CollegeBowlProjections.com

The 2008 Texas Longhorns will be considered one of the teams in the nation that had as much right as the Florida Gators to receive the national championship trophy.  The Longhorns were a victim of the Bowl Championship Series and Big 12 rules. Despite defeating the Oklahoma Sooners on a neutral field and being in a tie for the Big 12 North division, the Longhorns didn’t win the tie-breakers to advance to the Big 12 championship and receive an invitation to the national title game.  Their loss at Texas Tech on a last second play was the dagger to their national title hopes.

The Longhorns led the Big 12 in defensive yards and points allowed.  They also had a high power offense led by Colt McCoy at quarterback.

The 2009 Texas Longhorns schedule has two major dates to circle on your calendar.  October 17th the Longhorns renew their rivalry in Dallas against the Oklahoma Sooners.  This game may determine if one of these teams will play for the national championship game at the end of the season(although this wasn’t the case last year).

October 31^st the Longhorns travel to Stillwater, Oklahoma to face the Oklahoma State Cowboys.  The Cowboys will be ready to avenge their 28-24 loss at Texas last year.  The Cowboys have most their key players returning in 2009 and will be one of the top teams competing for the Big 12 title.

The out of conference schedule is once again weak this season.  The lack of good opponents out of conference in 2008 was another factor why the Longhorns were below the Sooners in the BCS rankings.  They didn’t help their case with the computers by scheduling another four lousy games this year.

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Question: What does a 10-37 record as head coach at Syracuse get you?

Answer: The defensive coordinator position at the University of Michigan.

Wolverine fans are probably wincing at the thought of Greg Robinson joining their staff but Rich Rodriquez has hit a home run with this hire.  Although he failed as head coach, Robinson has a great track record as a defensive coordinator.

Let’s look at his defensive coordinator accomplishments:

• 2 Super Bowl Rings with the Denver Broncos (1997 & 1998)

• 8-0 record in bowl games

• 11-1 record with the Texas Longhorns (2004)

Coming off the worst defensive season in Michigan football history, the Wolverines needed a change and this hire will be a great addition to the staff.  Robinson has no where to go but up and he should have an immediate impact.

Smile Wolverine Fans… Robinson is the answer at defensive coordinator!

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Phil Fullmer is out as head coach and the Lane Kiffin era begins at the University of Tennessee.  Kiffin has put together a stellar staff around him to bring the Volunteers back to bowl eligibility and national prominence in the near future.

The hiring of his father Monte Kiffin will draw defensive stars across the country wanting to be tutored by one of the brightest NFL defensive minds in the last decade.  Ed Orgeron hiring will sure up recruiting for the Volunteers.  Orgeron’s recruits at Ole Miss are proving he can recruit with the best in the nation.

The 2008 season left a terrible taste for Volunteer fans. Tennessee was ranked #18 in both the AP and coaches poll to begin the season.  After the Vols handed the victory to the UCLA Bruins in the second half in the Rose Bowl, it was all downhill.  The loss at home to Wyoming sealed Phil Fullmer’s fate.

The 2009 schedule is very kind to the Volunteers with eight home games.  The non-conference schedule games are all at home and winnable.  After notching four victories outside of the SEC, the Vols have a favorable schedule in the SEC as well.  The Vols play their toughest games on the road at Florida, Alabama and Ole Miss.  This means they should be either favored or have a great shot to win all their home games in the SEC.

Expect the Tennessee Volunteers to turn the ship around and compete in a bowl game this season.   CollegeBowlProjections.com has The Volunteers in the Chick-fil-A Bowl in our preseason picks.

2009 Tennessee Volunteers Football Schedule:

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The time has come for the South Florida Bulls to step up and earn there first BCS bowl game.  We all remember the great start in 2007 when they rose as high as #2 in the rankings and were on their way to being the Cinderella story.  Unfortunately, The Bulls lost to Rutgers in week 7 that year and since have been an average Big East team winning only 11 of their last 20 games.   QB Matt Grothe is entering his senior season and it is go time for the Bulls.

Grothe has been the starter since his freshman season, 2006.  He is coming off of a year in which  he lead the Bulls in passing as well as rushing.  South Florida will definitely need to find some help for Grothe but Matt has to be the catalyst.  If he can pass for 3,000 yards and run for another 500-which is feasible-the Bulls have a good chance of representing the Big East in the bowl championship series.

The other big factor will be the veteran leadership of George Selvie.  Selvie is a potential first round NFL draft choice but opted to return to South Florida.  The 6-4, 245 lbs. DE had 5.5 sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss in 2008.  The Bulls will need a similar year in 2009 for the Bulls to have the success they are looking to achieve.

This is the time!  The South Florida Bulls have the talent and experience to be a force in the Big East.  The lack of returning starters will result in down years for Pittsburgh and West Virginia.

Experience + opportunity= big success for South Florida in 2009.

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Underclassman had until 5 p.m. Thursday evening(January 15) to declare for the 2009 NFL Draft. The list of entrants have changed our college bowl projections for the 2009-2010 season, including the national championship game prediction played in the Rose Bowl.

CollegeBowlProjections.com had USC in the national championship game. The Trojans’ defense is losing most of their defense but with Taylor Mays staying in school and Pete Carroll at the helm, we figured the Trojans would be one of the top defenses in the nation again. Quarterback Mark Sanchez declaring for the draft was our deciding factor to remove them out of the title game.

The Sanchez era will end and the Mitch Mustain, Aaron Corp or Matt Barkley era will begin at USC. A new quarterback figures to result in another odd loss for the Trojans this season and keep them out of the title game. Too many teams are returning starting quarterbacks and two of them are likely to have a better record than the Trojans at the end of the season. This decision doesn’t mean the Trojans will falter too far. We still have them winning the Pac-10 and representing in the Rose Bowl.

LeSean McCoy—running back from Pittsburgh—said he was going to stay in school and then changed his mind this week. His loss is significant for the Panthers. The Big East appears to be down for another year and our predictions believed McCoy would be able to overcome the quarterback deficiencies and get the Panthers in a bowl championship game. The Panthers defense should be solid but not enough to win the Big East. Returning quarterback Matt Grothe and South Florida Bulls have become our favorite to represent the Big East.

The decision of Sam Bradford staying at Oklahoma and Colt McCoy remaining at Texas creates a national title game on October 17th in Dallas between the two teams. We believe the winner of that game will receive one of the national title spots at the end of the season. Make sure to mark your calendar, finish your yard work, and send the family out of the house for this game in October.

We’ll take the Longhorns in the match-up right now but that could change quickly depending how the season begins.

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Junior safety Taylor Mays has decided to stay at USC for his senior season.  Mays, a projected top 10 pick in April’s draft, is widely regarded as the best safety in college football.  He is 6-3, 230 lbs. and runs a sub 4.4 40 yard dash.  Taylor claims he has unfinished business at USC including a national championship and finishing up his degree.

This is great news for the Trojans considering they lose most of their players off the top defense in the country in 2008.  DT Moala and LB’s Maualuga and Cushing are all potential 1^st round picks in April.  The offense should be one of the best in the country even if junior QB Mark Sanchez bolts for the NFL.

Many experts expected the Trojan defense to struggle but with May’s announcement to stay their expectations may change.  Taylor is a legitimate leader and will clean up alot of mistakes made by the young players in front of him.  Mays decision once again  makes USC a top contender for the BCS championship game.

View CollegeBowlProjections.com bowl prediction for the USC Trojans in 2009.

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