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TSN.ca Football Editor Ben Fisher and football writer Mike Hetherington break down the NCAA BCS Bowls and National Championship game and make their picks. Rose Bowl Game: No. 4 Michigan State vs. No. 5 Stanford Hetherington: Stanford has had an impressive season relying on defence and rushing to win games. Their defence is ranked 10th in the nation, giving up 18.6 points per game despite playing the explosive offences of Arizona State (twice), UCLA and Oregon State, all whom average more than 30 points per game. The defining moment for Stanford this season was their victory over third-ranked Oregon, shutting out college footballs third best offence through three quarters before holding off a late comeback for a 26-20 victory. Stanford will use the formula they have used all year long in this game, running the ball with Tyler Gaffney and playing defence. Gaffney is sixth in rushing yards in all of Division 1. Stanford has risen to the occasion in their big games this season and faltered in other games, losing to unranked Utah and USC following victories over top 15-ranked teams. This, however, is a big game and Stanford will rise to the occasion and win their second straight Rose Bowl. Prediction: Stanford Fisher: The Big 10 was a giant disappointment this year, so winning it certainly doesnt guarantee success. That doesnt mean Michigan State doesnt belong however and even though I think their No. 4 ranking in the AP Poll is far too high, theyre still a one-loss team with a big win on their resume in beating Ohio State in the conference title game. If the Spartans are to pull off a Rose Bowl upset over Stanford theyre going to have to rely on their nation-leading defence, one thats been particularly stingy late in the season and only gave up 17 points in their only loss to Notre Dame. The offence is playing better of late but theyll find it a lot harder to put up 34 points against the Cardinal than they did against the Buckeyes two weeks ago. Connor Cook could turn into a strong college quarterback but the sophomore isnt there yet. Im taking the Stanford in this one. Prediction: Stanford Fiesta Bowl: No. 6 Baylor vs. No. 15 UCF Fisher: I like UCF. Im maybe not yet convinced QB Blake Bortles is a Top 10 draft prospect but the Knights beat Louisville and hung with South Carolina, they deserve their spot in the Fiesta Bowl. That said, theyre facing a Baylor team Ive been impressed with all season. The Bears capped an incredible undefeated run to start the season with big conference wins over Oklahoma and Texas Tech before Oklahoma State ended their championship hopes. They may not be BCS championship worthy, but Bryce Petty and Lache Seastrunk are two of the top offensive performers in the nation and should be too much for UCFs 19th-ranked defence. Petty and Seastrunk each spent time on TSN.cas Heisman Watch and bring gaudy stats seldom seen in the Knights American Athletic Conference. Pettys 30:2 touchdown to interception ratio and Seastrunks 7.5 yards per carry are some of the best in the nation, and too much to consider UCF a legit threat for the Fiesta Bowl. Prediction: Baylor Hetherington: UCF enters this game with one main question; can they keep up with Baylors offence? The Bears boast college footballs top scoring and passing offence and, while the Knights rank 13th in scoring defence allowing 19 points per game, they rank 62nd against the pass. UCF, however, has impressed in their big games this season, going 1-1 in against Top 25 teams. The Knights lost just one game this season, a 28-25 decision to 12th-ranked South Carolina when their fourth-quarter comeback fell short. Their most impressive win came against eighth-ranked and then-unbeaten Louisville in October. Quarterback Blake Bortles threw a touchdown pass with just 23 seconds left to win the game, 38-35. UCF has proved they can hang in with the nations top teams but how they handle the top offence remains to be seen. UCF put up more than 40 points just once; 62 against unranked Connecticut. Baylor has accomplished the feat nine times and put up 70 or more points four times. UCF will put up points, just not enough to keep up with the explosive offence of Baylor. Baylor wins in a high-scoring game. Prediction: Baylor Sugar Bowl: No. 3 Alabama vs. No. 11 Oklahoma Hetherington: Alabama put together a third consecutive dominant season in college football. The back-to-back national champions had convincing victories over sixth-ranked Texas A&M and 13th-ranked LSU. Yet, the Crimson Tide missed out on playing for a third consecutive national championship by just a few yards when Adam Griffiths 57-yard field goal fell short in a game tied at 28-28 with just seconds left on the clock. Auburns Chris Davis returned the kick for a touchdown and handed Alabama their first loss of the season and a missed opportunity to be playing for a national title this year. Now, Alabama must settle for a Sugar Bowl appearance and with Coach Nick Saban committed to the program long-term, they will win. Alabama is a sound football team with the second-ranked defence and 16th-ranked offence, both filled with talent across the board. In recent history, Alabama has faltered just once per season; to LSU in 2011 and to Johnny Manziels Texas A&M squad in 2012. Both years, Alabama rebounded to make and win the national championship game. This years lone loss came too late for Sabans squad to rebound but unfortunately for Oklahoma, theyve had their one upset. Quarterback AJ McCarron ends his Crimson Tide career with four bowl victories. Alabama wins by more than 10 points. Prediction: Alabama Fisher: Next to nobody had Oklahoma penciled in for a BCS Bowl heading into the last week of the regular season but a big win over rival Oklahoma State changed that all. Their prize is a Sugar Bowl meeting with an Alabama team I still think may be the best in the nation. I had written the Sooners off as BCS Bowl contenders after their loss to Texas (a team in turmoil at the time) and blowout loss to Baylor but they have some impressive wins on their resume as well (Notre Dame, Texas Tech, and of course OK State). Blake Bell has had some good games for the Sooners this year; hes going to need his best to come in January. That, coupled with a stingy effort from their 13th-ranked defence could make this a game, but I cant see a scenario where Alabama doesnt come out on top. Prediction: Alabama Orange Bowl: No. 7 Ohio State vs. No. 12 Clemson Fisher: Ohio State hasnt beaten anyone all year and looked awful the last two weeks of the season, barely holding on against a weak Michigan team before getting routed by a Michigan State team that really has no business being ranked in the Top 10. Clemson on the other hand, looks more the part of a team worthy of a BCS bowl. Tajh Boyd will end his strong four-year career with the Tigers (three as a starter) in this Orange Bowl and will be looking to top his impressive showing in last years Chick-fil-A Bowl, an upset win over LSU (also ranked eighth at the time), where he finished with 350+ combined yards and three scores. The one-time Heisman candidate and potential third-round pick has proven the Bowl stage isnt too big for him; expect another solid game for Boyd and top receiving prospect Sammy Watkins. This year, Im taking the second best team in the ACC over the second best team in the Big 10. Prediction: Clemson Hetherington: Ohio State won 24 straight games before losing in the Big Ten Championship game to Michigan State. Now I believe theyll lose two straight. Ohio State is widely believed to have been overrated this season and only defeated two ranked teams; Wisconsin – 31-24 when Wisconsin was ranked 23rd – and 16th-ranked Northwestern, who would finish the season unranked. Dont forget, Ohio State only defeated unranked Michigan by one point, after the Wolverines gambled, and lost, on a two-point conversion with 32 seconds left in the game. Quarterback Braxton Miller struggled in the passing game against both Michigan and Michigan State. In both games, the Buckeyes relied on a rushing attack. On paper, the two appear closely matched with Ohio State scoring 46 points per game on average, while Clemson scored 40. Both teams give up an average of 21 points on defence. I expect this game to be highly competitive and filled with scoring and the team that scores last will likely be the team that wins this game. Millers legs will keep this game close but in the end, his arm will fail Ohio State. Clemson wins. Prediction: Clemson BCS National Championship: No. 1 Florida State vs. No. 2 Auburn Hetherington: I dont need to tell you Auburn is a team of destiny because they will for me; "Were a team of destiny. We wont take no for an answer", said Chris Davis, who returned a missed field goal more than 100 yards to send the Tigers to the SEC Championship and jump Alabama in the BCS rankings. Auburn didnt just find luck against Alabama, however, they found it one week before and used it to defeat the Georgia Bulldogs on a play thats been deemed "the immaculate deflection." Down 38-37 and facing 4th and 18 with no timeouts, quarterback Nick Marshall threw a pass in to double coverage for Ricardo Louis. The pass deflected off the two defenders as they collided and found the hands of Louis who ran the remaining 30 yards for a touchdown. Auburn has proved theyre not a team which suffers from letdowns after major victories. After their Alabama win, Auburn defeated the Missouri Tigers, 59-42 and showed their ability to pound the football, handing off to running back Tre Mason 46 times. Mason ran for 304 yards and four touchdowns in the victory. Florida State has decimated every team theyve faced this season but should not overlook Auburn. After an early season loss to LSU, Auburn ran the table and their shocking wins against Georgia and Alabama have labeled them the team of destiny. Destiny beats logic so Ill take Auburn for the storybook finish. War Eagle! Prediction: Auburn Fisher: I know Auburn is the team of destiny this season but even destiny isnt enough to make up for the talent gap between the Tigers and Florida State. The Seminoles finish the regular season with the third-ranked offence and sixth-ranked defence, not to mention the Heisman Trophy winner (by a mile) in Jameis Winston. Auburn has won their games in shootout fashion – their offence (with destiny on their side) should find the end zone enough in the championship game but their 87th-ranked defence will get carved up by Winston. Florida State routed three strong, albeit slightly overrated teams in Clemson, Miami (FL) and Florida and thats what I view Auburn as, a strong, perhaps slightly overrated team. Theres only one team that could potentially beat the Seminoles and they were a missed field goal return away from playing in this game. War Eagle was fun but the clock will strike midnight on the Tigers run early in the BCS Championship. Prediction: Florida State Basketball Shoes 2020 .C. - Steve Clifford isnt exactly singing his teams praises after the Bobcats won for the sixth time in seven games. Cheap Basketball Shoes China . The win puts Arsenal four points clear of Everton in fourth place with two games to play in the Premier League, a position which would qualify the club for Europes top competition for the 17th straight year. https://www.cheapbasketballshoesstore.com/. Barnard, 28, was 1-0 with a 0.53 ERA in three appearances, including two starts, with San Angel o this season. He struck out 19 batters and walked just one in 17 innings pitched. He has previous American Association experience with the Lincoln Saltdogs, El Paso Diablos and Amarillo Sox. Fake Basketball Shoes . Heavily-criticized after allowing a dozen goals on 58 shots in two games in Boston, Luongo continued his dominance at home. Hes now allowed two goals in three home games in this series. Discount Basketball Shoes . The Brazilian-born strikers brace drew him level with Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo as the leagues leading scorers with 17 goals apiece through 16 rounds. "The important thing is to help the team win, not the goals," Diego Costa said. After a first half dominated by defence, Atletico pressed Valencia into its area and Diego Costa did the rest. WASHINGTON -- The Charlotte Bobcats have leapfrogged another team, increasing the odds that their return to the playoffs wont be a token appearance. The Washington Wizards have dropped a spot and are having issues. Or, as centre Marcin Gortat put it: "The way we play right now, we aint going to beat anybody, including Milwaukee." The Bobcats blew a 20-point, first-half lead to the Wizards on Wednesday night before winning 94-88 in overtime, moving Charlotte into position for the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference. "To go from basically the worst team going to the six seed, I mean, it shows a lot," said guard Kemba Walker, who scored the only field goal in overtime for either team. The win left both teams at 40-38 with four games remaining, but Charlotte won the season series 3-1 and therefore holds the tiebreaker. Both teams want to stay out of seventh or eighth to avoid a first-round series against the two conference powerhouses, the Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers. The Bobcats have been in the playoffs only once before, when they were swept in the first round in 2010. "We getting better as a team, we two games above .500," said Al Jefferson, who had 20 points and 18 rebounds. "But does it really matter where were at for seeding-wise? No, we just happy to be in the mix." Walker made a 3-pointer and a pair of free throws in the extra session, and Jefferson added two free throws to account for all of the Bobcats scoring. Charlotte went 1 for 7 from the field in overtime, while Washington was 0 for 8 and got its only point from a free throw by John Wall with 34 seconds remaining. Walker finished with 17 points and 12 assists for the Bobcats, who have their longest winning streak since March 2010. "Hes got courage," Charlotte coach Steve Clifford said. "He wants the ball late and hes not afraid to take the big shot." Wall had a candidate for most underwhelming triple-double of the season -- 14 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists -- and Gortat finished with 27 points and 14 rebounds for the Wizards, who were nearly run out of their own building in the first half for the second straight game and are limping toward the finishh line of their first playoff season since 2008.dddddddddddd Among Washington coach Randy Wittmans reviews: "To have no more energy or drive or enthusiasm than we showed in that first half, its disappointing. ... I was just not expecting to come out and go through the motions. ... When you dont put effort in, youre not going to have (a) good showing." Added veteran Gortat: "I guess were immature and just not experienced enough and I guess everything starts in the practice. The first few minutes were walking and just fooling around and this is how you start a game." Such comments put the focus on young All-Star Wall, who went 6 for 18 from the field and committed five turnovers. Wall disagreed with his coachs "go through the motions" assessment. "I dont feel that way," Wall said. "I feel like we competed. ... The last couple of games we havent been able to knock down shots." Wall had called this game the most important of the year, but he also made a whirlwind overnight trip to Texas on Monday to watch Kentucky lose the NCAA championship game. He said that had "nothing to do" with his performance. "I practiced yesterday and had a good day," Wall said. "Came here and had a game today. Its not like I went the night before." Trevor Ariza, who has been battling the flu, went 0 for 6 from the field for the Wizards. Washington was 1 for 15 from 3-point range. The Wizards again made defence optional in the early going, echoing their beatdown by the Chicago Bulls on Saturday. But Washington hit its stride in the third quarter and took its first lead of the game on Bradley Beals 15-foot jumper with 5:28 to play. Jefferson forced overtime with a layup that tied the game with 3.2 seconds remaining. Wall didnt get a shot off as time expired in regulation. Notes: Wizards F Nene, back after missing six-plus weeks with a sprained left knee, was understandably rusty. He missed all four of his free throws and finished with 10 points in 17 minutes. ... It was Walls third career triple-double and second this season. ... Bobcats F Josh McRoberts returned after missing three games with a sprained left ankle. ' ' '