Rose and Sugar Bowl

The Rose Bowl: Oregon vs. Ohio State



Oregon’s excellent running game and Ohio State’s reloading defense, create a mismatch in this game. Oregon should win, but it will be interesting to see how Terrelle Pryor deals with a Pac-10 defense.


Prospects to Watch in this Game


Oregon, Safety, T.J. Ward: Ward has really been able to show how good a safety he is since Patrick Chung left for the NFL last year. He has good speed and athleticism but somewhat questionable instincts. His measurables will get him drafted in the second round, but he may have tom make more of an impact on special teams in his early career due to the adjustment he’ll have to make to the NFL. He is also a little on the shortish side.


Ohio State, Safety, Kurt Coleman: While only mid round pick, due to his limited athleticism, Coleman has all the intangibles that one looks for in a defensive leader. He’s also pretty physical in run defense. A mid round prospect.


The Sugar Bowl: Cincinnati vs. Florida


This is probably this most interesting matchup of all the BCS games. Florida is motivated by the health concerns of their head coach Urban Meyer, while Cincinnati is motivated to show that their success wasn’t all a result of departed head coach Brian Kelly. I think Florida wins for the simplest reason, they have the best leader (and QB prospect in this game) in Tim Tebow. I know many hate how much publicity he gets, but he lives up to the hype in the biggest of games.


Prospects to Watch in this Game


Florida, Defensive End, Jermaine Cunningham: A third round prospect, Cunningham has the size and explosiveness that one wants in a pass rusher. The problem is that he a tendency to play higher than neccasary, resulting in poor leverage. Also the poor play of former first round Florida DEs Jarvis Moss and Derrick Harvey has led to questioning of his effort.


Cincinnati, Wide Receiver, Mardy Gilyard: A solid route-runner with good speed and even better explosion. He reminds me a bit of Steve Smith and Santana Moss. He will make a bigger impact as a special teamer early, but he will definitely have an impact as a wide receiver early in his career. A borderline first round prospect.