College Football: Everybody runs screaming from Miami

What the heck is going on in college football the last few months? Is everyone scared of Miami? The way number two’s have been losing that’s what you’d think. Except for Colorado but the Buffaloes got screwed by the BCS. Well, my predictions went out the window with all the losses (thanks Florida, Texas, Tennessee, and BYU). Oregon’s coach and QB are screaming that they got ripped by the BCS as well but their lack of quality wins (hello, they lost to Stanford’s backup QB) belittles the bellyaching. So my picks ended up being a little off. Undeterred, here are my bowl picks:

• Rose Bowl: Miami over Nebraska by at least two touchdowns. If Colorado can beat them by four TDs, Miami should have no trouble finishing undefeated and taking the Sears/AFCA National Champion Football Trophy.
  

• Orange Bowl: Maryland has to be this year’s positive surprise but I think Rex Grossman has too much going with weapons like Ernest Graham and Jabar Gaffney against Maryland’s no-name everything team. Grossman and Gaffney are sophomores and Graham a junior, they are likely to see this as setting the table for another national title run next year. Florida recovers from Tennessee in front of what is sure to be a partisan crowd and wins by at least 10.
  

• Sugar Bowl: Illinois over LSU. The Tigers are playing a home game here but Illinois wants respect, they’re the Big Ten champs and no one has them in the Who Plays Miami controversy, and LSU has gone much further than anyone expected. Illinois wins by less than a touchdown but both teams score between 26 and 39 points.
  

• Fiesta: Colorado over Oregon. Buffalo offense keeps Duck defense on the field all day. Colorado wins by a lot of points. ‘Nuff said.