2013 PREDICTIONS

August 29, 2013

Before the season kicks off I want to go on the record with my predictions.

BCS Championship Game - Alabama (SEC Champ) over Oregon (Pac 12 Champ)

Rose Bowl - Ohio State (Big Ten Champ) vs. Stanford (At-Large)

Fiesta Bowl - Texas (Big 12 Champ) vs. Louisville (AAC Champ)

Orange Bowl - Clemson (ACC Champ) vs. Notre Dame

Sugar Bowl - Georgia (At-large) vs. Florida State (At-Large)

Capital One Bowl - South Carolina v. Nebraska 

Outback Bowl - Michigan v. Texas A&M

Cotton Bowl - LSU vs. Oklahoma State

Gator Bowl - Wisconsin v. Ole Miss

Chick-Fil-A Bowl - Virginia Tech v. Florida

Alamo Bowl - USC v. Oklahoma

Sun Bowl - UCLA v. Miami

Holiday Bowl - Arizona State v. TCU

Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl - Northwestern v. Baylor

Texas Bowl - Michigan State v. Texas Tech

Russell Athletic Bowl - Cincinnati v. Georgia Tech

Belk Bowl - North Carolina v. Central Florida

Pinstripe Bowl - Rutgers v. Kansas State

Music City Bowl - Tennessee v. Maryland

Games of the Week:

Georgia @ Clemson - It is a primetime battle of top ten teams to start the season. Clemson only returns six starters on each side of the ball, but they do have QB Tajh Boyd. The Tigers closed out last season by rallying to defeat LSU in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl. The Bulldogs came up five yards short of playing for the BCS Championship last year. Georgia lost 8 defensive starters since last year, but Aaron Murray still runs the offense. I like Georgia in an offensive show 35-30.

LSU v. TCU - This one will take place at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington. The Tigers have been built on defense the last few years. This season the offense has the experience and is led by QB Zach Mettenberger. LSU has won 10 straight season openers including wins over Oregon, Arizona State and UNC. Gary Patterson’s Horned Frogs return 9 starters on defense and 7 on offense. TCU will be no pushover, but LSU just has too much talent. I will take LSU 24-19.

Boise State @ Washington - This game will be a big test for Chris Petersen and the Broncos. After winning at least 11 games for seven consecutive seasons, Boise State only has 9 total starters back. On the other side, Washington has 18 starters back including senior QB Keith Price. Boise State beat this same Washington team 28-26 last December in the Las Vegas Bowl. Boise State may still challenge for a BCS Bowl bid, but I think they start 0-1. I like the Huskies 28-21.