Oregon Magazine

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Pigskin Pete
Pigskin Picks Pac10
Bowl Winners

By Fred Delkin

No less than 34 Division 1 bowls have benn foisted on forgiving (or should I say "giving") grid fans this holiday season, with over 40% of Division 1 teams qualifying to participate...although "qualified" is a misnomer when you consider that bowl-going squads include six with only .500 win-loss records (Florida State, Iowa State, Marshall, Minnesota, Texas A&M and UCLA, all at 6-6). There are five unbeaten Division 1 squads (Alabama, Texas, Boise State, TCU & Cincinnati).

Those, including this scribe, who feel the Pac10 is currently the strongest top-to-bottom league in the land, can justify that opinion by knowing that the conference is sending seven teams to bowls.

Pac10 titlist Oregon can be expected to uphold the league's reputation vs. Ohio State in the Rose Bowl. We make this prediction with a fond memory of our alma mater, Washington, ending what had been a 12-year Pasadena drought for the coastal conference with a stunning 43-6 upset of national#1 Wisconsin in the 1/1/60 Rose Bowl game. The Ducks' edge this New Year's day will be based upon superior overall team speed. Webfoot supporters, of course, cite that their team drubbed the USC squad that narrowly beat Ohio State in a 2009 season opener, in Ohio.

UO coach Chip Kelly has crafted a spread offense that earned him Pac10 coach-of- the-year honors. We doubt this attack will be stymied by the Buckeye defense that appears incapable of matching Oregon's dizzying pace. Ohio State coach Jim Tressel has drilled his squad on Oregon's frenetic offensive timing, but practice will not match the real thing. UO is equally adept at running and passing, while the Buckeyes place more reliance on the rush. We smiled when Kelly told inquiring sports scribes that he had a three-deep running back order for the bowl, knowing that he deliberately did not include LeGarrette Blount in that trio, but will spring Blount's blend of speed and power loose at a select moment, just as he did against Oregon State in the Civil War.

Rose Bowl: The Quackers are a threat to start next season with a national top five rating based upon the fact that they return virtually all their key performers from this season, on both sides of the ball. A national audience will get a preview of Oregon's 2010 potential on January 1.. OREGON by 10.

Oregon State and BYU can be expected to be an even match in the Las Vegas Bowl 12/22, but we think the Pac10 team has played the tougher schedule and should narrowly prevail. OSU by 3.

California hasn't lived up to preseason expectations, mainly due to key injuies and an underperforming quarterback veteran. Utah will ege the Bears in San Diego's Poinsietta Bowl on 12/23. UTAH by 7.

USC's dominance of the Pac10 came crashing down this season, but the Trojans still boast a surplus of talent that should carry them past Boston College in San Francisco's Emerald Bowl on 12/26. SOUTHERN CAL by 21.

We don't believe that a .500 record (6-6) should rate a bowl appearance, but UCLA is booked to perform in Washington D.C.'s Eagle Bank Bowl 12/29. Fortunately for the Bruins, they're playing a patsy inTemple, which just recorded its first winning season in 19 years. UCLA by 28.

San Diego's Holiday Bowl has produced a number of excellent post-season spectaculars,f and this time around should be no exception when Arizona and Nebraska hookup 12/30. The Wildcats have the more effective offense, the Cornhuskers are dominant onf defense. Speed should prevail. ARIZONA by 7.

We foresee an upset in El Paso's Sun Bowl on 12/31. Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh just earned a contract extension and should show why against a favored Oklahoma squad. Just watch why the Cardinal duo of RB Toby Gerhart & QB Andrew Luck will be more than the Sooners bargained for. STANFORD by 3.

A final note: the BCS nonsense just won't go away in favor of a national playoff sysem as enjoyed at all other NCAA levels of collegiate football, so we again facd a 'natioanl championship' on 1/7 beteen Texas and Alabama. Both are undefeated and this actually resembles a national title tussle...in which we favor the Crimson Tide, by 10.