CollegeBowlProjections.com

All year we have heard that the Pac-10 was down. They were considered the 4^th or 5^th best conference in America.

Now that they are 3-0 in bowl games and USC is a huge favorite to beat Penn State in the Rose Bowl we must pose the question, Are they really down?

*Arizona entered the Vegas Bowl as an underdog to the 16^th ranked BYU Cougars. Senior QB Willie Tuitama lead the Wildcats to a 31-21 win.

*California played Miami in the Emerald Bowl. They did what they needed to do and took care of business. Miami is a team that could have rallied around a young QB and beaten the favored Bears but Cal was able to send senior QB, Nate Longshore, out with a victory.

*The Oregon Ducks also had a tough task in front of them. They were facing the 13^th ranked Cowboys from Oklahoma State. OSU had only lost 3 games (Texas, Texas Tech and Oklahoma) all of which were in the top 5 at one point or another during the season. The Ducks got down early but were able to run the ball up and down the field in the second half. In the end Oregon won the game going away.

For the moment we are going withhold our judgments on the Pac-10. However we are beginning to believe they are much better than we originally gave them credit for. Oregon State has a chance to cement that thought with a win over 20^th ranked Pitt in the Sun Bowl.

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We are still early in the Bowl season but something has stood out to us so far, the senior quarterbacks are willing their teams to victory in the post season. Let’s look at some examples:

Pat White threw for a career high 332 yards and 3 TD’s and rushing for 55 yards while only throwing 1 interception to lead his team to a 31-30 victory over North Carolina in the Meineke Bowl.

Willie Tuitama capped off his college career with a 31-21 upset of BYU in the Vegas Bowl. Tui passed for 325 yards and 2 TD’s without throwing an interception.

The surprising start for Nate Longshore for California in the Emerald Bowl worked out well for the Bears. Longshore did not put up great numbers but was able to lead his team for a winning TD with just over 2 minutes to go in the game.

Much like Longshore, Heisman contender Chase Daniel struggled against Northwestern in the Alamo Bowl. In the end he lead his team to an overtime victory. It was the poise of Daniel that made the difference late in the game.

Finally, Mike Teel capped off his Rutgers career with a win against NC State in the Papajohns Bowl. Teel looked sharp throwing for 319 yards and 2 TD’s while throwing 1 interception.

This trend should continue throughout the Bowl season as we expect teams with senior QB’s to excel.

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