The decision to put the Michigan Wolverines and the Virginia Tech Hokies in the BCS was a bit controversial to say the least. That being said, these two should still be in for a great battle, and that is going to make our Sugar Bowl predictions difficult to say the least.

Sugar Bowl: Michigan Wolverines vs. Virginia Tech Hokies
Sugar Bowl Location: Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, LA
Sugar Bowl Date/Time: Tuesday, January 3rd, 8:30 p.m. (ET)
Sugar Bowl Television Coverage: ESPN, ESPN3.com

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Key #1: The Hokies have to figure out how to slow down mobile quarterbacks
QB Denard Robinson is one of the most athletic quarterbacks that you’re going to find in the entire country. He now has two straight seasons with over 1,000 rushing yards and double digits worth of rushing touchdowns, and he has a decent arm and can get the ball up the field as well. The closest thing that the Hokies saw to that all season long was Clemson Tigers’ QB Tajh Boyd. Boyd didn’t have the two greatest games in the world against V-Tech, but he did find ways to make the plays when he really had to, and in the two games in which the Tigers knocked off the Hokies, a lot of those plays came after he left the pocket. Robinson generally likes to get outside first and see what he can make out of a play at that point, especially if he is designed to throw and doesn’t have his first read, and that’s when the Virginia Tech defense has tended to be picked apart. It’s odd to say for a team that has this much speed on this side of the ball, but it might be that speed that is truly costing the Hokies and pushing them out of position.

Sugar Bowl Odds at Wager Web Sportsbook
Michigan Wolverines -2.5
Virginia Tech Hokies +2.5
Over/Under 51
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Key #2: David Wilson needs to be contained
If the man that Virginia Tech has to stop is Robinson, the man that the Wolverines have to stop is Wilson. You really didn’t hear a lot of hype out of Wilson as a Heisman Trophy candidate, but if you take away those two games against Clemson and make them wins, the Hokies might have had the Heisman winner. Wilson only had 32 yards in the ACC Championship Game against Clemson, but he still ended the campaign with 1,631 yards on the ground with a total of 10 trips to the end zone. The junior averaged over six yards per carry, and his speed is what earned him kick returning duties as well. Though not nearly as proficient as he was last year, Wilson has shown that he can break the big ones based on his 26.5 yards per return average in 2010. Whether it be as a rusher, a receiver, or a returner, all eyes are going to have to be on Wilson. Without stopping Wilson, it will be awfully difficult to keep tabs on…

Key #3: Danny Coale has to make a lot of the grunt work plays for the Hokies
… Coale. When you look at Coale, you really aren’t all that impressed. He’s a 6’0″ receiver, weighs 200 pounds soaking wet, and he really doesn’t even remotely look like a wide receiver. Look at the stats for his career, and you still won’t be all that impressed. Coale did have four years worth of reps in this offense, and he has 157 career receptions, 2,541 yards, and eight TDs. His numbers should theoretically be better than that, but if you just sit and watch the tape, you realize how many huge plays that he makes for this team. It feels like QB Logan Thomas only has eyes for Coale on all of those 3rd and 7 plays, and he is always right there to get the job done. More than that in this game though, might be Coale’s ability to kick. He had a dozen punts this year and had the best net punting average for any of the V-Tech kickers at 44.1 yards per punt. On top of that, he may be forced into kicking duties. K Cody Journell, the team’s original kicker has been suspended, while K Tyler Weiss, his backup, missed curfew and won’t play in the Sugar Bowl. K Justin Myer has kicked for the team this year, but both punters Michael Branthover and Scott Demler were nothing special this year either. Coale is going to be called into a ton of duties for the Sugar Bowl, and he is going to have to really make some of those plays that you aren’t going to necessarily recognize how important they are on the stat sheet for the Hokies to pull off 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.

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