette and company will be a battle on Sept. 19th (Saturday). Then, after an open date on Oct. 10th, @ Kentucky on Thursday, Oct. 15h, then @ Arkansas, Oct. 24th (Saturday), Ole Miss at home (Sat, Oct. 31st), @ A&M, Saturday, Nov. 7th. And Nick Chubb and Georgia on the Plains, Saturday, Nov. 14th, should be a classic.

It goes without saying the Iron Bowl will be another spectacle.

The big question for Alabama is, will Coker take the reins and be the quarterback he was expected to be when he came to campus last year. Working with Lane Kiffin this summer should have him prepared. He'll have a good running game if Henry and Drake can stay healthy, and the line led by all world, 6'6", 330 left tackle Cam Robinson should be pretty darn good. There will be some positions to fill at guard, but there are capable guys. Center Ryan Kelly will be outstanding and the best leader the o line has had since Barrett Jones.

Freshman Ronnie Clark looks like he can help at running back, and five star incoming freshman running back Damien Harris looks like an absolute stud on film. Also, Desharrius Flowers participated in spring drills and the freshman will also provide some help at running back. Bo Scarborough, the five-star freshman, tore his ACL and he'll be out for most likely the entire year.

Can Blake Barnett, or David Cornwell become good backups or even win the starting qb job?Neither looked great in the spring game, though it was the spring game, and they can improve exponentially this summer. Both have excellent  high school resumes. Don't think Alec Morris or Cooper Bateman are there yet, but they'll keep developing. Looks like the qb race is still ongoing somewhat with Coker, Barnett and Cornwell the contenders for the starting job. Coker definitely has the edge coming out of spring. Jake has good potential.

AU looks pretty set at quarterback with Jeremy,  a junior, though redshirt freshman Sean White is quite a quarterback as well. White should be a valuable backup to Johnson. It's about the defense at AU this year. The offense will be explosive and can win the Tigers a lot of games IF the defense can hold their own. Muschamp is going to bring a more physical, aggressive defense that Auburn has been known for all the way back to the Dye years. Auburn football is about being physical on defense and that's what they're getting back to. The defense should be much improved and the offense will be stellar. AU should be right in the thick of the SEC West race in November.

Will have more when I get back from a work thing on Friday. Thanks.

Super Bowl XLIX preview and prediction

Super Bowl XLIX (49)

Seattle Seahawks (14-4)  vs. New England Patriots (14-4)

University of Phoenix Stadium, Phoenix, Arizona (63,400)

Kickooff: 6:30 PM ET/5:30 PM CT

NBC

Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Michelle Tafoya, Bob Costas, Tony Dungy, Rodney Harrison and a cast of others. Katy Perry at halftime (could get interesting). And the highly anticipated commercials.

Coaches:

Seattle: Pete Carroll:  9 years as an NFL head coach, 82-61 (57%), 6-4 playoffs, 1 Super Bowl  victory: 2013 (XLVII).

New England: Bill Belichick: 20 years as head coach (1991-95 with Cleveland Browns; 2000-present Patriots). 211-109 (65%); Postseason: 21-9. Super Bowl wins: 3. 2001 (XXXVI), 2003 (XXXVIII), 2004 (XXXIX).

Lead ref: Bill Vinovich

Inside, retractable roof, no weather problem

Line: New England by 1

Should be an epic. Balls will be checked. No Belicheat in this one. Brady and Gronk will be a handful for the Seattle defense, and the Seahawks offense will have to figure out how to run and throw against a very good defense led by cornerback Darrelle Revis Island and company. But Russell Wilson, Marshawn Lynch, Richard Sherman, Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas, the superstars for Seattle,will lead the Seahawks to back to back Lombardi Trophies Sunday. Sherman may have a new son that day; his girlfriend is expecting on Sunday or thereabouts. That's not a sure thing, but it would be an added motivatorfor Sherman to play an all world game, which he is always capable of and usually does.

Two things are sure things: (1)Marshawn Lynch is not going into politics, but he is one heckuva football player. (2) Bill Belichick will never be on the Supreme Court. Last I checked, personal integrity is a requirement for that position and Belichick seems to a little truant in that department. But I take that back. If he retired soon, Obama might nominate him. It would be between Belicheat and Oprah.

Seahawks 31, Patriots 28

NFL Predictions- AFC and NFC Championship games on Sunday

These match ups are pretty stellar. Next stop Super Bowl 49 at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona on Sunday, February 1st at 6:30 PM ET/5:30 PM CT on NBC.

Green Bay Packers (12-4, 4-4 on road) @ Seattle Seahawks (12-4, 7-1 @ home)

CenturyLink Field, Seattle (67,000)

3:05 PM ET/2:05 CT

FOX

Joe, Troy, EA

Refs: Tony Corrente crew

Weather: Showers 60%

Line: Seahawks by 7 1/2

I love this Packers team. ARodg, Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb and Eddie Lacy are dynamite players. But this is a tall order for any team with this explosive 12th man crowd in Seattle that gives the Seahawks at least a field goal advantage going in. Can the Packers win at Seattle? They could, but with this stifling, lock down defense that the Seahawks employ and the way Russell Wilson just finds a way to make explosive plays and get his team in the end zone enough, I like the Seahawks to return to the Super Bowl. Their secondary with the awesome Richard Sherman and Kam Chancellor are the ultimate game changers. Seahawks advance, but in a good game.

Seattle 28, Green Bay 24

Indianapolis Colts (11-5, 5-3) @ New England Patriots (12-4, 7-1

home)

Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts (68,756)

6:40 PM ET/5:40 PM CT

CBS

Jim, Phil, Tracy

Refs: Walt Anderson crew

Weather: Rain 90%

Line: New England by 6.5

This rain could favor the Colts if it actually transpires. Never know with the 10 day. But this Colts defense can keep it close and Andrew Luck can certainly make plays with receiver T.Y. Hilton and tight end Coby Fleener among others. But Brady looks like he's on a mission. Ray Lewis's comment that Brady would never have achieved greatness if it wasn't for the tuck rule in 2001 when Brady was sacked by the Raiders late in the AFC conference game at snow filled New England and the refs called it an incomplete pass rather than a fumble that would have sealed the game for the Raiders and they would have reached the Super Bowl and not Brady and the Patriots, is a crock. That wasn't a good rule then and the Raiders got robbed–the rule was rescinded in 2012– but Brady would has achieved greatness regardless of that play. I may have picked the Ravens last week because I thought they could knock off the Patriots, they had a very good team,  but I won't ever deny Tom Brady's greatness. He's a proven all time elite quarterback. Three Super Bowl victories and two more appearances proves his greatness. So while I think the Colts can make this a good game, I like the Patriots to move on to Glendale and face the Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX . Should be a good game though, particularly if the weather conditions are questionable.

Patriots 27, Colts 24

Cardale Jones; SEC basketball, nationally, NBA

Cardale Jones will be making his decision whether to go out for the draft and turn pro or come back to Ohio State. *****Breaking: Cardale Jones is coming back to Ohio State per a report in Yahoo Sports. If he sticks to this decision, I think that is a really good move on his part. With another year now, he could be something special both next year and in his pro career. Urban Meyer hired the offensive coordinator from Nebraska, Tim Beck, to take Tom Herman's place. Herman took the head job at Houston. Beck had great offenses at Nebraska, so this is an excellent decision by Cardele. I'm pretty proud of him.I'm a little surprised he'd contemplated whether to go to the NFL. He had three good games, but three good games don't make you a quality starter in the NFL. Look at guys who stayed all four years: E.J. Manuel was stellar for the most part at Florida State and he has really struggled in the pros. Same for Geno Smith at West Virginia and now the New York Jets. Both were benched this season. The NFL is a whole new level from college. The guys are stronger, faster and smarter on defense. The defensive coaching, in many ways, is more advanced. That's all these guys do for a living is concentrate on football, both players and coaches. You have to be pretty smart to play quarterback in the NFL along with having the physical tools. I think Jones getting another year of seasoning in college will really get him ready for the league. A lot of these guys are tired of studying in college, which they shouldn't be because they need to get an education because football doesn't always work out–a lot of times it doesn't, less than 1% of college football players who try out for the NFL make it. They obviously want to make a good living and that's cool. Totally on board with that. I'm just not sure that three really good games, and they were outstanding, makes you a quality NFL starter. So Cardele made a very mature decision for himself by staying another year at Ohio State. He still has to beat out Braxton Miller and J.T. Barrett to be the starter next year, but he's certainly got the leg up after these performances. He will be the number one heading into the spring.

SEC basketball is probably as good as it's been in a while. Kentucky is good. Are they great? Not yet. They are tough inside with their 6'11", 7 footers, but they're not a real good shooting team. Aaron Harrison can get hot from three, but the rest of them really aren't good outside shooters. People are already talking about them running the table. That's premature. They've got a good team, but not great yet. Florida was struggling, but they're starting to get it tougher. They had some injuries, but they seem to be starting to jell, so they'll be a factor in the conference. Donovan will have them playing good ball sooner rather than later. Arkansas, though they lost at Tennessee Tuesday night, is a quality team. They have really struggled on the road under Mike Anderson, but won at Georgia to open the season and came back from double digits to almost knock off Tennessee. They lost by two or three. They are terrific at Bud Walton Arena, their home court. LSU is good, Ole Miss is good, Georgia is pretty good. Alabama is better. Not sure they're great. They have to host Kentucky on Saturday (4 PM ET/3 CT on ESPN), so that will tell us where Anthony Grant' program is. They're better that's for sure. Auburn is in a developmental season. Pearly has brought in some good players, and is recruiting well. They might be another year or two away from being pretty competitive. South Carolina has a pretty good team. Frank Martin is like a football coach the way he coaches them up. Vanderbilt is the 323rd youngest team in the country out of 328. They've got good talent, but they are developing as well.

So it should be an excellent conference season. Nationally, it's wide open. Duke has lost two in a row, Virginia looks outstanding, they play lock down defense and enough offense to make a run to the Final Four. I like Villanova. Arizona is good out west as is Utah and San Diego State. Gonzaga is outstanding. There are plenty of other teams like Miami, which knocked off Duke  last night, Michigan State, always solid and right there in March under Tom Izzo, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Louisville, which will always be there under Pitino, Duke, of course. North Carolina looks stellar now with a home victory over Louisville in the closing seconds and a huge victory @ NC State last night, Kansas will be there, Wichita State is very good, and I really like West Virginia's team. Bob "Huggy Bear" Huggins has his best team in Morgantown. Indiana will be there in March. They will keep improving under Tom Crean as the season progresses and should be formidable in February and March. Crean is Jim and John Harbaugh's brother in law and has that kind of intensity.

So there's no guarantee Kentucky will win the national championship. There are a lot of very good teams, and on any given night, the Wildcats can be shooting poorly and a conference team can beat them. And the NCAA tournament is a one shot deal, so anything can happen with the quality teams in that field.

It's going to be an outstanding season with some epic games. And the tournament should be phenomenal.

NBA right now the Golden State Warriors have the best record in the Western Conference and the Atlanta Hawks in the East. The West is just loaded with Golden State, San Antonio (always a factor with the Big Fundamental, Tim Duncan, and company) the Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, LA Clippers, Portland Trailblazers and Memphis Grizzlies all competing for the top spot in the west and the coveted home court advantage throughout the playoffs. Of course my Oklahoma City Thunder should be there at the end. KD will get them there, and they have a lot of talent around him. He's the ultimate basketball player. In the East the Hawks look for real as do the young, super talented Washington Wizards, the young talented Toronto Raptors and the Chicago Bulls which have  a pretty star-studded lineup. The question in the NBA is will the Cleveland Cavaliers and LeBron James wake up? They are 19-20 and 12 games behind the conference leading Hawks.  They better get going in a hurry or Cleveland is going to be pretty irate that King James couldn't do better than this.

Playoffs review; National Championship game tonight

What a game between the Patriots and the Ravens. Tom Brady found some holes in the Ravens secondary late in the game and took advantage of them. 35-31 Patriots.  Wow, best NFL game I've seen all year. I wish Joe Flacco hadn't thrown the deep ball late in the game trying to go for the home run touchdown instead of chipping away to get in the end zone when they were on the Patriots 35 with a minute and change left. It was intercepted by Duron Harmon. Colin Kaepernick did the same thing last year against the Seahawks in the NFC Championship game, and was intercepted in the end zone when he had plenty of time to go 28 more yards and score the game winning touchdown. Sometimes these quarterbacks need to take what the defense gives them when they have time left and they can still get in the end zone and win the game. The Ravens might have been able to get in the end zone had Flacco kept picking the Patriots defense apart, but he got impatient and Brady used precision in his drives to  get the job done. I think the Indy Colts will have a hard time in Foxborough. Their defense, which stifled Peyton Manning yesterday, will keep them in the game, but I don't think they can do enough to beat Brady and company.

Peyton Manning's career will be defined by so much disappointment in the playoffs. His record in the postseason is 11-13 and he's gone out in the first round nine times. That's not very good. While he has been an outstanding regular season quarterback, the great ones are defined by their postseason success and he hasn't measured up to the likes of Brady, Montana and Elway. He just doesn't get it done when it counts. The Colts played excellent defense and had him confused throughout the game and his receivers dropped some passes in the Indy 24-13 victory, but this happens a lot with Manning in the postseason. This might be it for him. I think he does too many commercials. People are going to get tired of a guy who can't win the big one being on television all the time. So it's the Colts @ the Patriots next Sunday @ 6:40 PM ET/5:4o PM CT on CBS. Jim Phil and Trace with the call.

In the NFC, Seattle took care of business over Cam and the Panthers, 31-17. Cam will make a good play then really mess up. It's been his pattern throughout his  NFL career so far. The Seahawks secondary is the best in football; they are game-changers. I'm not a huge fan of  Richard Sherman personally, but he's an awesome cornerback, and safety Kam Chancellor is one of the best players, game-changers in football. His 90 yard interception return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter clinched it for the Seahawks. He, Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas and Byron Maxwell are the best in the business and win a lot of football games for their team. Russell Wilson always brings it, and is unstoppable running and throwing on the run. The Seahawks will be tough to beat at home for the Packers next Sunday @ 3:05 PM ET/2:05 PM CT on Fox with Joe, Troy and EA on the call.

There was a lot of controversy with Dez Bryant's catch/no catch reversal yesterday in the Packers 26-21 victory over the Cowboys. On fourth and one at the 35 with five minutes left in the game and his team down 26-21, coach Jason Garrett decided to go for it, which was the right call. Tony Romo threw the deep ball–which again I don't know why pro quarterbacks do that with plenty of time left on the clock and just needing a yard for a first down– but he threw it up for Dez at the two. Bryant leapt over cornerback Sam Shields  and pulled in the catch in the air, but when he hit the ground the ball came out of his hands slightly popped up, and  he pulled it in on his back at the one yard line. The ref behind the play called it a catch at first, but upon review Gene Steratore, the lead ref, reversed it called it incomplete. It was a tough call to go against the Cowboys, but it was the right call according to the rule. The receiver has to maintain possession throughout the catch and if he hits the ground and there is any loss of control, it's incomplete. Some analysts don't like that rule, but I think it's a good rule, as the receivers have such an advantage over the defensive backs now because the dbs can't touch them after five yards and there is a lot of illegal contact called on the dbs this year after the five yard rule of no contact that was instituted this year. So the receiver needs to possess the ball throughout the entire catch. It was the right call by Steratore. Tough loss for the Cowboys; they had an awesome season. But Aaron Rodgers and the Packers made the plays when they counted. Randall Cobb's spectacular catch of ARodg's throw on third and 13 late in the game was the clincher for the Pack.  They will be a factor against the Seahawks. The Packers are very good, but can ARodg, on a kind of bum wheel with a tear in his calf, be able to do enough against the vaunted Seahawks secondary and defense for that matter? Will let you know what I think on Saturday.

The National Championship Game

Oregon (13-1) vs Ohio State (13-1)

AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas (80,000)

8:30 PM ET/7:30 PM CT

ESPN

Chris Fowler, Herbie, Heather Cox, Tom Rinaldi

Coaches:

Oregon:

Mark Helfrich: 41 years old, Coos Bay, Oregon. Second year at Oregon: 24-3, 2-0 in bowls-won in the Rose Bowl against Florida State in the semifinals this year.

Ohio State:

Urb Meyer: 50 years old, Toledo, Ohio. Third year at Ohio State, 37-3 (92%) at OSU. Overall: 13 years as a head coach; Utah (2003-04), Florida (2005-10) and Ohio State (2012-14), 141-26  overall (84%). 8-2 in bowls. Two national championships at Florida, 2006 and 2008.

Refs: Big 12, Greg Burks.

Weather: Not a factor, retractable roof.

Line: Oregon by 6

Some of these offensive numbers are off the charts good for these players on each team. I'll give you a few: Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota has thrown for 4,121 yards, completing 280 of 408 passes (69%) for 40 TDs against three ints. He has rushed for 731 yards, 15 TDs and caught another TD off a pass. That's 56 TDs Mariota has accounted for this season. Unbelievable. Freshman running back Royce Freeman has rushed for 1,343 yards and 18 TDs. Linebacker Tony Washington has 11 tackles for loss, six sacks, three fumble recoveries and three forced fumbles. He made the game changing play of the game in the semifinal game versus Florida State (Rose Bowl) when he caught a Jameis Winston fumble out of the air and returned it 58  yards for a seven. Running back Thomas Tyner is back from injury and ran for a couple of scores against FSU. He'll be a factor. Play maker. Wide receiver should be fine despite injuries with Byron Marshall (66-834, 5 TDs) , Dwayne Stanford (39-578, 6 TDs) Charles Nelson (21-306, 5 TDs) and new found target tight end Evan Baylis (6 catches 73 yards against FSU) filling in for a couple of wide outs who will be missing.  Senior defensive back Erick Dargan leads the team in interceptions with seven, but Oregon will be missing cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, who will be out for his second game because of a knee injury suffered before the FSU game in practice.

For Ohio State, Cardale Jones will get his third start in his career at quarterback and he's done well against Wisconsin and Alabama. He has phenomenal weapons around him. Running back Ezekiel Elliott has rushed for 1,632 yards and 14 touchdowns averaging 7 yards per carry. His 85 yard TD run against Bama was the game clinching play that put OSU up 42-28 and led to their huge upset of No.1 Alabama in the Sugar Bowl-semifinal game. He ran for 230 yards on 20 carries against the Crimson Tide, which is almost unheard of against them. Amazing football player. Wide receiver Devin Smith has 32 receptions for 886 yards  (27.6 yards per catch)  and 12 TDs. In the 22 games in which Smith has caught a TD pass and Ohio State has won every one of those games. 22-0 when Smith catches at least one TD pass. Wow. Defensive end Joey Bosa is a beast with 20 tackles for loss, 13.5 sacks and four forced fumbles. OSU boasts the fourth best passing efficiency defense in the country with Vonn Bell (6 ints) and Doran Grant (five ints) the leaders in the secondary. Linebacker Darron Lee was dominating against Alabama in the Sugar Bowl-semifinals game.

Final Analysis and prediction:

This should be an epic national championship game. Both defenses are underrated, but can certainly make the plays. Ohio State has the edge on defense statistically, but I don't think they've played an offense quite like Oregon's. Alabama's was very good offensively, but this offense is maybe one of the most explosive offenses of all time in college football  and just hits you in waves with their scoring.  Oregon has two key receivers out. Darren Carrington (704 receiving yards) is out after failing a drug test, and Devon Allen (7 TD catches), is out with a knee injury. This game should be scintillating, but I like Mariota and the Ducks to do  just a little more offensively than the Buckeyes in an electric offensive game with some opportunistic defense and for Oregon to win its first football national championship in its history.

Oregon 45, Ohio State 42

Bowls: 21-14 (60%)

Overall: 204-81 (72%)

Playoffs? You want to talk about the playoffs?

Former Indianapolis Colts Coach Jim Mora, Sr's classic comedic rant was one for the ages and leads into this weekend's massive four Divisional Championship games featuring eight outstanding teams in the National Football League. They should be epic. After massive amounts of research, development, deep contemplation, transcendental mediation and breakdowns with various football gurus throughout the South, here are my predictions for this weekend's National Football League Divisional Championship games.

Playoffs last week: 2-2; Overall: 94-66

(59%)

Today (Saturday)

Baltimore Ravens (11-6, 5-4 away) @ New England

Patriots (12-4, 7-1 home)

Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Mass. (68,756)

4:35 PM ET/3:35 PM CT

NBC

Al, Cris, Michelle

Coaches:

New England:

Bill Belichick: 62 years old, born in Nashville, Tennessee. 20 years as a head coach. 1991-95 with Cleveland: 36-44 (45%). 16 years with New Englan: 175-65, (72%);  postseason: 19-9 (68%) Super Bowl titles in 2001 (Super Bowl 36, over St. Louis Rams), 2003 (Super Bowl 38 over Carolina Panthers) and 2004 (Super Bowl 39 over Philly Eagles). Overall: 225-116 (66%).

Baltimore:

John Harbaugh: 52 years old, Toledo, Ohio. seven years, 71-40 (64%); postseason: 9-4 (59%) Won Super Bowl 48 in 2012 over the 49ers and his brother Jim.

Refs: Bill Vinovich, lead, and an "all star" cast from other crews. All star is loosely defined sometimes with these guys.

Weather: 21 degrees @ kickoff, 0% rain throughout the game, wind WNW 7 MPH

Spread: Patriots by 7

Is it me or does Tom "Surfer Boy" Brady use an expletive in every interview he gives. His supermodel wife, Gisele Bundchen(real deep one there), said after a Super Bowl 46 loss to the Giants in 2011 (2012 Super Bowl), that her husband couldn't catch the "blankin" balls for the receivers. Elvis Dumervil and Terrell "T Sizzle" Suggs are going to have a say so in today's game. They combined for 29 sacks this season, Dumervil had 17 and Sizzle had 12. Rookie C.J. Mosley has been phenomenal for the Ravens. The former University of Alabama linebacker has 133 tackles on the season to lead the team. Joe Flacco has put up some all world numbers in the postseason. Flacco has seven road playoff wins. While winning six of his last seven, he has thrown for 17 TDs and one interception and posted a 117.2 passer rating which is out the roof good. The X factor for the Ravens' defense is stopping Rod Gronkowski. He's almost un-guardable, so the Ravens are going to have to figure out a way to stop him. "Gronk" had 82 receptions for 1,124 yards and 12 TDs this season. A tight end in full. Julian Edelman (92-172, 4 TDs) and Brandon LaFell (74-953, 7 TDs) are pretty darn good, too. While the Patriots are at home and that's always a big advantage, the Ravens have won two of the last three postseason games in Foxborough including their win in 2012 in the 2012 AFC Championship game. I say Flacco, wr Steve Smith, Sr (just gets better with age at 35, 79 catches 1,065 yards, 6 TDs),  running back Justin Forsett (235-1,265, 8 TDs), Dumervil, Sizzle and Mosley send Brady packin. Brady and Gisele will watch the rest of the playoffs at home or in Aruba; 'Vens get the job done.

Ravens 27, Patriots 24

Carolina Panthers (8-8-1, 3-4-1 away) @ Seattle

Seahawks (12-4, 7-1 home)

CenturyLink Field, Seattle (67,000)

8:15 PM ET/7:15 PM CT

FOX

Kevin Burkhardt, John Lynch, Pam Oliver

Coaches:

Carolina:

Ron Rivera: 53 years old, Fort Ord, California, four years with Panthers, 32-31-1 (51%), 1-1 in playoffs.

Seattle:

Pete Carroll: 63 years old, San Francisco, Cali. 82-61. One year with the Jets (1994), 6-10, three years with New England (97-99) 27-21, five years with the Seahawks, 50-30. Overall: 83-61 (57%). 6-4 in playoffs. Super Bowl 48 champion (2013).  Also won the national championship at USC in 2004.

Refs: Terry McAuley, lead ref.

Weather: 44 degrees at kickoff, 0% rain, wind minimal

Line: Seahawks by 11 1/2

Just too much to ask Cam and the Panthers to go into Seattle and play the Seahawks and the 12th man crowd at CenturyLink and expect to come out with a victory. The Panthers defense can keep it close because they play very good defense, but I don't feel like Cam and the offense can get enough done against the No.1 defense in the National Football League.

Seahawks 20, Panthers 17

Tomorrow (Sunday)

Dallas Cowboys (13-4, 8-0 away) @ Green Bay Packers (12-4, 8-0 home)

Lambeau Field, Green Bay (80,978)

1:05 PM ET/12:05 PM CT

FOX

Joe, Troy, EA

Coaches:

Dallas:

Jason Garrett: 48 years old, Abington, Pennsylvania, five years as head coach in Big D. 41-31. 1-0 in playoffs (last week, 24-20 over Detroit)

Green Bay:

Mike McCarthy: 51 years old, Pittsburgh, Pa. nine years as coach of the Packers, 94-49-1 (65%), 6-5 in playoffs. Won Super Bowl 45 in 2010 over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Refs: Gene Steratore (be ready for some controversy with Steratore).

Weather: A balmy (for Green Bay in January) 21 degrees at kickoff. Not like the 1967 Ice Bowl which was 48 below, the last time these two teams squared off in the playoffs with Green Bay winning 21-17. 5% chance of precipitation. Wind minimal.

Line: Green Bay by 5 1/2

I like Tony Romo, DeMarco Murray, Dez Bryant, Jason Witten, an excellent offensive line, and a pretty darn good defense, led by former Alabama star Rolando McClain, who plays middle linebacker for the 'boys, to get the job done on the frozen tundra. Jerry and Chris Christie get it done again. 8-0 on the road this season with a win at Seattle; wow! I really like this football team's mission of winning Super Bowl 49.

Dallas 34, Green Bay 31

Indianapolis Colts (12-5, 5-3 away) @ Denver Broncos (12-4, 8-0 home)

Sports Authority Field @ Mile High, Denver (76,126)

4:40 PM ET/3:40 PM CT

CBS

Jim, Phil, Wolf

Coaches:

Indy:

Chuck Pagano: 54 years old, Boulder, Colorado, third year as head coach of Colts, 33-15 (69%), 2-2 in playoffs.

Denver:

John Fox: 59 years old, Virginia Beach, Virginia, 13 years as head coach in the NFL, '02-09 at Carolina, 2011-14 at Denver. 126-95 (57%). 8-6 in playoffs (57%). Two Super Bowl Appearances: 2003 vs New England and 2013 vs Seattle. Both losses, but a great coach.

Refs: Bill Leavy, lead guy

Weather: 40 @ kickoff, 0% rain, wind 6 MPH.

Line: Denver by 7

Like Peyton and the Broncos to beat Luck and Indy owner Jim Irsay and for Peyton to extract more revenge on Irsay for releasing him two years ago. Peyton gets the last laugh once again. This might be a bad week for Irsay to quit popping pills.

Peyton 35, Luck 27

Today's wild card predictions

The Steelers not having Le'Veon Bell was a killer for them last night. They couldn't run the football and it  put too much pressure on Ben Rothlisberger throwing the ball. The Ravens could just tee off and come after Ben. And Joe Flacco and Steve Smith Sr. were superb. Justin Forsett had a good enough game running the football to keep the Steelers cognizant of the run. Wow, the Ravens defense and the Carolina Panthers defense are stellar. Could be interesting when the Ravens go to Foxborough next week to take on the Patriots and the Panthers  go to either Seattle or Green  Bay. Those defenses give both teams opportunities to win on the road.

Today's games:

Cincinnati Bengals (10-5-1, 5-3 away) @

Indianapolis Colts (11-5, 6-2 home)

1 PM ET/ Noon CT

CBS

Jim, Phil, Trace

Line: Indy by 3 1/2

I really like Jeremy Hill from LSU for the Bengals. He can really deliver the mail. He's the difference to me today even though the Bengals are without stellar wide receiver A.J. Green. See the Bengals pulling off the upset.

Cincy 31, Indy 28

Detroit Lions (11-5, 4-4 away) @ Dallas Cowboys

(12-4, 4-4 home)

4:40 PM ET/3:40 PM CT

FOX

Joe, Troy, EA

Line: Cowboys by 7

Like Tony Romo, DeMarco Murray and Dez Bryant to get the job done enough offensively against a pretty stout defense and the Dallas D to slow down the Lions enough to come out on top.

Cowboys 34, Lions 30

Romo and the Cowboys survive the Lions and advance to the second round

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The postseason kicks off in the National Football League today

Season record: 92-64 (59%)

Today's games:

NFC Wild Card

Arizona Cardinals (11-5, 4-4 away) @ Carolina

Panthers (7-8-1, 4-4 home)

Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, N.C. (73,778)

4:20 PM ET/3:20 PM CT

ESPN

Tirico, Gruden, Lisa

Coaches:

Carolina:

Ron Rivera: 52 years old, Fort Ord, California, 4 years as head coach at Carolina: 32-31-1; 0-1 in the postseason

Arizona

Bruce Arians: 62 years old, Paterson, New Jersey, two years: 21-11. No postseason games until today

Refs:  Ed Hochuli crew (got some serious guns on him-good ref)

Weather:c 52, cloudy at kickoff, 10% rain, 60% rain @ 6 PM ET, so good be a factor in the game at some point. Wind minimal.

Line: Carolina by 5.5

Cam playing pretty well ever since his auto accident and the defense led by all world linebacker Luke Kuechly will get the Panthers the W in this one. Should be a highly competitive game though. Zona going with Ryan Lindley at quarterback due to injuries, and this is Lindley's first playoff start, but he finished the season on a positive note at least with his play. Zona will hang tough, but I like the Panthers to get the job done at home and advance to the Divisional round.

Carolina 30, Arizona 28

AFC Wild Card

Baltimore Ravens (10-6, 4-4 away) @ Pittsburgh

Steelers (11-5, 6-2 home)

Heinz Field, the Steel City (67,890)

8:15 PM ET/7:15 PM CT

NBC

Al, Cris, Michelle

Coaches:

Ravens:

John Harbaugh:

52 years old, Toledo, Ohio. 7 years as Ravens coach and as a head coach: 72-40 (.643). 9-4 in the postseason. Super Bowl 47 champion. Five playoff appearances. Three AFC Championship games, two divisional appearances.

Steelers:

Mike Tomlin:

42 years old, Hampton Virginia, eight years as head coach of the Steelers: 81-46, 5-3 in postseason. Super Bowl 43 champion (2008). Four playoff appearances. Lost to the Packers in Super Bowl 45 (2010).

Refs: Clete Blakeman crew

Weather: 0 % chance of rain at kickoff, wind SSE @ 9 MPH. 50% rain at 10 PM ET.

Line: Steelers by 3

Should be a classic with two elite quarterbacks in Ben Rothlisberger and Joe Flacco and some hard-nosed, physical defenses. Steelers are without star running back Le"Veon Bell, who is out with a hyperextended knee, but Ben, wide receiver Antonio Brown just barely get the Steelers over the top in a game that should have some serious defense as well.

Steelers 27, Ravens 23

Like Cam (below) and Big Ben to play well and get their teams by barely today

Picks today

Bowl record: 19-13 (59%; yesterday was rough with Bama, AU, FSU and Baylor going down)

Overall: 202-80 (72%)

TaxSlayer Bowl

Tennessee Vols (6-6) vs Iowa Hawkeyes (7-5)

EverBank Field, Jacksonville, Florida (67,164)

3:20 PM ET/2:20 CT

ESPN

UT by 3

Butch and his team get it done over a much better than thought of Big Ten

Tennessee 31, Iowa 27

Valero Alamo Bowl

Kansas State Wildcats (9-3) vs. UCLA Bruins (9-3)

Alamodome, San Antonio (65,000)

6:45 PM ET/5:45 PM CT

ESPN

Line: K State by 1

Like the venerable Bill Snyder and his fundamentally sound and talented football team to get it done. Senior Tyler Lockett is one of the best wide receivers in football.

Kansas State 35, UCLA 31

TicketCity Cactus Bowl

Washington Huskies (8-5)  vs. Oklahoma State

Cowboys (6-6)

Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona (71,706)

10:15 PM ET/9:15 PM CT

ESPN

Line: Washington by 7

Cowboys gained a lot of momentum with their 38-35 upset win over OU in Norman on December 6th. Like the Cowboys to pull off the upset.

Ok. State 31, Washington 30

Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl picks

Rose Bowl

Florida State (13-0) vs. Oregon (12-1)

5 PM ET/4 PM CT

ESPN

Florida State 41, Oregon 38

Sugar Bowl

Alabama (12-1) vs. Ohio State (12-1)

8:30 PM ET/7:30 PM CT

ESPN

Crimson Tide 45, Buckeyes 30

These two coaches move on to AT&T Stadium, Jan.12, 2015

Auburn, fourth of the New Year's Six and Mizzou in action tomorrow

Outback Bowl

No.19 Auburn (8-4) vs. No. 18 Wisconsin

(10-3)

Raymond James Stadium, Tampa (65,657)

Noon ET/ 11 AM CT

ESPN2

Bob Wischusen, Matt Millen, Quint Kessenich

Coaches:

Gus: 49 years old, Irving, Texas, three years as a head coach, Arkansas State (2012), Auburn (2013-present). 29-9 (76%). 0-1 bowls.

Barry Alvarez (Interim until Paul Chryst, who came over from Pitt takes over right afterwards): 16 years as head coach at Wisconsin (1990-2005) , 118-74-4 (60%). Now the Athletics Director at Wisconsin.

Refs: Big 12, Mike Defee

Weather: 71 at kickoff, cloudy but 5 % chance of rain. Wind NE 6 MPH

Line: AU by 6 1/2

Analysis and Prediction:

I expect Auburn to play well. Gus and the team got a big boost with the hiring of Will Muschamp as defensive coordinator. I'm sure Muschamp will have his stamp on the defense somewhat tomorrow. Duke Williams is suspended from the team for violation of team rules (can anybody ever say what they did), but says he is coming back next year. We'll see how that develops. Nick Marshall and Sammie Coates should have good days. So should Cameron Artis-Payne. Auburn played its best game of the season at Tuscaloosa in a 55-44 loss, though the defense was nowhere to be found in the second half. Having Muschamp is  a huge lift for the defense and the team. Next year there should be a marked improvement in that unit. The players look like they have talent on the defensive side, they just need to be coached up better. Wisconsin lost disastrously to Ohio State, 59-0, in the Big Ten Championship game, and then Coach Gary Anderson bolted to go to Oregon State. I'm still trying to figure out how losing a game 59-0 gets you another job. If somebody knows the answer to that please enlighten me. I thought when you lose that badly, your job could be in jeopardy, but maybe I'm not in tune with the Barrack Obama performance measurements these days. You tried hard even though you failed miserably, so you get a promotion to another job. Little unclear on that. Anyway, Barry Alvarez did a good job at Wisconsin and he'll probably field a better team than Anderson would have, so it might be competitive for a while. I like the Tigers here though to get the victory and then start gearing up for 2015.

AU 38, Wisconsin 31

Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic

No.8 Michigan State (10-2) vs.  No.5 Baylor

(11-1)

Jerry "Sugar Magnolia" Jones World, AT&T Stadium, Arlington (80,000)

12:30 PM ET/11:30 AM CT

ESPN

Dave Pasch, Brian Griese, Tom Luginbill

Coaches:

Michigan State:

Jerry "Sugar Magnolia" Jones World, AT&T Stadium, Arlington

(80,000)

12:30 PM ET/11:30 AM CT

ESPN

Dave Pasch, Brian Griese, Tom Luginbill

Coaches:

Michigan State:

Mark Dantonio, 58 years old, El Paso, Texas, 11 years as head coach, Cincinnati (2004-06), Michigan State (2007-present). 92-48 (66%); Bowls (4-4).

Baylor:

Art Briles: 59 years old, Rule, Texas, 12 years as a head coach, Houston (2003-07), Baylor (2008-present). 89-61 (59%). 2-5 in bowls.

Refs: ACC, Jeff Flanagan

Weather: Rain, but retractable roof, so good to go.

Line: Baylor by 2 1/2

Baylor:

Art Briles: 59 years old, Rule, Texas, 12 years as a head coach, Houston (2003-07), Baylor (2008-present). 89-61 (59%). 2-5 in bowls.

Refs: ACC, head guy at game time

Weather: Rain, but retractable roof, so good to go.

Line: Baylor by 2 1/2

Analysis and Prediction:

These are two coaches who have done exceptional jobs at their respective program. Dantonio and Briles have made their teams major players in the national landscape, and Briles really has his program on a roll. Briles was pretty ticked off his team was not picked for the playoff and I don't blame him. I thought both Baylor and TCU were more deserving than Ohio State and Baylor deserved the nod because of their head to head victory over the Horned Frogs. But it didn't happen and I don't blame Coach Briles at all for calling his conference commissioner and the committee out. I still think they blew it, but I know it's over and decided. This should be a very good game. Like Bryce Petty and the Bears though.

Baylor 31, Michigan State 28

Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl

No. 16 Missouri (10-3) vs. No. 25 Minnesota

(8-4)

The Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium, Orlando (70,000)

1 PM ET/Noon CT

ABC

Mike Patrick, Ed Cunningham, Jeannine Edwards

Coaches

Missouri:

Gary Pinkel, 62 years old, Akron, Ohio, 24 years as a head coach, 1991-2000 at Toledo, 2001-present at Missouri. 185-103-3 (64%). 6-4 in bowls.

Minnesota:

Jerry Kill, 53 years old, Cheney, Kansas, 7 years as a head coach in FBS, 21 overall as a head coach in FCS also. 152-98 overall record (61%). 0-4 in bowls.

Refs: Big 12, head guy at game time.

Weather: 72, partly cloudy, 0% rain, wind NE a@ 6 MPH

Line: Missouri by 4 1/2

Prediction:

Missouri gets it done at the end, but I think this game will be tight.

Missouri 31, Minnesota 30

Three of the "New Year's Six" Bowls today

Chick-fil-A Bowl

No.9 Ole Miss (9-3) vs. No.6 TCU (11-1)

Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Ga. (71,228)

12:30 PM ET/11:30 AM CT

ESPN

Tess, Brock, Tim, Shannon

Coaches:

Ole Miss

Hugh Freeze: 45 years old, born in Oxford, Mississippi, four years as a head coach. 2011-Arkansas State. 2012-present-Ole Miss. 54-21 (72%). 2-0 in bowls.

TCU

Gary Patterson: 54 years old, Rozal, Kansas, 15 years as head coach all at TCU. 131-45 (74%). 7-4 in bowls.

Refs: ACC, Jerry Magallanes

Weather: Dome

Line: TCU by 3

Analysis:

For the Rebels, it's about defense and if they can get enough from Bo Wallace and the offense. Ole Miss is number one in the country in scoring defense, giving up just 13.8 points per game. They are 12th in total defense. TCU is 18th in scoring defense allowing 20.3 points and 33rd in total defense. Ole Miss cornerback Senquez Golden is second in the country in interceptions with nine. He trailed only Gerod Holliman of Louisville, who had 14. TCU was second in turnover margin, behind only Michigan State. TCU gained 36 turnovers and lost 18. Ole Miss was tied for 27th with 28 gained and 21 lost.

So the defenses will definitely play a major role. Trevone Boykin is an absolute stud at quarterback for the Horned Frogs. He has completed 279-of-461 passes (60.5%) for 3,714 yards, 30 touchdowns and just seven ints. He has also run for 642 yards and eight TDs. Aaron Green is the team's leading rusher having run for 854 yards and 8 touchdowns. B.J. Catalon has added 493 yards and 10 TDs. Josh Doctson is Boykin's favorite target. He has caught 59 passes for 959 yards and 9 sevens. Deante' Gray has caught 34 passes for 564 yards and eight scores. TCU is 4th in the country in total offense averaging 542.2 yards per game and second in the country in scoring offense at 46.8. But they are facing a formidable group. Ole Miss has 90 tackles for loss which is a top 10 in the country number. Nickel back Tony Conner leads the way with nine for loss of 18, while defensive end Marquis Haynes has 8.5 for a loss of 74 yards.

So, for Ole Miss, it'll come down to which Bo shows up. As a friend of mine says it can't be the bad Bo, that's for sure, and it needs to be better than the good Bo. It needs to be the stellar Bo. Wallace is 219-of-358 (61.2%) for 3,085 yards, 22 TDs and 11 ints. He's had his moments this season against Alabama and Mississippi State, then he's had his disasters like LSU, a 10-7 loss and Arkansas, a 30-0 loss. So he's critical to the Rebels success. His favorite target is Cody Core, who has 38 receptions for 530 yards and six TDs. Ole Miss lost both of their leading receivers, Laquan Treadwell and Vince Sanders, to season ending injuries, but Core and Evan Engram (37-761-2) are excellent targets. Jaylen Walton rushed for 583 yards and five touchdowns. He's small, but he can make a house call if he breaks through the front line and gets to the second level. He also caught 18 passes for 201 yards and 2 TDs.

Prediction

There's a lot to like about both these teams. Ole Miss plays lock down defense, but their offense is questionable at times, though it can have its moments. TCU plays outstanding offense and plays pretty good defense too, actually. So I'm going with the more complete team. Should be an excellent game to start off the New Year's Six.

TCU 30, Ole Miss 28

Vizio Fiesta Bowl

No.20 Boise State (11-2) vs. No 10 Arizona

(10-3)

University of Phoenix Stadium (63,400)

4 PM ET/3 PM CT

ESPN

Sean McDonough, Chris Spielman, Todd McShay

Coaches:

Arizona

Rich Rodriguez: 51 years old, Chicago, 13 years as a head coach; West Virginia (2001-07), Michigan (2008-10) and Arizona (2012-present). 146-97-2 (60%  ) 4-4 in bowls.

Boise State

Bryan Harsin: 38 years old, Boise, Idaho, two years as a head coach, Arkansas State (2013), Boise State  (2014-present). 18-7 (72%). no bowl record until today.

Refs: Big Ten, John O'Neill

Weather: Retractable roof. Will probably be closed as it's expected to rain in Phoenix. So no problem with the weather.

Line: Zona by 3

Prediction

I like Zona to get it done here. They played a much tougher schedule and did well with it. Better conference (Pac-12 vs Mountain West), better team.

Zona 42, Boise 30

Capital One Orange Bowl

No.7 Mississippi State (10-2)  vs. No 12

Georgia Tech (10-3)

Sun Life Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida (76,100)

8 PM ET/7 PM CT

ESPN

Brent, Jess, Maria

Coaches:

Mississippi State:

Dan Mullen: 42 years old, Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, six years all at State, 46-30 (60%); 3-1 in bowls.

Georgia Tech:

Paul Johnson: 57 years old, Newland, North Carolina, 13 years as a head coach, Navy (2002-07), Tech (2008-present). 164-74 (69%). 3-6 in bowls.

Refs: Big Ten, Dan Capron

Weather: 73, cloudy, 20% rain, wind NNE @ 3 MPH.

Line: State by 6 1/2

Prediction:

I like Johnson and the triple option here to pull off the upset.

Georgia Tech 34, Mississippi State 31

LSU, Georgia, Stanford in action today

Music City Bowl

No.23 LSU (8-4) vs. Notre Dame (7-5)

LP Field, Nashvegas, Tennessee (68,798)

3 PM ET/2 PM CT

ESPN

Mark Jones, Rod Gilmore, Jessica Mendoza

Coaches:

LSU

Les

61 years old, born in Elyria, Ohio. 14 years as a head coach, 131-49 (73%), 7-5 in bowls. Oklahoma State 2001-04; LSU 2005-present.

Notre Dame

Brian Kelly

53 years old, Everett, Massachusetts. 24 years as a head coach, 214-77-2 (73%). 44-20 (69%) Five years @ Notre Dame (Grand Valley State: 1991-2003; Central Michigan: 2004-06; Cincinnati: 2007-09; Notre Dame: 2010-present.

Refs: Pac-12, Mike Batlan

Weather: 40, sunny at kickoff, 0% rain, wind: NNE @ 8 MPH, staying 8-10 MPH throughout game.

Line: LSU by 8 1/2

Prediction:

LSU will ground and pound it versus an Irish defense that has allowed 244.2 yards per game rushing over the last six games. Expect Leonard Fournette, who appears to be coming into his own after rushing for 891 yards and 8 TDs this season, and Terrence Magee, who rushed for 546 and three TDs, to have their way running the ball for LSU. Brian Kelly has benched starting quarterback Everett Golson after he turned the ball over 22 times this season. Malik Zaire will start in his place. Should be a good day for "the Hat" and the Bayou Bengals and a long day for the Irish. Brian Kelly will have another Jackson Browne moment after the game, as in "Here come those tears again."  Hopefully Les will provide some entertainment at halftime and in the post game interview. I think LP Field is supposed to have some pretty good tasting grass. Sometimes Les seems like he smokes it. He does an excellent  job though, and he and Ball Coach keep it fun.

LSU 34, Notre Dame 21

Belk Bowl

No.13 Georgia (9-3) vs. No. 21 Louisville (9-3)

Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, N.C. (74,455)

6:30 PM ET/5:30 PM CT

ESPN

Anish Shroff, Kelly Stouffer, Cara Capuano

Coaches:

Georgia

Mark Richt 

54 years old, Omaha, Nebraska. 14 years at Georgia: 135-48 (74%). Bowls: 8-5.

Louisville

Bobby "Neck Brace" Petrino

53 years old, Lewistown, Montana. 10 years as a college head coach: 92-33 (74%). 4-3 in bowls. 3-10 in the NFL with the Falcons before bolting prior to the season ending

Refs: Big Ten, David Witvoet

Weather: 40 @ kickoff in high 30"s throughout the game. 5 % rain. Wind. NE 4 MPH

Line: Dawgs by 7

Nick Chubb ran for 1,281 yards and 12 TDs this season for Georgia. He might make fans forget about Todd Gurley when he's done with his eligibility. Sony Michel will get his share of carries as well, and while he's been bothered by some injuries this season, he was a five-star recruit coming out of high school last year and one of the top players in the country. He could help Chubb a lot today and have a big game himself. Georgia lost offensive coordinator Mike Bobo to Colorado State, which hired him as their head coach last week, but they should still be fine here. The Cardinals are down to their third string quarterback most likely, and while their defense may keep them in the game, I like the Dawgs to handle their business, run the ball well, and play lock down defense. Michael Dyer's infamous career is over at Louisville, and in college, after he got suspended last week. So Louisville is pretty short handed on the offensive side of the ball. Petrino is going to have to work some near miracles offensively in order to win this game. Louisville defensive coordinator Todd Grantham is coaching against his old team in this one, so that might give him and his defense an advantage somewhat. But I  like Jeremy Pruitt a lot better as coordinator for the Dawgs defense. He's going to make this group elite in the near future.

Georgia 30, Louisville 14

Foster Farms Bowl

Stanford (7-5) vs. Maryland (7-5)

Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California (68,500)

10 PM ET/9 PM CT

ESPN

Allen Bestick, Ray Bentley, Quint Kessenich

Coaches:

Stanford

David Shaw

42 years old, San Diego California, 4 years as head coach at Stanford: 41-12. Bowls: 1-2

Maryland

Randy Edsall

56 years old, Glen Rock, Pennsylvania, 16 years as a head coach, 94-99 overall; 3-3 in bowls. 1999-2010 at UConn; 2011-present at Maryland.

Refs: Big 12, Reggie Smith

Weather: 48 @ kickoff, 0% rain, wind NNE 28 MPH

Line: Stanford by 14

This should be a pretty interesting game with the wind howling. Stanford lost their best player, wide receiver Tyrone Montgomery, to injury, so that makes it tougher offensively for the Cardinal. It's probably going to be a low scoring game with the defenses and the wind. Maryland plays pretty decent defense, and the offenses aren't too swift, especially since Stanford will be missing Montgomery. But I like the Stanford defense to get the job done here.

Stanford 14, Maryland 10

Outstanding match ups in three bowls slated for today

AutoZone Liberty Bowl

Texas A&M (7-5)  vs. West Virginia (7-5)

Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, Memphis (61,008)

2 PM ET/1 PM CT

ESPN

Clay Matvick, Anthony Becht, Dawn Davenport

Coaches:

A&M: Kevin Warren Sumlin: 50 years old, three years at A&M, 27-11, overall: seven years 62-28 (69%), 3-1 bowls. @ Houston from 2008-11.

West Virginia: Dana Carl Holgerson, 43 years old, four years at WVU and as a head coach, 28-22 (56%), 1-1 in bowls.

Refs: ACC, Walter Davenport

Weather: 44 degrees @ kickoff, mostly cloudy, 0% rain (throughout game), Wind, NNE @ 7 MPH.

Line: WVU by 3

Breakdown

West Virginia

The Mountaineers lost quarterback Clint Trickett for the season and for his career after Trickett sustained multiple concussions. Trickett had a fine year for the Mountaineers completing 67% of his passing attempts (281-of-419) with 18 TDs and 10 ints. In his place will be junior college transfer Skyler Howard, who completed 36-of-65 passes (55%) for 483 yards, five TDs and 0 ints. Howard tossed three TDs in the season finale against Iowa State, a 37-24 victory which ended a three-game losing streak for WVU. The Mountaineers key player on offense is wide out Kevin White. The 6'3", 210 standout caught 102 passes for 1,318 yards and 9 sevens this season. He is a superstar and will be shining on Sundays in the future. Mario Alford (5'9", 177) is another explosive wide out for WVU. Alford caught 62 passes for 888 yards and 10 TDs this season. Running back Rushel Shell (5"10", 215) ran for 766 yards and seven scores this season. A&M struggles against the run, so this could be a factor. On the other side of the ball, linebacker  Nick Kwiatkoski (6'2", 236) leads the team with 96 tackles and 10.5 tackles for loss of -20. Defensive end Shaq Riddick (6'6", 242) adds 10.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks. Cornerback Daryl Worley leads the defense in interceptions with three.

A&M

Sumlin made a quarterback change in game nine and replaced Kenny Hill with freshman Kyle Allen. Allen finished the season completing 96-of-157 (61%) for 1,028 yards with 12 TDs and six ints. Allen had his best performance at Auburn on November 8th completing 19-of29 passes for 277 yards with four TDs and one int in a 41-38 victory over then No.3 Auburn. He was the number one quarterback in the country coming out of high school and has shown flashes of excellence, so the future could be very bright for the Aggies with Allen at quarterback.  Allen's key targets are Ricky Seals-Jones (48-444, 4 TDs) and Josh Reynolds (47-726, 12 TDs). Malcolme Kennedy (46-529, 4) and Speedy Noil (44-559, 5 TDs) are also excellent receiving options. Kennedy is probably the most reliable target of all four guys. A&M really didn't get a stellar running game ever going this season. Trey Williams rushed for 474 yards and six TDs. Tra Carson added 448 and five TDs. Both are capable of having good games today against a suspect Mountaineer defense. While the A&M defense wasn't prolific this year, freshman defensive end Myles Garrett (6'5", 255) was. Garrett finished with 12.5 tackles for loss of 67 yards and 11 sacks for -64 yards. He's a stud. Safety Howard Matthews led the team in tackles with 82. Freshman free safety Armani Watts led the team in interceptions with three. While Snyder took the blame for the defensive deficiencies this season, it was a pretty young group. Sumlin has recruited well and the defense should be a lot better next year with talent and experience. The bowl game would be a good springboard for the group.

Verdict:

This should be an outstanding game with a lot of offense. Maybe it's just the way I'm wired and programmed, but I like the SEC to get it done in this one, but in an excellent football game. Kevin Sumlin and A&M come away with the victory and start preparing for the 2015 season with clear eyes and full hearts.

A&M 38, West Virginia 35

Russell Athletic Bowl

Clemson (9-3) vs. Oklahoma (8-4)

Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium, Orlando (70,000)

5:30 PM ET/4:30 PM CT

ESPN

Mike Patrick, Ed Cunningham, Jeannine Edwards

Coaches:

Clemson: William Christopher "Dabo" Swinney, 45 years old, seven years as head coach all at Clemson, 60-26 (70%) overall, 3-3 in bowls.

Oklahoma: Robert Anthony "Bob" Stoops, 54 years old, 16 years as head coach all at OU, 168-42 (80%), 8-7 in bowls.

Refs: SEC, Matt Moore, lead whistle

Weather: 78 @ kickoff, partly cloudy, 0 % rain (throughout game), wind SW 8 MPH.

Line: OU by 5

Breakdown

Clemson:

Clemson is more about defense this season. The Tigers have the number one total defense in the country allowing only 259.6 yards per game. They are number six in the country in scoring defense at 17.6 ppg. OU is no. 52 in total defense at 382.3 and 43 in scoring defense at 24.8 points allowed. Senior defensive end Vic Beasley is the catalyst on defense. Beasley has 18.5 tackles for loss of 104 yards and 11 sacks for -87. He's an all- worlder. Middle linebacker Stephone Anthony leads the defense in tackles with 73 and adds 9.5 tackles for loss of -50 yards. Clemson only has nine interceptions, but have forced nine fumbles this season and recovered 10. On offense, the Tigers will turn back to senior Cole Stoudt as freshman Deshaun Watson was lost for the season against South Carolina with a torn ACL in his knee. Stoudt played in 12 games, completed 165-of-266 passes (62%) for 1,573 yards, six TDs and 10 ints. He'll have to play better than that today in order for the Tigers to come out on top. He can't be throwing multiple interceptions or it could be a long day for him and his team. Clemson's leading rusher is Wayne Gallman who ran for 714 yards and four TDs this season. C.J. Davidson added 245 and three TDs. The running game needs to be good to take the pressure off of Stoudt. Stoudt is a pretty good runner too. The leading receiver for Clemson is Artavis Scott who caught 68 passes for 851 yards and seven TDs this season. Mike Williams pulled in 48 for 918 and 5 sevens. Defensive coordinator Brent Venables knows OU having been defensive coordinator there from 1999-2011 before coming over to Clemson in 2011. He's got the defense playing very well.

OU:

Quarterback Trevor Knight is back after being hurt this season some, and that's a big lift to the Sooners' offense.  In nine games, Knight completed 162-of-279 passes (58%) for 2,197 yards, 14 TDs and nine ints. He's a threat to make a mistake, but he can also make a lot of explosive plays with his arm and also make plays with his feet. Samaje Perine, a freshman, burst onto the scene this season. Perine, a horse at 5'' 11", 243, rushed for 1,579 yards this season and 21 TDs. He ran for 791 yards in his final three games of the season and included in that was a 427 yard performance against Kansas, which broke the FBS single game rushing record which was set the week before by Wisconsin's Melvin Gordon, who ran for 408 against Nebraska. Perine will be a major test to the Clemson run defense, which is fifth in the country allowing just 97.7 yards per game on the ground. OU has an excellent receiving corps as well led by junior Sterling Shepard, who has hauled in 50 catches for 957 yards and five TDs. He is a game changer along with Perine. Durron Neal has added 40 receptions for 508 and three scores. On defense, the Sooners are led by linebacker Dominique Alexander (6'0", 227) who has registered 98 tackles, six for loss of 22 and a sack and a half. Linebacker Eric (Airplane) Striker leads the team with 14 tackles for loss of 64 yards and 7.5 sacks. Cornerback Zack Sanchez has six interceptions on the season.

 Verdict:

I like this Clemson defense. OU has a better offense for sure, but I like the defense wins games/championships theory. Dabo, Venables and the Clemson defense allow the Tigers to come away with the victory in a steppingstone to 2015.

Clemson 28, Oklahoma 24

Advocare V100 Texas Bowl

Arkansas (6-6) vs. Texas (6-6)

NRG Stadium, Houston (71,500)

9 PM ET/8 PM CT

ESPN

Dave Pasch, Brian Griese, Tom Luginbill

Coaches:

Arkansas:

Bret Arnold Bielema, 44 years old, nine years head coach, 77-39. seven years at Wisconsin (2006-12), second year at Arkansas, 9-15 at Arkansas, 2-4 bowls

Texas:

Charles Rene "Charlie" Strong, 54 years old, five years as a head coach, 43-22 overall. Four years at Louisville (2010-13), and first year at Texas (6-6). 3-2 in bowls.

Refs: ACC, Ron Cherry

Weather; retractable roof, but 52 degrees at kickoff 0 % rain, wind E at 3 MPH

Line:  Hogs by 7

Analysis:

Texas:

Charlie Strong will do an excellent job at Texas and put the Longhorns back on the national map sooner rather than later. He will have to recruit hard though as he is squaring off in his state vs. Kevin Sumlin, an excellent recruiter, Baylor's Art Briles and TCU's Gary Patterson, who are both hotter than a July day in El Paso with their teams right now. So he definitely has his work cut out for him. But he has Texas playing well on defense and it will only get better under him. Senior linebacker Jordan Hicks has posted 138 tackles on the season, and 13 for loss of 36 yards to go along with 3.5 sacks. Middle linebacker Steve Edmond added 122 tackles a, 12 for loss of 30 yards and 4.5 sacks for a loss of 19. Quarterback Tyrone Swoopes completed 59% of his passes (211-of-359) for 2,352 yards,  13 TDs and 10 ints. The leading rushers for Texas are Malcolm Brown (683 yards and six TDs) and Johathan Gray (628 yards, seven TDs). John Harris led the wide receiving corps with 64 catches for 1,015 yards and seven TDs. Texas played some good football this season.

Arkansas:

The Hogs can really tote the rock. Jonathan Williams ran for 1,085 yards and 11 TDs this season and Alex Collins added 1,024 yards and 12 sevens. And they have a line that averages 328.4 pounds across the front, the biggest in college football AND the NFL. Wow. Brandon Allen is a pretty solid quarterback. He completed 178-0f-316 passes (56%) for 2,125 yards and 18 TDs against five ints. His favorite target is Keon Hatcher, an outstanding receiver/playmaker, who caught 39 passes for 517 yards and five TDs. They use their tight ends well. Hunter Henry is excellent (36-495, 2 TDs) as is A.J. Derby (22-303, 3 TDs). Those guys are weapons.On defense, Martrell Spaight leads the team with 123 tacklesm with 8.5 for loss of 23 yards. Defensive end Trey Flowers leads the defense with 13.5 tackles for loss of 75 yards and five sacks for -52 yards. Cornerbacks Tevin Mitchell and Henre' Toliver lead the team with two ints apiece.

Verdict:

Strong is an excellent coach, and I'd give him a coaching edge over Bielema. Bielema takes some kind of goofy chances. Sometimes his trick plays work out, some times they don't. But in this one, Arkansas is just too good running  the ball and they can pass it pretty well with Allen and Hatcher. The o line and playmakers will get the job done for the Hogs tonight as the Hogs gear up for an even better 2015 and send their seniors out on a high note.

Arkansas 31, Texas 23

Big day today with five games on the docket

Here's a look at today's five bowl games with previews and predictions.  

Military Bowl

Cincinnati Bearcats (9-3) vs. Virginia Tech

Hokies (6-6)

Navy-Marine Memorial Stadium, Annapolis, Maryland (34,000)

1 PM ET/Noon CT

ESPN

Beth Mowins, Joey Galloway, Paul Carcaterra

Coaches:

Virginia Tech: Frank Beamer; 68 years old, 28 years as head coach at Va Tech, 228-113-2 (67%), 9-12 in bowls;

Cincy: Tommy Tuberville (Tubby); 60 years old, 19 years as a head coach: Ole Miss ('95-'98), Auburn ('99-2008), Texas Tech (2010-'12) and Cincinnati (2013-present). 148-84 overall (64%); 18-7 at Cincy. 7-4 bowls.

Refs: Sun Belt: Kevin Stine

Series record: 5-5; Cincy won most recent, 27-24 in Sept. 2012

Weather: 46 degrees at kickoff, sunny, 0 % chance of rain all afternoon, Wind: SE 3 MPH

Line: Cincy by 2 1/2

Virginia Tech is in their 22nd straight bowl game trailing only Florida State which has been to 33 straight, but they've struggled in bowl games. Their defense is only allowing 20.4 points per game, which was 18th in the country this season. Bud Foster's secondary is good too, let by superstar Kendall Fuller, who had a 47 yard int for a TD earlier this year. Kendall's brother, Kyle, is the starting cornerback for the Chicago Bears, and his other brother, Corey, is a wide receiver for the Detroit Lions. His oldest brother, Vincent, also played in the NFL. They all played at Virginia Tech. Kendall and the Hokie defense will be tested by Cincy qb Gunner Kiel who has thrown for 30 TDs (9th in the country) and 3,010 yards. Cincy has a real advantage behind center, as the Hokies Michael Brewer, a Texas Tech transfer, has thrown 14 ints this season against 17 TDs. He doesn't have the proven playmakers on the outside and he's been sacked 31 times this season.

Final analysis and prediction

I love what Frank Beamer does at Virginia Tech. He wins with integrity. He's a high character man and a very good football coach. If it came down to coaching I'd go with Beamer over Tubby. He'll get it back going in Blacksburg; he just needs some more offense. His defense is still really good. But I like Kiel over Brewer in this one. If it was a rainy kind of day, I might like the Hokies because of ball security issues, but it's clear and sunny in Annapolis, so I'm going with the better quarterback and offense in this one though Virginia Tech will play some good defense and keep it close. But Kiel and Cincy do enough to get the W.

Cincy 24, Va Tech 21

Hyundai Sun Bowl

Arizona State Sun Devils (9-3) vs. Duke Blue

Devils (9-3)

Sun Bowl Stadium, El Paso, Texas (51,500)

2 PM ET/1 PM CT

CBS

Carter Blackburn, Gary, Allie-Verne on a cruise loading up on the buffets

Coaches:

Arizona State: Todd Graham; 50 years old, 9 years as a coach, 76-41 overall, 27-12 at Zona State in 3 years, previously at Rice (2006) Tulsa (2007-10), Pitt (2011) and Zona State since 2012. 4-2 in bowls.

Duke: David Cutcliffe; 60 years old, 13 years as a head coach. Ole Miss (1999-2004), Duke (2006-present). 84-76, 4-2 bowls.

Refs: SEC, Hubert Owens, get ready for some serious laundry

Weather: 43 at kickoff, warming up to 48 throughout game, partly cloudy, 0% rain, wind SW @ 2 MPH.

Line: Zona State by 7 1/2

David Cutcliffe is another high character coach in college football. First class man and football coach. Birmingham, Alabama native. Cutcliffe was Peyton and Eli's mentor as offensive coordinator at Tennessee (Peyton) and head coach at Ole Miss (Eli). He has a pretty good, athletic quarterback in Anthony Boone. But Zona State has a pretty high powered offense, and even though Duke is pretty solid on defense, I don't think they can keep up with the Sun Devils on the offensive end enough to win this game. Graham has done an excellent job in Tempe. Like the Sun Devils to win a close one here.

Arizona State 31, Duke 28

Duck Commander Independence Bowl

Miami  (6-6) vs. South Carolina (6-6)

Independence Stadium, Shreveport, Louisiana (65,000)

3:30 PM ET/2:30 PM CT

ABC

Dave Neal, Andre Ware, Laura Rutledge (good crew)

Coaches:

Steve Spurrier, better known as the Ol' Ball Coach: 69 years old,  25 year as a head coach: 225-85-2 (72%) Bowls: 10-10; Duke (1987-89), Florida (1990-2001) and South Carolina (2005-present). Cup of coffee with the Redskins in 2002-2003.  One national championship, Florida, 1996.

Al Golden: 45 years old, nine years as a head coach, record; 55-55; 0-2 bowls; Temple (2006-2010), Miami (2011-present).

Refs: Pac-12, Jack Folliard

Weather: 57 degrees @ kickoff, cloudy, 0% rain, wind NW 9 MPH. 60% rain @ 5 PM on.

Line: Miami by 3

The Gamecocks have had a rough year on defense as they are 93rd in the country in points allowed per game and 92nd in total yards surrendered. I'm surprised defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward is still around, though this may be his final chance in the bowl game to prove he can get it done. But quarterback Dylan Thompson has had a pretty solid year throwing for 3,280 yards, 24 TDs against 11 ints and has a 60% completion rate. Pharaoh Cooper is his favorite target. The dynamic wide out has caught 60 passes for 966 yards and eight TDs. Mike Davis didn't have the exceptional year everyone expected him to have at running back, but he did run for 927 yards and nine TDs. He's declared for the draft, he is a junior, so he may be ready to light it up today. Brad Kaaya had an excellent freshman campaign at quarterback for the Canes. He passed for 2,962 yards and 25 TDs against 11 ints. But Duke Johnson is the catalyst for the Canes at running back. He tallied 1,520 yards on the ground this season with 10 TDs and an impressive 7 yards per carry average. He also caught 33 passes out of the backfield for 370 yards and three TDs.

Final take:

South Carolina's defense isn't up to their usual standards, but Thompson, Cooper and Davis should excel on offense and outscore the Canes, barely.

South Carolina 35, Miami 34

New Era Pinstripe Bowl

Penn State (6-6) vs. Boston College (7-5)

Yankee Stadium, New York City (50,291)

4:30 PM ET/3:30 PM CT

ESPN

Bob Wischusen, Matt Millen, Quint Kessenich

Coaches:

Penn State: James "Benedict" Franklin; 42 years old, four years as head coach, 30-21 overall. First year at Penn State (6-6). At Vanderbilt from 2011-13. 2-1 bowls.

Boston College: Steve Addazio, 55 years old. four years as a head coach. 27-22 overall, 1-1 in bowls. Temple (2011-12), Boston College 2013-present.

Refs: SEC, Matt Loeffler

Weather: 47, clear, 0% rain, wind, SW @ 6 MPH

Line: BC by 3

I'm still getting over Franklin bolting my alma mater to go to Penn State, but it's over and I've moved on.  Penn State's defense is good, but their offense pretty bad. BC beat USC 37-31 at home, which was impressive, then took Florida State to the wire in Tallahassee, losing 20-17. Like those numbers. Penn State lost to Michigan, 18-13, and lost their last two to Illinois, 16-14 on the road, and at home to Michigan State to end their season, 34-10. With those numbers, I'm going with the Golden Eagles over the Nittany Lions.

Boston College 21, Penn State 17

National University Holiday Bowl

Nebraska (9-3) vs. USC (8-4)

Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California (71,294)

8 PM ET/7 PM CT

ESPN

Rece, Jess, Dave, Sam

Coaches:

USC: Steve Sarkisian, first year at SC (8-4), overall: 42-33, five years at Washington (2009-13). 1-2 bowls.

Nebraska: Barney Cotton (interim). Mike Riley comes over from Oregon State and will take over after the bowl game.

Refs: Big 12, Randy Christal

Weather: 59, clear, 0% rain, wind N 5 MPH.

Line: USC by 7 1/2

Final Take:

Nebraska is a little dysfunctional right now after firing Bo Pelini. They want Big Ten and national championships in Lincoln and Pelini wasn't giving them enough. May have been a little unfair to fire him, he was 67-27 in seven years and 4-3 in bowls, but the standards are high at Nebraska and Pelini's personality was a little bothersome to Huskers fans. Pelini just accepted the head job at Youngstown State where former Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel is the president, so it seems like he landed on his feet. I like SC here. Running back Ameer Abdullah of the Cornhuskers had an excellent season running for 1,523 yards and 18 TDs, but I like SC quarterback Cody Kessler, who threw for 3,505 yards, 36 TDs and only four ints. Kessler and SC get the job done in San Diego.

USC 41, Nebraska 31

Three Bowls today: Heart of Dallas, Quick Lane and Bitcoin St. Petersburg

Bowl Record: 7-3

Overall: 180-70 (73%)

Zaxby's Heart of Dallas Bowl

Louisiana Tech Bulldogs(8-5) vs. Illinois Fighting

Illini(6-6)

Cotton Bowl, Dallas

1 ET PM/ Noon CT

ESPN

Talent: Mike Corey, Charles Arbuckle, Kayce Smith

Refs: Pac-12, Land Clark head stripe

Line: La Tech by 7

La. Tech running back rushed for 1,236 yards and 21 TDs this season. The Fighting Illini are 123rd out of 128 teams in rushing defense. La Tech head coach Skip Holtz and first year defensive coordinator Manny Diaz have the Bulldogs playing much better defense and they gave Marshall a pretty solid game in the C-USA championship game losing only 26-23. Like the La Tech Bulldogs to get the job done here.

La Tech 28, Illinois 17

Quicklane Bowl

North Carolina Tar Heels  (6-6) vs. Rutgers

Scarlet Knights (7-5)

Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan

4:30 PM ET/3:30 PM CT

ESPN

Talent: Mark Neely, Ray Bentley,  Niki Noto

Refs: SEC, Marc Curles, lead whistle

Line: UNC by 3 1/2

Should be an entertaining game. Pretty explosive offenses. Like the Heels to get over the top in this one.

UNC 38, Rutgers 34

Bitcoin St. Petersburg Bowl

North Carolina State Wolfpack (7-5) vs. Central

FloridaKnights (9-3)

Tropicana Field, St. Pete, Florida

8 PM ET/7PM CT

ESPN

Talent: Adam Amin, John Congemi, Kaylee Hartung

Referees: Mid American Conference, Don Willard, lead whistle

Line: UCF by 2 1/2

The Knights go for their fourth 10 win season in five years under George O'Leary. That's impressive. I say they get it here with good run defense against a rush attack of NC State that is their strength. Knights are pretty tough against the run, 5th in the country in rush defense (97.4 yards per game) and have created 27 turnovers. They will generate enough offense to pull out this one in their semi home turf.

Central Florida 24, NC State 20

Today's Bowl games: Popeyes Bahamas and Hawaii Bowl

Popeyes Bahamas

Central Michigan (7-5) vs. Western Kentucky (7-5)

Thomsan Robinson Stadium, Nassau, Bahamas (15,023)

12 PMET/11 AM CT

ESPN

Steve Levy Loooou Holtz, Mark May, Laura Rutledge

Coaches: Western Kentucky: Jeff Brohm, 43 years old, first year (7-5); Central Michigan: Dan Enos, 46 years old, fifth year, 26-35, 1-0 bowls.

Refs: Big East, John McDaid

Weather: 80 Sunny, 0% rain, wind SSE 13 MPH

Line; Western Ky by 3 1/2

Take:

Western Kentucky beat Marshall, which drilled Northern Illinois last night in the Boca Raton Bowl. I'm liking the Hilltoppers to take care of business over the Chippewas.

 Western Kentucky 42, Central Michigan 34

Sheraton Hawaii Bowl

Fresno State (6-7)  vs. Rice (7-5)

Aloha Stadium, Honolulu (50,000)

8 PM ET/7 PM CT

ESPN

Allen Bestick, Rod Gilmore, Holly Rowe

Coaches: Fresno State Tim DeRuyter, 51 years old, 27-13 in three years, 1-2 in bowls; Rice: David Bailiff, 56 years old, eight years, 68-68, 2-1 in bowls.

Fresno State leads the series 6-0.

Refs: Sun Belt; Tony Backert, head ref

Fresno State leads the series 6-0.

Weather: 75, Sunnyt, 5 % rain, wind WNW @ 5 MPH

Line: Rice by 2.5

Take

I've read previews of this game and the fact that the Bulldogs have played in a tougher conference (Mountain West) than the Owls (Conference USA), makes me give the edge to Fresno State.

Fresno State 34, Rice 30