2013 Sugar Bowl picks are going to be entertaining to make this year, as we have two teams that are going to be going at it against each other in what could be an unpredictable game in the Florida Gators and the Louisville Cardinals. Join us for our Sugar Bowl keys to the game and our Louisville vs. Florida predictions.

2013 Sugar Bowl: Florida Gators vs. Louisville Cardinals
2013 Sugar Bowl Location: Mercedes Benz Superdome, New Orleans, LA
2013 Sugar Bowl Date/Time: Wednesday, January 1st, 8:30 p.m. (ET)
2013 Sugar Bowl On TV: ESPN

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Key #1: Florida’s offense needs to get something out of someone aside from Mike Gillislee
We give all of the credit in the world to what RB Mike Gillislee has been able to do this year. He has had a good offensive line in front of him, which really has helped quite a bit, and he put up 1,104 yards and a total of 11 TDs on the year. The most remarkable part about the whole thing is that he did all of this without any semblance of a passing game. Florida’s offense just stunk it up with QB Jeff Driskel out there, as he threw for just 1,465 yards and 11 TDs and rushed for 404 yards. Granted, when Driskel was at his best, Florida was in fine shape. The good news is that he was at his best in the team’s most recent game against the Florida State Seminoles. In that game, he threw for 147 yards and a score and proved to be the MVP of the game. When he was effective, the rest of the ground game was able to really get going, and the team ended up with 244 yards on 47 carries for the game. That’s the type of production that it is going to take to ultimately win the Sugar Bowl this year, but if Driskel has one of these games where he goes 10-of-28 for 90 yards with no scores, Florida is going to be in a heck of a lot of trouble.

Sugar Bowl Odds at BetGuardian Sportsbook
Florida Gators -14
Louisville Cardinals +14
Over/Under 47
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Key #2: Louisville’s defense has to step up against the run
For most of the season, Head Coach Charlie Strong had his boys from the ‘Ville playing great ball on the defensive side of things. Down the stretch though, the team slipped just a bit. The Syracuse Orange ran for 278 yards against this unit, and the Connecticut Huskies picked up 149 yards on the ground as well. The team rebounded against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and held a team that really can move the rock on the ground to just 54 yards, and that’s a large chunk of the reason why Louisville was even able to make it to the BCS this year. Take out that game against Syracuse though, and what’s left is a unit that allowed right around 140 yards per game rushing this year. If the Cardinals can hold the Gators to that type of a number, the blue and orange are going to have an awfully tough time figuring out how to cover the spread in this one, and potentially win the game outright as well. If Driskel is forced to put the ball in the air, the Gators are going to be in some trouble.

Key #3: The Cards cannot get beaten by Florida’s special teams
We have seen the Gators do too much work on special teams over the course of the last few months to know that it could be problematic again in this one. The team has tried fake punts, fake field goals, gimmick plays, has blocked punts, blocked kicks, returned kicks and punts for scores… You name it on special teams, Head Coach Will Muschamp has dialed it up. Most of it has worked, but not all of it has. If not for the blocked punt returned for a touchdown against the Louisiana Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns, it’s anyone’s guess as to whether the Gators would have been playing here or in the Outback Bowl (or worse). Here’s the other facet to Florida’s game that we haven’t discussed yet: The kicking game. K Caleb Sturgis has a huge leg and can boot it from 55 yards if given the chance. He was one of the better kickers in America this year, while P Kyle Christy averaged a whopping 46.1 yards per punt attempt. Special teams are where Florida really has killed a ton of foes this year, and Louisville has to avoid being the next team in a long line of clubs that succumbed to the UF special teams unit to have a chance at the upset.

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The College Football Bowl Schedule has now been released and we look forward to an exciting college football postseason. The Holiday season looks to bring a number of big football match-ups and conference showdowns. While all the Bowl games look to be exciting, we break down the top 10 Bowl Games to watch over the Holidays.

10. Sheraton Hawaii Bowl (Honolulu, HI)
Hawaii Warriors (7-6) vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (6-6)
The Hawaii Warriors will stay on the island the postseason as they host the Fighting Irish. The Irish barely made it into the postseason and will be fighting to end their NCAA record 9 straight bowl games losses. The Warriors played very well to end the season while the Irish only won once out of the last 5 games of the season. The Hawaii bowl has not been very popular for the media over the years, but Notre Dame should bring some attention to the island this time around.

9. Champs Sports Bowl (Orlando, Florida)
Florida State Seminoles (8-4) vs. Wisconsin Badgers (7-5)
The Seminoles were the class of the ACC for much of the early season, but fell off a bit down the stretch. The Noles won 6 of their first 7 games, but simply ran out of steam late in the year. Wisconsin went through a tough middle season stretch losing 4 games in a row but recovered towards the end of the year nicely. The Badgers failed to score any impressive victories this year in the Big 10 or outside the conference for that matter. The advantage should go to Florida State in this game considering Wisconsin has struggled against strong defenses plus the Seminoles stay inside the state and will not have travel very far.

8. Outback Bowl (Tampa, FL)
South Carolina Gamecocks (7-5) vs. Iowa Hawkeyes (8-4)
The Outback Bowl has had a history of great games between the SEC and the Big 10. South Carolina defeated Ohio State in their last two trips to the Outback Bowl in 2000 and 2001. Iowa ruined Penn State’s chances at a National Championship this season with a 24-23 victory. The Hawkeyes closed out the season pretty well winning 5 of their last 6 games. This game should be a low scoring affair showcasing two of the better defenses in college football. South Carolina should have the advantage if they can keep from turning over the ball which has been their problem all year. Still, this game has the makings to be a very physical SEC vs. Big 10 battle.

7. Konica Minolta Gator Bowl (Jacksonville, FL)
Clemson Tigers (7-5) vs. Nebraska Cornhuskers (8-4)
The Clemson Tigers rebounded very well from their early season meltdown. The Tigers started the year ranked #9 in the nation, but things quickly fell apart. Tommy Bowden resigned as Coach leaving the team to interim coach Dabo Swinney. The Tigers ended the year strong winning 4 of their last 5 games and earned Swinney the Head Coach Job at Clemson. Nebraska on the other hand had a solid season from start to end. The Cornhuskers 3 of 4 losses came from teams ranked in the top 7 in the country at that particular time. This game will be fun to watch because anything could happen. Nebraska could hold the slight edge considering they have an offense that tends to score a lot of points while Clemson has been subject to inconsistency.

6. Tostitos Fiesta Bowl (Glendale, Arizona)
#3 Texas Longhorns (11-1) vs. #10 Ohio State (10-2)
This game probably has a sour taste for Longhorn fans considering they may feel they should have had a shot to play in the National Championship. The Longhorns were kept out of the Big 12 and BCS Title Game due to the BCS System which has failed miserably with the number of quality football teams this season. Texas beat Oklahoma but the computer ranking placed Oklahoma in the title game. Texas has the ability to play with anyone in the country and will be the favorite over the Buckeyes. Ohio State will not be playing in a National Championship this year as they have over the past two seasons when they were beat in both games by the teams from the SEC. The Buckeyes will bring a tough defense and strong running attack, but doubtfully will have the power to keep up with the Longhorns offense.

5. Poinsettia Bowl (San Diego, CA)
TCU Horned Frogs (10-2) vs. #9 Boise State Broncos (12-0)
This particular match-up has the makings to be a great game. Boise State is one of only two undefeated teams left in college football along with Utah. This game will be a grudge match when the Boise State offense meets a stout TCU defense. The Horned Frogs two losses this season came from Oklahoma and a 3 point loss to Utah. TCU is a very physical team that will give the Broncos a tough time. Boise State has been strong on both sides of the ball this season and has a very dangerous scoring offense that can strike quickly. The stage is set for a very exciting game as two different styles of football meet. Boise State tends to score a lot of points while TCU games are usually low score defensive struggles. Boise State should be the favorite, but TCU perhaps will be prime for the upset. Anybody could win this one.

4. Allstate Sugar Bowl (New Orleans, LA)
#4 Alabama Crimson Tide (12-1) vs. #7 Utah Utes (12-0)
Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide will not get to play for a National Title after losing the SEC Championship. However, the Crimson Tide will get a chance to do what no team has done this season in defeating Utah. The Utes ended the year as one of only two undefeated teams in America earning them an at-large BCS Bowl bid. Alabama will bring the power of the SEC to do battle with the Mountain West Champions. The game has important implications regarding the current BCS System. If Utah could pull of the victory, the definitely have the argument they should have been giving the chance to play in a National Championship despite their relatively easy schedule this season. Alabama should be able to win this game in the trenches, but as Boise State proved against Oklahoma, anything can happen.

3. AT&T Cotton Bowl (Dallas, TX)
#8 Texas Tech (11-1) vs. #20 Mississippi Rebels (8-4)
Texas Tech ended the season with one loss just like other Big 12 teams Oklahoma and Texas. The Red Raiders lost the conference tie-breaker considering they were ranked around #10 in the nation after suffering a blowout loss to Oklahoma. I have this game ranked higher than where many would rank this game because I feel it stages an interesting matchup between the SEC and Big 12. The Red Raiders were ranked as high as #2 in the nation this year with their explosive high scoring offense. Houston Nutt has done a heck of a job at Mississippi this season leading the Rebels to an 8-4 record with more wins than the previous two seasons combined. The Rebels are the only team to beat Florida this season as well. While Texas Tech will be the favorite, Mississippi will try to come up with a defensive scheme to confuse the Red Raider offense. One of the best in the Big 12 takes on an SEC team to be considered middle of the road in their conference.

2. Rose Bowl (Pasadena, CA)
#5 Southern Cal Trojans (11-1) vs. #6 Penn State Nittany Lions (11-1)
A pair of one loss conference champions square off in Pasadena, California. USC won the Pac-10 Title this season while Penn State grabbed the Big 10 crown. Both teams have a legitimate argument that they deserved attention for playing in the National Championship, and one team will try to justify that argument. USC is playing as good of defense as anyone in college football while Penn State was a single point away from having a perfect season. This clash of titans will take place in the home of the Trojans where they will be playing in their 4^th straight Rose Bowl. Considering the level of play the Trojan defense has played this season, I give the advantage to USC in this matchup.

1. BCS National Championship (Miami,FL)
#1 Oklahoma Sooners (12-1) vs. #2 Florida Gators (12-1)
Despite the BCS controversy, the two best teams in the National will be playing in college football’s biggest game. The Sooners and the Gators separated themselves from the rest of the college football world with their huge blowouts and explosive offense. This title game will be extremely exciting to watch and you can bet that there will be a bunch of points scored. Two of the best scoring offenses in the nation will square off and all eyes will be watching this epic battle. The Sooners will be gunning to dethrone the SEC from the 2 year reign as National Champions while Florida will be trying to win their 2^nd Championship in 3 years. Oklahoma broke a NCAA record to end the season becoming the first team ever to score 60 points or more in 5 straight games. Florida blew through the SEC with blowouts like no team has in a very long time and sealed the deal with a tough SEC Championship victory over Alabama. It seems like neither team is possible of being defeated considering how well they have been playing late in the season. The interesting matchup to watch will be if the Gators defense be able to slow down the Sooner offense. I would like to give the advantage to Oklahoma, but the SEC has proven that they are a conference that breeds National Titles.

Looking for professional advice for this year’s bowl games? The expert handicapping team of Henry Ness and Wade Sterling finished the 2007-08 bowl season with a 19-6 record in 10* releases and were a perfect 5-0 in the BCS bowls last season. Click Here to purchase premium college bowl picks from the expert sports handicapping team of Bankroll Sports.