Wednesday, January 07, 2009

Nebraska's Gator Bowl Win the Best So Far in the Big XII

Let's quickly review the Big XII in bowls this season:
Alamo: Missouri squeaks by Northwestern in overtime.
Holiday: After Zach Robinson and Dez Bryant get hurt, it' s all downhill for the Cowboys as Oregon State win.
Insight: Kansas handles Minnesota rather easily.
Gator: Nebraska bounces back from a bad first half to upset Clemson.
Cotton: Texas Tech loses to a 4 loss Ole Miss squad.
Fiesta: Texas scores with :16 left to avoid losing to an Ohio State squad who had been beaten badly in their last three nationally televised non-conference games.

Two observations: At this point, Nebraska's win over Clemson is likely the Big XII's best bowl win so far. Texas narrowly escaped an embarassing loss, while Missouri narrowly escaped the Pinkel factor. When you consider how Minnesota finished the season, it's no surprise Kansas won going away. (How bad are the Gophers? They're apparently ready to hire Kevin Cosgrove to be their defensive coordinator.)

Other than Alabama and South Carolina, the SEC has been relatively solid in their bowl games. That doesn't bode well for Oklahoma tomorrow night. My New Year's Eve prediction was Florida 45, Oklahoma 42. When you consider the injuries to the Sooners, the Heisman jinx, and the poor performance of the Big XII South so far this bowl season, all signs point to an Oklahoma loss at this point.

I hope I'm wrong, but I'm extending my margin of victory. Florida 49, Oklahoma 28.

No comments: