BOWLNANZA!: The Outback Bowl

Penn State (8-4) vs. #19 Tennessee (9-3)

Penn State had a magical season last year, but there were a lot of questions about the Nittany Lions this year, namely replacing QB Michael Robinson with untested junior Anthony Morelli. The results? Decidedly mixed. Morelli was good enough to lead PSU to that 8-4 record, but he was pretty underwhelming against any opponents worth mentioning:

@ Notre Dame: 21/33, 189 yards, TD, INT
@ Ohio State: 16/25, 106, 3 INT
vs. Michigan: 11/18, 133, removed due to blunt trauma from Michigan defense
@ Wisconsin: 19/35, 165, INT

Still, past Morelli, most of the other questions have been answered by PSU. Tony Hunt has played as well as any running back in the nation (1228 yards, 11 TD), and the Lions D is #11 in scoring and #15 in yardage. Plus I hear their coach is pretty good.

The Vols had quite the opposite of a magical season last year, going from national title contender to 5-6, and instantly jeopardizing coach Phil Fulmer's job. Tennessee started off 2006 with a bang, however, annihilating Cal and going a long way towards showing last year was a fluke. Amazing what you can do with an actual offensive line. Tennessee's gotten a bit lucky in some of their games, almost losing to Air Force after that Cal win, and then struggling against, of course, Steve Spurrier and South Carolina, but the Vols are definitely playing up to their talent level, as opposed to last season.

Penn State's the consummate 8-4 team: they beat the teams they should, and they lose to anyone in the top 25. And, uh oh, Tennessee's in the top 25. This may be fairly interesting, as if Tennessee has any weakness, it's their mediocre run defense (which Arkansas exposed and then some), but again, that's "mediocre" and not "horrible." I think Morelli will probably make a few mistakes and keep Hunt and the PSU D from winning this for the Nittany Lions, but an upset is far from impossible.

My Pick: Tennessee
Confidence (out of 5): 1