15+15=Sugar Bowl Sweetness

One of my favorite things about Christmas time is the annual viewing of A Charlie Brown Christmas on TV. One of the funnier parts is when Lucy has to convince Linus why he has to be a shepherd in the school play. She says, “I’ll give you five good reasons, one, two, three, four and five,” as she curls her fingers into a threatening fist.

I’ll give you 30 good reasons to watch the Sugar Bowl—and no violence is required to read on.

Tim Tebow will don his blue #15 jersey for the final time in his storied college career on January 1st in New Orleans. So too will Tony Pike, but of course his #15 jersey will be white. Pike’s rise to national prominence came about through a little hard work, injuries and some luck. Tebow’s national prominence has made many fans sick.

Whether you’re a fan of the outwardly religious Tebow or not, you must admit that he’s had one whale of a run as college football’s premier player the past three seasons. In his sophomore campaign Tebow snatched his only Heisman trophy. He won a National Title in 2007 by being Chris Leak’s backup, but Tebow’s role as the original “Wildcat” quarterback saw him score eight rushing TDs.

He led the Gators to another SEC title and National Title last season, and although they came up just short this season Tebow gets just one more chance to prove why he’s been the talk of the town in college football.

But here to dethrone him is Tony Pike. Pike, from Cincinnati’s Reading High School (the same high school the produced former Gator DeShawn Wynn, whom Tebow handed off to in the aforementioned 2007 National Title game) was not heavily recruited out of high school, but flourished in Brian Kelly’s no huddle spread attack. Pike flung the ball around as Dustin Grutza’s backup last year after Grutza was injured in the Bearcats’ second game in Oklahoma (the team that Tebow and Florida later beat for the National Title).

Pike filled in for Dustin Grutza and then got injured, his comeback and subsequent ability to lead UC to the Orange Bowl was a great storyline for the 2008 Bearcats

While their styles may differ the one thing that will keep fans tuned in to this game is the uncanny ability of both quarterbacks to lead their teams to victory. Down 21 points in the snow and wind at Pittsburgh with the Big East title on the line? No problem, Pike hits Armon Binns with 33 seconds left to clinch the 2009 Big East title and Sugar Bowl berth for the ‘Cats.

Pike celebrates after hitting Armon Binns for the game winning TD two weeks ago in Pittsburgh

With his team tied with Arkansas earlier this season in “The Swamp” Tebow led a similar drive, ending with a game winning field goal and Florida staying perfect.

When Notre Dame Head Coach Brian Kelly was on Dan Patrick’s radio show one week ago (he was still Cincinnati’s Head Coach) Patrick raised two interesting questions about the Sugar Bowl. He asked Kelly who was the better college quarterback. Kelly responded, “Tebow.” But, Patrick asked, with the game on the line and two minutes left in the game, who do you want? With no hesitation he said, “Pike.”

Tebow’s guts and leadership will never be questioned, but the one thing that has been questioned by his critics is his ability to throw the ball. This season he has fared better than most throwing 279 times, completing 182 of those passes for 2413 yards and 18 touchdowns. He also has run the ball for 859 yards on 203 carries, adding thirteen scores on the ground for the Gators.

But Pike still has that ability to stretch the field both vertically and sideline to sideline that scares most defensive coordinators silly. Pike missed four games this season and still threw for 2,350 yards and 26 touchdowns, numbers that would have been higher, and might have earned him a shot at being a Heisman front runner if he didn’t re-injure his non-throwing arm in October at South Florida.

But the debate now isn’t about who has thrown for more yards or who has the better rushing statistics, it’s all about who can lead his team to victory on January 1st in New Orleans. Both teams will put up yards and points, but which #15 will prove to be the MVP?

Pike started off red hot against Rutgers, can he finish red hot against Florida?

Well, you’ll be able to find out by tuning in to the Allstate Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day. Until tomorrow enjoy your day thinking about how great it will be to see the two senior #15’s battling it out in “The Big Easy” to start the 2010 calendar year.