The Bowl Championship Series (BCS bowls) got underway yesterday, Jan. 1, 2011, with the Rose Bowl and Fiesta Bowl. TCU won the Rose Bowl 21-19 over Wisconsin to complete their perfect 13-0 season, Oklahoma crushed Connecticut 48-20 in the Fiesta Bowl, Stanford throttled Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl, and Ohio State nipped Arkansas 31-26 in the Sugar Bowl. The Auburn Tigers beat the Oregon Ducks 22-19 in the BCS Championship Game to become the 2011 NCAA football national champions.
The NCAA 2010 Bowl Championship Series (BCS)
Rose Bowl
TCU 21
Wisconsin 19 - FINAL
The 2011 Rose Bowl was hands down the best bowl game of the season so far. TCU showed the world they are for real with the win, and Fort Worth, Texas is buzzing with excitement, pride and more than a little indignation right now about being shut out of the championship picture. The Horned Frogs were led by senior QB Andy Dalton who had a great game, throwing for 217 yards and accounting for two of their three touchdowns. Wisconsin quarterback Scott Tolzien was bothered by the TCU defense all game and the Badgers offense sputtered a bit all game. The Badgers did have some success on the ground, with RB Montee Ball totaling 126 yards and one touchdown on 21 carries.
Fiesta Bowl
Oklahoma 48
Connecticut 20 - FINAL
Oklahoma was tired of being called "bowl chokers" so they took it out on the Connecticut Huskies in the 2011 Fiesta bowl, administering a 48-20 spanking. It was was all Sooners in this one, as they got two interceptions and turned them both into touchdowns. Oklahoma QB Landry Jones had a record day, throwing for 429 yards and three TDs, career best numbers.
Orange Bowl
Stanford 40
Virginia Tech 12 - FINAL
Stanford blew out the Hokies in the second half as Heisman runner up Stanford QB Andrew Luck threw for 284 yards and 5 TDs. The Cardinal got off to a bit of a slow start and just held a one point lead at 13-12 at halftime, but Stanford came out breathing fire in the third quarter, with Luck throwing four unanswered touchdowns.
Sugar Bowl
Ohio State 31
Arkansas 26 - FINAL
Terrell Pryor and OSU jumped on top of the Razorbacks in the Sugar Bowl and were ahead 28-10 at the half. Arkansas and QB Ryan Mallett came roaring back to make it a close game, but ended up losing 31-26 after being picked off with less than a minute to go.
2011 BCS National Championship
Auburn 22
Oregon 19
Hats off to Cam Newton and the Tigers!
Oregon vs. Auburn - This year's Tostitos BCS Title Game could well live up to the lofty expectations for a national championship game as Oregon and Auburn are both true heavyweight contenders. The Ducks have Heisman trophy candidate LaMichael James and can and will score points on anybody, and their defense, while statistically suspect, has stepped up at critical moments. Auburn and Heisman-trophy winner quarterback Cam Newton are a more balanced team, but it is still about offense when it gets down to crunch time. Some pundits predict the game will see 95 or even 100 points scored, and that could happen, but if both teams can stay away from turnovers and the kickers do their jobs, having to go the length of the field could slow the offenses down. It should be a great game, but look for Cam Newton to start to take advantage of tired Oregon legs in the fourth quarter, and the Tigers to pull away late.
For more on the 2010-2011 college football bowl season and the BCS Championship Game see:
The Tigers Are Champs! Auburn Beats Oregon to Win 2011 BCS Title
New Year's Day Bowl Scores Including Rose Bowl and Fiesta Bowl Results
Preview of the 2010-2011 College Football Bowl Season Plus Picks
NFL Playoffs 2011 – NFL Playoff Schedule, Preview, and Analysis
Clayton Browne - Clayton Browne has a BA and an MS in Anthropology, and has been writing professionally since 1994. He worked for many years in both ...
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