THE NEW ORLEANS BOWL
SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI vs. NORTH TEXAS ? December 14th, 6:30 pm
On December 4th, I was the biggest Southern Mississippi Golden Eagle fan to be found. With Texas a mere .00013 points behind California in the BCS rankings, I knew that a poor showing by Cal in their make-up game against So. Miss might very well mean that the Longhorns could leapfrog Cal in the standings and give Texas a BCS berth. From my perspective, things worked out pretty well as Cal was only able to beat the Golden Eagles by 10 points. California was the victim Hurricane Ivan and bad timing and Texas got their Rose Bowl invitation.
As much as I appreciate the favor, Southern Miss finds itself bowl bound with only 10 days to prepare for the Mean Green machine of North Texas. The lack of a break between the Cal game and the bowl game can only be a disadvantage for Southern Miss and their defense to prepare for one of the best running backs in the country. Considering that this team allowed Tulane to run for 305 yards in this very stadium and that they are allowing 4.4 yards per carry for the season, they are probably wishing that Hurricane Ivan had passed them by so that they could have more time to enjoy the Hurricanes at Pat O?Briens.
North Texas RB Jamario Thomas is a true freshman that led the Sun Belt with 1,709 yards rushing despite playing in just nine games and he leads the nation in rushing yards per game, with 189.9. He sat out the regular season finale against Arkansas State with a hamstring injury but will be at 100 percent for the New Orleans Bowl. Thomas took over during the second game of the season when last year?s rushing leader RB Patrick Cobbs suffered a season ending knee sprain against Florida Atlantic and he has been running towards daylight ever since. Mean Green QB Scott Hall does not throw the ball that much but he's accurate and has been a great leader for the North Texas over the past four years. Hall has thrown for 1,672 yards and 13 touchdowns, but more important, has been intercepted just twice this season.
While the Sun Belt Conference certainly has not offered North Texas the type of competition that Southern Mississippi has faced in Conference USA, the fact remains that they have won their last seven games while the Golden Eagles have only won two of their last seven. North Texas has dominated their conference like no other team in history having won 25 straight games in the Sun Belt. This is the Mean Green?s 4th consecutive year to play in this same bowl and New Orleans is probably beginning to feel like their home away from home. By now the players should know how to conduct themselves with all the temptations Bourbon Street has to offer an excited young college player and I will take the points with the hot team that has been a solid moneymaker this year.
The Verdict: North Texas (+5.5)
SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI vs. NORTH TEXAS ? December 14th, 6:30 pm
On December 4th, I was the biggest Southern Mississippi Golden Eagle fan to be found. With Texas a mere .00013 points behind California in the BCS rankings, I knew that a poor showing by Cal in their make-up game against So. Miss might very well mean that the Longhorns could leapfrog Cal in the standings and give Texas a BCS berth. From my perspective, things worked out pretty well as Cal was only able to beat the Golden Eagles by 10 points. California was the victim Hurricane Ivan and bad timing and Texas got their Rose Bowl invitation.
As much as I appreciate the favor, Southern Miss finds itself bowl bound with only 10 days to prepare for the Mean Green machine of North Texas. The lack of a break between the Cal game and the bowl game can only be a disadvantage for Southern Miss and their defense to prepare for one of the best running backs in the country. Considering that this team allowed Tulane to run for 305 yards in this very stadium and that they are allowing 4.4 yards per carry for the season, they are probably wishing that Hurricane Ivan had passed them by so that they could have more time to enjoy the Hurricanes at Pat O?Briens.
North Texas RB Jamario Thomas is a true freshman that led the Sun Belt with 1,709 yards rushing despite playing in just nine games and he leads the nation in rushing yards per game, with 189.9. He sat out the regular season finale against Arkansas State with a hamstring injury but will be at 100 percent for the New Orleans Bowl. Thomas took over during the second game of the season when last year?s rushing leader RB Patrick Cobbs suffered a season ending knee sprain against Florida Atlantic and he has been running towards daylight ever since. Mean Green QB Scott Hall does not throw the ball that much but he's accurate and has been a great leader for the North Texas over the past four years. Hall has thrown for 1,672 yards and 13 touchdowns, but more important, has been intercepted just twice this season.
While the Sun Belt Conference certainly has not offered North Texas the type of competition that Southern Mississippi has faced in Conference USA, the fact remains that they have won their last seven games while the Golden Eagles have only won two of their last seven. North Texas has dominated their conference like no other team in history having won 25 straight games in the Sun Belt. This is the Mean Green?s 4th consecutive year to play in this same bowl and New Orleans is probably beginning to feel like their home away from home. By now the players should know how to conduct themselves with all the temptations Bourbon Street has to offer an excited young college player and I will take the points with the hot team that has been a solid moneymaker this year.
The Verdict: North Texas (+5.5)
