College Football Bowl Preview and Predictions

After many tosses and turns over the better part of three months, we are now at the doorstep of the college football bowl season. We see the main event teams battling for a national title or a BCS victory and we see teams who aren't perennial teams competing, where a win would be big no matter the game. With that all in mind, I accept the challenge of attempting to pick all of these games. There will almost certainly a few games that go to overtime or give us a crazy fourth quarter. At the end of the tunnel sits Texas and Alabama for the national title, but we must get through all the games first. So here goes.

Saturday December 19th:
New Mexico Bowl: Wyoming vs Fresno State: Wyoming had a good season for them under a new coach, but trying to slow down the Fresno State running game is not going to be an easy task. Expect HB Ryan Mathews to be a big factor in this one. PICK: FRESNO STATE

St. Petersburg Bowl: UCF vs Rutgers: Rutgers continues their recent string of bowl appearances after another shaky start. UCF is virtually playing in their own backyard and that could level the playing field a bit in this one. Rutgers has an emerging young offense and a good defense and that should be enough to slow the Golden Knights. Could be a two score one. PICK: RUTGERS

Sunday December 20th:
R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl: Southern Mississippi vs Middle Tennessee: Southern Mississippi: Southern Mississippi has played in this a few times now while Middle Tennessee has broken into the college football postseason after a few years. Middle Tennessee has had their best year and could cap it with a big win, but Southern Miss will not be easy to score on. This seems to have the making of a back and forth battle. PICK: SOUTHERN MISS

Tuesday December 22nd:
MAACO Las Vegas Bowl: 14 Oregon State vs 18 Brigham Young: This one has the potential to be a high scoring affair. Oregon State was one game away from the Rose Bowl and could play motivated or flat. The running back combo of Oregon State when healthy is tough to slow down, but BYU's offense is also potent behind QB Max Hall. This probably the best matchup that the Las Vegas Bowl has gotten since it features two ranked teams that could give viewers a lot to watch. Look for a breakout game from Max Hall. PICK: BRIGHAM YOUNG

Wednesday December 23rd:
San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl: 23 Utah vs California: Utah took a bit of a step back this year after their big win against Alabama in the Suger Bowl. They enter the game on an eight game bowl win streak and catch California not playing their most consistent football. I expect a close one, but the lack offensive firepower for California could hurt them if they fall behind by a couple scores, which is very likely. PICK: UTAH

Thursday December 24th:
Sheraton Hawaii Bowl: Nevada vs Southern Methodist: This is one of the intriguing low card matchups. SMU returns to the bowl scene after a 25 year drought. They are in the midst of a rebirth under new coach June Jones as he returns to Hawaii where he coached before this year. Nevada had a good season and should have enough against an SMU team that doesn't seem to have many breakout stars. PICK: NEVADA

Saturday December 26th:
Little Caesars Bowl: Marshall vs Ohio: Ohio was on the brink of playing for a MAC title and let it slip away, but are looking to end one of their best seasons on a high note. Marshall is one of those barely bowl eligible teams and will need to make key stops and get a few turnovers to keep themselves in this one. If not this has the potential to be a blowout if Ohio gets things going. PICK: OHIO

Meineke Car Care Bowl: 17 Pittsburgh vs North Carolina: Pittsburgh had the Big East in their grasp and fell to heated rivals, West Virginia, and missed a crucial extra point against Cincinnati and lost by 1. Now they must turn their attention to a North Carolina that at times looked like one of the best teams in the ACC. They have one of the top defenses and will need to key in on HB Dion Lewis of Pittsburgh to force the Panthers to throw and make slowing down the offense that much easier. However, Lewis has showed he is tough to slow down and should be able to do more than enough even if North Carolina brings their best effort. PICK: PITTSBURGH

Emerald Bowl: Boston College vs 24 USC: USC is playing before New Years and is dealing with playing and completing an average season. Boston College will either get a slow and sluggish USC team or a fast and angry team. I feel that Pete Carroll will bring a focused squad because winning is the best antidote for a bad season; a bad season in USC terms. Having QB Matt Barkley behind center will be big as they struggled without him and he should be healthy enough to score enough points on the Eagles defense. PICK: USC

Sunday December 27th:
Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl: Kentucky vs Clemson: HB CJ Spiller is one the biggest multi-facet threats in all of college football. Clemson was close to the ACC title and a BCS game. They will showcase some of the talent. Expect Kentucky to make it a little interesting. PICK: CLEMSON

Monday December 28th:
Independence Bowl: Texas A&M vs Georgia: Don't expect too much defense in this one as it could be a points fest. A&M has a potent offense, but Georgia has similar big play ability and could turn the game on field position and the return game. PICK: GEORGIA

Tuesday December 29th:
EagleBank Bowl: UCLA vs Temple: UCLA barely got into this game while Temple is enjoying one of its best football seasons. The Owls came close this year to winning the MAC and want to close this season on a high note. UCLA despite their record has been playing hard and will need a few key stops, which they capable are of, to take this one. PICK: UCLA

Champs Sports Bowl: 15 Miami (FL) vs 25 Wisconsin: The "U" looks like it is on its way to being back to form after a few down years. The Badgers have been one of the most consistent teams in the Big Ten in recent years and could pose some matchup problems for the Hurricanes. When Miami QB Jacory Harris is on, they are tough to beat, but when he is not; they become in danger of getting beat bad. Both teams are coming into this game on a roll. PICK: Miami (FL)

Wednesday December 30th:
Roady's Humanitarian Bowl: Bowling Green vs Idaho: Bowling Green has had a solid season while Idaho is back in the college postseason after several years. This is another matchup with the potential for a lot of points. PICK: BOWLING GREEN

Pacific Life Holiday Bowl: 20 Arizona vs 22 Nebraska: Nebraska's DT Ndamukong Suh performance alone almost got Nebraska past Texas in the Big 12 title game. However, both teams have had good years in their respective conferences and much of their strength lies in their defenses, which will shape this game. The better defensive team will certainly have a major advantage as neither offense scores tons of points. PICK: NEBRASKA

Thursday December 31st:
Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl: Houston vs Air Force: These two are paired up for the 2nd year and could give us a similar show. QB Case Keenum has been one of the best QBs all year and has made Houston especially explosive. They seem to be rolling again and that could be bad for Air Force. Air Force can certainly make this interesting though. PICK: HOUSTON

Brut Sun Bowl: Oklahoma vs 21 Stanford: Oklahoma's Heisman QB and playmaker TE both went down early in the year and that dictated much of their season. Despite those losses, they still came out with a fairly decent season and could still be dangerous in this one. Stanford has continued to build on recent success and HB Toby Geirhart burst onto the scene and has carried this offense. His play or lack there of it could sway momentum in this one. This will be a grinder that goes deep into the fourth quarter and whomever has the ball last will probably win. PICK: STANFORD

Texas Bowl: Navy vs Missouri: Both teams have offenses that can move the ball effectively. Missouri gets done through the air while Navy is one of the best teams with running the ball. This one can hinge on a few big plays. PICK: MISSOURI

Insight Bowl: Minnesota vs Iowa State: Iowa State rebounded after an awful 2008 season and that turnabout has many fans excited. Minnesota has the potential to be a breakthrough team in the Big Ten in the coming years and should have enough to take care of a bit of banged up Iowa State team. PICK: MINNESOTA

Chick-fil-A Bowl: 11 Virginia Tech vs Tennessee: Virginia Tech's couple bad games cost them another BCS appearance while Lane Kiffin's Tennessee squad hasn't shown the improvement he promised, but it has still made strides. Monte Kiffin's defensive schemes have improved the Volunteers defense and that could turn this one into a low scoring affair. However, HB Ryan Williams has been one of the freshmen sensations and could be a little too much for the Vols defense and allow the passing game to open up a bit. PICK: VIRGINIA TECH

Friday January 1st:

Outback Bowl: Northwestern vs Auburn: Auburn looked about to be one of the best teams in the SEC before losing most of the second half of their season. Northwestern was rewarded for a good season with a New Years Day bowl. This one could be a back and back for battle. Auburn played very good against Alabama in their last game and what they showed in that one could be an omen for this one. PICK: AUBURN

Capital One Bowl: 13 Penn State vs 12 LSU: Both teams played very well, but a couple conferences losses put them in this game and not a higher bowl. Penn State fell to Iowa and Ohio State while LSU fell to Florida and Alabama. All the games were close, but both Penn State and LSU couldn't win those big games. This game features two coaches who know the Xs and Os very well and its another bowl in the lengthy career of Joe Paterno. Expect a close one. PICK: PENN STATE

Gator Bowl: 16 West Virginia vs Florida State: West Virginia has finished strong and now gets a retiring Bobby Bowden and the Seminoles. Bowden is facing his former team and is truly a full circle type of game. I expect the Seminoles to play hard as many teams with coaches leaving usually do. But I am not sure if the offense can do enough and if the defense can slow down weapons like HB Noel Devine. It will probably be close mostly due to the motivation to win for Bowden. PICK: WEST VIRGINIA

Rose Bowl: 8 Ohio State vs 7 Oregon: Oregon hasn't been here in a while and it has been some time for Ohio State too despite the recent BCS births under Jim Tressell. The Ducks have rebounded after that tough loss and have an explosive offensive, which should be challenged by another good Ohio State defense. Ohio State might need to throw a few wrinkles in their gameplan to take control of this one. It should be squeaker. PICK: OREGON

Sugar Bowl: 3 Cincinnati vs 5 Florida: A lot of intrigue in this one. Both teams have questions and statements to prove in the wake of coaching moves. Brian Kelly left Cincinnati for Notre Dame while it looks like Urban Meyer might take a break or retire from Florida. This is also QB Tim Tebow's last game. The Big East has a chance to show they can compete with the big boys when they face last year's national champion and one of the best teams in the last few years. I expect Cincinnati to play tough, but Florida might be angry after their SEC title loss and make a statement in this one. PICK: FLORIDA

Saturday January 2nd:
International Bowl: South Florida vs Northern Illinois: This game has belonged to the Big East. South Florida started strong again and faltered down the stretch. That unpredictability of their play could open the door for Northern Illinois. PICK: SOUTH FLORIDA

AT&T Cotton Bowl: 19 Oklahoma State vs Mississippi: Both had big game possibilities early on this year and suffered a few setbacks midseason and started to rebound before losses to wrap up the year. Now both are poised to make a statement in a game that some years has been one of the best post New Years games. Both have good passing games, but it should be a low scoring affair as both sides have struggled at times. PICK: OKLAHOMA STATE

PapaJohns.com Bowl: South Carolina vs Connecticut: Connecticut has endured a rough second half after the death of teammate, Jasper Howard. They have played with heavy hearts and look to win this one for their fallen teammate. South Carolina had a couple of nice wins, but in this one they should have enough to get by. PICK: SOUTH CAROLINA

Liberty Bowl: Arkansas vs East Carolina: East Carolina got into this game with an upset over Houston and now has to be upset-minded against another tough passing team. Arkansas has improved from a year ago and can put up enough points to pull ahead of East Carolina. The Pirates will need to play close to flawless and make some big plays. PICK: ARKANSAS

Alamo Bowl: Michigan State vs Texas Tech: Mike Leach is out as coach at Texas Tech, but that shouldn't change too much about this team. They have a killer passing attack and can pick apart better defenses than Michigan State's. The Spartans will be without certain players and that could take a close one into a two or more touchdown win for Texas Tech. PICK: TEXAS TECH

Monday January 4th:
Fiesta Bowl: 6 Boise State vs 4 TCU: Both are undefeated and are only playing in the Fiesta Bowl. To both teams, this is their national title game because depending on the way that the winner on January 7th plays; the winner of this could make a case to share the title. Boise State had a breakthrough win over Oklahoma a couple years ago and could showcase their ability to compete amongst the best again. TCU has a tough defense that can shut down the best offenses. Expect a close, fairly low scoring affair with a turnover or two being the difference. PICK: TCU

Tuesday January 5th:
Orange Bowl: 10 Iowa vs 9 Georgia Tech: Iowa was making a serious run at the national title game before they loss QB Ricky Stanzi to injury and they couldn't produce the same results in their last couple games. Georgia Tech's success is based upon how well the triple option is running. It has been lethal and also shut down. Key players include Stanzi should be healthy and that should be enough to put up some points and key the option of Tech in check. PICK: IOWA

Wednesday January 6th:
GMAC Bowl: Central Michigan vs Troy: Both teams enter this one with not a lot of defense and a good amount of offense. Central Michigan has put up a lot of points this year behind QB Dan LeFevour and lead them to another MAC championship. Troy will respond to almost everything thrown their way. PICK: CENTRAL MICHIGAN

Thursday January 7th:
BCS National Championship Game: 2 Texas vs 1 Alabama: 3 plus months of games has led to this game. The two best teams. Texas survived a close Big 12 title game while Alabama avenged their SEC title game against Florida. The main focus will certainly be on the two offensive stars: QB Colt McCoy of Texas and Heisman winner HB Mark Ingram. Can McCoy get that title or will the Tide return to glory? Ingram has been tough to slow down this year and has showed up in most of the big games this year. If Texas becomes too one dimensional, it could be bad for their chances. Texas should be able to find holes in a very good Alabama defense. In a close one, the Tide seem to be destined for a title after that Florida win. PICK: ALABAMA