It’s that time of year when the Big Ten will prove whether it’s the best conference in college football. In smaller bowl games, some opponents may beat the Big Ten, but in the College Football Playoff, every Big Ten team should advance to the next round.
Here are my expectations for games against the top ten teams on the New Year’s Week slate:
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Tennessee beats Illinois
Illinois enters this matchup without its two best defensive players, and their defense is already on the ropes against an explosive offense. That’s exactly what happened with Tennessee, and with Joey Aguilar, the Volunteers could go out early and never look back on the Illini battle. Illinois is giving up 124 yards per game on the ground, and they’re easy on the ball through the air. Tennessee is a nightmare offense in this regard. They have a back three of DeShawn Bishop, Peyton Lewis and Dwayne Morris, each dominant in their own way. While Illinois is well trained, I don’t believe they have enough firepower to fight alongside the Volunteers. I like that Tennessee wins on multiple offenses.
Iowa beats Diego Pavia
Iowa State has pushed the best teams in the Big Ten to the brink in every loss this season. The Hawkeyes’ defense is very good and two of the best quarterbacks in the country have struggled against them. Diego Pavia has yet to beat a team like the Hawkeyes. Iowa State is better than both Missouri and LSU. Pavia is the Heisman runner-up this season, but will be anything but that against the Hawkeyes’ suffocating defense. I think the Hawkeyes will go after Pavia and sack him as many as 5 times and force him into multiple turnovers.
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Archie Manning lights up Michigan
Arch Manning really turned things around late in the season and he looked like the quarterback many expected him to be to start the season. Manning led Texas to a win over Oklahoma, performed well on defense, beat Vandy in the shootout and ended the season with an upset against Texas A&M. Michigan State has been one of the hottest topics in college football, but all for the wrong reasons. They found the right coach for next season, but as far as the upcoming bowl game is concerned, nothing can stop them from saving themselves from Archie Manning’s dominant performance. Manning and the Longhorns will look to send a message about why they should be named to the College Football Playoff. I expect Manning to throw for 300 yards and at least two touchdown passes, leading the Longhorns to a lopsided victory over Michigan.
Dante Moore boosts draft stock with strong CFP performance
Dante Moore has been very solid this season and has done exactly what the Oregon State team needs him to do for them in the national championship game. Texas Tech is a steal with one of the best defenses in the country and talent spread across the field. Oregon State is a beast that Texas Tech has yet to see in scrimmage. The Ducks’ run game and defensive dominance have overshadowed Dante Moore’s stellar performance this season, but Dante Moore will be grabbing the headlines in this upcoming game. Moore is getting more weapons back and I believe he will bring a great performance. Behren Morton has been a solid quarterback for Texas Tech this season, but I think Moore will seriously surpass him and show why he should be the No. 1 quarterback in the upcoming draft class. I expect Moore to be responsible for most of the Ducks’ scoring and have at least three passing touchdowns and over 250 yards through the air.
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Indians defense gives Ty Simpson ghosts
Ty Simpson also had a lot of bad games, which completely limited the success of Bama’s offense. The Hoosiers were able to do that against Julian Saine and a more dominant Buckeye offense in the Big Ten Championship Game. Oklahoma State has a good defense, but the offense doesn’t complement its defense well either. Indians are the opposite. They have a championship-caliber defense and a scoring offense. I thought the Indians defense stole the show in this game as they forced one of Simpson’s worst performances of the season. The Indians sacked the Sains 5 and forced an interception. I think it’s going to be a similar game for Simpson and Indiana ends up in the Final Four.
This article originally appeared on Trojan Wire: Bold Predictions for Big Ten Football New Year’s Bowl Game