The Rose Bowl Game presented by Citi
Rose Bowl - Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California
Penn State Nittany Lions vs. USC Trojans
NCAA Football 09 Simulation:
Penn State 21, USC 14
My Pick: close game, but Penn State will be on top
Featuring two one-loss teams that probably think they have been underestimated, the Rose Bowl is an intriguing matchup of the nation's marquee new-school and old-school coaches. The Trojans have won eight straight against the Big Ten by an average of 25 points, and they and their fans likely expect another easy win. That sounds like a trap, because this Big Ten team has productive talent on both sides of the ball. -- Ted Miller
FedEx Orange Bowl
Orange Bowl - Dolphin Stadium, Miami, Florida
Virginia Tech Hokies vs. Cincinnati Bearcats
NCAA Football 09 Simulation:
Cincinnati 34, Virginia Tech 14
My Pick: Cincinnati by a large margin
It's old school Big East vs. new school Big East, as Virginia Tech was one of the three teams that left the conference for the ACC before the 2005 season. While there might be some bad blood between the conferences, Cincinnati is grateful that the Hokies' departure opened up a Big East spot and allowed the school to clinch its first BCS bid. Neither team got to Miami the easy way. Cincinnati had to use five quarterbacks this season because of injuries, while Virginia Tech was 6-4 at one point. -- Brian Bennett
