In having occupied MMA for more than a decade, Couture and Coleman have far exceeded the typical life expectancy for a combat sports athlete, a job that frequently turns young men old and old men into dust. Couture put on a brave front against monstrous Brock Lesnar as late as 2008; Coleman defied expectations to decision Stephan Bonnar in July. Fans seem to delight in that perseverance while simultaneously resenting the fighters’ prolonged status as leading attractions.
Georgia Tech facing Iowa may be the least attractive matchup of the BCS games, but the Orange Bowl could end up being the most intriguing one. In what appears to be a classic case of a high-powered offense versus a stingy defense, the ninth-ranked Yellow Jackets will try to run their way past the No. 10 Hawkeyes when the teams meet Tuesday night in Miami. In its second season under coach Paul Johnson, Georgia Tech went 11-2 and beat Clemson 39-34 in the ACC championship game to win the crown for the first time since sharing it with Florida State in 1998. It was the Yellow Jackets’ first outright ACC title since 1990.
TCU and Boise State both got a BCS bowl as they desired. Only one of those teams doesn’t mind they’ll be facing each other — again. A crack at a major conference powerhouse eluded these programs despite their perfect records, resulting in the third-ranked Horned Frogs and No. 6 Broncos squaring off in a second consecutive postseason at the Fiesta Bowl on Monday. This is the first time two unbeaten teams will play in a BCS bowl other than the national championship game. Three days before SEC power Alabama and Big 12 stalwart Texas meet for the BCS crown, the Mountain West champion Horned Frogs (12-0) and WAC winner Boise State (13-0) take the field in Glendale, Ariz.
It should be strength versus strength on the edge when Rutgers’ offense lines up against the Central Florida defense. UCF defensive ends Bruce Miller — who was the Conference USA defensive player of the year — and Jarvis Geathers combined for 23 sacks and 30 tackles for loss this season. While the Scarlet Knights’ offensive line didn’t live up to expectations this season, they still have two excellent tackles in Anthony Davis and Kevin Haslam. It’s most likely Davis’ last game in a Rutgers uniform as the junior is expected to declare for the NFL draft. Davis and Haslam need to hold off the pass rush and try to create some running lanes against the Knights, who ranked fourth in the FBS in rush defense this season.
The New Orleans Saints are still unbeaten, but it hasn’t been easy. Hardly anything has been that way for the Dallas Cowboys lately. The Saints look to move closer to clinching the NFC’s top seed Saturday night when they host the Cowboys, who are again struggling in December. New Orleans (13-0) set a franchise record for wins and clinched a first-round bye with a 26-23 victory over Atlanta on Sunday. For the second week in a row, though, its perfect record was in jeopardy late.