Coming into the bowl season, the general consensus among college football fans was that the Big Ten couldn’t hang with the speed and athleticism that the SEC and Pac-10 brought to the table.

And who could blame them based on the results of previous bowl games?

But this season has been different. Ohio State shut down Oregon’s explosive offense in the Rose Bowl, Penn State went toe-to-toe with a physical LSU squad in the Capital One Bowl, Wisconsin dismantled Miami in the Champs Sports Bowl and Iowa shocked many people by dominating Georgia Tech in its 24-14 win in last night’s Orange Bowl.

Even in defeat, the Big Ten had a great showing this year, as Northwestern lost a wild, back-and-forth overtime affair to Auburn in the Outback Bowl and a heavily depleted Michigan State program gave Texas Tech all it could handle in the Alamo Bowl (which was essentially a home game for Tech) before losing at the very end.

Ohio State, Wisconsin, Penn State and Iowa showed the strength of the conference in their wins: Physical play. Both the Buckeyes and Hawkeyes proved how good their front sevens were by shutting down offensive attacks that otherwise appeared unstoppable. The great equalizer in sports is when one team has the ability to generate pressure using just its front four, which is exactly what the Buckeyes and Hawkeyes did in their victories.

On the other side of the ball, OSU and Iowa were able to grind out the clock by using their big offensive lines to wear opponents down late in the fourth quarter. The Pac-10 might have loads of speed, but they’re at a disadvantage against the Big Ten late in games when they’re behind because their front sevens are relatively small. They’re just not built to line up and go mano a mano late in games.

What Ohio State, Iowa and Penn State were able to accomplish this bowl season doesn’t erase the years of futility that the conference has endured. But maybe the Big Ten can build off their programs’ success this season and use it as a stepping-stone for years to come.

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]]> https://www.scoresreport.com/2010/01/06/maybe-the-big-ten-isn%e2%80%99t-as-bad-as-many-thought/feed/ 4 https://www.scoresreport.com/2010/01/01/2010-bcs-bowl-preview-5-things-to-watch-for-in-the-orange-bowl/ https://www.scoresreport.com/2010/01/01/2010-bcs-bowl-preview-5-things-to-watch-for-in-the-orange-bowl/#comments Fri, 01 Jan 2010 17:45:13 +0000 https://www.scoresreport.com/?p=31742

No. 1 in the ACC will take on No. 2 in the Big Ten when No. 9 Georgia Tech battles No. 10 Iowa in the Orange Bowl on January 5. As part of our 2010 BCS Bowl Preview, here are five things to watch for in the 2010 Orange Bowl.

1. GA Tech’s spread option attack vs. Iowa’s stiff run defense
Thanks to a three-headed monster in Jonathan Dwyer, Josh Nesbitt and Anthony Allen, the Yellow Jackets had the second best rushing attack in the nation this season. They averaged 307.15 yards per game, 35.31 points per game and 442.69 total yards of offense per game. There was only one time this season where Tech didn’t rush for over 200 yards on the ground, which came in a 33-17 loss to Miami in mid September. There’s no doubt Iowa has watched countless film on how the Hurricanes attacked the Jackets’ triple-option, remarkably holding them to just 97 yards on the ground. The Hawkeyes rank 11th in the nation in total defense and eighth in pass defense, but it’ll be their run defense (ranked 33rd in the country) that will be tested in the Orange Bowl. Miami succeed because it had the athletes in the front seven to penetrate the gaps and consistently wreck havoc in Tech’s backfield. Led by linebackers Pat Angerer and Jeremiha Hunter, the Hawkeyes have the tools to slow down Tech’s rushing attack. But will they execute come January 5?

2. Does Iowa have any late season magic?
Even though they would have rather won in less dramatic fashion, the Hawkeyes were kings of the comeback early in the season. They needed two blocked field goals to beat Northern Iowa in Week 1, a 16-point forth quarter to beat Penn State on the road, an interception in the final minutes to defeat Michigan at home, a come-from-behind second half win over Wisconsin and a last-second, fourth-down miracle to beat Michigan State in East Lansing. While some may point out that Iowa had a little luck running through its veins this season, there’s no doubt the Hawkeyes had some magic sprinkled in there too. It wasn’t until quarterback Ricky Stanzi got knocked out of a game against Northwestern in early November that things started to go wrong. Back to back losses against Northwestern and Ohio State knocked Iowa out of national title contention, but a 12-0 win over Minnesota in their final game of the season helped the Hawkeyes reach a BCS bowl. Did they save any magic for Georgia Tech?

3. Can Stanzi overcome the long layoff and quiet his critics?
For all intents and purposes, Iowa QB Ricky Stanzi wasn’t statistically great over the course of the season, which is why many fans criticized him mercifully earlier in the year. It wasn’t until he got hurt in a loss to Northwestern in November that fans realized what they had in Stanzi: A winner. While subbing for Stanzi, freshman James Vandenberg struggled mightily against the Wildcats and while he played much better against Ohio State the following week, his three interceptions aided in a 27-24 Buckeyes’ victory. Stanzi says his ankle has healed and that he’ll play against Georgia Tech. But by the time he steps on the field for the Orange Bowl, it’ll be 59 days since his last snap against Northwestern. While he’ll certainly have enough preparation time for the game, can he shake off the rust? Can he re-establish the chemistry he had with his offense? With his 17-4 record as a starter, there’s no doubt that Stanzi gives the Hawkeyes the best chance to win on January 5. But questions linger about whether or not he can overcome the obstacles that are before him and lead Iowa to a BCS bowl victory.

4. Can the Yellow Jackets’ run defense hold up?
All the focus of this game will be rightfully paid to the matchup between Georgia Tech’s offense and Iowa’s defense, but there’s another matchup brewing under the surface that could help the Hawkeyes earn a victory. Georgia Tech ranks 67th against the run, allowing over 150 yards per game on the ground this season. Iowa’s running game has not been great (they rank No. 103 in that category, averaging just 109.42 YPG on the ground), but freshman running back Adam Robinson is back to full strength, which will give the Hawkeyes a big boost. He rushed for 3.7 YPC against a very good Ohio State defense on November 14, and 6.0 YPC against Minnesota in the season finale. The extra time off should help him get back to 100% and if Iowa’s offensive line can help open holes for Robinson and company, then the Hawkeyes might be able to seize control and keep GA Tech’s triple-option on the sidelines.

5. That said, the Yellow Jacket defense is no pushover
Statistically, Georgia Tech hasn’t been great against the run this year, but that doesn’t mean they’re not a good unit as a whole. The Yellow Jackets use a base 4-3 defense, but they also utilized a 3-4 front to help them beat Clemson in the ACC title game. Their pass-rush is led by defensive end Derrick Morgan, who totaled 18 tackles for loss, 12.5 sacks and two forced fumbles in 13 games this season. If Iowa can’t get Morgan blocked, he’s the type of game-changer that can help produce three-and-outs for the Jackets in order to get their triple-option onto the field as much as possible. The Hawkeyes need to run the football in order to stay balanced and keep the Jackets’ on their heels or else it could be a long night for Stanzi.

2010 Orange Bowl Game Information:
Matchup: Georgia Tech vs. Iowa
Kickoff: 8:00PM ET
TV: FOX
Odds: Georgia Tech -4

Talk trash about the Orange Bowl on our official smack talk thread.

Photo from fOTOGLIF

Georgia Tech and their high-powered option attack will invade Land Shark Stadium to take on the Iowa Hawkeyes at the 2010 Orange Bowl in Miami.

2010 Orange Bowl Game Information:
Matchup: Georgia Tech vs. Iowa
Venue: Land Shark Stadium
Kickoff: 8:00PM ET
TV: FOX
Odds: Georgia Tech –3.5

Key Stats:
The Yellow Jackets enter this game with the second best rushing attack in the nation thanks to a backfield trio of running backs Jonathan Dwyer and Anthony Allen, as well as quarterback Josh Nesbitt. Tech has averaged over 307 rushing yards per game this season and has the 11th best scoring offense in the country (35.31 PPG). Defensively, the Jackets rank 54th overall, 67th against the run and 47th against the pass.

Iowa’s strength relies on its defense, which ranks 11th in the country and eighth against the pass and 33rd against the run. Senior linebacker Pat Angerer ranks fifth in average tackles per game at 11.25, while junior defensive lineman has racked up nine sacks this season. The Hawkeyes expect running back Adam Robinson and quarterback Ricky Stanzi to be at full speed come January. Both players missed time due to injuries, but have had time to recover and are now practicing again. Iowa is ranked 54th in passing offense, 86th in scoring and 93rd in total offense.

The Bottom Line:
Tech’s spread option offense has virtually been unstoppable this season, but Iowa’s front seven is one of its strengths. The Hawkeyes’ interior defense is solid and the key to stopping the Jackets’ triple option. If this game turns out to be a back and forth shootout (uh, a rushing shootout, that is), then Iowa might have a tough time keeping up. But if the game is ugly, then no team has won uglier this season than the Hawkeyes.

Let the smack talk begin:

SI.com’s Stewart Mandel recently ranked all 34 bowl games.

Here are his top 5:

1) BCS National Championship Game (Jan. 7): Alabama (13-0) vs. Texas (13-0). It’s the first-ever matchup of two 13-0 teams. Colt McCoy. Mark Ingram. Rolando McClain. Sergio Kindle. Yeah, I’m thinking you might want to tune in.

2) Sugar (Jan. 1): Cincinnati (12-0) vs. Florida (12-1). It’s spread vs. spread, Tim Tebow vs. Tony Pike, Mardy Gilyard vs. Joe Haden. It may be a letdown game for the Gators, but it should still be entertaining.

3) Fiesta (Jan. 4): TCU (12-0) vs. Boise State (13-0). Enough with the outrage, people: You know you’re going to watch. The nation’s No. 1 passer, Broncos quarterback Kellen Moore, goes up against the nation’s top-ranked defense.

4) Rose (Jan. 1): Ohio State (10-2) vs. Oregon (10-2). Dangerous dual-threat star Jeremiah Masoli is what Terrelle Pryor was supposed to be. But the Buckeyes present the toughest defense the Ducks have faced since Boise.

5) Orange (Jan. 5): Georgia Tech (11-2) vs. Iowa (10-2). You remember the Hawkeyes. They love low scores and dramatic finishes. With a month to prepare, can Pat Angerer, Tyler Sash and Co. stifle Josh Nesbitt and the triple-option?

That’s how I would have my top 5, although the Fiesta and Sugar bowls might be interchangeable. I love watching TCU’s defense play and I’m intrigued about how Gary Patterson will game plan to stop Boise’s offense. That said, I’m interested to see how Cincinnati responds after Brian Kelly ditched them for Notre Dame.

I know Georgia Tech’s triple-option is exciting to watch and Iowa does have a solid front seven, but that matchup just doesn’t have the same appeal as the other four. Maybe it’ll wind up being the best BCS game of the season, but the matchup offers little sizzle compared to the other top bowls.

Photo from fOTOGLIF
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