Today's News Links:
Penn State head coach Bill O'Brien will interview for the Houston Texans head coaching position. Full story here.
Notre Dame has suspended running back George Atkinson and cornerback Jalen Brown for today's Pinstripe Bowl. Full story here.
Baseball Obituary: Paul Blair, who played center field for the Baltimore Orioles and the New York Yankees, winner of eight Gold Gloves, helped Baltimore win two World Series Championships as well as two World Series for the Yankees, passed away this week at age 69. Full story here.
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The second Saturday of the 2013-14 college football bowl season begins at Noon Eastern on ESPN at Yankee Stadium with the NEW ERA PINSTRIPE BOWL. I don't have a lot of time to talk about today's game, except that this is the last year the Pinstripe bowl will feature teams from the Big XII and the AAC (former Big East). Next year, the conference tie-ins for this game will be the Big Ten and the ACC. Interestingly, today's matchup between Notre Dame (Independent)* and Rutgers (AAC) is, in a way, a harbinger of things to come for this bowl. Rutgers will join the Big Ten next year and Notre Dame will be affiliated with the ACC. The Fighting Irish will play five games against ACC opponents and one could assume that, because of this affiliation, they could play in postseason bowl games where the ACC has a contractual tie-in. Games like next year's edition of the Pinstripe Bowl. Indeed, it is very likely that these two teams could meet again in a future Pinstripe Bowl, or any other bowl game where the Big Ten and the ACC have tie-ins.
*Notre Dame is playing today because the Big XII did not have enough teams to fill their bowl obligations.
At 3:20 PM ET on ESPN, THE BELK BOWL features Cincinnati (AAC) vs. North Carolina (ACC). The Bearcats are making their second consecutive appearance in this game, after earning a 9-3 overall record. Cincinnati boasts an offense that has averaged at least 300 yards per game in passing, while their defense has only allowed an average of 19.5 points per game. Incidentally, North Carolina's offense has had some success in the passing game (286.3 yards per game), but the question of whether they can overcome Cincinnati's formidable defense (12th in the nation in terms of points allowed) will likely be the key to this game. ESPN's Mark Schlabach predicts a close game, with the Bearcats having only a one-point advantage (Projected Final Score: 28-27).
Today's RUSSELL ATHLETIC BOWL, kickoff at 6:45PM ET on ESPN, features two opponents (Miami (FL) vs. #18 Louisville) that will be in the same conference next year. Louisville will join the ACC in July 2014, replacing Maryland, who will join the Big Ten in the same month. For now, Louisville will be representing the AAC in this game. Louisville's only loss this year was to Central Florida while Miami finished a difficult 2013 season with a 9-3 record (5-3 conference). However, two of Miami's losses were against Florida State and Duke, the two teams that played in the ACC Championship earlier this month. Today's game pits Miami's high-scoring offense (35.9 points per game) against Louisville's strong (no pun intended) defense (ranked 3rd in points allowed, 12.4 ppg). Louisville's defense, though, may have their hands full since Miami's offensive line has averaged almost 450 yards per game. But, the Cardinals' offense should be more than ready to play in a shootout scenario if their defense falters. In fact, Louisville's offensive line has averaged 453.1 total yards per game, and it has scored an average of 35.1 ppg. Mark Schlabach gives the Cardinals a four-point advantage over the Hurricanes. Projected Final Score: 28-24.
Finally, tonight at 10:15 PM ET on ESPN, we have the BUFFALO WILD WINGS BOWL (formerly known as the Copper Bowl and the Insight Bowl) at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. This year's matchup features Michigan (Big Ten) against Kansas State (BIG XII) in a game where both teams are looking for their eighth win. Kansas State has not won a bowl game in a decade, but they are coming to Tempe after winning five out of their last six games. By contrast, Michigan is overcoming a difficult season that ended with a heartbreaking loss to Ohio State in Ann Arbor. Compounding Michigan's difficulties is the fact that they will be without starting Quarterback Devin Gardner. Instead, coach Brady Hoke will rely on freshman Shane Morris. Michigan's defense, which has averaged 26.5 points per game, will need to be prepared for a Kansas State offense that contains two standout Quarterbacks: Junior Jake Waters currently averages 9.43 yards per pass attempt (7th in the country) and sophomore Daniel Sams, who has run for 784 yards and accumulated eleven touchdowns. Mark Schlabach gives the Wildcats an eight-point advantage over the Wolverines. Projected Final Score: 31-23
Enjoy today's games, Everybody!!
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