Another bowl game in which the Big Ten’s reputation is on the line. Wisconsin got the conference off to a great start with their physically dominating victory over Miami. Now it is Penn State’s turn.
The story of this game is probably going to be the defenses. The difference will probably be the offenses. Penn State has one. LSU… not so much.
I will go into a little more detail after the jump, but not too much, given that it is a little over 24 hours away from the Buckeyes. Gotta keep the priorities straight.
Sorry old man, I am just not that interested in your team right now.
Penn State (10-2, 6-2 Big Ten) vs. LSU (9-3, 5-3 SEC)
January 1st, 2009 1 PM ET
Florida Citrus Bowl, Orlando, Florida
(p.s. I can’t figure out how to change the font color)
Like I mentioned, LSU doesn’t have much of an offense this year. 74th in scoring offense and 108th in total offense is, uh, not good.
On the flip side, they boast a good defense. 12th ranked scoring D, 28th ranked total defense, a little bit better.
I know stats don’t tell the entire story, and Penn State’s offensive stats are probably inflated from a sub par schedule, but in my opinion, the defenses are a wash, and Penn State has a better offense.
On the other hand, turnovers and special teams and all sorts of fun things could make this game completely unpredictable.
Hey, did you know that Ohio State is playing tomorrow? I am going to go ahead and cut this thing a little short. At any rate, it will be a good game to watch as you drink beer and pass the time before the Rose Bowl.
Here are some predictions and some by the numbers stuff from the guys over at Black Shoe Diaries if you are interested.
Who Are We Picking?
Mali: LSU
Eric: Penn State
Jeff: Penn State
Jim: Penn State
A chance for the pack to catch up to the leader a bit. I will worry about updating the standings some other time though. Did you know that Ohio State is playing tomorrow?
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