by Peter Schrager

Bowl season roundup

Bowl recaps and analysis:

EagleBank: Wake 29, Navy 19 | CFN
New Mexico: Colo. St. 40, Fresno St. 35
St. Petersburg: S. Florida 41, Memphis 14
Las Vegas: Arizona 31, BYU 21 | CFN
New Orleans: SMU 30, Troy 27 (OT) | CFN
Poinsettia: TCU 17, Boise St. 16 | CFN
Hawaii: Notre Dame 49, Hawaii 21 | CFN
Motor City: FAU 24, Cen. Mich. 21 | CFN
Meineke: W. Virginia 31, UNC 30 | CFN
Champs Sports: Fla. St. 42, Wis. 13 | CFN
Emerald: Cal 24, Miami 17 | CFN
Independence: La. Tech 17, NIU 10 | CFN
Papajohns.com: Rutgers 29, N.C. St. 23
Alamo: Mizzou 30, N'west. 23 (OT) | CFN
Humanitarian: Maryland 42, Nevada 35
Texas: Rice 38, W. Michigan 14
Holiday: Oregon 42, Oklahoma St. 31 | CFN
Armed Forces: Houston 34, Air Force 28
Sun: Oregon St. 3, Pittsburgh 0 | CFN
Music City: Vandy 16, BC 14 | CFN
Insight: Kansas 42, Minnesota 21
Chick-fil-A: LSU 38, Georgia Tech 3
Outback: Iowa 31, South Carolina 10 | CFN
Capital One: Georgia 24, MSU 12 | CFN
Gator: Nebraska 26, Clemson 21
Rose: USC 38, Penn St. 24 | Analysis
Orange: Va. Tech 20, Cincinnati 7
Cotton: Ole Miss 47, Texas Tech 34
Liberty: Kentucky 25, East Carolina 19
Sugar: Utah 31, Alabama 17
International: UConn 38, Buffalo 20
Fiesta: Texas 24, Ohio St. 21 | Analysis
GMAC: Tulsa 45, Ball St. 13
BCS title: Florida 24, Oklahoma 14
Complete bowl schedule

Photo gallery:

• Fiesta Bowl snapshots
• Snapshots from Saturday's bowls
• Best from bowl season's 1st weekend

Shopping:

• Get your '09 BCS bowl gear!

1. Nick at Night: With a larger-than-usual security detail of state troopers escorting him in and out of Tiger Stadium, Nick Saban escaped Baton Rouge alive and well Saturday night. His Crimson Tide did too. In what was their toughest fight yet, 'Bama survived a real test from LSU, beating the Tigers 27-21 in overtime.

All season long, John Parker Wilson's been given the Trent Dilfer-esque backhanded compliment no quarterback wants to hear the label of "game manager." On Saturday, Wilson stepped it up and did more than manage a game. He won it.

Though Wilson completed less than half of his attempts and didn't throw a touchdown pass, he was clutch when it mattered most. At the end of regulation, Wilson scampered 30 yards for what appeared to be a game-winning touchdown. After a holding call put his squad in third-and-18, he patiently waited his turn as 'Bama punted it away back to LSU. With two minutes left from the LSU 41, Wilson calmly led Alabama on a drive that put the Tide in ideal field-goal position. The kick was blocked.

Third time's a charm? You bet. In overtime, Wilson hit freshman superstar Julio Jones along the sidelines on a play almost identical to the one that Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree connected on last weekend. Then, after the tailback Glen Coffee was stuffed on a goal-line attempt, it was Wilson who snuck it in for the game winner.

Saban's return to LSU might have been the story going into Saturday, but the biggest story coming out may have been Wilson's ability to stick with it and do more than merely manage the game.

SEC West champions for the first time since 1999, Alabama now controls its own BCS championship game destiny. Win and it's in. After Saturday, there's no doubt that Wilson is the man to lead them.

2. They Got Their Wish: Big 12, SEC, and Pac-10 fans across the nation will now get their wish come January. With Penn State's 24-23 loss in Iowa on Saturday, there's a 99 percent chance the Big Ten will not be sending a representative to the BCS title game. It'll be the first time in three years that the conference won't be represented. After consecutive BCS championship games in which the Big Ten (Ohio State) was outscored 79-38, there were several Iowa fans outside of Iowa City on Saturday. That's an understatement.

Pundits and Sunday morning quarterbacks will say Penn State choked, squandering a nine-point fourth-quarter lead. But let's give some credit to the young Hawkeyes players. They earned this win. Down 23-14 heading into the fourth quarter, Iowa quarterback Ricky Stanzi rebounded from a rough first half to lead his team on two clutch scoring drives. In swirling winds, Penn State quarterback Darryl Clark had his worst performance of the season, going 9-for-23 for 86 yards and a costly fourth quarter interception. Where Clark struggled in the clutch, the unknown Stanzi soared. The win was Iowa's first over a top-five opponent since 1990.

With their relatively weak schedule and this loss, the Nittany Lions will likely slip to sixth or seventh in the BCS standings, behind one-loss USC and perhaps even Utah. They still control their own destiny for a Rose Bowl berth. Not a terrible consolation prize.

3. No Hangover in Lubbock: Perhaps the most impressive part of Saturday's Texas Tech 55-20 win over Oklahoma State was how well the Red Raiders responded to last week's victory over Texas. So many times before we've seen teams suffer from letdowns after big "program-defining" wins on national TV. There was no such hangover for the Red Raiders on Saturday. After a fumble on their opening drive, they scored touchdowns the next seven times they touched the ball. The defense put the clamps on the nation's fifth-ranked offense, holding a team that usually averages 512 yards of offense and 45 points per game to just 359 yards and 20 points.

Graham Harrell (left) and Michael Crabtree didn't allow Texas Tech to get complacent after last week's big win. (Ronald Martinez / Getty Images)

The Red Raiders have now beaten two top-10 teams in a row. Kids from New York to L.A. know Michael Crabtree's name. Quietly, Mike Leach's squad is capturing the nation's imagination. The offense is high-flying, the defense inspired.

Of course, this magical run to a BCS championship game isn't even close to being finished. The Red Raiders have a week off, then make a trip to Norman on Nov. 22. It may mark the first time in recent history where the No. 2 team in the nation is a touchdown underdog in a regular season game.

But none of that matters now. For now, let the folks in Lubbock enjoy the buzz. And the national spotlight.

4. Jemarko'd Man: Long considered the "soft" part of any Big 10 team's schedule, the MAC's been solid against their opponents from the once-mighty BCS conference this season. With Toledo's win over Michigan, and Central Michigan and Ball State's wins over Indiana already under the MAC's belt, Western Michigan knocked off 2007 Rose Bowl participant Illinois on Saturday. The Broncos got up early, taking a commanding 20-7 lead into the half, and held on for a hard-earned 23-17 victory. The Broncos defense held Juice Williams to just 54 yards on the ground and intercepted him twice. Meanwhile, Jemarko Simmons — the best receiver in the nation you've never heard of — caught 11 balls for 174 yards and a touchdown.

Simmons now has 84 catches on the year, ranking him first in the MAC and third in the nation. Frank Cooney's NFLDraftScout.com has Simmons ranked as the 31st senior receiver on his draft board. With all due respect to Cooney — one of the premier draft pundits around — that's absurd. After a 2007 that included various low moments of immaturity, Simmons has grown into a complete receiver and is one of the nation's best. He's grown as a player and as a young man. If he performs well at the Combine in February, he should be a first-day selection.

5. Loafer Gophers: Two weeks ago in this very space, I said Minnesota coach Tim Brewster was "hands down" the Big Ten Coach of the Year. Well, he still might be. But November hasn't been bit kind to his Gophers. After starting the season 7-1 with their lone loss coming at Ohio State, Minnesota has lost two straight at home, with Saturday's 29-6 loss to Michigan serving as their worst defeat of the season. Super sophomore Adam Weber had an abysmal day, throwing for just 105 yards, getting sacked four times and throwing an interception. Eric Decker, the Big Ten's leading receiver, caught only one ball before being knocked out of the game on a Morgan Trent interception. Michigan outgained the Gophers 435-188 and kept Minnesota out of the end zone for the first time since Brewster took over as coach last season. Michigan has won 12 straight at the Metrodome and taken home the Little Brown Jug 29 times in the past 31 years. Two weeks ago, there was still outside hope for a Rose Bowl berth in Minneapolis. That's crazy talk now.

6. Rocky Bottom: If the high point of the Phil Fulmer era of Tennessee football came on Jan. 4, 1999 with Tee Martin leading the Vols to the program's fourth National Championship, November 8th, 2008 may go down as the absolute low point. In front of a homecoming day crowd, the dazed and confused Volunteers fell 13-7 to a below average Wyoming team — led by a red-shirt freshman making his second career start — on Saturday. Prior to Saturday's game, the Cowboys had been outscored 273-105 on the year and had not won a single road game. Vegas had Tennessee listed as 27 point favorites. And the Cowboys dominated the Vols from start to finish. Bad times in Knoxville these days. Bad times, indeed.

Phillip Fulmer's time at Tennessee might have hit the low point Saturday. (Wade Payne / Associated Press)

The defeat ensured just the second seven-loss season in Tennessee football history. Defensive end Robert Ayers tried describing the lost season to reporters earlier this week. "I go home and lay down, and I wake up in the morning like, 'Am I going to wake up from a dream?'" Dream? More like a horrible, never-ending nightmare.

7. 'Cats and Dawgs: Despite jumping out to an early 14-0 first-quarter lead, Georgia ended up with its hands full, barely squeaking by Kentucky in a 42-38 thriller out in Lexington. In truth, Kentucky dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball for the majority of the game, and was in perfect position for a last-minute upset win. Down 42-38 with just 59 seconds left on the clock on fourth-and-2 from the Georgia 26, Kentucky freshman quarterback Randall Cobb threw an incomplete pass that appeared to put the game on ice for the Bulldogs. Alas, Georgia's Nick Williams was called for a face-mask penalty — giving the 'Cats new life — first-and-10 from the Georgia 13.

The deflated Georgia D then came up with a rare big stop. DeMarcus Dobbs picked off Cobb's next pass, putting the game on ice. With the win, Georgia avoided being upset by the 'Cats for the second time in three years.

It wasn't pretty and it wasn't easy, but Mark Richt and the Georgia faithful will take it.

8. Bowlin' Again: Last November, Kansas beat Nebraska 76-39 in Lawrence, ultimately marking the end of the Bill Callahan era at Nebraska. It was an embarrassing early Saturday afternoon loss, the low point to a very low Huskers season. A year later with Bo Pelini at the helm, the Huskers beat the Jayhawks for the 20th straight time in Lincoln, getting the rivalry back on track with a high-scoring 45-35 win. Joe Ganz looked solid and running back Roy Helu Jr. scored twice. Ganz has quietly put up big numbers over the past few weeks, holding his own with the more celebrated Big 12 quarterbacks in Lubbock, Austin, Columbia and Norman. With his 324-yard day on Saturday, Ganz has now passed for 300 yards or more in four of his past five games, and eight times in past twelve career starts. After a year hiatus, the 'Huskers are bowl eligible yet again.

9. Wake Up: The ACC's been pretty unpredictable this season. How's that for your understatement of the year? Your best bet on picking any game's winner in this conference by flipping a coin.

Though they appeared out of the conference title race two weeks ago after back-to-back losses to Maryland and Miami, Wake Forest is now in the driver's seat of the ACC's Atlantic Division after Saturday's 28-17 win at Virginia. It was the defense that got the job done, as Jim Grobe's boys forced four turnovers and returned an interception for a touchdown. With wins over N.C. State and BC and one loss from Maryland, Wake Forest will qualify for its second ACC championship game in three years.

Decked in gold uniforms for the first time in 62 years, Wake looked golden. For a half, at least. Up 28-3 through two quarters, the Demon Deacons had to hold on after consecutive Virginia touchdowns.

Could they have really blown a 25-point lead?

In the ACC? Of course. Anything's possible in that conference.

10. Cougars Fans Up in Boise: Perhaps it's time we start taking Boise State's bid as a BCS contender a bit more seriously than we have been. Though no one is shaking in their boots from WAC opponents like Utah State and New Mexico State, the Broncos continue to keep winning. Now 8-0 after Saturday's 49-14 victory over Utah State, Boise's outscored opponents 326-93 with only one win coming by 13 points or less. They've scored more than 20 points in every game this season. Loaded with legitimate pro talent on both sides of the ball, they're flat-out awesome.

So what do the Broncos need to return to their second BCS bowl game in three years?

Some help. More specifically, some help from BYU. With a BCS bowl bid likely reserved for the highest-ranked unbeaten non-BCS conference team, the Broncos need Utah to lose to BYU on Nov. 22 if they want to be in the driver's seat for that bid. Of course, Boise needs to handle its business too. Though Fresno and Nevada are both having down years, they'll be amped to play spoiler when they meet Boise in the coming weeks.

And if both Boise and Utah lose? Then that BCS bid just might be coach Brady Hoke and Ball State's to grab. As much as Alabama and Texas Tech control their destinies, Utah controls theirs.