USC vs. Georgia Tech
Mon., Dec. 31 -- 2 p.m. ET, CBS
El Paso, Texas -- Sun Bowl
Back in August, Lane Kiffin voted his team at No. 1. He wasn’t alone, but he was the only one lying about it.
USC players had cornered the market on swagger and Trojans fans were busy researching travel arrangements for an early-January trip to Miami.
The reality of December is quite different and Trojan linebacker Tony Burnett’s Twitter account spoke the truth before being deleted.
USC (7-5) is expecting to regain the services of senior quarterback Matt Barkley, who was sidelined for the Notre Dame game with a shoulder injury, but what it really needs is quality leadership from the sidelines and coaching booth.
Georgia Tech (6-7) has the honor of being the final college team to slice though Monte Kiffin’s defense. Lane’s dad finally “got resigned” last month.
With their losing record, the Yellow Jackets required a waiver to play in this bowl game, but amazingly enough they were closer to a BCS berth than USC. Georgia Tech hung tough in the ACC title game and gave Florida State all it could handle.
Historically, the Trojans have had great difficulty finding the proper motivation for bowl games not played in Pasadena or at the BCS level. USC’s previous two trips to El Paso in 1990 and 1998 were unmitigated disasters.
The Trojans, who have dropped four of their last five games, won’t have the desire and dedication required to deal with the relentless Yellow Jacket attack.
Opening point spread: USC by 10 1/2
The pick: Georgia Tech 31-28
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