The Volunteers will be visiting Tuscaloosa to take on the Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday for an SEC showdown. With a 6-5 record and a 14-12 overall record, the Volunteers are 5th in the SEC. The Crimson Tide is at 8th with a 16-9 overall record but a 5-6 conference record.
The Iowa State Cyclones will host the Sooners on Saturday. The Iowa St Cyclones are 18-8 and are fourth in the Big 12 with an 8-5 record. The Sooners are 2nd to last in the Major 12 with a 3-10 record while having a 13-12 record.
Number 1 rated Kentucky versus the NCAA championship hopefuls Georgia? Appears like a recipe for a crushing defeat, specifically as Kentucky just barely regained that desired No. 1 berth on the rankings for the first time in the earlier 2 months. Whilst the Kentucky Wildcats are on top of the rankings and experiencing an 11 game win streak, the Bulldogs can best be termed sporadic so far in the season.
These two squads have been doing comparatively well this season. This really should not an unexpected to any person as these two colleges are well known for their share of triumphs in basketball for plenty of years. These two squads will be at it out on the hardwood on January 9, when Western Virginia visits Connecticut.
The Jan 9 – Oklahoma at Oklahoma State game still has its own kind of exhilaration, even though this specific matchup might not have the same energy that its football version does. With the conference basketball season just under way, both the Oklahoma Sooners and Cowboys will try to set the tone for the remainder of their season with this game. In Oklahoma’s case, they’re going to be trying to continue what has been a great start as they finished the non-conference slate with a 10-2 record.
On Jan 8th, postseason college football comes to Mobile, AL when the Arkansas State Red Wolves face the Northern Illinois Huskies at the GoDaddy.com Bowl. Both squads come into play with rookie head coaches with the Northern Illinois Huskies led by first-year head coach Dave Doeren. Temporary head coach David Gunn who has been the running backs coach all year heads the Red Wolves. Arkansas State has opted for Gus Malzahn who will take control after the year ends. The take from the sportsbook is Arkansas State (-1 ½) with an over-under established at 63 points.
It is not simply the Division I-A schools getting face time on ESPN, on January 7th the NCAA Division I-AA Championship game is played at Pizza Hut Park in Fricso, TX. In a struggle of the 2 greatest small colleges in the nation, the North Dakota State Bison face the Sam Houston Bearkats. Both the Bearkats and the North Dakota State Bison have steamrolled their rivals all year long and both are additionally coming into play with comparable styles on offense. As the defenses are going to get a workout, anticipate a lot of running and a lot of 1st downs by each team. The sports book is having a hard time with this one as the line currently stands at North Dakota State (-1) with the over-under scheduled at 46.
Birmingham, AL plays sponsor to the Compass Bowl on January seventh with the Panthers facing the Southern Methodist University Mustangs. The Panthers come in following the 1-year Todd Graham experiment at head coach. After taking the head coaching job at Arizona State, Graham quit his post on December 14th. Defensive Coordinator Keith Patterson will put on the headset for the Panthers in this clash of titans. SMU enters into play with the specter of the “Death Penalty” passed on in the 1980′s still being talked about today. Former Nfl and Hawaii coach June Jones is now in his 4th year on the sidelines of Southern Methodist University. The betting line has this established at Pittsburgh (-3) with the over-under of 47 points.
It all comes down to this as the #1 ranked LSU Tigers battle against the #2 ranked Crimson Tide in the BCS National Championship Game at the Superdome in New Orleans, LA on January 9th. Alabama head coach Nick Saban is no stranger to this game, winning the national tournament in 2009 and furthermore winning it with LSU as a head coach in 2003. LSU head coach Les Miles is furthermore no stranger at this instant as he’s won the national tournament in 2007. 2 excellent teams and head coaches meeting on a collision course in what is certain to be an amazing game. The odds makers currently have this at Alabama (-1) with the over-under set at 40 points.
December 20 marks the Beef O’Brady’s Bowl in St Petersburg, Florida with the Florida International Golden Panthers taking on the Thundering Herd. FIU enters into play with an 8-4 record as well as a 5-3 record in the Sun Belt Conference. FIU averages 26.3 points per game on offense and 19.4 points per game on defense. FIU also leads the nation in punt return yardage with their return squad a constant threat to take it all the way up. FIU is headed by fifth-year head coach Mario Cristobal. Marshall enters into play with a 6-6 record that is 2nd in Conference USA. The Thundering Herd average 22 points per game on offense and a head-scratching 30.2 points per game on defense. 2nd-year head coach Doc Holliday will direct Marshall.
