ESPN Grants Christmas Tips for NCAA Football Teams

NCAA Football Christmas

There are only a few hours left until Christmas day is finally here. With little time to spare, ESPN’s version of Santa, “Trevor Claus” has added a few gifts for some NCAA Football teams that are bowl bound.

Trevor Matich presents this Mr. Claus that is gifting the NCAA teams. Currently he is a college football analyst on ESPN, as well as a Washington Redskins analyst on Comcast Sports Net. Matich previously played football for BYU and multiple NFL teams.

Matich added just the right amount of humor for these teams. They may be successful and on their way to big bowl games but they all have some little flaws that they need to fix before their big day.

There is only a week until these major bowl games begin. If these teams stay out of trouble and continue practicing, the teams featured in Trevor Claus’ list could have the best bowl games of the season.

I have to say that he chose good teams to highlight in his last minute gift giving. These teams are going to be hit-or-miss when it comes to their bowl games. None of them are “in-the-clear” for an easy win by any means.

Will these teams come out as a success? Or will their teams disappoint the fans? It’s all up in the air right now.

Now let’s take a look on the accuracy of his Trevor Claus’ gifts and see if these teams have what it takes to successfully win their bowl games.

Johnny Football's Wish "To Win"

This one hit spot-on; Johnny Manziel had an outstanding season and became the first freshman to win the Heisman trophy but he can’t let the honor get to his head too much.

So what are some ways that Manziel can improve to make himself a Heisman candidate next year? He can easily break his own records, record fewer turnovers, and avoid being arrested. To surpass these expectations expectations, he can help lead his team to the SEC Championship game and in particular, a BCS bowl game.

The #9 Texas A&M Aggies with be playing the #11 Oklahoma Sooners in the Cotton Bowl on January 4th.

LSU's Wish "To catch better"

Even though the Tigers went 10-2, their offense struggled during multiple games this season, particularly on their passing and offensive penalties. The LSU offense ranked 78th in the nation in total offense this season. If the Tigers play hard and make their catches, they could easily win their bowl game; if they play like they have the rest of this season, it could get ugly.

The #8 LSU Tigers will face-off with the #14 Clemson Tigers at the Chick-Fil-A Bowl on December 31st.

Alabama's Wish "To hold onto the ball"

Santa said it correctly; Alabama lost 12 fumbles this season. They only went three games this season without a turnover, which is low for the Crimson tide. On the positive side for Alabama, their defense has completed 28 forced turnovers. The Tide’s offense is going to be crucial for their bowl game.

The #2 Alabama Crimson Tide take on the undefeated #1 Notre Dame Irish in the BCS National Championship game on January 7th.

Ohio State's Wish "A Rose Bowl"

Well Buckeyes, you guys are just out of luck on this one. They may have gone undefeated this season but thanks to Jim Tressel they are ineligible for bowl play.

The only positive for the Ohio State Buckeyes is that the Big 10 had poor performance as a whole this season so it is highly likely that they can dominate the conference again next year.

Northern Illinois' Wish "An Orange Bowl"

Trevor Clause hit this one straight on and I’m glad to see someone finally giving the Huskies the credit. The Huskies went 12-1 this season, with their only loss being to the first game of the season against the Iowa Hawkeyes.

The Huskies aren’t even in a conference that holds an automatic qualify BCS bowl bid so this is huge for the school. Although many analyst doubt the Huskies ability to beat the Bulldogs, I think that the Huskies will surprise all of you and make it a close game.

Northern Illinois takes on the Georgia Bulldogs January 1st in the Orange Bowl.