Picking and choosing: staring at a smorgasbord of 28 bowl games can be daunting, so sink your teeth into these storylines and matchups first

Sporting News, The, Dec 22, 2003 by Tom Dienhart

The key to Kansas State's improvement is Ell Roberson's improvement as a thrower. When he was hurt earlier in the year, you could see bow important he was to that team. I think the talent level of Kansas State and Ohio State is about the same, so it should come down to defense, special teams and the fact that one team--K-State--has a chip on its shoulder, and the other team is just happy to be in a BCS bowl.

That could spell disaster for Ohio State.... Florida State quarterback Chris Rix is as talented as anybody you'll ever see, but you never know what you're going to get with him. You watch him one play, and you say, "This kid's the Heisman Trophy winner." Then, you watch him the next play, and he can't bit a building with the ball. He's even inconsistent when he runs with the hall.... Virginia Tech has had to get away from its base defense because teams have figured out how to attack it. It used to be that they ran what they ran, and the kids knew it so well that they could play fast. Now, they're so multiple that they need older guys who understand it more or they'll make mistakes.... Georgia quarterback David Greene is not going to beat you running, but he'll beat you with his mind. He reads coverages very well and doesn't make stupid mistakes. Their receivers are getting healthy now, too, so they'll be even better.... Oregon State is really fast, and they have some weapons. Running back Steven Jackson is good at getting into space and then picking on those little boys in the defensive backfield. Their quarterback, Derek Anderson, is much improved from last year, and their offensive line does a good job mixing up protections.... Brad Banks was a much more athletic quarterback for Iowa last year than Nathan Chandler is, but Chandler is not a stiff. He's hard to tackle, has a pretty good arm and is accurate. He's a dropback guy, and though they'll still run nakeds and boots, he's not as dangerous with that as Banks was. Their offensive line is a little below what they had last year.... Georgia Tech quarterback Reggie Ball is a short kid (6-0), so he isn't going to be dropping back too much. They run a lot of boots and play-action with him and get him on the perimeter. That's smart, because he has great speed. Receiver Nate Curry is tough to handle because he lines up in the slot a lot and can beat safeties who cover him there.... Mississippi quarterback Eli Manning is smart, but he'll surprise you with his strength. He's tough to tackle. Even when you wrap him up, he can get rid of the ball.... Colorado State will beat Boston College. They'll play better defense than B.C. sees week in and week out. Also, quarterback Bradlee Van Pelt is going into his last go-around, and he'll have something big to say about things. Colorado State coach Sonny Lubick does a great job of making the bowl game a reward for his players while still getting them ready for a game. That's why they play so hard for him.... UCLA is not a very good team. There's not a lot of spunk there. Drew Olson, their quarterback, isn't very good, and they're not strong up front. They don't use tight end Mercedes Lewis right. He should be an all-American.... Maryland has had trouble early the last couple years, but you don't want to play them late. They get better every year. Scott McBrien isn't a great quarterback, but he's capable. Their key is a really good offensive line. They're experienced and the best in the ACC.... If you contain Kansas quarterback Bill Whittemore, you'll win the game. They are very average on defense and have won their games by keeping the ball out of the other guys' hands. Everything there is a quarterback read. Whittemore does that well and throws the hall better than most other guys who run that type of offense.... I don't see it with Miami (Fla.) quarterback Brock Berlin. Every player is going to make some mistakes in games, but against Virginia Tech, he made a bunch. He doesn't have a strong arm, but his wideouts aren't setting the world on fire, either. And I think tight end Kellen Winslow hurt them with all his antics.... Purdue is going to spread you out, but if you think they're just going to pass, they'll run it for 150 yards and beat you. Their defense is really sound. They don't do anything fancy--they just play good, sound, hard-nosed football.... Washington State's defense is so fast and athletic. They use a four-man rush, and that's enough for them. They also play well against the run because they plug the holes well with their linebackers. But on offense, there is a drop-off at quarterback from last year, with Jason Gesser, to Matt Kegel this year.... Missouri plays the 4-2-5 defense, but they're struggling with it. You had better have some great corners with that scheme, and I'm not sure they do.... Nebraska's defense is much improved from last year, and one of the big reasons is that it's not as predictable as it was under former coordinator Charlie McBride. Before, you knew where all the blitzes were coming from.