Thursday, December 20, 2001
Ducks quacked up to be No. 1?
College Bowl Picks
By RICHARD ROSENBLATT
AP Football Writer
Split champions or not? For the second straight year, the Bowl Championship Series has its national title game set, but the Fiesta Bowl winner may produce a champion, too.
If Nebraska (11-1) upsets Miami (11-0) in the BCS's title game in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 3, then the winner of the Fiesta between Oregon (10-1) and Colorado (10-2) could finish No. 1 in the final Associated Press media poll.
In the world of the BCS, the USA Today/ESPN coaches poll automatically crowns the Rose Bowl winner. The AP voters are free to pick their own champion.
Miami is ranked No. 1, followed by Oregon, Colorado and Nebraska in both polls. Since the Ducks enter the postseason ranked second, and the Buffaloes own a 62-36 win over the Huskers, the Fiesta winner gives AP voters a strong alternative should the Hurricanes lose.
Last year, Miami had a chance to claim the AP title by winning the Sugar Bowl and finishing 11-1, but split champions were avoided when Oklahoma finished a perfect season with a win over Florida State in the Orange Bowl.
The Miami-Nebraska matchup could be a classic — Heisman Trophy winner Eric Crouch vs. third-place finisher Ken Dorsey.
Led by All-American safety Ed Reed, the 'Canes top-ranked scoring defense (9.4 ppg) will attempt to shut down Crouch's running and force him to throw. The Huskers, trying to regroup from the embarrassing loss to Colorado, must mix their pass coverages to rattle Dorsey.
There are other games worth watching, especially those featuring a bunch of other top quarterbacks.
—Heisman runner-up Rex Grossman (3,896, 34 TDs) leads Florida against Maryland in the Orange Bowl.
—Oregon's Joey Harrington (2,415 yards, 23 TDs) has a final fling against Colorado in the Fiesta, and Illinois' Kurt Kittner (2,994 yards, 23 TDs) goes against LSU in the Sugar Bowl.
—Fresno State's David Carr (4,299 yards, 42 TDs) gets to showcase his talents against Michigan State in the Silicon Valley Bowl.
—Georgia Tech's George Godsey (3,085 yards, 18 TDs) goes against Stanford's duo of Randy Fasani/Chris Lewis, who combined to pass for 2,756 yards and 25 TDs, in the Seattle Bowl.
—In the Liberty Bowl, it's BYU's Brandon Doman (3,542 yards, 33 TDs) vs. Louisville's Dave Ragone (3,056 yards, 23 TDs).
—There's also the Humanitarian Bowl, where Louisiana Tech's Josh McCown (3,337 yards, 28 TDs) goes against Clemson's Woodrow Dantzler (2,360 yards passing, 1004 yards rushing).
The picks:
North Carolina State (pick 'em) vs. Pittsburgh (Tangerine, Thursday)
Pitt's defense tough test for Wolfpack QB Rivers ... PITTSBURGH, 31-24.
USC (minus 3) vs. Utah (Las Vegas, Dec. 25)
Run, run, run. Zzzzz ... USC, 21-17.
Georgia Tech (plus 3) vs. Stanford (Seattle, Dec. 27)
Cardinal a surprise, Tech a flop ... STANFORD, 41-31.
Iowa State (plus 6 1/2) vs. Alabama (Independence, Dec. 27)
'Bama coming off huge Iron Bowl win ... ALABAMA, 27-17.
Texas A&M (minus 6 1/2) vs. TCU (Galleryfurniture.com, Dec. 28)
Aggies can't score (20 ppg), neither can Frogs (25.5 ppg) ... TEXAS A&M, 27-20.
Boston College (plus 4) vs. Georgia (Music City, Dec. 28)
Rare for BC to beat ranked team under coach O'Brien .... GEORGIA, 31-24.
Texas (minus 12 1/2) vs. Washington (Holiday, Dec. 28)
How can anyone root against Horns' QB Applewhite? ... TEXAS, 31-30.
Toledo (minus 3 1/2) vs. Cincinnati (Motor City, Dec. 29)
Where's Marshall? ... TOLEDO, 33-24.
Texas Tech (minus 1) vs. Iowa (Alamo, Dec. 29)
Red Raiders won four of last five ... TEXAS TECH, 31-27.
Kansas State (minus 5 1/2) vs. Syracuse (Insight.com, Dec. 29)
Orange DE Freeney on a sack mission ... SYRACUSE, 28-27.
Washington State (minus 8) vs. Purdue (Sun, Dec. 31)
Cougs can cap surprise season with 10th win ... WASHINGTON STATE, 34-24.
Louisiana Tech (plus 6 1/2) vs. Clemson (Humanitarian, Dec. 31)
LaTech can keep pace with Tigers and Dantzler ... CLEMSON, 41-38.
Fresno State (minus 5 1/2) vs. Michigan State (Silicon Valley, Dec. 31)
Bulldogs QB Carr handles r coach John Bunting ... NORTH CAROLINA, 28-24.
Ohio State (plus 2) vs. South Carolina (Outback, Jan. 1)
Does Holtz have Irish fever? ... OHIO STATE, 21-17.
Arkansas (plus 13) vs. Oklahoma (Cotton, Jan. 1)
Don't watch, Sooners should swamp 'Hogs ... OKLAHOMA, 34-14.
Virginia Tech (minus 2 1/2) vs. Florida State (Gator, Dec. 1)
How the mighty have fallen from '00 Sugar Bowl ... FLORIDA STATE, 35-27.
Michigan (plus 4) vs. Tennessee (Citrus, Jan. 1)
Each lost BIG game to end season ... MICHIGAN, 28-27.
Colorado (minus 2 1/2) vs. Oregon (Fiesta, Jan. 1)
Ducks QB Harrington ready for showcase game ... OREGON, 34-28.
Illinois (plus 3) vs. LSU (Sugar, Jan. 1)
This is a BCS game? Illini deserve better, but ... LSU, 31-30.
Maryland (plus 16) vs. Florida (Orange, Jan. 2)
Terps' first bowl since '90 could turn terrible ... FLORIDA, 49-28.
Miami (minus 10) vs. Nebraska (Rose, Jan. 3)
Can 'Canes stop Crouch for fifth national title in 19 years? ... MIAMI, 34-21.
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Ducks quacked up to be No. 1?
