Its Bowl Season!

Now that Christmas has come and gone and New Years Eve just days away it can only mean one thing...time to get those new years resolutions written down and, more importantly, we are now in the midst of nearly two straight weeks of college football action. I have yet to actually watch much of the games to this point but that will soon change especially when I head to Atlanta to see Clemson take on LSU New Years Eve. I had planned on not going and saving the little money I have left after Christmas shopping and stay at home, but Coca-Cola/Coke Zero gave me the hook-up with four free tickets so clearly I'm now going and pretty excited about seeing this BCS caliber match-up live. In my final post of 2012, I'm gonna take a brief look at the battle of Tigers and  the REAL Death Valley as well as pick winners for South Carolina's showdown in Tampa, a few other games of interest and all the BCS Bowls. Here we go!

Prediction Time: 

Clemson vs LSU: Chick-Fil-A Bowl

December 31, 2012

If you ask anyone, they'll tell you Clemson doesn't stand a chance in the Georgia Dome on New Years Eve. I mean, seriously, they are playing a team from the SEC...and Clemson didn't even win a horrible ACC conference. There is just no chance in the world Clemson can match LSU's talent and skill and are destined to endure another embarrassing blowout in a bowl game for the second straight year. (Yeah that sounds kinda  ridiculous doesn't it?) Any team can lose on any given day, THAT IS WHY WE PLAY THIS GAME IN THE FIRST PLACE! Who had Notre Dame running the table this summer? Who thought Texas A&M would give Alabama the business and stand tall in its first season in the SEC, and by a show of hands, who thought Urban Meyer would bring a 12-0 record this season to Columbus? I'm willing to guess not many people honestly saw any of those scenarios happening. But they did. And Clemson has a grand opportunity to turn some heads as well. LSU is far from "unbeatable". Sure they loss to Alabama by only four points but they also barely escaped Auburn on the road by two points...yes the same Auburn that went 3-9 this year and showed head coach Gene Chizik the door. Clemson has losses to two overall respectable teams in Florida State and South Carolina. However, both of those were the Tigers biggest games and they failed to get the job done when the pressure was on. Easier said than done, here are my four keys to a Clemson victory against LSU: 

1. Get Physical. Win the battle in the trenches and keep Montgomery off of Boyds back. Clemson did not contain South Carolina's Clowney and he made them pay for it. Same deal applies here. 

2. Make 3rd Downs Manageable- LSU has a great defense, and Clemson will have to put themselves into manageable situations on 3rd down. 3rd and 8, 9 10, etc spells trouble for Clemson and will allow LSU to bring more pressure and force Boyd into hurried throws and mistakes. 

3. Time of Possession- Against SC, the Tigers only had the ball for a near 8 minutes in the second half. They will have to avoid constant three and outs when on offense and get their defense off the field as soon as possible. Les Miles isn't afraid to go for it on 4th down and will likely test the heart of this defense a time or two on fourth down. It'll be up to them to respond. 

4. Execute- This one is obvious but I'm serious. Everyone has to do their part and execute. Play until you hear the whistle. Clemson has all the talent in the world on offense and has to make use of it if they want to win. Get Watkins some touches early (beyond the line of scrimmage for heavens sake!!!), make the running game a priority and take notes from SC and get your Tight End involved in the offense. Big Ford Diesel...that means you, brother! 

Bottom Line: It isn't often that I come into a game honestly worried but LSU scares me.... a lot. They are a great team with a even better coaching. I know we can win this game, but I don't know if we will actually play like it and get the job done. Clemson rose to he occasion against Auburn to kick off the season on this very field but overall, the Tigers have not played well in Atlanta as of late. Will the demons of this city make their return or will Dabo and company shock the world? We shall see, but as for me....I have to go with my gut. 

The Pick: LSU 34 Clemson 20

Other Games of Interest: 

South Carolina vs Michigan: Outback Bowl

Janurary 1, 2013 1pm

Pick: South Carolina 

Georgia vs Nebraska: Captial One Bowl

January 1, 2013 1pm

Pick: Georgia 

Wisconsin vs Stanford: Rose Bowl

Januray 1, 2013 5pm

Pick: Standford

Northern Illinois vs Florida State: Orange Bowl

January 1, 2012 8:30pm

Pick: Florida State

Florida vs Louisville: Sugar Bowl

January, 2 8:30pm

Pick: Florida

Oregon vs Kansas State: Fiesta Bowl

January 3, 8:30pm

Pick: Oregon

Texas A&M vs Oklahoma: Cotton Bowl

January 4 8pm 

Pick: Texas A&M 

Notre Dame vs Alabama: BCS National Title Game

January 7 8:30pm 

Pick: Alabama