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 Friday, December 13, 2002
BCS bowl breakdown
By Terry Bowden
Special to BCSfootball.com
Bowden's Weekly Chat Show
The Bowl Championship Series has made its selections for the four major bowl games: the FedEx Orange Bowl on Jan. 3, the Nokia Sugar Bowl on Jan. 2, the Rose Bowl presented by AT&T, and the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, both to be played on New Year's Day.
You can talk about the controversies surrounding which one-loss team should be No. 2 in the country and playing in the FedEx Orange Bowl, but everyone in America would have to agree this is the most exciting lineup of teams we've ever had in the Bowl Championship Series.
All four games feature great teams and intriguing matchups, and I can't wait to see these games.
FedEx Orange Bowl
No. 1 Oklahoma vs. No. 2 Florida State
Pro Player Stadium, Miami
The FedEx Orange Bowl features a classic matchup of the upstart team against the established power. It's a wonderful matchup because Oklahoma and Florida State are the two teams playing the best football right now. Oklahoma has returned to the elite status it enjoyed for much of the late '60s through the 1980s, and has a chance to win its seventh national championship. Florida State is in its third consecutive BCS Championship Game, and trying to become the first repeat national champion since Nebraska in 1994 and 1995.
|  | | Quentin Griffin helped put Oklahoma in position for a national championship. |
Oklahoma is a team that has gotten to the national championship because it understands the concept of team. It's about a head coach, a quarterback, a defense, special teams -- a group of young men that understand they must find ways to win. Oklahoma is a shining example of that.
Florida State, on the other hand, is the most talented team in the country. Make no mistake about it -- the Seminoles have decided to put the success of this season, the championship game, on the shoulders of one man, quarterback Chris Weinke.
It should be a great battle of Oklahoma finding a way to win, whether it be blocking punts, playing solid defense or using the many weapons in the spread offense, against an FSU team that will just throw, throw, and throw some more.
The key matchup in this game, clearly, will be Oklahoma's defensive backs against Florida State's wide receivers. Can the Sooners' DBs run with this talented group?
On the other side, can the Seminoles mix zone and man-to-man coverage like Kansas State was too bullheaded to do, to slow down the Oklahoma offense?
Nokia Sugar Bowl
Florida vs. Miami
Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans
This may be as good a bowl game as we have out there that's not being played for a championship. You must remember, however, the Hurricanes still feels if they can win convincingly, that they can earn a share of the national championship, as deemed by the Associated Press.
Regardless of who wins the FedEx Orange Bowl, this game is clearly for the state championship of Florida. Miami knows since it has already beaten Florida State, that a win over Florida sends a message to every recruit in the state and to fans who will live with it every day, that they are the best team in Florida.
We're too far along in the season to continue with a quarterback rotation in Gainesville. Rex Grossman, unless he gets injured or is ineffective, will be given the nod to go the distance. The redshirt freshman proved he is a big-time quarterback in the SEC Championship Game, throwing four touchdown passes as Florida defeated Auburn 28-6.
The key to this game: Can Florida keep up with Miami's scoring pace? Don't bet on the under in this one, friends. This one is going to high numbers.
Rose Bowl, presented by AT&T
Purdue vs. Washington
Rose Bowl, Pasadena, Calif.
|  | | Marques Tuiasosopo looks to bring Washington its first Rose Bowl title since 1992. |
Although the Rose Bowl doesn't feature the two marquee teams in the country, it does feature two premier quarterbacks.
Washington's Marques Tuiasosopo has thrilled the nation with his ability to run the football as well as throw it. His physical abilities are tremendous, but Tuiasosopo's heart is what makes him so good. Just ask Colorado, Stanford, Cal, and Oregon State about Tui's will to win.
Miami can tell you, though, that this is a much more physical team than it's given credit for. Purdue must be careful to not get knocked around the football field.
Purdue, meanwhile, features quarterback Drew Brees, the early-season favorite to win the Heisman Trophy. This team is about much more than Brees. It is a more talented team than most people suspect, as Michigan and Ohio State can attest to. They can find many ways to beat you, and their quarterback knows how to get the ball to the right people.
The key to this game will be the defenses of both teams. Purdue must find a way to shut down Washington's deep running game, led by Tuiasosopo. And quite obviously, for Washington, they have to figure out how to put pressure on Brees and force him into throwing foolish interceptions, as he has done in the past.
Tostitos Fiesta Bowl
Oregon State vs. Notre Dame
Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Ariz.
The Fiesta Bowl will have as much national attraction as the other bowl games for two reasons. First, the Fiesta Bowl and the BCS have gone after the nation's biggest turnaround story, Notre Dame. Bob Davie has done as good a job as anyone in the country of getting his program on the right track. After a 5-7 season in 1999 and a 2-2 start this season, many people wrote him off. But the Fighting Irish won seven straight games to finish 9-2, and they deserve to be here.
Dennis Erickson has done a comparable, if not better job, at Oregon State. No Beaver team had ever won 10 games in a season until this season. Many people felt Oregon State was the best team in the Pac-10 at the end of the season.
For Notre Dame to have a chance, the Irish need to somehow slow down OSU's high-flying offense, with running back Ken Simonton and quarterback Jonathan Smith leading that unit. To do this, Notre Dame will follow the same pattern that worked all year: Don't turn the ball over. The Irish had only eight turnovers, which led the nation for the fewest number of turnovers. They must also continue to play great field position -- they do this with a superb special teams unit, ranked in the top 10 in kickoff returns, and net punting.
If you're a Fighting Irish fan, you'd better hope for a low-scoring game, because Notre Dame cannot win a shootout with this Oregon State team.
You can talk about the controversies about which one-loss team should be No. 2 in the country and playing in the FedEx Orange Bowl, but everyone in America would have to agree this is the most exciting lineup of teams we've ever had in the Bowl Championship Series.
Terry Bowden is ABC's college football studio analyst and hosts a weekly audio chat on BCSfootball.com.
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