New Year's Day BCS Bowl Game Preview

Rose Bowl
8 Ohio State vs 7 Oregon
Favorite: Oregon, -4
The big news going into this game was the revelation Monday that OSU's Terrelle Pryor has a partial PCL tear in one of his knees. However, head coach Jim Tressel says the team is as healthy as it has ever been. I don't believe him. Of course he's going to say that. A Big Ten team hasn't won the Rose Bowl since 2000. Any admission of weakness at this point would be an admission that the Big Ten will have to wait another year. Unfortunately for him, an injury to Pryor slows down the entire offense, which is based on the running game. That leaves a huge opening for Oregon to take this game. Considering Oregon beat USC and Perdue this season, two teams OSU lost to, the outcome wasn't really in doubt for me to begin with.
Pick: Oregon 31 - Ohio State 21

Sugar Bowl
5 Florida vs. 3 Cincinnati
Favorite: Florida, -12.5
I'd love to say Cincy wins this one and could claim they should have had a shot at the BCS National Title, but I can't. Florida has too much motivation behind them. Their star QB is graduating, and this is their head coach's last game, at least until 2011. Knowing Urban Meyer has health problems is probably enough for Tim Tebow to will his team to victory. With the added fact that this could be his last game as a starting QB at any level, the entire team can rally around their head coach in the locker room and on the sidelines, and the schools greatest QB ever on the field. Since winning their conference, Cincy has been in upheaval, with their head coach leaving for Notre Dame, and his interim replacement hired away as well. In a state of flux, the team won't be able to match the production they had in their undefeated regular season.
Pick: Florida 35 - Cincinnati 27