** This thread discusses the Content article:
Poinsettia Bowl Preview **
This is the fourth in a series of ten bowl previews.  I ranked the top ten here.  This year’s Poinsettia Bowl could make a very strong case for being ranked more highly.  It matches up two of the premier non-BCS teams: Boise State and TCU.  Whenever you get a bowl game before Christmas, and it involves the #9 and #11 ranked teams, something is up.  Boise State is a fairly well known team nationally, now, as they went undefeated in 2006 and beat Oklahoma in one of the best endings to a bowl game anyone can remember.  That game had something for everyone, as Broncos RB Ian Johnson proposed to his cheerleader girlfriend after they pulled the upset.  This year’s Boise State squad is thus far undefeated.  TCU has had a much longer history of football.  They can claim fantasy stud LaDainian Tomlinson, award namesake Davey O’Brien, and NFL Hall-of-Famer Sammy Baugh.  They were also one of the top defenses in the country this season.  While they have two losses, both of those were at the hands of schools in BCS Bowls- conference foe Utah, and regional rival Oklahoma.  Here are some more thoughts on the game, as well as a prediction…
Coach Gary Patterson and TCU have one of the most impressive victories of the season- stomping #8 BYU 32-7.  The Mountain West Conference gained a lot of respect this year by beating up on the Pac-10, and TCU finished second in the conference standings.   I would have loved to see their defense tested more outside of the BYU game, as TCU’s next biggest win is probably their win over Stanford- not exactly the ‘96 Gators.  I also would have liked to see this team compete against a more powerful BCS-level team, to add more ammunition to the BCS v. non-BCS debates.  I think this team is very strong, but does not score a ton of points.  At least not in the Oklahoma, Florida, etc. kind of way.  So they’ll show how tough they are against Boise State, but this style of play would come across as much more impressive if they bullied a first- or second-tier BCS conference school.  I’m not saying they would, but it would be interesting to see.  The last point I want to make is concerning TCU’s diverse rushing attack.  Five different players had 70+ carries this season.  It will be a tough task for Boise State’s defense to handle this attack.
Boise State has that impressive victory from a couple years ago.  They also beat Oregon, in Autzen Stadium, a team that finished second in the Pac-10.  They have more impressive offensive numbers, but play in a very weak conference (WAC).  Their final game of the regular season was a 61-10 thumping of (bowl-bound) Fresno State, a team that gets a lot of respect, nationally, as far as non-BCS teams go.  I think Chris Petersen could get a long look to become a head coach at a BCS school.  I am personally glad he hasn’t come to the SEC so far.  He seems to be the candidate with the most potential to follow the Urban Meyer path, and that would make an already impossibly tough conference that much tougher.  Unless Petersen leaves pretty soon (this game is in a week), this will be a non-factor in the preparation for this game.  Although freshmen, at this time of year, are practically sophomores, I want to see how freshman Broncos QB Kellen Moore responds to playing the tough Frog defense.
The outcome, I believe, will be
17-10, TCU.  I think the Frogs are a little more battle tested, and have something to prove against the undefeated Broncos.  I am expecting stout defense on both sides, which means most casual college football fans should see a different look from the high-flying offense we normally see out of highly ranked, non-BCS teams.
[i]Remember, if you disagree with me, or want to show us all how much you know, check out our Bowl Pick’em contest [i]here[i].
