Rose Bowl Game presented by Citi:
Jan. 1, 2:30 p.m. MST, Pasadena, Calif., Rose Bowl — No. 7 Oregon (10-2) vs. No. 8 Ohio State (10-2)
The annual clash between the Pacific 10 Conference and Big 10 Conference champs couldn’t feature any two teams with as vastly different styles as this year’s match-up. Oregon’s high-flying offense and speedy defense will face off against Ohio State’s physical defense and plodding offense. While Pac-10 supporters might expect the Ducks to soar past the Buckeyes, Ohio State simply won’t allow itself to get run over. This should be one of the more entertaining games of the bowl season.
Pacific Life Holiday Bowl:
Dec. 30, 6 p.m. MST, San Diego, Calif., Qualcomm Stadium — No. 22 Arizona (8-4) vs. No. 20 Nebraska (9-4)
This is a rematch of sorts of the 1998 Holiday Bowl. Arizona won that game 23-20, but this game will likely feature far fewer points. Nebraska’s offense is among the worst in the nation, but the squad’s stellar defense has kept it in every game this year. Arizona will probably have its share of problems scoring on the Huskers, but Nebraska would have problems scoring on some high school teams. This could have a similar ending to the 1998 contest.
Brut Sun Bowl:
Dec. 31, 12 p.m. MST, El Paso, Texas, Sun Bowl — No. 19 Stanford (8-4) vs. Oklahoma (7-5)
At the start of the season, Oklahoma was ranked No. 3 in the nation and Stanford was nowhere on the national radar. Injuries derailed the Sooners’ season and Heisman Trophy finalist Toby Gerhart powered the Cardinal to its first bowl game since 2001. However, both teams have something to prove: Oklahoma, that this is a fluke, and Stanford, that this isn’t. Whichever squad has a bigger desire to prove that point will come out on top.
MAACO Bowl Las Vegas:
Dec. 22, 6 p.m. MST, Las Vegas, Nev., Sam Boyd Stadium — No. 16 Oregon State (8-4) vs. No. 15 BYU (10-2)
BYU is no stranger to Las Vegas — this marks its fifth straight trip to Sin City for a postseason game — but it’ll face a solid Oregon State squad this year. Last season, Arizona dropped the Cougars in this game, and the Beavers could do the same. James and Jacquizz Rodgers pose problems for every team they face, and this game shouldn’t be any different. BYU isn’t as good as it was last year and Oregon State is better. That should mean a win for the Beavers.
Emerald Bowl:
Dec. 26, 6 p.m. MST, San Francisco, Calif. AT&T Park — USC (8-4) vs. Boston College (8-4)
Think USC will be excited to be in the ever-so-prestigious Emerald Bowl that’s played in a baseball stadium? Yeah, didn’t think so. Boston College probably is, and that could make the difference in the game. However, USC might be ticked off and try to run up the score to show this is just a down year. Not even Trojan head coach Pete Carroll knows for sure. The only sure thing in this game is that not many people will really care what happens except for the Golden Eagles.
San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl:
Dec. 23, 6 p.m. MST, San Diego, Calif. Qualcomm Stadium — California (8-4) vs. No. 23 Utah (9-3)
The other bowl game in San Diego could be just as interesting as the Holiday Bowl. Cal has been up and down, then up then down again this season. Utah ended its regular season with a tough loss to rival BYU and should be psyched up to play in a bowl game. Last year, an equally salty Utes’ squad downed SEC power Alabama. While this year’s Utah squad isn’t as high-powered, Cal is no Alabama either.
UCLA is also bowl-eligible, but its fate isn’t yet set in stone. If Army loses to Navy on Saturday, the Bruins would get a bowl bid to the EagleBank Bowl on Dec. 29 at 2:30 p.m. MST at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. to face Temple. If the Black Knights take down the Midshipmen, then Army would face the Owls in the bowl game. Either way, the Bruins proved this year that they likely won’t be in the same situation next bowl season.
