Last Bowl Projections for 2011

Western Kentucky will be the team that gets snubbed. Western Michigan makes a bowl game.

Gildan New Mexico Bowl: Wyoming vs. Temple

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Ohio vs. Utah State

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl: Louisiana-Lafayette vs. San Diego State

Beef 'O' Brady's St. Petersburg Bowl: Florida International vs. Marshall

San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl: TCU vs. Louisiana Tech

Maaco Las Vegas Bowl: Boise State vs. Arizona State

Sheraton Hawaii Bowl: Nevada vs. Southern Miss

AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl: Missouri vs. North Carolina

Little Caesars Pizza Bowl: Purdue vs. Western Michigan

Belk Bowl: Louisville vs. North Carolina State

Military Bowl pres. by Northrop Grumman: Air Force vs. Toledo

Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl: California vs. Texas

Champs Sports Bowl: Florida State vs. Notre Dame

Valero Alamo Bowl: Baylor vs. Washington

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl: BYU vs. Tulsa

New Era Pinstripe Bowl: Iowa State vs. Rutgers

Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl: Wake Forest vs. Mississippi State

Insight Bowl: Iowa vs. Oklahoma

Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas: Texas A&M vs. Northwestern

Hyundai Sun Bowl: Georgia Tech vs. Utah

Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl: UCLA vs. Illinois

AutoZone Liberty Bowl: Cincinnati vs. Vanderbilt

Chick-Fil-A Bowl: Virginia vs. Auburn

TIcketCity Bowl: Penn State vs. Houston

Capital One Bowl: Nebraska vs. South Carolina

TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl: Ohio State vs. Florida

Outback Bowl: Michigan State vs. Georgia

AT&T Cotton Bowl: Kansas State vs. Arkansas

BBVA Compass Bowl: SMU vs. Pittsburgh

GoDaddy.com Bowl: Northern Illinois vs. Arkansas State

Rose Bowl Game pres. by Vizio: Oregon vs. Wisconsin

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma State vs. Stanford

AllState Sugar Bowl: Michigan vs. Virginia Tech

Discover Orange Bowl: Clemson vs. West Virginia

BCS National Championship Game: LSU vs. Alabama

The big debates...
1. Who will play LSU for the national championship, Alabama or Oklahoma State?
2. Will TCU make a BCS Bowl and if not, then who?
3. Who will take the 70th bowl spot, Western Michigan or Western Kentucky?

I think I have the answers to question 1 and 2 figured out, but I have no idea about No. 3, so I give you both scenarios.

I wouldn't rule Penn State-Texas in the Insight Bowl completely out yet, but it's looking more and more like that Penn State will be passed. Yesterday Texas played its way out of the Insight Bowl, but if Kansas State gets a BCS at-large, that puts Texas right back in the Insight Bowl.

Also, don't rule out Boise State getting an at-large over Kansas State.

Here's my last bowl projections, I kind of mixed and matched different possibilities, too.



BOWL PROJECTIONS IF WESTERN MICHIGAN IS 70TH TEAM
Gildan New Mexico Bowl: Air Force vs. Western Michigan

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Ohio vs. Utah State

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl: Louisiana-Lafayette vs. Illinois

Beef 'O' Brady's St. Petersburg Bowl: Florida International vs. Marshall

San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl: TCU vs. Louisiana Tech

Maaco Las Vegas Bowl: Boise State vs. Arizona State

Sheraton Hawaii Bowl: Nevada vs. SMU

AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl: San Diego State vs. North Carolina

Little Caesars Pizza Bowl: Toledo vs. Northwestern

Belk Bowl: Louisville vs. Virginia

Military Bowl pres. by Northrop Grumman: Wake Forest vs. Temple

Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl: California vs. Missouri

Champs Sports Bowl: Florida State vs. Notre Dame

Valero Alamo Bowl: Baylor vs. Washington

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces: BYU vs. Houston

New Era Pinstripe Bowl: Iowa State vs. Rutgers

Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl: North Carolina State vs. Mississippi State

Insight Bowl: Iowa vs. Texas

Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas: Texas A&M vs. Penn State

Hyundai Sun Bowl: Georgia Tech vs. Utah

Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl: UCLA vs. Wyoming

AutoZone Liberty Bowl: Cincinnati vs. Vanderbilt

Chick-Fil-A Bowl: Virginia Tech vs. Auburn

TicketCity Bowl: Purdue vs. Tulsa

Capital One Bowl: Nebraska vs. South Carolina

TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl: Ohio State vs. Florida

Outback Bowl: Michigan State vs. Georgia

AT&T Cotton Bowl: Oklahoma vs. Arkansas

BBVA Compass Bowl: Southern Miss vs. Pittsburgh

GoDaddy.com Bowl: Northern Illinois vs. Arkansas State

Rose Bowl Game pres. by Vizio: Oregon vs. Wisconsin

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma State vs. Stanford

AllState Sugar Bowl: Michigan vs. Kansas State

Discover Orange Bowl: Clemson vs. West Virginia

BCS National Championship Game: LSU vs. Alabama




IF WESTERN KENTUCKY IS THE 70TH TEAM
Gildan New Mexico Bowl: Air Force vs. Temple

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Ohio vs. Utah State

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl: Louisiana-Lafayette vs. SMU

Beef 'O' Brady's St. Petersburg Bowl: Florida International vs. Marshall

San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl: TCU vs. Louisiana Tech
 Maaco Las Vegas Bowl: Boise State vs. Arizona State

Sheraton Hawaii Bowl: Nevada vs. Southern Miss

AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl: San Diego State vs. North Carolina

Little Caesars Pizza Bowl: Toledo vs. Northwestern

Belk Bowl: Cincinnati vs. Virginia

Military Bowl pres. by Northrop Grumman: Wake Forest vs. Illinois

Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl: California vs. Missouri

Champs Sports Bowl: Florida State vs. Notre Dame

Valero Alamo Bowl: Baylor vs. Washington

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces: BYU vs. Tulsa

New Era Pinstripe Bowl: Iowa State vs. Rutgers

Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl: North Carolina State vs. Mississippi State

Insight Bowl: Penn State vs. Texas

Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas: Texas A&M vs. Iowa

Hyundai Sun Bowl: Georgia Tech vs. Utah

Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl: UCLA vs. Wyoming

AutoZone Liberty Bowl: Pittsburgh vs. Vanderbilt

Chick-Fil-A Bowl: Virginia Tech vs. Auburn

TicketCity Bowl: Purdue vs. Houston

Capital One Bowl: Nebraska vs. South Carolina
 TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl: Ohio State vs. Florida

Outback Bowl: Michigan State vs. Georgia

AT&T Cotton Bowl: Oklahoma vs. Arkansas

BBVA Compass Bowl: Western Kentucky vs. Louisville

GoDaddy.com Bowl: Northern Illinois vs. Arkansas State

Rose Bowl Game pres. by Vizio: Oregon vs. Wisconsin

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma State vs. Stanford  

AllState Sugar Bowl: Michigan vs. Kansas State

Discover Orange Bowl: Clemson vs. West Virginia

BCS National Championship Game: LSU vs. Alabama

Assuming Michigan and TCU make BCS Bowls, here are my latest bowl projections with bowl scenarios that cover a LSU-Alabama title game and a LSU-Oklahoma State title game.
*Michigan most likely makes a BCS Bowl game if it is ranked inside the Top 14 of the final BCS Standings
*TCU makes a BCS Bowl game if it is ranked inside the Top 16 and ahead of West Virignia in the final BCS Standings.
I think Michigan is safe. TCU is the one that makes me nervous. If the Horned Frogs don't make a BCS game, I'm going to have redo these projections and either Kansas State or Boise State will get a BCS at-large. Wow.

Previous Bowl Projections
My Top 25

Gildan New Mexico Bowl: Air Force vs. Western Michigan
*TCU making a BCS Bowl opens up Air Force to be in this game instead of the Military Bowl.

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Ohio vs. Utah State

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl: Louisiana-Lafayette vs. Illinois

Beef 'O' Brady's St. Petersburg Bowl: Florida International vs. Marshall

San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl: Wyoming vs. Louisiana Tech
*could be San Diego State here instead of Wyoming but San Diego State played in this game last year and Wyoming beat San Diego State this season.

Maaco Las Vegas Bowl: Boise State vs. Arizona State

Sheraton Hawaii Bowl: Nevada vs. SMU

AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl: San Diego State vs. North Carolina

Little Caesars Pizza Bowl: Toledo vs. Purdue

Belk Bowl: Louisville vs. Virginia

Military Bowl pres. by Northrop Grumman: Wake Forest vs. Temple

Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl: California vs. Texas

Champs Sports Bowl: Florida State vs. Notre Dame

Valero Alamo Bowl: Baylor vs. Washington
*Remember when Baylor beat Oklahoma? The Bears could end up in the Alamo Bowl ahead of Oklahoma.

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces: BYU vs. Tulsa

New Era Pinstripe Bowl: Missouri vs. Rutgers
*Missouri is in a good position to get snubbed and end up in the Pinstripe Bowl.

Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl: North Carolina State vs. Mississippi State

Insight Bowl: Penn State vs. Oklahoma
*Huge historical matchup if it happens. Oklahoma may have played its way into the Insight Bowl.

Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas: Texas A&M vs. Northwestern
*I'm hearing this Bowl wants Texas A&M over Missouri and wants Northwestern over Iowa, so there's that.

Hyundai Sun Bowl: Georgia Tech vs. Utah

Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl: UCLA vs. Iowa State
*UCLA has a bowl waiver to participate in a bowl game despite having a 6-7 record.

AutoZone Liberty Bowl: Cincinnati vs. Vanderbilt
*Cincinnati likely gets this game rather than Houston. Houston's loss free-falls them to TicketCity.

Chick-Fil-A Bowl: Virginia Tech vs. Auburn

TicketCity Bowl: Iowa vs. Houston

Capital One Bowl: Nebraska vs. South Carolina
*Nebraska-Arkansas was my previous projection but I'm hearing a lot of people say that Capital One wants South Carolina instead of Arkansas, although I think Nebraska-Arkansas is the better game.

TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl: Ohio State vs. Florida

Outback Bowl: Michigan State vs. Georgia

AT&T Cotton Bowl: Kansas State vs. Arkansas

BBVA Compass Bowl: Southern Miss vs. Pittsburgh

GoDaddy.com Bowl: Northern Illinois vs. Arkansas State

Rose Bowl Game pres. by Vizio: Oregon vs. Wisconsin

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma State vs. Stanford OR Stanford vs. West Virginia OR Stanford vs. Boise State/Kansas State (if TCU doesn't make BCS)

AllState Sugar Bowl: Michigan vs. West Virginia OR Michigan vs. Alabama

Discover Orange Bowl: Clemson vs. TCU OR Clemson vs. West Virginia (if TCU doesn't make BCS)

BCS National Championship Game: LSU vs. Alabama OR LSU vs. Oklahoma State

Mapping out scenarios based on championship game results

Edit

Mapping out some more bowl scenarios

by Patrick Woo on Friday, December 2, 2011 at 4:16pm

Big Ten Conference
If Michigan makes the BCS and Wisconsin wins the Big Ten Championship
Rose: Wisconsin
Sugar: Michigan
Capital One: Nebraska
Outback: Michigan State
Insight: Penn State
Gator: Ohio State
Car Care: Iowa
TicketCity: Purdue
Little Caesars: Northwestern
At-Large: Illinois

If Michigan makes the BCS and Michigan State wins the Big Ten Championship
Rose: Michigan State
Sugar: Michigan
Capital One: Wisconsin
Outback: Nebraska
Insight: Penn State
Gator: Ohio State

If Michigan does NOT make the BCS and Wisconsin wins the Big Ten Championship
Rose: Wisconsin
Capital One: Michigan
Outback: Michigan State
Insight: Nebraska
Gator: Ohio State
Car Care: Penn State

If Michigan does NOT make the BCS and Michigan State wins the Big Ten Championship
Rose: Michigan State
Capital One: Wisconsin
Outback: Michigan
Insight: Nebraska
Gator: Ohio State
Car Care: Penn State

Atlantic Coast Conference
If Clemson wins ACC Championship
Orange: Clemson
Chick-Fil-A: Virginia Tech
Champs Sports: Florida State

If Virginia Tech wins ACC Championship
Orange: Virginia Tech
Chick-Fil-A: Florida State
Champs Sports: Clemson

Big 12 Conference
If Oklahoma State beats Oklahoma and Baylor beats Texas
Fiesta: Oklahoma State
Cotton: Kansas State
Alamo: Oklahoma
Insight: Baylor
Holiday: Missouri
Car Care: Texas
Pinstripe: Texas A&M
At-Large: Iowa State

If Oklahoma State beats Oklahoma and Texas beats Baylor
Fiesta: Oklahoma State
Cotton: Kansas State
Alamo: Oklahoma
Insight: Texas
Holiday: Baylor
Car Care: Missouri
Pinstripe: Texas A&M

If Oklahoma beats Oklahoma State and Baylor beats Texas and Michigan does not make BCS
Fiesta: Oklahoma
Sugar: Oklahoma State
Cotton: Kansas State
Alamo: Baylor
Insight: Texas
Holiday: Missouri
Car Care: Texas A&M
Pinstripe: Iowa State

If Oklahoma beats Oklahoma State and Baylor beats Texas and Michigan makes BCS over Oklahoma State
Fiesta: Oklahoma
Cotton: Oklahoma State
Alamo: Kansas State
Insight: Baylor
Holiday: Missouri
Car Care: Texas
Pinstripe: Texas A&M

If Oklahoma beats Oklahoma State and Texas beats Baylor
Fiesta: Oklahoma
Cotton: Oklahoma State
Alamo: Kansas State
Insight: Texas
Holiday: Baylor
Car Care: Missouri
Pinstripe: Texas A&M

Big East Conference - the toughest to project
If West Virginia wins Big East
Orange: West Virginia
Liberty: Cincinnati
Belk:Louisville
Pinstripe:Rutgers
Compass: Pittsburgh

If Louisville wins Big East
Orange: Louisville
Belk: West Virginia
Liberty: Cincinnati
Pinstripe: Rutgers
Compass: Pittsburgh

Pac-12 Conference
If Oregon wins Pac-12 Championship
Rose: Oregon
Fiesta: Stanford
Alamo: Washington
Holiday: California
Sun: Utah
Maaco: Arizona State
Fight Hunger: UCLA
New Mexico: no Pac-12 team

If UCLA wins Pac-12 Championship
Rose: UCLA
Fiesta: Stanford
Alamo: Oregon
Holiday: Washington
Sun: California
Maaco: Utah
Fight Hunger: Arizona State
New Mexico: UCLA

Southeastern Conference
If LSU wins SEC Championship
National Championship: LSU
National Championship: Alabama
Capital One: Arkansas/Georgia
Cotton: Georgia/Arkansas
Outback: South Carolina
Chick-Fil-A: Auburn
Gator: Florida
Music City: Mississippi State
Liberty: Vanderbilt
Compass: no SEC team

If Georgia wins SEC Championship
National Championship: Alabama
National Championship: LSU
Sugar: Georgia
Capital One: Arkansas
Cotton: South Carolina
Outback: Auburn
Chick-fil-A: Florida
Gator: Vanderbilt
Music City: Mississippi State
Liberty: no SEC team
Compass: no SEC team

If somehow there's no rematch in national championship game
National Championship: LSU
Sugar: Alabama
Capital One: Arkansas/Georgia
Cotton: Georgia/Arkansas
Outback: South Carolina
Chick-Fil-A: Auburn
Gator: Florida
Music City: Mississippi State
Liberty: Vanderbilt
Compass: no SEC team

BCS Notes: The new BCS Standings are out here. You can see them Here

Notables from the latest BCS Standings:
1. Stanford jumps Virginia Tech to move into the No. 4 spot. Like last year, this guarantees the Cardinal a BCS at-large no matter what. There is a chance that Virginia Tech could jump back ahead of Stanford if they beat Clemson next week, but Stanford is still likely to receive an at-large bid from the No. 5 spot. If Oklahoma beats Oklahoma State, Stanford is guaranteed to be in the Top 4.
2. I currently have Michigan in the Sugar Bowl, but the Wolverines are No. 16 in the latest BCS Standings. To be in a BCS game, Michigan must crack the Top 14, and here's the problem, their season is done. For Michigan to get into the Top 14, they need two of these teams to lose: Wisconsin, Houston, Georgia, Oklahoma.

3. TCU checks into the BCS Standings at No. 18. IF the Horned Frogs can get into the Top 16, as champions of the Mountain West Conference (Tiebreaker over Boise State), TCU will receive an automatic bid to a BCS Bowl because they will be ranked ahead of whoever ends up being the Big East Conference champion.

4. The gap between Alabama and Oklahoma State for No. 2 and No. 3 is .0839, which is significant. Oklahoma State had been in the Top 2 of the BCS computers all season until now dropping to No. 3 because of the bye week while Alabama beat Auburn. With a win over Oklahoma next week, Oklahoma State should move back to No. 2 in the computers, but the Harris Poll and Coaches' Poll voters have Oklahoma State at No. 5, which is no where near good enough to be able to jump Alabama in the BCS.

5. IF Georgia beats LSU AND LSU-Alabama remains the BCS Championship Game matchup, then the SEC will get a third team in a BCS game and it won't be Arkansas. Georgia will head to the Sugar Bowl, stealing an at-large spot from either Michigan or Stanford (if Stanford not in the Top 4).

Here's my Updated Bowl Projections.

-Utah State has accepted an invitation to the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
-Louisiana Tech has accepted an invitation to the Poinsettia Bowl
-BYU has accepted an invitation to the Armed Forces Bowl
-Arkansas State has accepted an invitation to the GoDaddy.com Bowl.
-Bowl matchups will be announced Sunday, December 4.

-Penn State seems almost certain to be headed for the Insight Bowl. The only thing that could change that in my opinion is if Michigan does not make a BCS Bowl, which would bump Penn State down to the Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas.
-If Michigan makes a BCS Bowl and Wisconsin wins the Big Ten, Nebraska beat writer tells me Nebraska is almost guaranteed Capital One Bowl, if not, then Outback Bowl.
-West coast writers believe that Boise State will go to the Maaco Bowl ahead of TCU, although TCU is the conference champion with the tiebreaker, but being officially "co-champions" the Maaco Bowl can take Boise State. The only thing that TCU can use the tiebreaker for is if there is an automatic-BCS bid on the line.

Gildan New Mexico Bowl: Wyoming vs. Western Michigan
Previous Projection: San Diego State vs. Temple
-Could take San Diego State instead of Wyoming. The Independence Bowl has first choice and San Diego State is the better team, but would the crowd travel to Shreveport? Whichever Independence Bowl doesn't take comes here.

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Ohio vs. Utah State
Previous Projection: Same

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl: Illinois vs. Louisiana-Lafayette
Previous Projection: Louisiana-Lafayette vs. UTEP

Beef 'O' Brady's St. Petersburg Bowl: Pittsburgh vs. Temple
Previous Projection: South Florida vs. Purdue
-Maybe this could be Pitt-Illinois if it works out that way?

San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl: Louisiana Tech vs. TCU
Previous Projection: Same
*Louisiana Tech has already accepted.

Maaco Las Vegas Bowl: Boise State vs. Arizona State
Previous Projection: Boise State vs. UCLA

Sheraton Hawaii Bowl: Nevada vs. Marshall
Previous Projection: Same 

AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl: San Diego State vs. North Carolina State
Previous Projection: Wyoming vs. NC State
-They could go with Wyoming instead of San Diego State.

Little Caesars Pizza Bowl: Toledo vs. Northwestern
Previous Projection: Same 

Belk Bowl: Cincinnati vs. Virginia
Previous Projection: Louisville vs. Georgia Tech
-Cincinnati owns the head-to-head and has a better record than Louisville but either team could represent the Big East here.

Military Bowl pres. by Northrop Grumman: Air Force vs. Wake Forest
Previous Projection: Air Force vs. North Carolina

Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl: California vs. Baylor
Previous Projection: Arizona State vs. Missouri

Champs Sports Bowl: Clemson vs. Notre Dame
Previous Projection: Florida State vs. Notre Dame

Valero Alamo Bowl: Oklahoma vs. Washington
Previous Projection: Kansas State vs. Washington

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl: BYU vs. Tulsa
Previous Projection: Same
*BYU has already accepted

New Era Pinstripe Bowl: Texas A&M vs. Rutgers
Previous Projection: Same

Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl: North Carolina vs. Mississippi State
Previous Projection: Wake Forest vs. Mississippi State

Insight Bowl: Penn State vs. Texas
Previous Projection: Baylor vs. Nebraska
-To me, it makes more sense for Penn State to go to Florida and Nebraska to go the Insight Bowl but I spoke to a Nebraska beat writer that says Nebraska to the Capital One Bowl is a done deal, which would give Michigan State the Outback Bowl, assuming Wisconsin goes to the Rose Bowl.

Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas: Missouri vs. Iowa
Previous Projection: Texas vs. Illinois

Hyundai Sun Bowl: Georgia Tech vs. Utah
Previous Projection: Virginia vs. Utah

Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl: UCLA vs. Iowa State
Previous Projection: California vs. Iowa State

AutoZone Liberty Bowl: Southern Miss vs. Vanderbilt
Previous Projection: Southern Miss vs. Tennessee

Chick-fil-A Bowl: Florida State vs. Auburn
Previous Projection: Clemson vs. Auburn

TicketCity Bowl: Purdue vs. SMU
Previous Projection: Iowa vs. SMU

Capital One Bowl: Nebraska vs. Arkansas
Previous Projection: Michigan State vs. Georgia
-Nebraska owns the head-to-head over Michigan State and I spoke to a Nebraska beat writer for the Omaha Herald who says Nebraska officials told him they have been in contact with Capital One Bowl.

TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl: Ohio State vs. Florida
Previous Projection: Same

Outback Bowl: Michigan State vs. South Carolina
Previous Projection: Penn State vs. South Carolina
-If Michigan State is passed over by the Capital One Bowl, it's almost certain they'd get a bid to the Outback Bowl ahead of Penn State.

AT&T Cotton Bowl: Kansas State vs. Georgia
Previous Projection: Oklahoma State vs. Arkansas

BBVA Compass Bowl: Florida International vs. Louisville
Previous Projection: Vanderbilt vs. CIncinnati
-You could see Western Kentucky here instead of FIU but despite the Hilltoppers having a great season with just one conference loss, FIU's 8-4 record and bowl reputation could put the Panthers ahead.

GoDaddy.com Bowl: Arkansas State vs. Northern Illinois
Previous Projection: Same
*Arkansas State has already accepted

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma State vs. Stanford
Previous Projection: Oklahoma vs. Stanford

Rose Bowl Game pres. by Vizio: Oregon vs. Wisconsin
Previous Projection: Same

AllState Sugar Bowl: Michigan vs. Houston
Previous Projection: Same

Discover Orange Bowl: Virginia Tech vs. West Virginia
Previous Projection: Same

BCS Championship Game: LSU vs. Alabama
Previous Projection: Same.
-let talk the talk of a rematch continue...

Note:
-BYU has accepted an invitation to the Armed Forces Bowl
-Arkansas State has accepted an invitation to the GoDaddy.com Bowl
-Reports in Boise say that the Maaco Las Vegas Bowl wants Boise State over TCU. The two will be co-champions of the Mountain West (TCU has the tiebreaker).
-Miami has withdrawn itself from bowl consideration this year in response to the Nevin Shapiro Scandal.

It'll be interesting to see what the Cotton Bowl, Capital One Bowl and Outback Bowl does with the SEC teams because we know South Carolina doesn't have a good relationship with the Outback Bowl but South Carolina probably can't jump Arkansas for the Cotton Bowl and would the Capital One Bowl take South Carolina over Arkansas/Georgia?

Gildan New Mexico Bowl: San Diego State vs. Temple

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Ohio vs. Utah State

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl: Louisiana-Lafayette vs. UTEP

Beef 'O' Brady's St. Petersburg Bowl: South Florida vs. Purdue

San Diego Credit County Union Poinsettia Bowl: TCU vs. Louisiana Tech

Maaco Las Vegas Bowl: Boise State vs. UCLA

Sheraton Hawaii Bowl: Nevada vs. Marshall

AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl: Wyoming vs. NC State

Little Caesars Pizza Bowl: Toledo vs. Northwestern

Belk Bowl: Louisville vs. Georgia Tech

Military Bowl pres. by Northrop Grumman: Air Force vs. North Carolina

Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl: Arizona State vs. Missouri

Champs Sports Bowl: Notre Dame vs. Florida State 

Valero Alamo Bowl: Kansas State vs. Washington

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl: BYU vs. Tulsa

New Era Pinstripe Bowl: Texas A&M vs. Rutgers

Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl: Wake Forest vs. Mississippi State

Insight Bowl: Baylor vs. Nebraska

Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas: Texas vs. Illinois

Hyundai Sun Bowl: Virginia vs. Utah

Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl: California vs. Iowa State

AutoZone Liberty Bowl: Southern Miss vs. Tennessee

Chick-fil-A Bowl: Clemson vs. Auburn

TicketCity Bowl: Iowa vs. SMU

Capital One Bowl: Michigan State vs. Georgia

TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl: Ohio State vs. Florida

Outback Bowl: Penn State vs. South Carolina

AT&T Cotton Bowl: Oklahoma State vs. Arkansas

BBVA Compass Bowl: Vanderbilt vs. Cincinnati

GoDaddy.com Bowl: Northern Illinois vs. Arkansas State

BCS Tostitos Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma vs. Stanford

Rose Bowl Game pres. by Vizio: Oregon vs. Wisconsin

BCS AllState Sugar Bowl: Houston vs. Michigan

BCS Discover Orange Bowl: Virginia Tech vs. West Virginia

BCS Championship Game: LSU vs. Alabama

Week 12 Bowl Projections

Gildan New Mexico Bowl: Air Force vs. Temple

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Ohio vs. Louisiana Tech

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl: Arkansas State vs. Central Florida

Beef 'O' Brady's St. Petersburg Bowl: South Florida vs. Southern Miss

San Diego Credit County Union Poinsettia Bowl: Boise State vs. Nevada

Maaco Las Vegas Bowl: TCU vs. UCLA

Sheraton Hawaii Bowl: Hawaii vs. Wyoming

AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl: San Diego State vs. Miami

Little Caesars Pizza Bowl: Toledo vs. Illinois

Belk Bowl: West Virginia vs. Virginia

Military Bowl pres. by Northrop Grumman: Navy vs. North Carolina State

Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl: Arizona State vs. Texas A&M

Champs Sports Bowl: Notre Dame vs. Florida State

Valero Alamo Bowl: Texas vs. Washington

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl: BYU vs. Tulsa

New Era Pinstripe Bowl: Northwestern vs. Rutgers

Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl: North Carolina vs. Mississippi State

Insight Bowl: Baylor vs. Ohio State

Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas: Missouri vs. Purdue

Hyundai Sun Bowl: Georgia Tech vs. Utah

Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl: California vs. Ball State

AutoZone Liberty Bowl: Houston vs. Tennessee

Chick-fil-A Bowl: Virginia Tech vs. Auburn

TicketCity Bowl: Iowa vs. SMU

Capital One Bowl: Michigan State vs. Arkansas

TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl: Penn State vs. Florida

Outback Bowl: Michigan vs. South Carolina

AT&T Cotton Bowl: Kansas State vs. Georgia

BBVA Compass Bowl: Vanderbilt vs. Louisville

GoDaddy.com Bowl: Northern Illinois vs. Louisiana-Lafayette

BCS Tostitos Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma vs. Nebraska

Rose Bowl Game pres. by Vizio: Oregon vs. Wisconsin

BCS AllState Sugar Bowl: Alabama vs. Stanford

BCS Discover Orange Bowl: Clemson vs. Cincinnati

BCS Championship Game: LSU vs. Oklahoma State

Week 11 Bowl Projections

Gildan New Mexico Bowl: Wyoming vs. Temple

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Toledo vs. Fresno State

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl: Arkansas State vs. Central Florida

Beef 'O' Brady's St. Petersburg Bowl: Syracuse vs. Southern Miss

San Diego Credit County Union Poinsettia Bowl: San Diego State vs. Nevada

Maaco Las Vegas Bowl: TCU vs. UCLA

Sheraton Hawaii Bowl: Hawaii vs. UTEP

AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl: Air Force vs. Miami

Little Caesars Pizza Bowl: Miami (OH) vs. Northwestern

Belk Bowl: West Virginia vs. North Carolina State

Military Bowl pres. by Northrop Grumman: East Carolina vs. Virginia

Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl: Washington vs. Baylor

Champs Sports Bowl: Notre Dame vs. Florida State

Valero Alamo Bowl: Texas A&M vs. Arizona State

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl: BYU vs. Tulsa

New Era Pinstripe Bowl: Missouri vs. Rutgers

Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl: North Carolina vs. Mississippi State

Insight Bowl: Kansas State vs. Michigan

Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas: Texas Tech vs. Ohio State

Hyundai Sun Bowl: Georgia Tech vs. Utah

Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl: California vs. Ohio

AutoZone Liberty Bowl: Houston vs. Tennessee

Chick-fil-A Bowl: Virginia Tech vs. Florida

TicketCity Bowl: Iowa vs. SMU

Capital One Bowl: Penn State vs. Arkansas

TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl: Nebraska vs. Auburn

Outback Bowl: Michigan State vs. Georgia

AT&T Cotton Bowl: Texas vs. South Carolina

BBVA Compass Bowl: Vanderbilt vs. Louisville

GoDaddy.com Bowl: Northern Illinois vs. Louisiana-Lafayette

BCS Tostitos Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma vs. Boise State

Rose Bowl Game pres. by Vizio: Oregon vs. Wisconsin

BCS AllState Sugar Bowl: Alabama vs. Stanford

BCS Discover Orange Bowl: Clemson vs. Cincinnati

BCS Championship Game: LSU vs. Oklahoma State

First Bowl Projections of 2011

I made these bowl projections throughout the week but a wild Saturday today forced to make some adjustments but here they are, my first bowl projections of 2011. The hardest projections for me to do are the bowls involving the Big Ten teams. From Penn State to Wisconsin to Nebraska to Michigan to Michigan State to Ohio State to Illinois to Iowa to even Purdue, it's hard to separate these teams.

Gildan New Mexico Bowl: Wyoming vs. Ohio
If they played today: Wyoming

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Temple vs. Fresno State
If they played today: Temple

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl: Arkansas State vs. Southern Miss
If they played today: Southern Miss

Beef 'O' Brady's St. Petersburg Bowl: South Florida vs. Tulsa
If they played today: Tulsa

San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl: San Diego State vs. Nevada
If they played today: San Diego State

MAACO Las Vegas Bowl: TCU vs. Purdue
If they played today: TCU

Sheraton Hawaii Bowl: Hawaii vs. UTEP
If they played today: Hawaii

AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl: Air Force vs. Wake Forest
If they played today: Air Force

Little Caesars Pizza Bowl: Northern Illinois vs. Illinois
If they played today: Northern Illinois

Belk Bowl: West Virginia vs. North Carolina
If they played today: West Virginia

Military Bowl pres. by Northrop Grumman: East Carolina vs. Virginia
If they played today: Virginia

Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl: Washington vs. Texas Tech
If they played today: Texas Tech

Champs Sports Bowl: Notre Dame vs. Florida State
If they played today: Florida State

Valero Alamo Bowl: Texas vs. Arizona State
If they played today: Arizona State

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl: BYU vs. Central Florida
If they played today: BYU

New Era Pinstripe Bowl: Kansas State vs. Rutgers
If they played today: Rutgers

Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl: Georgia Tech vs. Mississippi State
If they played today: Georgia Tech

Insight Bowl: Baylor vs. Penn State
If they played today: Penn State

Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas: Missouri vs. Ohio State
If they played today: Ohio State

Hyundai Sun Bowl: Miami vs. California
If they played today: Miami

Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl: Utah vs. Syracuse
If they played today: Syracuse

AutoZone Liberty Bowl: Houston vs. Vanderbilt
If they played today: Vanderbilt

Chick-fil-A Bowl: Virginia Tech vs. Auburn
If they played today: Virginia Tech

TicketCity Bowl: Iowa vs. SMU
If they played today: SMU

Capital One Bowl: Wisconsin vs. Arkansas
If they played today: Wisconsin

Gator Bowl: Michigan vs. Florida
If they played today: Florida

Outback Bowl: Michigan State vs. South Carolina
If they played today: Michigan State

AT&T Cotton Bowl: Texas A&M vs. Georgia
If they played today: Texas A&M

BBVA Compass Bowl: Florida International vs. Pittsburgh
If they played today: Pittsburgh

GoDaddy.com Bowl: Toledo vs. Louisiana-Lafayette
If they played today: Toledo

BCS Tostitos Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma vs. Boise State
If they played today: Oklahoma

Rose Bowl Game pres. by Vizio: Oregon vs. Nebraska
If they played today: Oregon

BCS AllState Sugar Bowl: Stanford vs. Oklahoma State
If they played today: Stanford

BCS Discover Orange Bowl: Clemson vs. Cincinnati
If they played today: Clemson

BCS National Championship Game: LSU vs. Alabama
If they played today: WHO KNOWS, we'll find out on Nov. 5.


If your team isn't where you want it to be, chill out. There's still a lot of games left to play and a lot of changes to happen. Believe me, I at least want Texas in the Cotton Bowl and it can happen. Penn Staters, I know you want Penn State in the Rose Bowl. Beat Nebraska, and it might happen.

Thanks to Ohio State beating Wisconsin tonight, I had to remove Wisconsin from the Rose Bowl and upgrade Ohio State from the Little Caesars Bowl.

Bowl Projections

December 5, 2010


2010 College Football Bowl Projections, Dec. 4, 2010
New Mexico Bowl: Dec. 18 2:00 on ESPN
Projection: BYU vs. UTEP
Official Matchup: BYU vs. UTEP
Quick Pick a winner: BYU

uDrove Humanitarian Bowl: Dec. 18 5:30 on ESPN
Projection: Fresno State vs. Toledo
Official Matchup: Fresno State vs. Northern Illinois
Quick Pick a winner: Northern Illinois

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl: Dec. 18 9:00 on ESPN
Projection: Florida International vs. Temple
Official Matchup: Troy vs. Ohio
Quick Pick a winner: Troy

Beef 'O'Brady's St. Petersburg Bowl: Dec. 21 8:00 on ESPN
Projection: Louisville vs. Southern Miss
Official Matchup: Louisville vs. Southern Miss
Quick Pick a winner: Louisville

MAACO Las Vegas Bowl: Dec. 22 8:00 on ESPN
Projection: Utah vs. Boise State
Official Matchup: Utah vs. Boise State
Quick Pick a winner: Boise State

San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl: Dec. 23 8:00 on ESPN
Projection: Navy vs. San Diego State
Official Matchup: Navy vs. San Diego State
Quick Pick a winner: Navy

Sheraton Hawaii Bowl: Dec. 24 8:00 on ESPN
Projection: Hawaii vs. Tulsa
Official Matchup: Hawaii vs. Tulsa
Quick Pick a winner: Hawaii

Little Caesars Pizza Bowl: Dec. 26 8:30 on ESPN
Projection: Middle Tennessee vs. Northern Illinois
Official Matchup: Florida International vs. Toledo
Quick Pick a winner: Toledo

AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl: Dec. 27 5:00 on ESPN2
Projection: Air Force vs. Georgia Tech
Official Matchup: Air Force vs. Georgia Tech
Quick Pick a winner: Air Force

Champs Sports Bowl: Dec. 28 6:30 on ESPN
Projection: North Carolina State vs. West Virginia
Official Matchup: North Carolina State vs. West Virginia
Quick Pick a winner: West Virginia

Insight Bowl: Dec. 28 10:00 on ESPN
Projection: Nebraska vs. Iowa
Official Matchup: Missouri vs. Iowa
Quick Pick a winner: Iowa

Military Bowl presented by Northrop Grumman: Dec. 29 2:30 on ESPN
Projection: East Carolina vs. Clemson
Official Matchup: East Carolina vs. Maryland
Quick Pick a winner: East Carolina

Texas Bowl: Dec. 29 6:00 on ESPN
Projection: Baylor vs. Illinois
Official Matchup: Baylor vs. Illinois
Quick Pick a winner: Illinois

Valero Alamo Bowl: Dec. 29 9:15 on ESPN
Projection: Washington vs. Oklahoma State
Official Matchup: Arizona vs. Oklahoma State
Quick Pick a winner: Oklahoma State

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl: Dec. 30 12:00 on ESPN
Projection: SMU vs. Army
Official Matchup: SMU vs. Army
Quick Pick a winner: SMU

New Era Pinstripe Bowl: Dec. 30 3:20 on ESPN
Projection: Syracuse vs. Kansas State
Official Matchup: Syracuse vs. Kansas State
Quick Pick a winner: Syracuse

Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl: Dec. 30 6:40 on ESPN
Projection: Maryland vs. Mississippi State
Official Matchup: North Carolina vs. Tennessee
Quick Pick a winner: North Carolina

Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl: Dec. 30 10:00 on ESPN
Projection: Arizona vs. Missouri
Official Matchup: Washington vs. Nebraska
Quick Pick a winner: Nebraska

Meineke Car Care Bowl: Dec. 31 12:00 on ESPN
Projection: Pittsburgh vs. North Carolina
Official Matchup: South Florida vs. Clemson
Quick Pick a winner: Clemson

Hyundai Sun Bowl: Dec. 31 2:00 on CBS
Projection: Miami vs. Notre Dame
Official Matchup: Miami vs. Notre Dame
Quick Pick a winner: Miami

AutoZone Liberty Bowl: Dec. 31 3:30 on ESPN
Projection: Central Florida vs. Georgia
Official Matchup: Central Florida vs. Georgia
Quick Pick a winner: Central Florida

Chick-Fil-A Bowl: Dec. 31 TBA
Projection: Florida State vs. South Carolina
Official Matchup: Florida State vs. South Carolina
Quick Pick a winner: South Carolina

TicketCity Bowl: Jan. 1 12:00 on ESPNU
Projection: Northwestern vs. Texas Tech
Official Matchup: Northwestern vs. Texas Tech
Quick Pick a winner: Texas Tech

Outback Bowl: Jan. 1 1:00 on ABC
Projection: Penn State vs. Florida
Official Matchup: Penn State vs. Florida
Quick Pick a winner: Penn State

Capital One Bowl: Jan. 1 1:00 on ESPN
Projection: Michigan State vs. Alabama
Official Matchup: Michigan State vs. Alabama
Quick Pick a winner: Alabama

Gator Bowl: Jan. 1 1:30 on ESPN
Projection: Michigan vs. Tennessee
Official Matchup: Michigan vs. Mississippi State
Quick Pick a winner: Mississippi State

GoDaddy.com Bowl: Jan. 6 8:00 on ESPN
Projection: Miami (OH) vs. Troy
Official Matchup: Miami (OH) vs. Middle Tennessee
Quick Pick a winner: Miami (OH)

AT&T Cotton Bowl: Jan. 7 8:00 on Fox
Projection: Texas A&M vs. LSU
Official Matchup: Texas A&M vs. LSU
Quick Pick a winner: Texas A&M

BBVA Compass Bowl: Jan. 8 12:00 on ESPN
Projection: South Florida vs. Kentucky
Official Matchup: Pittsburgh vs. Kentucky
Quick Pick a winner: Pittsburgh

Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl: Jan. 9 9:00 on ESPN
Projection: Nevada vs. Boston College
Official Matchup: Nevada vs. Boston College
Quick Pick a winner: Nevada

BCS Tostitos Fiesta Bowl: Jan. 1 8:30 on ESPN
Projection: Oklahoma vs. Stanford
Official Matchup: Oklahoma vs. Connecticut
Quick Pick a winner: Oklahoma....finally will win a BCS game.

BCS Discover Orange Bowl: Jan. 3 8:00 on ESPN
Projection: Virginia Tech vs. Connecticut
Official Matchup: Virginia Tech vs. Stanford
Quick Pick a winner: Virginia Tech...maybe

BCS Allstate Sugar Bowl: Jan. 4 8:00 on ESPN
Projection: Arkansas vs. Ohio State
Official Matchup: Arkansas vs. Ohio State
Quick Pick a winner: Arkansas

Rose Bowl Game presented by VIZIO: Jan. 1 4:30 on ABC
Projection: Wisconsin vs. TCU
Official Matchup: Wisconsin vs. TCU
Quick Pick a winner: Wisconsin

Tostitos BCS National Championship Game: Jan. 10 8:00 on ESPN
Projection: Auburn vs. Oregon
Official Matchup: Auburn vs. Oregon
Quick Pick a winner: Auburn

It'll be interesting as to see what the Orange Bowl does whether they take UConn or Stanford. Also not sure between Nebraska and Oklahoma State who's headed to the Alamo, I went with the Cowboys and we'll see on a lot more like the MAC teams, because of Middle Tennessee beating FIU today and getting bowl eligible, I put them into the Sun Belt's last spot in the Pizza Bowl and moved Louisville out of there and bumped Ohio from the picture which moved up Temple and Toledo. Now, I feel bad for Ohio, but there are only so many spots, but it could be that Ohio stays in and Middle Tennessee doesn't make a bowl.

There's also the rumors that the Outback Bowl wants Florida instead of South Carolina to play Penn State. We will see.

2008 Bowl Games Part 2

January 2, 2009

BCS Rose Bowl Game presented by Citi: January 1 4:30 on ABC
No. 8 Penn State (11-1) vs. No. 5 Southern California (11-1)
My Pick: USC Trojans
Prediction: USC 28, Penn State 17
USC, on paper, is the best team in the country. I love Penn State, but this is a joke I'm sorry. USC wins this 28-17, if that. Idk if Penn State could get to 17, maybe score 10. The HD Spread Offense won't look like high quality against this USC defense. I'm ready to annoint this defense as the best ever in the history of the game. Penn State's offense is mediocre at best and can't keep up with USC. Like everyone said, I'd love to see this USC defense go against an offense like Texas or Florida. And people are raving about Penn State's defense and you know I looked at it, and yeah knocked a touchdown off of USC's score. Penn State's main strength is its pass rush and if USC can run the ball enough with Joe McKnight and CJ Gable, later in the game it'll open up the play action pass for Mark Sanchez to find his talented receivers.
Result: USC 38, Penn State 24
MVP: Mark Sanchez 28-35 413 yards, 4 TD; rushing touchdown
Honorable Mention: Damian Williams 10 catches for 162 yards, TD
Recap: People wanted to talk about Penn State's defense being able to equal that of USC. Penn State's defense? Defense? No. I said it, and I stand by it, of course I haven't been around that long, but USC is the greatest defense I have ever seen. And their offense is nothing short of explosive. USC took a 31-7 halftime lead.
The score doesn't tell the story at all here. USC dominated this entire game. Penn State's 2nd half scoring was because of the lack of competitiveness left in the USC defense after being up big in the game. The game wasn't nearly as close as the score suggests.
USC struck first offensively with QB Mark Sanchez hitting Damian Williams on a post route one-on-one with a safety for 27 yards and a touchdown. Penn State though responded with a long drive that ended with a Darryl Clark touchdown run on the QB Draw. USC came right back on offense and scored, this time Mark Sanchez with the QB Draw.
It was an unusual day for Penn State as they committed so many unnecessary costly penalties all game long which is unlike Penn State football. Penn State's offense took a big blow when runningback Evan Royster went out for the game with a left knee injury, but on the other side, USC's most explosive tailback Joe McKnight went out after spraining his left toe. Penn State's offense had a tough time against the USC defense while SC's offense continued to pour it on. Penn State thought they got something going when Stephfon Green broke off a big run but the all-american safety Taylor Mays of USC knocked the ball loose and USC recovered the fumble. They went ahead and scored again on a 20 yard screen pass to CJ Gable.
In the 2nd half, the 3rd quarter was all shutout. On USC's best opportunity to score, Gable fumble-prone, fumbled the ball away. Penn State early in the 4th quarter got the ball down to the 5 yard line when Clark fumbled but replay showed he was down. USC's defense was determined to keep Penn State out of the endzone, they had shut out 8 opponents this year in the 2nd half. Penn State scored and USC responded right off the bat with a Sanchez touchdown pass to a wide open Ronald Brown.
Penn State continued to play hard while USC let up and it resulted in a closer game in the box score. USC, punting the ball away with 39 seconds left in the game, snapped the ball past their punter and gave Penn State one last chance to try to score again. Clark threw an interception into the endzone on the last play of the game.



BCS Fedex Orange Bowl: January 1 8:00 on FOX
No. 12 Cincinnati (11-3) vs. No. 19 Virginia Tech (10-4)
My Pick: Virginia Tech Hokies
Prediction: VT 28, Cincy 24
Tyrod Taylor is the man. This shows how bad the system is because I love VT and all but there's no reason why a 4-loss team should be playing in the BCS. However, Virginia Tech will win this game and show that the real team not deserving to be in the BCS is Cincinnati. Cincy's had their struggles having to use 5 different quarterbacks this season. In my opinion, they haven't really faced a defense as fast as them and this is the time for Virginia Tech's young defense to grow up and hold its ground while Tyrod Taylor puts points on the board. Macho Harris is going to create a big turnover late in the game to seal the win for the Hokies.
Result: Virginia Tech 20, Cincinnati 7
MVP: Darren Evans 28 carries for 153 yards, touchdown
Recap: Defense wins ball games. Virginia Tech's 7th ranked defense was confused with the spread offense look of Cincinnati on their first drive. Cincy came out fast and quarterback Tony Pike found Mardy Gilyard for a touchdown. Cincinnati scored for the first and last time. It is pretty hard to keep scoring when you turn the ball over every time.
After Dustin Keys missed a field goal, Tyrod Taylor got the Hokies on the board with a 17 yard TD run slashing right and cutting back left, making 3 people miss on his way to the endzone. The man just makes things happen.
Cincinnati's next drive in the redzone ended with a turnover as Pike tried to force a throw into triple coverage and Stephan Virgil came away with the interception in the endzone with 2:23 left in the half. Taylor, having a great day passing the ball got VT in range and Keys hit the 43 yard field goal with time expiring. VT took a 10-7 lead into halftime.
Virginia Tech has that strong running game with the freshman Darren Evans and also Taylor tucking it and running. They controlled the ball for close to 40 minutes of the game. Cincy's offense barely saw the field in the 2nd half. In fact, I think VT had the ball for 12 minutes of the 3rd quarter.
Pike went on to throw 3 more interceptions, one inside the 10 yard line was picked off with a diving catch by Orion Martin. Three plays later, Evans ran in for a touchdown to cap off the scoring. You can't turn the ball over against a good defense and an offense that controls the clock and expect to win.

AT&T Cotton Bowl: January 2 2:00 on FOX
No. 25 Mississippi (9-4) vs. No. 7 Texas Tech (11-2)
My Pick: Texas Tech Red Raiders
Prediction: Texas Tech 66, Ole Miss 24
Blow out. Texas Tech barely got by Baylor to end the season and Ole Miss has a pretty solid defense, but Tech is gonna go back to the way they uesd to be. Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree won't be stopped. They both have chips on their shoulders for not being Heisman finalists and the entire team has something to prove after not even being included in the conversation with Oklahoma and Texas. Tech pounds Ole Miss with its high powered offense 66-24.
Result: Mississippi 47, Texas Tech 34
MVP: Dexter McCluster 180 total yards, TD
Honorable Mention: Marshay Green interception returned for touchdown and 54 yard punt return
Honorable Mention: Jevan Snead 18-29 292 yards, 3 TD
*Texas Tech QB Graham Harrell sets NCAA record for career TD passes passing Colt Brennan (2007)
Recap: Texas Tech gets out to a 14-0 lead, with that offense game over right? Ole Miss had a different answer. They found a way to stop the Red Raiders offense and it worked to perfection. The answer, keep the Texas Tech offense off the field. They can't score if they're not on the field. Ole Miss controlled a lot of the clock all game long with long scoring drives.
People knew Texas Tech can't play defense, but didn't realize Ole Miss was that good on offense. All year long the debate was about which conference is the best in the country, the SEC or the Big 12. The Big 12 has those big offenses, but what could they do against an SEC defense? Texas Tech got a taste of an SEC defense today. They got pressure on Graham Harrell all game long and forced him into making bad throws. He had thrown 7 interceptions in 568 pass attempts until today when he threw 2 in his first 34 attempts.
Harrell's performance really duplicated what I saw from Colt Brennan and Hawaii last year in the Sugar Bowl. Brennan, like Harrell today, had chances to have a big day on the big stage and improve their draft status. Well, both opponents, Georgia and Mississippi got to pressure on the quarterbacks and put big hits on them the entire game long. It was not the way Brennan wanted to end his career, and this was not the way Harrell wanted to end his career. Ironically, today Harrell broke Brennan's record for most career touchdown passes.
Harrell's number one playmaker Michael Crabtree playing with his high ankle sprain was almost a non-factor. He did have a touchdown catch, but only got 4 catches in the game and stood on the sideline for much of the 4th quarter.
My choice for game MVP, Dexter McCluster got a 4 yard touchdown run out of the 'Wild Rebel' formation to seal the deal for Ole Miss. Tech went down field and scored a touchdown again with their high powered offense, but Ole Miss let up with their blitzes and for Tech, it was too late. On the try for the two-point conversion, the story of the day, Harrell got sacked. The frustrations mounted for Tech as offensive lineman Stephen Hamby and the big Brandon Carter both got called for unsportsmanlike conduct.
The crowd with 40,000 Ole Miss faithful began their chants of "S-E-C" and "OVERRATED." 94% of SportsNation voted Texas Tech to win this game, and the Ole Miss players paid attention to the TV screens. On the sideline, they held up the sign that read "94% said we couldn't. WE DID." Texas Tech is 0-4 all time in the Cotton Bowl.
I was part of that 94% that chose Texas Tech to win this game, but I give all the credit to Ole Miss and their quarterback Jevan Snead (who transferred away from Texas after being Colt McCoy's backup). He showed that he can be a big-time college quarterback and I'm glad that he transferred away from Texas and got this opportunity to start at Ole Miss. Coach Houston Nutt there has done a great job with this program too after this same team went 3-9 last year.




Liberty Bowl: January 2 5:00 on ESPN
Kentucky (6-6) vs. East Carolina (9-4)
My Pick: East Carolina Pirates
Prediction: ECU 19, Kentucky 16
Kentucky has had an up and down season. East Carolina started out hot and slowed up, but then heated up again at the end. I think Kentucky is done in terms of competitiveness. They have nothing left, while East Carolina came back to beat Tulsa and win the Conference USA Championship.
Result: Kentucky 25, East Carolina 19
MVP: Mike Hartline 19-31 204 yards, TD
Recap: This was just a wild day for the replay officials. These are two very similar teams and it was just a battle of the defenses in the 2nd half. Kentucky has the SEC defense, while East Carolina is notorious at causing turnovers. Kentucky however caused a big fumble with 3 minutes left in the game and big Kentrell Jenkins scooped it up and returned it for the go-ahead touchdown. However, replay showed that Jenkins' knee was down when he had possession of the ball. That was just a blown call by the refs but East Carolina blocked the extra point, their 3rd blocked kick of the day.
Kentucky got all the momentum going their way at the start of the 2nd half. After muffing previous kick returns, David Jones returned that kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown. Kentucky went on to outscore East Carolina 17-3 with the Pirates having a chance to win the game, but their drive started from the 1 yard line after replay showed that JR Rogers had his knee down when he caught the kickoff. ECU went 3-and-out and punted the ball away hoping to get it back with all 3 timeouts remaining but were not able. In this defensive game, it was Kentucky's that came through with the big plays.



BCS Allstate Sugar Bowl: January 2 8:00 on FOX
No. 6 Utah (12-0) vs. No. 4 Alabama (12-1)
My Pick: Alabama Crimson Tide
Prediction: Alabama 24, Utah 17
Utah's had a great season. I'm a fan of Brian Johnson and the Utes now and I wish they could prove themselves on a big stage and go 13-0 and beat Alabama but it won't happen. Alabama's defense is too good and their rushing attack will put punishing blows to the Utah defense. However, now with the suspension of big left tackle Andre Smith (12/29), Utah might have a chance. Whenever Alabama needs a big play they run to the left behind Smith. Smith likely will be the 2 or 3 overall pick in the draft if he leaves early and not having him is a big blow for Alabama.
Result: Utah 31, Alabama 17
Offensive MVP: Brian Johnson 27-41 336 yards, 3 TD
Defensive MVP: Stevenson Sylvester 3 sacks, fumble recovery
Honorable Mention: Robert Johnson 2 interceptions. Last interception with 1:50 left in the game to seal the win for Utah.
*Utah completes undefeated season. Only undefeated team in FBS (Div. 1)
89.7% of the country voted Alabama to win this game, but Utah shocked everyone when they came out and jumped to a 21-0 lead against this 6th ranked SEC defense of Alabama. Utah went to the no huddle as Alabama was really confused on what to do against their spread offense. With Utah moving at such a fast pace, Alabama was unable to get settled in defensively and stop the Utes. At the end of the quarter, Coach Nick Saban was able to get his entire team together and get them going. The defense took over for the rest of the game. Utah would not score again until the 4th quarter but the 21 points they got in the 1st quarter was all they needed.
Alabama's defense did a good job of making Utah one dimensional by shutting down the running game, but when they needed it on crucial 3rd downs, Utah was able to run for it in short yardage situations.
I have mixed emotions on Utah's defense. They played very well today and sacked John Parker Wilson 8 times and they shut down the powerful running game of Alabama. John Parker Wilson had to go to throwing the ball and made 30 passes today, something that he has never been asked to do during his time here because of Alabama's dominating run game. I like this Utah defense, However, from an analytical standpoint, I have to go to the "What If" scenario. What if Alabama's big left tackle Andre Smith was in this game? Seriously think about it. With Smith in there, Alabama's big offensive line has allowed 12 sacks in 11 games. Without Smith (2 games), Alabama has given up 10 sacks in those 2 games. That's just pass protection. Going to the running game, Alabama always runs left behind Smith. I think there's really enough said there because tonight, with the suspension of Smith, left guard Mike Johnson was moved to left tackle, then got hurt so the right tackle moved to left guard and a true freshman came in to play right tackle and Utah came from the right side all game long. If Smith was there none of that happens. But what's done is done, and Utah deserves this win. I picked them to win when this matchup was first announced, but then I changed to Alabama, but then with the suspension of Smith I thought about it making a huge impact (and it did) so I wanted to go back to Utah but I stuck with my pick and it was a mistake.
What a game though for Brian Johnson. He is one my all-time favorite quarterbacks and for anyone who watched the game tonight, you saw why. This was just a great game. I really do hate Alabama and I'm glad they lost this game because they are overrated and it's about time the entire country realized it. This is a team that should've never been ranked No. 1.
On the other hand, this Utah team, are they No. 1? Some people are saying so and I honestly don't think so. I don't think this team could be Texas, Florida, USC or even Ohio State. But they deserve to be where they are right now and they deserve a chance to prove me wrong on the field. They deserve a chance to go out and play football and beat Texas, beat Florida. But they will never get that chance. This is a team that can compete for a national championship and until college football gets that's playoff system (possibly in 2011), a non-BCS team like Utah from the Mountain West Conference will never be treated equally.




International Bowl: January 3 12:00 on ESPN2
Buffalo (8-5) vs. Connecticut (7-5)
My Pick: Buffalo Bulls
Prediction: Buffalo 13, UConn 7
It's Buffalo's first bowl game in school history and it's been a magical season in terms of their standards. UConn has slipped up in big games and Buffalo will capitalize here with the win.
Result: Connecticut 38, Buffalo 20
MVP: Donald Brown 29 carries for 261 yards , TD
Recap: I really wanted this win for Buffalo and Coach Turner Gill and I thought they could pull of this huge upset. They took control of the game early and got a 20-10 lead off of 5 UConn fumbles.
But, UConn stuck with their gameplan. ESPN asked UConn what their game plan was coming into this game and this is what quarterback Tyler Lorenzen had to say, "Donald Brown...a lot." UConn perfectly executed that game plan.
Buffalo's defense could not stop UConn's running game and gave up 28 unanswered points. Donald Brown, the nation's leading rusher, averaged 9.0 yards per carry in this game today. Buffalo often stuck 8 or even 9 men in the box to try to stop the run and they still couldn't do it and that's why they lost this game.
Offensively, Buffalo could not get their own running game going as their featured back James Starks only managed 25 yards on 14 carries.
Buffalo looked like they were in position for a touchdown late in the 4th quarter. A touchdown, a 2-point conversion, an onside kick, and a field goal would've allowed Buffalo to send the game to overtime. It was unlikely, but Buffalo led the nation in overtime games this year.
Buffalo quarterback Drew Willy, who I highlighted as the difference maker for this game, threw what would have been a wonderfully placed touchdown pass to to his star receiver Naaman Roosevelt, but the ball bounced off of Roosevelt's chest and into the arms of UConn's Dahna Deleston who took it 100 yards for a touchdown to put the game out of reach. A prime example there for all receivers of why you catch the ball with your hands, and not your body.
Willy in my opinion did not have a bad game. His numbers show that he only averaged 5 yards per pass but UConn had a good game plan defensively as well. They played almost a prevent defense the entire game allowing Buffalo to complete all the short underneath passes but not get any big plays over the top. It's a gamble to play that way for a whole game, but UConn's secondary, led by cornerback Darius Butler, is full of sure tacklers who came up and made many tackles for losses today.




BCS Tostitos Fiesta Bowl: January 5 8:00 on FOX
No. 10 Ohio State (10-2) vs. No. 3 TEXAS (11-1)
My Pick: Texas Longhorns
Prediction: Texas 38, Ohio State 27
The motivation factor comes into play here. Is Texas going to come out ready to play? Are they mentally into the game because, yes its still a BCS game, but it's not the national championship game. Texas is not where they were meant to be at at this point in the season. My answer to all of it, yes. Colt McCoy and Texas will come out ready to play. There's actually more on the line than what people think. A convincing win over Ohio State could boost Texas in the AP Poll and clinch a share of the national championship with Florida. If that's not enough motivation for the Longhorns to go out and play well, then here's the big thing: after Florida crushes Oklahoma in the title game, and Texas wins, they finish the season ranked ahead of Oklahoma. It'll be too late because the system fucked up and took away a national championship from Texas, but it's important to finish the season strong.
I said before the key for Texas was going to be their defense containing Terrelle Pryor. If you flush Pryor out of the pocket he'll break off a 60 yard run and they can't let that happen. But now, Ohio State coach Jim Tressel has announced that he will play senior former-starter Todd Boeckman in the game and split time with Pryor. Boeckman being benched after the USC game in favor of the true freshman and 1 recruit Pryor, has continued to be a leader on the field without playing and Tressel is making the right move by allowing Boeckman to play in his final game.
With that said, Texas's secondary has been the weakness all season so they'll have to work real hard to cover the Buckeyes receivers. Texas's great run defense should stuff Beanie Wells by penetrating through a mediocre Ohio State offensive line.
Texas, if they win this game, should be a preseason 1 in the rankings next year with Colt McCoy and Jordan Shipley coming back and if linebackers Sergio Kindle, Rashad Bobino, and Roddrick Muckelroy do not enter the NFL Draft. They'll lose their defensive line, but we've got big talent waiting in the wings. Texas also returns 4 of 5 on the offensive line. Next year Texas will be the best all-around team.
Result: Texas 24, Ohio State 21
MVP: Quan Cosby 14 catches for 173 yards, 2 TD (game winning TD)
Honorable Mention: Colt McCoy 41-58 414 yards, 2 TD; rushing touchdown
*Colt McCoy sets Texas record with 10th 300 yard game
*Quan Cosby and Jordan Shipley become first receiving duo to both amass 1,000 yards in the same season.
WHAT A NIGHT. There ain't no team in the god damn land that can take down my Texas Longhorns now. They have gone through everything anybody could ever throw at them and come out on top. This year was a lot more controversial and they should be playing in the national championship game, but I am going to say this, I think this was a more exciting year than the National Championship year in 2005. So I'm hyped up right now, but let me break the game down.
Texas went into halftime down 6-3 after Colt McCoy threw a lousy interception on the 1 yard line to end a 75 yard drive at the end of the half with nothing. It was a strong defensive battle on both sides when this was supposed to be a game of the offenses.
On the defensive side for Texas, ironically they succeeded in their weak area. The texas secondary played tremendously well except on Blake Gideon's play when Terrelle Pryor caught that fade route for a touchdown, Gideon could've played the ball there, but the weakness was this Texas secondary against the passing game, while Texas's run defenses ranks 2 in the country and they let Ohio State run all over them.
My keys to the game were that Texas establishes their running game and they contain Terrelle Pryor. Ultimately, they didn't really accomplish either, but showed spurts of each at critical moments in the game that willed their way to victory.
I was just out of it when Ohio State took the 21-17 lead with 2 minutes to go. I couldn't sit still and my heart was poundin man. I just kept pacing around.
Colt McCoy led his team down the field 78 yards on 11 plays in 1:49 for the win. Texas also converted a crucial 4th down and 3 that James Kirkendoll barely reached the 1st down marker by a matter of an inch or two, but Colt McCoy perfectly placed the pass so that Kirkendoll's forward progress would get the first down. Before that McCoy completed 4 straight passes to the emerging star Brandon Collins.
After converting on 4th down, McCoy completed another 14 yard pass to Collins. Texas's hurry up offense kept Ohio State on their heels and forced their defense to begin the play flat and McCoy found Quan Cosby in his slant route and yards after the catch are key, as Cosby took it in for the touchdown. 26 yards with 16 seconds left. Cosby was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct because he unnecessarily dove into the endzone, but Texas took the 24-21 game-clinching lead.



GMAC Bowl: January 6 8:00 on ESPN
Tulsa (10-3) vs. No. 22 Ball State (12-1)
My Pick: Tulsa Golden Hurricane
Prediction: Tulsa 45, Ball State 31
I changed my pick here. Ball State's 0-6 in bowl games and now their head coach Brady Hoke left them to become the coach at San Diego State. With their coaching situation in a flux, it opens the door for Tulsa to come in blow away the Cardinals. David Johnson was the most efficient passer in the country and puts up a lot of points--more than Ball State can handle.
Result: Tulsa 45, Ball State 13
MVP: Tarrion Adams 19 carries for 207 yards, 3 TD
Honorable Mention: David Johnson 15-25 193 yards, 3 TD
Honorable Mention: Damaris Johnson 135 receiving yards, 76 rushing yards
Recap: I got the Tulsa score right in my prediction, almost got the Ball State score right too if you just flip the 31 around to make it 13 lol. Ball State quarterback, the 4th best NFL QB Prospect (by Scouts, Inc.), Nate Davis was coming off his worst performance with turnovers in the MAC Championship game loss to Buffalo while Tulsa QB David Johnson was coming off his worst performance in the Conference USA championship game loss to East Carolina. Only one of them rebounded.
Davis started right where he left off in the last game by fumbling on Ball State's first possession. This is a Ball State defense that gave up 42 points to Buffalo, so you can't give Tulsa's offense extra possessions, but Davis had 3 turnovers in the game (2 fumbles, 1 interception). Ball State could not get the running game going all night long as MiQuale Lewis was held to 35 yards while Tulsa's Tarrion Adams, the lesser back of the two, had a huge night running the ball. In fact, Tulsa had 439 total rushing yards when it's been their prolific passing attack that has led their offense all season.
Leading 24-13 at halftime, Tulsa came out scoring in the opening drive of the 2nd half with Johnson's 15 yard TD pass to Slick Shelley in the pouring rain. It was all Tulsa in the 2nd half as Nate Davis went 0 for 10 passing and if I remember right, Ball State did not get a single first down in the 2nd half.



FedEx BCS National Championship Game: January 8, 2009 8:00PM on FOX
No. 1 Oklahoma (12-1) vs. No. 2 Florida (12-1)
My Pick: Florida Gators
Prediction: Florida 45, Oklahoma 27
Oklahoma's offense can score on demand, they did so every game of the season except one, when they went up against the defense of Texas. This game will be a replica of that performance as Florida's defense will slow down the Sooners. If Florida's Percy Harvin comes back from his ankle sprain at 100%, Florida will have a big day against Oklahoma offensively. Florida is too fast for OU on both sides of the ball. Oklahoma's offensive line has been the best in the country as Sam Bradford has rarely faced pressure but I expect Carlos Dunlap and Brandon Spikes of Florida to get to Bradford. For Oklahoma, losing DeMarco Murray to injury is a big blow and the running game will have to be kept up by Chris Brown and Mossis Madu. All in all, Florida is the better team, Tim Tebow will win his 2nd national championship in 4 years as Oklahoma will get humiliated again on the big stage in the BCS.
Result: Florida 24, Oklahoma 14
MVP: Tim Tebow 232 passing yards, 2 TD; 109 rushing touchdowns, TD
Honorable Mention: Percy Harvin 14 touches for 171 yards, TD
*With Florida's win, the SEC has won the last 3 national championships
*Oklahoma has lost 5 straight BCS games (in the same time span, Texas hasn't lost)
Recap: Nothing was talked about except the two high powered offenses, and Florida's defense. Nobody really gave Oklahoma's defense a chance and credit them for holding their ground in the 1st half. This was an Oklahoma defense that gave up 45 points to Texas, 41 to Oklahoma State, and held Florida to 24.
Nobody expected this to be a low scoring game, but going into halftime it was tied at 7-7. Oklahoma was driving with time running out in the half before Sam Bradford was intercepted by Major Wright inside the 5 yard line.
Percy Harvin's availability for this game was in question with his high ankle sprain. It was reported that he'd be playing at 90% and that was good enough because no one can contain him, 100% or not. Harvin gained 121 yards on the ground with 9 carries and 50 yards through the air including his 2 yard touchdown run in the 3rd quarter out of the 'wildcat' formation which Florida calls the "snap it to Percy" formation.
Sam Bradford threw his second interception of the game in the 4th quarter to Ahmad Black that went through the hands of Bradford's receiver Juaquin Iglesias. That led to Florida's final score in Tim Tebow's 4 yard pass to David Nelson.
Oklahoma thought they were handling the dynamic run game of Florida until the Gators went back to their own version of the triple option in which Oklahoma had no answer in defending.
Oklahoma's offense has had 22 scoring drives of a minute or less this season and got the ball back with 3 minutes and down by 10 points. Once again, as we all saw happen against Texas, Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford FLOPPED when attempting a 4th quarter comeback. The Gators played tenacious defense, stopping the Oklahoma number 1 offense in the country. On 4th down and 4, Florida corner Joe Haden broke up the pass forcing Oklahoma to turn it over on downs. From there, Florida kept the ball in the hands of it's leader on and off the field, Tim Tebow and ran out the clock when they could have taken the Bob Stoops approach of Oklahoma and scored again (son of a bitch runs up the score every time). Great win for the Florida Gators. They didn't play their best, but they played their hardest. In this game, Florida got exposed, but Oklahoma got embarrassed.

2008 Bowl Games Part 1

December 14, 2008

EagleBank Bowl: December 20 11:00am on ESPN
Wake Forest (7-5) vs. Navy (8-4)
My Pick: Navy Midshipmen
Result: Wake Forest 29, Navy 19
My MVP: Kevin Harris 136 yards on 24 carries
*Wake Forest Quarterback Riley Skinner was perfect going 11-11 passing
*Wake Forest Cornerback Alphonso Smith set ACC record with his 21st career interception
Why Wake Forest won: These two teams met in the regular season in which Navy won 24-17. Riley Skinner passed for 270 yards that game but threw 4 interceptions. He was asked to throw a lot more than he was comfortable with because Wake could not get their running game going. Today, with 3rd string fullback Kevin Harris as the starting tailback, Wake ran over the Navy defense all game long. Harris was bigger than 8 of Navy's defenders on the field. Riley Skinner could sit back and just manage the game, allowing him to make good decisions with the ball.

New Mexico Bowl: December 20 2:30 on ESPN
Colorado State (6-6) vs. Fresno State (7-5)
My Pick: Fresno State Bulldogs
Result: Colorado State 40, Fresno State 35
MVP: Gartrell Johnson 285 yards on 27 carries, 2 TD; 90 receiving yards
Honorable Mention: Anthony Harding and Lonyae Miller
Turning Point of the Game: Tom Brandstater's interception by Tommie Hill. Colorado would take the lead on that possession with under five minutes to go and hold to upset Fresno State.
Why Colorado State won...
Fresno State has one the worst run defenses, but Colorado State has one of the worst rushing offenses. Today, senior tailback Gartrell Johnson ran for 285 yards against this Fresno defense.
*Colorado State Head Coach Steve Fairchild wins a bowl game in his 1st year at his Alma-Mater.
*Fresno State defensive coordinator Dan Brown coached his last football game. He is leaving now to focus on his treatment for his battle with brain cancer.

magicJack St. Petersburg Bowl: December 20 4:30 on ESPN2
Memphis (6-6) vs. South Florida (7-5)
My Pick: South Florida Bulls
It’ll be up to Matt Grothe to perform a lot better than he did at the end of the season and I think he will. As long as he makes good decisions and knows when to run and when to get rid of the ball, South Florida will rout Memphis.
Result: South Florida 41, Memphis 14
MVP: Matt Grothe 17-24 236 yards, 3 TD; 83 rushing yards
*Matt Grothe amasses the 10,000 yards of total offense mark
Why South Florida won...
The Memphis defense was just simply overmatched. On the other side, the Bulls dominated the line of scrimmage on defense. South Florida jumped out to an early lead that forced Memphis to throw the ball more which took 1,000 yard rusher Curtis Steele out of the game plan for the most part. South Florida quarterback Matt Grothe made good decisions with the ball and knew when to run. He made accurate throws down field, 3 of which resulted in touchdowns.


Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl: December 20 8:00 on ESPN
No. 16 Brigham Young (10-2) vs. Arizona (7-5)
My Pick: BYU Cougars
I love Arizona. And I love Arizona’s defense. But except for that TCU game, Max Hall’s had a great season and it’s really hard to go against him.
Result: Arizona 31, Brigham Young 21
MVP: Willie Tuitama 24-35 327 yards, 2 TD
*Arizona receiver Mike Thomas sets all-time Pac-10 record with 259 receptions
Why Arizona won...
First of all, I learned something from this game. I learned to never pick against your own team. Arizona's right up there on my favorite teams list, and I still picked them to lose. Never do that again. Willie Tuitama made big throws and kept plays alive with his legs. This was a sloppy game with turnovers and loose balls left and right, and Arizona capitalized on its turnovers; BYU didn't.


R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl: December 21 8:15 on ESPN
Southern Mississippi (6-6) vs. Troy (8-4)
My Pick: Southern Miss Golden Eagles
Result: Southern Miss 30, Troy 27 (overtime)
MVP: Britt Barefoot 3-3 field goals
Honorable Mention: Austin Davis 20-34 277 yards, 2 TD
*Southern Miss's win gives them their 15th consecutive winning season
*Britt Barefoot was 6-12 in field goal attempts and longest was 29 yards prior to this game.
Why Southern Mississippi won...
Brett Favre's alma-mater got it done today with the leg of Britt Barefoot. Only making 50% of his kicks this season with a long of 29 yards, made all 3 attempts today of 38, 46, and 39 yards to win the game. Southern Miss hung around in the game with Troy and Austin Davis's 35 yard touchdown pass on 4th and 2 turned the game around. What a performance by Davis, the redshirt-freshman today who ran the newly designed spread offense for Southern Miss. Troy would have tied the game in overtime, but the potential tying field goal was blocked by Michael McGee to give the Golden Eagles are hard fought upset win.



San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl: December 23 8:00 on ESPN
No. 9 Boise State (12-0) vs. No. 11 TCU (10-2)
My Pick: Boise State Broncos
This is one of the best matchups. We are going to see that Boise State offense against this TCU defense. Ultimately, I think Boise State comes out on top and completes the undefeated season proving they should have been in the BCS instead of Ohio State. As long as Kellen Moore keeps his poise and doesn’t get rattled too quickly by the TCU pass rush, he should be fine. Especially since he’s a lefty and Jerry Hughes won’t be coming from his blind side.
Result: TCU 17, Boise State 16
MVP: Stephen Hodge 11 tackles, 1 sack, game winning interception
Honorable Mention: Aaron Brown 13 carries for 105 yards, TD
*Ian Johnson sets WAC record for career rushing touchdowns
Recap: This was supposed to be one of the best matchups and it was. This game lived up to the hype 100% even though I'm not happy with the end result. Boise State's 3rd ranked defense shut out TCU until the last minute of the 2nd quarter, while TCU's 2nd ranked defense did what it had to do in making Boise State's offense one dimensional. They took away the run and forced Kellen Moore to pass more than they wanted to. Boise State's defense in the 2nd half essentially gave up as TCU took the lead. Kyle Brotzman's missed 38 yard field goal in the 3rd quarter proved to be the dooming moment for Boise State, as that would have been enough to win the game. TCU got pressure on Moore and he made a freshman mistake by throwing the ball up for grabs resulting in Hodges' interception with a minute to go but Boise got the ball back with 6 seconds to go and credit to TCU for their immense scouting of Boise's trick plays in their "gadget offense" as they snuffed out Boise's attempt at the hook and ladder on the last play of the game.



Sheraton Hawaii Bowl: December 24 8:00 on ESPN
Hawaii (7-6) vs. Notre Dame (6-6)
My Pick: Hawaii Warriors
Notre Dame has been pathetic this year. Yeah, better than last year though. I’d love to think they can win this game but I just can’t. Hawaii isn’t a bad team even without Colt Brennan. I think they actually have a better group of receivers than Colt ever had down there. I like Hawaii’s stifling defense too after I watched what they did against Cincinnati even though they lost that game. Jimmy Claussen’s gonna have another long game.Result: Notre Dame 49, Hawai'i 21
MVP: Jimmy Clausen 22-26 401 yards, 5 TD
Honorable Mention: Golden Tate 6 catches for 177 yards, 3 TD
Honorable Mention: Sergio Brown interception and blocked punt
*Notre Dame wore last name's on the back of their jerseys for 1st time in 20 years
Recap: Going back to the Arizona-BYU game, again, I will never pick against a team that I like ever again. Notre Dame played this well probably just because I thought they would lose. A lot of people thought that Hawaii would win this game by a close one, but that wasn't the case Notre Dame blew them out. Jimmy Clausen had a career game and that's why Notre Dame won. If you look at all the games this past season and then look at the performance of Clausen in each game and see how it coincides with whether the Irish won or lost.
Clausen got a lot of help tonight from the defense too. It was thought that Hawaii's run-and-shoot offense would torch the Notre Dame secondary, but that wasn't the case. Notre Dame's pass defense was 2nd in the country in the second half of the season after being 101st in the first half. But Hawaii's offense is Nothing without Colt Brennan, enough said about that. It was the same story for Hawaii playing a big name school that the opposing defensive line was just too big and too quick for Hawaii's offensive line who simply cannot block. Notre Dame got pressure on Greg Alexander all game longsacking him 8 times.
Notre Dame right now, with all of its young players and the incoming freshman class for Charlie Weiss is set up for a very, very bright future if Clausen uses this game as a major building block.



Motor City Bowl: December 26 8:00 on ESPN
Florida Atlantic (6-6) vs. Central Michigan (8-4)
My Pick: Florida Atlantic Owls
Prediction: FAU 42, C. Mich 38
Dan LeFevour and Central Michigan haven’t lived up the hype all year long and I really think they’re going to end this upsetting season with another upsetting loss. Rusty Smith led his Owls to big a bowl win last year with 5 touchdown passes and he’ll do it again this year.
Result: Florida Atlantic 24, Central Michigan 21
MVP: Rusty Smith 20-35 306 yards, 2 TD
Honorable Mention: Frantz Joseph 13 tackles, 1 sack, crucial pass breakup in endzone
*FAU Coach Howard Schnellenberger goes 6-0 in bowl games
Recap: This game was supposed to be a shootout and it turned out to be a battle of the defenses. FAU's defense played very well all game long until the final 5 minutes of the game.
Central Michigan quarterback Dan LeFevour really impressed me today with his throws and decision making. He made some brilliant throws into tight windows with perfect velocity in the final minutes of the game. CMU coach Butch Jones didn't make good decisions when he elected to go for it on 4th and goal and didn't get it, but CMU's defense gave the offense a break when they forced Florida Atlantic to go 3-and-out inside their own 5. CMU took the ball downfield and got their touchdown to make it 24-19. The first try for the 2 point conversion failed, but CMU actually got a break with a false start call giving them another opportunity in which LeFevour made a perfect throw to get the 2. But then, Butch Jones made another coaching error in choosing to go for the onside kick with plenty of time left. It gave FAU a short field and they took advantage, but ran out the clock to end the game.



Meineke Car Care Bowl: December 27 1:00 on ESPN
West Virginia (8-4) vs. North Carolina (8-4)
My Pick: West Virginia Mountaineers
Prediction: WVU 34, UNC 17
Pat White's never lost a bowl game and it's been a disappointing season for the Mountaineers, but Pat White will carry this team to victory like he's done for the past four years.
Result: West Virginia 31, North Carolina 30
MVP: Pat White 26-32 332 yards, 3 TD; 58 rushing yards
Honorable Mention: Hakeem Nicks, WR, UNC 8 catches for 217 yards, 3 TD
*West Virginia QB Pat White has first career 300 yard passing game
*Pat White becomes first player in history to win 4 straight bowl games
*Pat White was MVP in all 4 games
*Pat White retakes the record from USF QB Matt Grothe for most career total yards in the Big East
Recap: Wow is all I really have to say. This was by far the most exciting bowl game that has been presented so far. This game was supposed to be all about Pat White but it turned out to be a whole lot more.
West Virginia was exactly what I thought they were. An offense of Pat White and a bad defense and a bad kickoff coverage team. North Carolina had great starting field position all game long and capitalized every time. Wideout Hakeem Nicks had a huge game that might have propelled his draft status if he decides to leave early. West Virginia had no answer defending him today and in the beginning it looked like Nicks might be the one that beats the Mountaineers.
Pat White drove West Virginia down the field and got a touchdown to take the 31-30 lead with 6 minutes to go. From there, in the last 5 minutes, both teams had trouble. North Carolina started at the 44 yard line and had to punt the ball away. West Virginia fumbled the ball away giving UNC another chance to win the game. WVU's defense finally stepped up and made plays including their first sack of the game. Then they forced Shaun Draughn to fumble the ball away only to have West Virginia punt it back but then on their last effort, TJ Yates was intercepted by Pat Lazear and West Virginia ran out the clock. Pat White ended his career with history made on that field in Charlotte, NC where those memories will stay forever. Pat White is the greatest player in West Virginia football history.
Most NFL scouts have White as a slot receiver in the NFL. He has 4.3 speed and is one of the best runners in the game. His catching ability is yet to be seen but White sure doesn't want to be anything but a quarterback and proved today that he can throw the ball. He made perfect throws with good velocity all game long and his only mistake was when he didn't look off the coverage. He stared down his receiver and that's a mistake that can easily be fixed as he continues to work. My case is that Pat White, as much as Florida's Tim Tebow, at least deserves a chance at quarterback in the NFL.




Champs Sports Bowl: December 27 1:00 on ESPN
Wisconsin (7-5) vs. Florida State (8-4)
My Pick: Florida State Seminoles
Prediction: FSU 24, WIS 10
I like the way Florida State has played to finish out the season. They could’ve easily came away with the ACC championship and be in the Orange Bowl but they stumbled a little bit, but now Christian Ponder is so much more mature than he was in the beginning of the year and I think Florida State’s defense shuts down Wisconsin’s struggling offense.
Result: Florida State 42, Wisconsin 13
MVP: Graham Gano 6/6 extra points, 5 punts, 48.6 avg, 3 punts inside the 10
Honorable Mention: Derek Nicholson 2 fumble recoveries (1 returned for TD)
Honorable Mention: PJ Hill, RB, Wisconsin 140 yards on 15 carries
*Florida State Coach Bobby Bowden gets 21st career bowl win (2nd all-time)
*Florida State became the first ACC team to beat ever Wisconsin
Recap: Florida State dominated this entire game. Wisconsin didn't have a chance and didn't even get a touchdown until the 4th quarter. Florida State is just too fast and well, they have Graham Gano. The senior kicker and punter was outstanding. On his first three punts in the 1st quarter he pinned Wisconsin deep in their own territory at the 3 yard line, 1 yard line, and 1 yard line again. It was absolutely brilliant.
Christian Ponder, playing with a nagging back injury, did a good job of just managing the game and running a balanced offensive attack. With a big lead, Coach Bowden gave 3-year starter Drew Weatherford the last 11 minutes of the game to play in his final football game.



Emerald Bowl: December 27 8:00 on ESPN
Miami (7-5) vs. California (8-4)
My Pick: California Golden Bears
Prediction: Cal 33, Miami 24
I thought about Miami winning this game. This very young Miami team has grown a lot over the season and they'll win the ACC next year but in a decent bowl game like this and with the game pretty much in Cal's backyard, I gotta go with them to win it because they have experienced players on the field. Not to mention that Miami's quarterback Robert Marve was suspended for this game.
Result: California 24, Miami 17
MVP: Jahvid Best 20 carries for 186 yards, 2 TD
Honorable Mention: Zach Follett 11 tackles, 2 sacks, forced fumble
Recap: This was a highly anticipated matchup and it lived up to the hype. A great all around game as we watched the outstanding freshman of Miami grow up on national television. Jacory Harris may very well be the starting quarterback next year and might force Robert Marve to transfer (maybe to Nebraska?).
The big matchup was Jahvid Best versus the suspect run defense of Miami. Best got the best of this matchup with 186 yards breaking off big run after big run. It looked as if Cal was going to run away with the game when they took the 14-0 lead, but then for some reason Coach Tedford got away from the running game and tried to throw the ball and Nate Longshore struggled throwing all game long receiving boos from his home crowd.
In the 4th quarter, Cal got back to the run game and gained a lot of yards while taking time off the clock. From there it was all Cal defense creating two more turnovers. It was senior captain, middle linebacker Zach Follett who made the biggest impact. With 3:28 to go he sacked Harris and knocked the ball loose for a fumble recovered by Cal that set up Longshore's touchdown pass to their freshman tight end (I forget his name) from the 2 yard line to win the game.
Miami had a good 3 minutes for their chance to tie the game, but the freshman inexperience finally caught up with them. Jacory Harris had extremely poor clock management and it cost Miami of any opportunity to send the game to overtime.



Independence Bowl: December 28 8:15 on ESPN
Northern Illinois (6-6) vs. Louisiana Tech (7-5)
My Pick: Northern Illinois Huskies
Prediction: N. Illinois 27, LT 17
Northern Illinois has turned things around after winning just two games last year. This game is in Louisiana so the crowd will be pro-tech but Northern Illinois has to cap off this comeback season with a big win.
Result: Louisiana Tech 17, Northern Illinois 10
MVP: Weldon Brown 13 tackles, sack, interception
*La Tech coach Derek Dooley wins 1st bowl game to become the second father-son combo to win bowl games (dad Vince did it with Georgia)
Recap: Northern Illinois did what they had to do and that was to slow down the rushing attack of Louisiana Tech. La Tech got just 92 yards on the ground on 31 attempts. They got a spark though when Phillips Livas returned the kickoff 97 yards in the 1st quarter for a tying touchdown. Minutes later La Tech took the lead with an 11 yard run by Daniel Porter and never relinquished the lead from there.
Simple fact of the matter is that Northern Illinois doesn't have any 'superstar' on their team and that's why they lost 7 games this year. They don't have a real explosive player on offense which is essentially crucial to win down the stretch. In the final seconds, the Huskies sure could've used an explosive play but couldn't get one, they couldn't get one all season long. Quarterback Chandler Harnish was far less than impressive tonight completing on 50% of his passes and throwing two interceptions that gave the game away.




Papajohns.com Bowl: December 29, 3:00 ESPN
North Carolina State (6-6) vs. Rutgers (7-5)
My Pick: Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Prediction: Rutgers 49, NC State 34
NC State has done a lot this year with no quarterback. But look at Rutgers’ last game. I know it’s been a disappointing season for them but right now Mike Teal is on fire. He’ll have another big game here to finish out his career.
Result: Rutgers 29, North Carolina State 23
MVP: Kenny Britt 6 catches for 119 yards, TD
Honorable Mention: Mike Teel 22-37 319 yards, 2 TD, interception
*Kenny Britt becomes Big East Conference all-time receiving yards leader
Recap: With the very first play of the game NC State tailback Jamelle Eugene fumbled the ball away. That turnover to begin the game provided some foreshadowing for how the game would end.
Rutgers scored first off the turnover with a fake field goal run by Rob Cervini but then the extra point was blocked. Rutgers drove down the field later and had a field goal blocked. Late in the game though, the special teams got better and blocked a punt to get great field position which resulted in their go-ahead score.
Rutgers QB Mike Teel was again red hot and hooked up with all-time leader in receiving Kenny Britt who was Teel's go-to guy all season long. Britt will most certainly skip his senior season and enter the NFL Draft this April, but he and Teel had one final moment together with a 42 yard touchdown connection.
The turning point in the game though had to be coming out for the 2nd half. NC State redshirt freshman QB Russell Wilson was a playmaker and led the Wolfpack offense in the first half to a 17-6 lead but sprained his knee and did not play the entire 2nd half. NC State used three different quarterbacks as backup Harrison Beck was ineffective and 3rd stringer Daniel Evans came in a provided a small spark but let up at the end. Beck threw one interception and completed only one pass before Evans came in, led the Wolfpack to a score and then on ensuing possessions threw an interception. He then had one last chance, with his dad, the offensive coordinator watching, to take NC State down the field for the win but threw a ball intercepted by 4-year starting safety Courtney Greene with 9 seconds left for Rutgers to seal the win.




Valero Alamo Bowl: December 29 8:00 on ESPN
No. 21 Missouri (9-4) vs. No. 23 Northwestern (9-3)
My Pick: Missouri Tigers
Prediction: Missouri 35, Northwestern 27
tMissouri is a much much better team than they displayed against Oklahoma. Yes, they had no chance to win that game, but this is a different story. Northwestern doesn’t have anybody who I feel can cover Jeremy Maclin so I’m feelin the Chase Daniel-Maclin connection all game long.
Result: Missouri 30, Northwestern 23 in overtime
MVP: Sean Weatherspoon 13 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 9 QB pressures
Honorable Mention: Jeremy Maclin 187 all-purpose yards, 2 TD
*Missouri kicker Jeff Wolfert becomes most accurate kicker in NCAA history
Recap: Missouri came out flat and fell behind but then late in the 2nd quarter Jeremy Maclin provided a huge spark with a 75 yard punt return for the touchdown that tied the game going into halftime. Missouri had been struggling offensively while Northwestern was clicking on both sides of the ball.
In the 4th quarter, Northwestern's linebackers coach told his team to get to Daniel because they knew Missouri was going to throw the ball every down. They were made one dimensional and got away from the running game by operating the 5 receiver spread for the entire quarter. Chase Daniel took his team down the field and tied the game at 23-23 with a 37 yard field goal by the most accurate kicker in NCAA history, Jeff Wolfert with 2:49 left to go.
Missouri's defense, led by Sean Weatherspoon, then forced a 3-and-out with and got the ball back for the offense with 1:33 to go. Daniel got his team into field goal range and left 3 seconds on the clock for Wolfert to solidify his place in history. Northwestern called its final timeout to ice the kicker and 30 seconds later, Wolfert attemped the 44 yard field goal to win the game and missed it wide right sending the game to overtime so the Missouri faithful will see Chase Daniel and Jeremy Maclin take the field again one more time.
In overtime, Missouri got the ball first and on 3rd on 4 from the 8 yard line, Daniel in the shotgun with blitzers in his face hooked up with who else, Jeremy Maclin on the quick slant, for the touchdown.
Northwestern need a touchdown to send the game to a second overtime but on 3rd and goal, William Moore and Sean Weatherspoon came at NW QB CJ Bacher unblocked and forced him to backpedal all the way to the 30 yard line before fumbling the football. A Northwestern lineman fell on the ball but it left them with 4th and goal from the 32 yard line. Bacher threw the ball up for grabs hoping one of his men could come down with it in the endzone but it was broken up by Moore.
Chase Daniel did not have a great game going 27 of 44 for 200 yards, 2 TD and 3 interceptions, but he finished his illustrious career off in the right way, with a W. It's also likely that Missouri fans have seen the last of Maclin and Weatherspoon as they both will likely declare for the NFL Draft and be top picks.





Roady's Humanitarian Bowl: December 30 4:30 on ESPN
Maryland (7-5) vs. Nevada (7-5)
My Pick: Nevada Wolfpack
Prediction: Nevada 31, Maryland 10
I thought about Maryland cuz I picked against them last year and they went on to beat Cal in the Emerald Bowl but Nevada has played some tough games and Colin Kaepernick has a lot more experience and he's a big duel threat guy and I don't think Maryland will contain him. Maryland's one of the most inconsistent teams and there's no telling which Maryland team will show up today --- the good or the bad? It's a long way for Maryland to travel to Boise, and they might be jetlagged but either way, I don't think the Terps perform the way they're capable of today.
Darrius Heyward-Bey is needs to have a big game today to raise his stock for the NFL Draft after dropping down the board the past month, but Chris Turner just hasn't been able to get the ball to him.
Result: Maryland 42, Nevada 35
MVP: Da'Rel Scott 174 yards on 14 carries, 2 TD (all in 2nd half)
Honorable Mention: Morgan Green 72 yards on 10 carries, TD
*Nevada QB Colin Kaepernick's 370 passing yards set new Humanitarian Bowl record
Recap: Maryland is just one of those teams that I can't seem to figure out. I pick them to win and they lose; I pick them to lose and they win. Only once, have I got it right when I picked them to beat North Carolina this year. Anyway, I got misinformation for this game so it's kinda my fault. I thought that Da'Rel Scott was suspended for the game for violating team rules and what it actually was was that he was suspended for the start of the game for violating curfew last night along with 6 other players.
It was a back and forth game in the first quarter before Colin Kaepernick sprained his ankle while getting sacked. He, and the Nevada offense struggled from that point on. And Nevada was exactly what I thought they were: a bad defensive team. I debated for a while before this game if Nevada could stop Maryland's rushing attack. At first I had Maryland scoring 34, then when I thought Scott was suspended, I changed it to Nevada winning giving up only 10 points. I didn't think Green and Megget could carry the load on the ground and wrong again, Morgan Green had a huge day too.
Nevada's defense struggled all day giving up big play after big play. Kaepernick got his team back into the game by leading to some big touchdowns but ultimately turnovers and Kaepernick's inability to run with his ankle sprain was costly. Kaepernick did pass for 370 yards, a new Humanitarian Bowl record, which led to big days for his receivers. Mike McCoy had 13 catches for 172 yards and Marko Mitchell had 5 catches for 130 yards and a touchdown. Maryland's Darrius Heyward-Bey needed a big day to raise his draft stock, but the spotlight was stolen by Marko Mitchell.
But when it mattered, the Nevada receivers flopped. McCoy had some crucial drops while Arthur King, Jr. was running a wide open wheel route and would've gone straight in for the touchdown but he dropped the ball. Nevada receivers had 7 drops, which didn't help Kaepernick's cause. Nevada didn't execute fundamentals all game long and that along with Kaepernick's injury, is why they lost.


Texas Bowl: December 30 8:00 on NFL Network
Rice (9-3) vs. Western Michigan (9-3)
My Pick: Rice Owls
Prediction: Rice 52, W. Michigan 24
Chase Clement had 41 touchdown passes this year for Rice leading their explosive passing offense. Western Michigan is one of the worst pass defenses in the country. This is the last time that Clement and his record making receiver Jarret Dillard will play together and they're going to put on a show.
Result: Rice 38, Western Michigan 14
MVP: Chase Clement 30-44 307 yards, 12 carries for 72 yards; 3 passing TD's, 1 rushing TD, 1 receiving TD
Honorable Mention: Jarret Dillard 8 catches for 86 yards, TD; 13 yard TD pass
Honorable Mention: James Casey 7 catches for 112 yards, TD
*Rice wins first bowl game since 1954
*Rice wins 10 games in a season for the first time since 1949
*Rice receiver Jarret Dillard becomes 1st player to have multiple 20 TD seasons
Recap: Western Michigan's coach Bill Cubit got a 5 year contract extension earlier today before this game and his team didn't respond so well to it with their performance on the field. Their potent offense was shutout 38-0 before scoring two touchdowns in the final 6 minutes against Rice's 2nd and 3rd team defenses.
I didn't watch much of this game, only what I could see while the Oklahoma State-Oregon game was on commercial breaks, but I was right when I said that Clement and Dillard would put on a show. What a day Chase Clement had with the trifecta, getting touchdowns passing, rushing, and receiving. Clement and Jarret Dillard have hooked up on touchdowns together a record-setting amount of times throughout their careers, but in this game, Dillard returned the favor by throwing the ball to Clement for a touchdown on a trick play.


Pacific Life Holiday: December 30 8:00 on ESPN
No. 13 Oklahoma State (9-3) vs. No. 17 Oregon (9-3)
My Pick: Oklahoma State Cowboys
Prediction: OSU 41, Oregon 35
I'd like to think Oregon can play defense, but they can't and now that defense will get a taste of a Big 12 Offense. On the flipside, Oklahoma State's defense isn't that great either. Their secondary is mediocre though they do have Jacob Lacey at corner and Ricky Price at safety, but it's not the same defense that held Texas to 28 points. This defense is much worse and highly overrated. It'll be a shootout in this game but I'll take OK state's offense with Zac Robinson, Dez Bryant, Kendall Hunter, and Keith Totson anyday over Jeremiah Masoli and Jeremiah Johnson of Oregon.
Result: Oregon 42, Oklahoma State 31
MVP: Jeremiah Masoli 18-32 258 yards, TD, Int; 16 carries for 106 yards, 3 TD
Honorable Mention: Jeremiah Johnson 12 carries for 119 yards, TD
Honorable Mention: Terence Scott 8 catches for 125 yards
Top Performer: Oklahoma State WR Dez Bryant 13 catches for 168 yards, TD
*Oklahoma State quarterback Zac Robinson passes Mike Gundy for most passing yards in school history (Gundy is OSU head coach)
*Dez Bryant sets Holiday Bowl record with 13 catches (previous record held by Roy Williams (Texas) with 11)
Recap: Despite the scoreboard it was a defensive game. Both defenses actually alternated the spotlight. Oklahoma State is one of those offenses that can score in a heartbeat pretty much at will. When you've got a Dez Bryant on your team to throw to, you're hard to stop, and Zac Robinson made it clear he was targeting Bryant every play. Bryant had 9 catches for 113 yards in the first quarter and a half before a left knee sprain took him out. It was Oklahoma State's defense that began playing well which to me was not a surprise. They allowed one big run, that 76 yard run by Jeremiah Johnson for their first touchdown. In the 2nd quarter, Oregon wanted some attention too and both defenses stepped up as the 2nd quarter in this thought-to-be highly offensive game, put up nothing but 0's. The Cowboys went into halftime up 17-7 after Perrish Cox blocked an Oregon field goal attempt.
Coming out for the second half was Dez Bryant with a brace on the knee. He did make 4 more big catches including his last which was a 31 yarder in which his left knee gave out again and he spent most of the remainder of the game on the sidelines. After that, Robinson was a changed player. It was as if he didn't feel comfortable throwing to anyone else and Oklahoma State got away from the run game as both Kendall Hunter and Keith Toston failed to find holes to run through. Their run game had produced over 200 yards on average all season but today only averaged 3.2 yards per carry despite Hunter's two touchdowns which were both short goalline runs. The Oregon offense however clicked in the second half. They perfectly ran the zone read option the entire 2nd half and the Cowboys knew it was coming every time and simply could not stop it. Jeremiah Masoli kept the ball and ran for 3 touchdowns in the 3rd quarter.
Oregon kept having everything go their way into the 4th quarter. Near the end, Oklahoma State's defense finally made a stop with a huge goal line stand on 4th and goal to give Zac Robinson the ball back with 5 minutes left. OK state's offense is known for scoring multiple times in less than 2 minutes. Robinson completed his first pass to tight end Brandon Pettigrew for a first down but after that got hit 3 consecutive times. On 3rd and 14 you could see Bryant on the sideline next to his coach begging to get back into the game. They didn't allow it and Robinson had no one to throw the ball and to and the Cowboys had to punt it away.
They got the ball back again with just under 3 minutes to go and Bryant came back into the game but it was too little too late. Robinson threw errant passes his way as he continued to take big hits. It was not the Robinson we saw all year and I give props to Oregon's defense stepping it up after being downplayed by the media.
Oregon's offense amassed 300 rushing yards, over 200 of them in the 2nd half. It worked well considering their receivers weren't helping the passing game dropping everything they could get a hand on. Drops and injuries seem to have been the theme of the day going back to the Maryland-Nevada game. Nevada receivers made crucial drops and Nevada's playmaker Colin Kaepernick got hurt. Let me say this, if Oklahoma State's playmaker Dez Bryant doesn't get hurt, Oklahoma State continues to move the ball down field and win the game. Bryant could've had a huge night but injuries are part of the game.





Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl: December 31 12:00 on ESPN
Houston (7-5) vs. Air Force (8-4)
My Pick: Houston Cougars
Prediction: Houston 44, Air Force 32
Houston Quarterback Case Keenum will be the key for the Cougars. Houston has the country's best offense in terms of total yards but I doubt they'll be able to defend Air Force's zone-read option offense. Houston wins this game by outscoring Air Force. These two teams met earlier in the season in a game that Air Force won 31-28 in the blistering winds of Hurricane Ike. They ran the ball the entire game and never completed a forward pass. Houston on the other hand is a pass-heavy offense. The weather conditions will be much for adapt for this game and Keenum will lead the offense to plenty of points, while Air Force still gets points of their own. Houston will have to at least slow down Air Force's ground game and have their offense simply score more. As Houston's punter Chase Turner said, the less he's on the field, the better the chance to win.
Result: Houston 34, Air Force 28
MVP: Bryce Bell 22 carries for 135 yards, TD; 4 catches for 91 yards
*Houston wins first bowl game since 1980
Recap: This was a different game than when these two teams met in the regular season. Houston was playing 9 different starters while Air Force was playing 5 including their new freshman quarterback Tim Jefferson. Houston's number one offense in the country got off to a quick start with a 17-7 lead in the first quarter. They did a very good job on the defensive side after a slow start there to contain the triple option of Air Force. They've seen it before earlier in the season which really helped them today.
Air Force then changed their gameplan and got away from running the option. Tim Jefferson showed a lot of poise and that he can throw the ball well. Air Force went to a more conventional offense passing and running, but went back to the option at times and got stuffed by the Houston defense.
Fumbles on both sides really hurt, but Houston capitalized by scoring off turnovers. Air Force was able to get nothing. Houston quarterback Case Keenum, averaging 400 yards passing per game, was held only to 251 on 33 attempts. Air Force's ground game took a lot of time off the clock trying to keep the ball away from Houston's offense, but turnovers gave Houston good field position all game long.




Brut Sun Bowl: December 31 5:30 on NFL Network
Oregon State (8-4) vs. No. 20 Pittsburgh (9-3)
My Pick: Pittsburgh Panthers
Prediction: Pitt 27, OSU 24
Nice matchup of runningbacks here: Jacquizz Rodgers vs. LeSean McCoy. But now with news that Quizz Rodgers will not play in this game with an injury, and his brother James is also out, bigger advantage to Pittsburgh. Look for Oregon State QB Lyle Moevao to try to get the ball to Sammie Stroughter, essentially the Beavers' last option as a play maker.
Result: Oregon State 3, Pittsburgh 0
MVP: Victor Butler 4 sacks
Honorable Mention: Slade Norris 2 sacks
Honorable Mention: Johnny Hekker 10 punts, 5 inside 20, 45.1 avg
Recap: Neither one of these teams has a stellar defense, but this was a defense dominated game. Both teams, with good offenses, struggled on the offensive side of the ball. Oregon State did not have the brothers James and Jacquizz Rodgers who account for 50% of their offense, and Pittsburgh's quarterback Bill Stull was highly ineffective and LeSean McCoy did not have a big day on the ground.
It was the front 7 for both teams that dominated. Neither team's runningbacks could find a place to run through and neither team's quarterbacks had any time to release an accurate ball. It resulted in 5 turnovers, 3 of them interceptions.
Pittsburgh got to Lyle Moevao 5 times while Bill Stull for Pittsburgh was pressured the entire game and only completed 7 of 24 passes. Victor Butler and Slade Norris together got constant pressure while Butler recorded 4 sacks and Norris got 2. Pittsburgh, with no timeouts left, had to go from their own 10 to try to get in field goal range, but when backup quarterback Pat Bostick got sacked with 11 seconds left by Slade Norris, the game was over.
Oregon State's true freshman punter Johnny Hekker had a hell of a game as both teams battled for field position. I didn't watch this entire game while flipping back and forth with the Music City Bowl, but what I saw was a sloppy performance by both offensive lines. Pitt did take one chance to tie the game, with the wind at their backs on 4th and 3 when Connor Lee attempted a 58 yard field goal. He had the distance but pushed it wide right.




Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl: December 31 3:30 on ESPN
No. 24 Boston College (9-4) vs. Vanderbilt (6-6)
My Pick: Boston College Eagles
Prediction: BC 17, Vandy 14
Boston College has won 9 straight bowl games and Vanderbilt, after being one of the nation's biggest surprises, tailed off at the end of the season. Neither team has a stout quarterback but Vanderbilt hasn't won a bowl game since 1955. With all that history though, Vandy could pull off the upset here. It'll be up to Boston College freshman backup quarterback Dominique Davis and how he performs against this very good SEC defense of Vanderbilt.
Result: Vanderbilt 16, Boston College 14
MVP: Brett Upson 9 punts, 42.6 avg
*Vanderbilt wins first bowl game since 1955
Recap: Not much to say about this game as you can tell with me giving the MVP to the punter. He was good all day though with the rugby style punting to push Boston College's field position back.
Vanderbilt continued to rotate their quarterbacks between the senior Chris Nickson and the freshman Larry Smith and even got junior Mackenzie Adams in there late in the 4th quarter. But this game was exactly what it was supposed to be, a battle of the defenses. I was interested to see what BC's redshirt freshman Dominique Davis could do against this Vandy defense and it wasn't much. They got one big play on the 55 yard touchdown pass to Colin Larmond to take the lead in 14-13 in the 4th quarter but then Vandy came back to take the lead with a 45 yard field goal Bryan Hahnfeldt with 3:12 remaining. The comeback attempt ended for BC when Davis threw his 2nd interception of the day, this one by Myron Lewis.



Insight Bowl: December 31 5:30 on NFL Network
Kansas (7-5) vs. Minnesota (7-5)
My Pick: Kansas Jayhawks
Prediction: KU 21, Minn 17
Kansas got a big win in the Orange Bowl last year, and had a disappointing season this year. After losing 4 of their last 6 games, they ended the season with a big win over Missouri. Minnesota hasn't been impressive either. They lost to Iowa 55-0 to end their season.
Result: Kansas 42, Minnesota 21
MVP: Dezmon Briscoe 14 catches for 201 yards, 3 TD
Honorable Mention: Todd Reesing 27-35 313 yards, 4 TD, int
Honorable Mention: James Holt 8 tackles, 3 sacks
Recap: For Kansas to win, Todd Reesing had to continue his hot streak and the Kansas secondary had to stop Minnesota's big play receiving threat Eric Decker. Turns out, 1 out of 2 was good enough for the win. Decker had a good game with 8 catches for 149 yards and a touchdown, but Todd Reesing was just on fire. He and Dezmon Briscoe were on the same page for the entire game. I thought Minnesota's defense would be better and be able to slow Kansas down but that just wasn't the case. Reesing torched the Minnesota secondary all game long with the exception of one poorly thrown ball that was intercepted. Kansas's defense did what they had to do in stopping Minnesota's run game and this game ended up being a blowout. If Briscoe does not leave for the NFL, Kansas could be a big threat again in the Big 12 next year.





Chick-Fil-A Bowl: December 31 7:30 on ESPN
LSU (7-5) vs. vs. No. 14 Georgia Tech (9-3)
My Pick: LSU Tigers
Prediction: LSU 31, GT 30
Can LSU defend the triple option offense of Georgia Tech? Well, we’re going to find out. If they can’t, we’re in for a long high scoring one-sided game. If they can, LSU wins. I don’t know whatever happened to LSU’s defense cuz they got smoked by Georgia and Florida but I really do think they’ll show up in this game cuz they have something to prove. On the offensive side for LSU, they made the change at quarterback taking Jarrett Lee out and starting the true freshman Jordan Jefferson. This is a big game for him and he'll have his chance to take his team to a big win. Georgia Tech's 2-0 against SEC teams this year, but LSU will make them fight for win number three.
Result: LSU 38, Georgia Tech 3
MVP: Jordan Jefferson 16-24 150 yards, TD; 41 rushing yards
Honorable Mention: Charles Scott 56 rushing yards, 3 TD
Recap: I said in my preview above that LSU's defense had something to prove, well they proved it tonight. They just stifled the triple option offense of Georgia Tech. It was one of the most impressive performances I've seen by a defense all season long. Jonathan Dwyer, the ACC offensive player of the year, was not able to break off a big run until inside the 5 minute mark in the 4th quarter when there were no longer any LSU starters on defense.
LSU offensively got off to a big start. Jordan Jefferson, the true freshman making his 2nd career start, had a big game on the national stage tonight. LSU had suffered bad quarterback play all year by Jarrett Lee and Jefferson had to just not turn the ball over. It was the first time I got to see Jefferson play and he really impressed me throwing and running and started to show some leadership. LSU has a bright future next year with him.
LSU Coach Les Miles, wanted his team to get out to a quick start and after scoring their first touchdown to take a 7-3 lead, he went for the surprise onside kick that LSU recovered and went on to score. Paul Johnson, useing trickery of his own called a fake punt for GT but LSU's defense stuffed that attempt and got the ball back on the 24 yard line for Jefferson to throw a 24 yard TD pass to the tight end Richard Dixon. LSU in the 2nd quarter scored 21 points in a span of 6:41. LSU on both sides of the ball simply had better athletes on the field.
Falling behind big, Tech had to get away from the option game and try to move the ball down field faster by throwing and quarterback Josh Nesbitt, not a great passer, threw a deep ball that was intercepted by Chris Hawkins to end the 1st half.
The 2nd half was the same story, LSU's offense and defense. LSU kicker Colt David hit a career long 53 yard field goal in the 3rd quarter. With a huge lead later, Les Miles, maybe rubbing it in to GT, perfectly executed a fake punt pass. On that drive, Richard Jefferson threw a perfect deep ball to a wide open Brandon LaFell for a touchdown but it was brought back by a holding call.
Georgia Tech could not get anything going offensively including multilple failed 4th down conversions. It all ended up to a long night for Georgia Tech in what was supposed to be a very entertaining game. Happy new year everybody.





Outback Bowl: January 1 11:00 on ESPN
South Carolina (7-5) vs. Iowa (8-4)
My Pick: South Carolina Gamecocks
Prediction: South Carolina 13, Iowa 10
Iowa beat Penn State and they won that game with their defense. Their offense, isn't much of a story. This will be a matchup of defenses as South Carolina's ranks 11th and Iowa's at 12. On offense, I have to give the edge to the Gamecocks.
Result: Iowa 31, South Carolina 10
MVP: Shonn Greene 29 carries for 121 yards, 3 touchdowns
Honorable Mention: Tyler Sash 2 interceptions
Recap: The source of struggles for South Carolina's offense all season long was the quarterback carousel and the lack of a running game. Coach Steve Spurrier said today that Steven Garcia was going to play the whole game at quarterback instead of rotating Garcia and Chris Smelley in and out. Well as if South Carolina's offense wasn't bad enough, turnovers don't help. 4 turnovers in the first half, 3 interceptions and a fumble by Garcia forced Spurrier to make the change and put Smelley in the 2nd half.
Iowa's Shonn Greene, the Doak Walker Award winner, ran all over this great South Carolina defense today and that was the key to winning. Greene is the only tailback in the nation who has rushed for over 100 yards in every game of the season.
South Carolina thought they got a stop at the goal line when they recovered a fumble, but it was overturned by replay and Iowa went on to score again. Iowa quarterback Ricky Stanzi, I thought he would struggle against this defense and he did a pretty good job despite throwing two interceptions but the story of the day was Greene collapsing the South Carolina defense.



Capital One Bowl: January 1 1:00 on ABC
No. 15 Georgia (9-3) vs. No. 18 Michigan State (9-3)
My Pick: Georgia Bulldogs
Prediction: UGA 31, MSU 24
One of the best matchups we’ll see. Wow, what a pair of the country’s best runningbacks: Knowshon Moreno against Javon Ringer. Georgia's young offensive line might get exposed here so it'll be important for Matthew Stafford to maybe show NFL scouts that he has some mobility and extend plays. He has one of the country's best receiving corps with the senior Mohamed Massaquoi and the true freshman AJ Greene. Michigan State is going to have to rely on Javon Ringer to be the workhorse and carry the Spartans to the win, but Georgia's defense is too good.
Result: Georgia 24, Michigan State 12
MVP: Matthew Stafford 20/31 250 yards, 3 TD
Recap: A matchup of the nation's two best runningbacks was set up to be an offensive showing but the first half was all defense as Michigan State took a 6-3 lead. In the 3rd quarter, Georgia came out ready to score. Quarterback Matthew Stafford threw the first two of his three touchdown passes late in the quarter to put Georgia up by dougle digits.
Michigan State's Javon Ringer got a 1 yard touchdown when they used a double stack formation with two fullbacks in to block. It was Michigan State's only touchdown of the game. Georgia's defense got to Brian Hoyer the entire game recording 6 big sacks. Neither runningback, Ringer or Knowshon Moreno had big days on the ground but Moreno doubles as a good receiver out of the backfield. Moreno caught a nice fade pass from Stafford for a touchdown with 3:43 in the 4th quarter to make it a two possession game. Michigan State faced a 4th down in which the receiver Mark Dell came a chain link short of the first down and the Spartans turned the ball over on downs in what was their last chance to stay in the game.



Konica Minolta Gator Bowl: January 1 1:00 on CBS
Clemson (7-5) vs. Nebraska (8-4)
My Pick: Clemson Tigers
Prediction: Clemson 28, Nebraska 23
Dabo Swinney has had this Clemson team on fire since he took over as head coach and earned the permanent job. I don’t think it ends here. They have Cullen Harper coming back and it’ll be Harper’s last chance to bring back his status as one of the top senior QB’s after a season full of injuries.
Result: Nebraska 26, Clemson 21
MVP: Joe Ganz 19-36 236 yards, 2 TD, int
Honorable Mention: Quentin Castille 18 carries for 125 yards
Recap: In the 4th quarter when the score was Clemson 21, Nebraska 23, I seriously thought that maybe, just maybe I predicted the score of this game perfectly when I predicted Clemson 28, Nebraska 23. Clemson's gonna get a touchdown here and that'll be it, I thought. It didn't quite happen that way. It was Nebraska that did more scoring while Clemson's offense sputtered out of the game.
Momentum shifted back and forth as both defenses made plays but then Clemson looked as if they would make the first score with a field goal before that 20 yard attempt was blocked by big defensive tackle, Ndamukong Suh. Then Clemson made a big play on defense when Deandre McDaniel deflected an attemped pitch on the option play and recovered the ball and ran it back for a touchdown.
For Clemson quarterback Cullen Harper, this was his last chance to have a big game and raise his draft stock and he did get out to a hot start until he was intercepted on a tipped ball that wasn't his fault but that was the turning point of Harper's day. In the final seconds of the first half, Harper just lofted a ball up for grabs and his big receiver Aaron Kelly came down with a diving catch in the endzone.
Nebraska, under new coach, former defensive coordinator Bo Pelini, played great defense and took away Clemson's run game with their dynamic duo of James David and CJ Spiller. In the 3rd quarter, safety Ricky Thenarse blocked a Clemson punt which led to a Nebraska field goal. From there on, Nebraska did all the scoring with two more field goals. In a 26-21 game, Clemson had one more chance but failed on 4th and goal from the 26 yard line after Harper was sacked.