Bowl Game Previews & Predictions
Sorry for being a day late getting to my Bowl Preview & Prediction post.
Once, a long time ago, I finished in the top 250 people in the ESPN Bowl Mania Challenge. Since then, I have plain sucked, so your best bet might be to just pick opposite of me if you play in the Bowl Mania Challenge or a similar game.
Feel free to comment on where you think I am wrong or if I have any typos.
Sorry some stuff on the site still isn't how I want it, like the coaches link and some of the tables, but I do all the programming myself and it is just a hobby and it is a lot of trial and error.
Clicking on the name of the bowl will open a new window with their official website.
This game will get the 2009-2010 bowl season started. The big matchup will be Fresno State RB Ryan Matthews vs. the Wyoming Rush Defense, which ranked toward the bottom of FBS this season. I personally find the Wyoming logo to be the best in FBS but unlike my wife, I can't pick solely on uniform colors and mascots. I just don't think the Wyoming offense can score enough to keep up with Fresno State.
Prediction: Fresno State 41-17
The St. Petersburg Bowl team has been the best bowl at keeping their fans informed via social media. Nice contests and VIP packages for those who follow them. UCF has already sold out their 1st ticket allotment so I imagine this bowl will seem like a home game for UCF, but I think Rutgers can win a close one with some 2nd half adjustments.
Prediction: Rutgers 28-27
The 1st of 2 bowls in the Louisina Superdome. The New Orleans Bowl says they use the "expanded" football seating of the stadium, but the Superdome site says they use the regular "Tulane" configuration. Either way, this game is unlikely to sell out but you might want to call to make sure you get the best seats available. Southern Miss has a great RB in Damion Fletcher while Middle Tennessee State has a good defense. I think Fletcher will eventually wear down the MTSU defense, leading Southern Miss to victory.
Prediction: Southern Miss 35-24
I love this matchup. I am surprised to see BYU make their 5th straight appearance in the Las Vegas Bowl, but they are close and I am sure they sell a decent amount of tickets. I like the Rogers brothers for Oregon State, but BYU has an potent offense which could give Oregon State trouble on Defense. I am going to go with Oregon State in a shootout.
Prediction: Oregon State 45-42
Qualcomm is another Stadium that gets to host 2 Bowl Games. Would love to see Jahvid Best return for Cal in this game, but I don't think that is going to happen. However, I still like their chances against a good, but not as good as usual Utah team.
Prediction: California 35-24
Hawaii has to be a hard place to take a team for a Bowl Game just because it has to be so difficult to get the players to focus. I think this will give SMU an early advantage because Coach June Jones knows all about the distractions in Hawaii. I think in the end however that Nevada is the more talented team and will run their way to the win.
Prediction: Nevada 35-20
Formerly the Motor City Bowl, then briefly (a few months) the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl, before they dropped the "Pizza" part for unknown reasons. If anything, they should have made it "Pizza Pizza" but I digress. I find this to be one of the worst matchups out there. If their QB can get healthy in time for the game, I will take the Frank Solich lead Ohio Bobcats to beat the coachless Marshall team. PS, I do give an A for effort to the Bowl Committee for giving out 10,000 free tickets to poor and military families in the economically devestated Detroit area.
Prediction: Ohio 31-17
The Meineke Car Care Bowl must be the 2nd most active on the social media front. Good marketing from them. I think I would give a consession or ticket discount to those who show up with a "Wanstache." I don't have a good idea for Butch Davis though so some might think they are favoring Pitt. I just think it would help even the crowd since Pitt is such a farther drive and they lost their last 2 games and went from BCS to Charlotte. I was at the Backyard Brawl and the fan base was dejected, I can't imagine what it was like after the loss to Cincinnati. I think this will all add up to a UNC win, although I think Pitt will score this year. Hopefully I can talk someone into taking the trip with me to this game.
Prediction: North Carolina 27-17
The Bowl that always produces the weirdest commercials from the Emerald Nut people. USC might not be as dominate this year as they have been, but at least I don't have to hear how they are sick of going to the Rose Bowl. Boston College was not a good road team this year, so I will go with USC.
Prediction: Southern California 38-17
Unlike some people, I think CJ Spiller is just a RB version of Teddy Ginn Jr. A nice return guy who will not turn out to be worthy of where he is drafted. With that said, he is still an amazing College Football player that can single-handedly take over a game. I think Clemson will start a little slow, the turn it on right before half time, resulting in a nice win.
Prediction: Clemson 31-24
Both teams expected to be in a "January" Bowl. Both teams have defensive issues. I think Georgia has a better offense and can win this game fairly easily.
Prediction: Georgia 41-24
Another Bowl that I hope to attend. I am using UCLA in this preview since Navy is favored over Army this weekend. Temple went 9-3 this season, but they did lose big to the 2 better opponents they played.
Prediction: UCLA 24-17
The 1st of 2 Bowl Games within 3 days at the Florida Citrus Bowl. Wisconsin is always a hard team to read as their basic style makes them look so bland, yet they find a way to win consistently year after year. Miami started the year on fire, only to cool off and lose a few games that they were favored in. Not sure which way to go in this game, so I will show my Big Ten bias.
Prediction: Wisconsin 24-23
I saw Bowling Green play live twice this season and I honestly was not impressed by anyone other than Freddie Barnes. Idaho had a great season and will be playing close to home, although Bronco Stadium was not kind to them when they played there a few weeks ago.
Prediction: Idaho 27-24
Tradionally a high-scoring, entertaining Bowl, this year the two teams are a little lacking in the offense department. I think the game will hinge on whether Nebraska can get 250 yards of offense because Arizona is going to triple team Suh. I am going to guess that they will find just enough.
Prediction: Nebraska 24-14
An old school triple option team vs a modern high powered spread offense. Which team is going to get the last turnover will be the key in my opinion. I think Houston will win a close one just like last year.
Prediction: Houston 34-31
Oklahoma started the season in position to play for the National Title. After just 60 minutes of football their season was wrecked and they didn't seem to recover until the last game of the season when they beat Oklahoma State 27-0. Stanford is likely to be without their starting QB as well, which I think will lead them to rush Toby Gerhart 40+ times. I think Gerhart single-handedly will power Stanford to the win in the 4th quarter after being passed over for the Heisman.
Prediction: Stanford 34-30
Another triple option vs. spread offense matchup. Missouri is upset after ISU was taken over them for the Insight Bowl, and normally I would always pick against any team who feels slighted, but I just don't think Navy's defense matches up with Missouri WR Alexander.
Prediction: Missouri 38-24
Iowa State was selected ahead of Missouri putting them in a tougher matchup according to conference rank while Minnesota is likely without top WR Decker. Again, I normally don't like teams who are bumped up, but Minnesota is going through their own issues on both offense and with their head coach being rumored for the Kansas job.
Prediction: Iowa State 20-10
Leave it to Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin to continue to keep his team in the news between ripping Urban Meyer on College Game Day, to sending girls to "visit" with potential high school recruits. I can't imagine that he came up with all of these ideas himself, but USC never gets investigated so maybe he learned them in Oakland? Virginia Tech is a better team with a better coach and should win a good defensive game.
Prediction: Virginia Tech 20-17
I love Pat Fitzgerald. I think Northwestern would have beat Penn State this year had their QB made it more than 20 minutes, but that has been their problem all year. Auburn started the year hot before falling off. I think they can use their 2 QB's better than Northwestern, resulting in a win.
Prediction: Auburn 34-28
Being a Penn State fan, it is very hard for me to predict this game. I think LSU has major issues at QB, but Penn State has major Offensive Line issues, making both the running and passing games struggle against good defenses. Defense is going to be the theme here and I think this game turns out to be like the 2002 Capital One game when PSU played Auburn.
Prediction: Louisiana State 13-9
If I had to pick 1 game I could go to, it would be this one, even though Penn State plays at the exact same time, less than 2 hours away. So, instead of deciding between the 2, I will watch at home with the remote nearby. Should be an entertaining game that normally would go WVU's way with the coaching conflicts at FSU, but Bobby Bowden is a proud man who I think can pull off the win.
Prediction: Florida State 35-34
This game saw the opening spread move over 4 points in favor of Oregon in the first 2 hours. I watched both teams a few times on TV and Ohio State live once as well. It all depends on how Pryor plays. Does he play like he did against Purdue or like he did against Penn State? I will go against the nation on this an pick OSU to win with defense.
Prediction: Ohio State 31-30
The question here is how does Florida react to both the loss to Alabama and the loss of Defensive Coordinator Charlie Strong. Cincinnati has problems on defense and any pressure on QB Pike is going to be an issue with his arm problems. This game has to potential to be as ugly as when Hawaii made the BCS a few years ago.
Prediction: Florida 45-17
Another Bowl that I think has a bad matchup. Depending on when I decide to re-open the business after New Years, I may or may not attend this game. South Florida is playing with their 2nd string QB, but should be able to win this game.
Prediction: South Florida 34-17
The dark horse in the Notre Dame soap opera is UConn coach Randy Edsall. This give South Carolina an edge in the mental state of their team. Also watch for Steve Spurier to call the same offensive play (usually a fade) a minimum of 3 times in a row at some point of this game. No idea why the offensive genious thinks his QB Garcia can make this play work, but it is almost always a major fail. Despite this, I think South Carolina will win this game that will have multiple momentum shifts.
Prediction: South Carolina 27-23
The Cotton Bowl, which is no longer played in the Cotton Bowl, features two teams who fell off throughout the season. Oklahoma State got destroyed 27-0 with a BCS game on the line and Ole Miss has offensive line woes that require a lot of max-protect schemes. I think Oklahoma State is going to just go through the motions despite being the better all-around team.
Prediction: Mississippi 27-20
I like East Carolina against most teams because of their defense, but they gave up a lot of points to Houston's passing attack and Ryan Mallett is the top SEC QB. However I am never sold on the defense of an Petrino coached team.
Prediction: East Carolina 30-28
I love the Alamo Bowl people, who even openly asked @sbradley3 to on twitter the other day to cover some activities for them via social media. I do think they got an odd Bowl matchup with Michigan State missing 10% of their team due to a fight and Texas Tech not knowing who their QB would be until yesterday when they picked Potts. I think Texas Tech will dominate the crowd, and the game. No truth to the rumor that the Alamo Bowl told MSU Coach Dantonio he can't call his timeouts if losing by more than 16 in the final minute.
Prediction: Texas Tech 38-24
I understand the argument @slmandel made that it does neither BSU or TCU any good to play lower ranked teams like Georgia Tech or Iowa. I just don't see what good it does them to play each other either. The conventional argument is that the non-AQ teams couldn't win if they had to play a full season in a conference like the SEC, Big Ten or the Big XII. This is where a playoff (or +1) would allow these types of teams to try and disprove critics. Personally I think TCU is better than both Texas and Cincinnati. I also think they would lose to Alabama, but sadly we don't get to find out. In fact, had Texas lost, Cincinnati would have played Alabama, not TCU. I think this normally would cause TCU to be down and dejected, but I think Gary Patterson is an amazing coach who keeps his teams frame of mind steady. Boise State QB Moore only threw 3 interceptions all year, and they are to nations top offense, but I don't think they played a team anywhere close to as good as TCU on defense. I think he throws 2 picks in this game alone.
Prediction: Texas Christian 38-27
I saw Iowa dominate Penn State live, but all the games I watched on TV, I was not impressed. I think they are a bit like Wisconsin in that they are so bland you don't realize how good they are. Georgia Tech is suspect in some areas on defense and special teams, but their offense is unlike anything Iowa has seen all year. I think their QB Nesbitt will complete a late pass, leading to a last-drive win.
Prediction: Georgia Tech 31-30
Some people don't like this matchup, but it should be a nice offensive shootout. Troy is 3rd nationally offensively and Central Michigan has QB Dan LeFevour who has better career stats then Tim Tebow. The real thing to figure out here is if Central Michigan will have their head coach if Cincinnati loses Brian Kelly to Notre Dame. Rumors continue that Cincinnati would be interested in Butch Jones if Kelly leaves. Despite this, I still like LeFevour to take over in the 4th quarter.
Prediction: Central Michigan 34-27
The opening points spread was Alabama favored by 4. I would take Alabama on any spread less than 10. I think Colt McCoy should have won the Heisman last year, and Texas should have played for the National Title, but I have been less than impressed this year by both Texas and McCoy when they have played tough competition.
Prediction: Alabama 31-17
Once, a long time ago, I finished in the top 250 people in the ESPN Bowl Mania Challenge. Since then, I have plain sucked, so your best bet might be to just pick opposite of me if you play in the Bowl Mania Challenge or a similar game.
Feel free to comment on where you think I am wrong or if I have any typos.
Sorry some stuff on the site still isn't how I want it, like the coaches link and some of the tables, but I do all the programming myself and it is just a hobby and it is a lot of trial and error.
Clicking on the name of the bowl will open a new window with their official website.
Albuquerque, NM
University Stadium
December 19 2009
4:30 PM ESPN
Fresno State vs. Wyoming
This game will get the 2009-2010 bowl season started. The big matchup will be Fresno State RB Ryan Matthews vs. the Wyoming Rush Defense, which ranked toward the bottom of FBS this season. I personally find the Wyoming logo to be the best in FBS but unlike my wife, I can't pick solely on uniform colors and mascots. I just don't think the Wyoming offense can score enough to keep up with Fresno State.
Prediction: Fresno State 41-17
St. Petersburg, FL
Tropicana Field
December 19 2009
8:00 PM ESPN
Central Florida vs. Rutgers
The St. Petersburg Bowl team has been the best bowl at keeping their fans informed via social media. Nice contests and VIP packages for those who follow them. UCF has already sold out their 1st ticket allotment so I imagine this bowl will seem like a home game for UCF, but I think Rutgers can win a close one with some 2nd half adjustments.
Prediction: Rutgers 28-27
New Orleans, LA
Louisiana Superdome
December 20 2009
8:30 PM ESPN
Southern Miss vs. Middle Tennessee State
The 1st of 2 bowls in the Louisina Superdome. The New Orleans Bowl says they use the "expanded" football seating of the stadium, but the Superdome site says they use the regular "Tulane" configuration. Either way, this game is unlikely to sell out but you might want to call to make sure you get the best seats available. Southern Miss has a great RB in Damion Fletcher while Middle Tennessee State has a good defense. I think Fletcher will eventually wear down the MTSU defense, leading Southern Miss to victory.
Prediction: Southern Miss 35-24
Las Vegas, NV
Sam Boyd Stadium
December 22 2009
8:00 PM ESPN
Oregon State vs. Bringham Young
I love this matchup. I am surprised to see BYU make their 5th straight appearance in the Las Vegas Bowl, but they are close and I am sure they sell a decent amount of tickets. I like the Rogers brothers for Oregon State, but BYU has an potent offense which could give Oregon State trouble on Defense. I am going to go with Oregon State in a shootout.
Prediction: Oregon State 45-42
San Diego, CA
Qualcomm Stadium
December 23 2009
8:00 PM ESPN
Utah vs. California
Qualcomm is another Stadium that gets to host 2 Bowl Games. Would love to see Jahvid Best return for Cal in this game, but I don't think that is going to happen. However, I still like their chances against a good, but not as good as usual Utah team.
Prediction: California 35-24
Honolulu, HI
Aloha Stadium
December 24 2009
8:00 PM ESPN
Nevada vs. Southern Methodist
Hawaii has to be a hard place to take a team for a Bowl Game just because it has to be so difficult to get the players to focus. I think this will give SMU an early advantage because Coach June Jones knows all about the distractions in Hawaii. I think in the end however that Nevada is the more talented team and will run their way to the win.
Prediction: Nevada 35-20
Detroit, MI
Ford Field
December 26 2009
1:00 PM ESPN
Marshall vs. Ohio
Formerly the Motor City Bowl, then briefly (a few months) the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl, before they dropped the "Pizza" part for unknown reasons. If anything, they should have made it "Pizza Pizza" but I digress. I find this to be one of the worst matchups out there. If their QB can get healthy in time for the game, I will take the Frank Solich lead Ohio Bobcats to beat the coachless Marshall team. PS, I do give an A for effort to the Bowl Committee for giving out 10,000 free tickets to poor and military families in the economically devestated Detroit area.
Prediction: Ohio 31-17
Charlotte, NC
Bank of America Stadium
December 26 2009
4:30 PM ESPN
Pitt vs. North Carolina
The Meineke Car Care Bowl must be the 2nd most active on the social media front. Good marketing from them. I think I would give a consession or ticket discount to those who show up with a "Wanstache." I don't have a good idea for Butch Davis though so some might think they are favoring Pitt. I just think it would help even the crowd since Pitt is such a farther drive and they lost their last 2 games and went from BCS to Charlotte. I was at the Backyard Brawl and the fan base was dejected, I can't imagine what it was like after the loss to Cincinnati. I think this will all add up to a UNC win, although I think Pitt will score this year. Hopefully I can talk someone into taking the trip with me to this game.
Prediction: North Carolina 27-17
San Francisco, CA
AT&T Park
December 26 2009
8:00 PM ESPN
Boston College vs. Southern California
The Bowl that always produces the weirdest commercials from the Emerald Nut people. USC might not be as dominate this year as they have been, but at least I don't have to hear how they are sick of going to the Rose Bowl. Boston College was not a good road team this year, so I will go with USC.
Prediction: Southern California 38-17
Nashville, TN
LP Field
December 27 2009
8:30 PM ESPN
Kentucky vs. Clemson
Unlike some people, I think CJ Spiller is just a RB version of Teddy Ginn Jr. A nice return guy who will not turn out to be worthy of where he is drafted. With that said, he is still an amazing College Football player that can single-handedly take over a game. I think Clemson will start a little slow, the turn it on right before half time, resulting in a nice win.
Prediction: Clemson 31-24
Shreveport, LA
Independence Stadium
December 28 2009
5:00 PM ESPN2
Texas A&M vs. Georgia
Both teams expected to be in a "January" Bowl. Both teams have defensive issues. I think Georgia has a better offense and can win this game fairly easily.
Prediction: Georgia 41-24
Washington, DC
Robert F. Kennedy Stadium
December 29 2009
4:30 PM ESPN
UCLA vs. Temple
Another Bowl that I hope to attend. I am using UCLA in this preview since Navy is favored over Army this weekend. Temple went 9-3 this season, but they did lose big to the 2 better opponents they played.
Prediction: UCLA 24-17
Orlando, FL
Florida Citrus Bowl
December 29 2009
8:00 PM ESPN
Miami vs. Wisconsin
The 1st of 2 Bowl Games within 3 days at the Florida Citrus Bowl. Wisconsin is always a hard team to read as their basic style makes them look so bland, yet they find a way to win consistently year after year. Miami started the year on fire, only to cool off and lose a few games that they were favored in. Not sure which way to go in this game, so I will show my Big Ten bias.
Prediction: Wisconsin 24-23
Boise, ID
Bronco Stadium
December 30 2009
4:30 PM ESPN
Bowling Green vs. Idaho
I saw Bowling Green play live twice this season and I honestly was not impressed by anyone other than Freddie Barnes. Idaho had a great season and will be playing close to home, although Bronco Stadium was not kind to them when they played there a few weeks ago.
Prediction: Idaho 27-24
San Diego, CA
Qualcomm Stadium
December 30 2009
8:00 PM ESPN
Arizona vs. Nebraska
Tradionally a high-scoring, entertaining Bowl, this year the two teams are a little lacking in the offense department. I think the game will hinge on whether Nebraska can get 250 yards of offense because Arizona is going to triple team Suh. I am going to guess that they will find just enough.
Prediction: Nebraska 24-14
Fort Worth, TX
Amon G. Carter Stadium
December 31 2009
12:00 PM ESPN
Houston vs. Air Force
An old school triple option team vs a modern high powered spread offense. Which team is going to get the last turnover will be the key in my opinion. I think Houston will win a close one just like last year.
Prediction: Houston 34-31
El Paso, TX
Sun Bowl
December 31 2009
2:00 PM CBS
Oklahoma vs. Stanford
Oklahoma started the season in position to play for the National Title. After just 60 minutes of football their season was wrecked and they didn't seem to recover until the last game of the season when they beat Oklahoma State 27-0. Stanford is likely to be without their starting QB as well, which I think will lead them to rush Toby Gerhart 40+ times. I think Gerhart single-handedly will power Stanford to the win in the 4th quarter after being passed over for the Heisman.
Prediction: Stanford 34-30
Houston, TX
Reliant Stadium
December 31 2009
3:30 PM ESPN
Navy vs. Missouri
Another triple option vs. spread offense matchup. Missouri is upset after ISU was taken over them for the Insight Bowl, and normally I would always pick against any team who feels slighted, but I just don't think Navy's defense matches up with Missouri WR Alexander.
Prediction: Missouri 38-24
Tempe, AZ
Sun Devil Stadium
December 31 2009
6:00 PM NFL
Minnesota vs. Iowa State
Iowa State was selected ahead of Missouri putting them in a tougher matchup according to conference rank while Minnesota is likely without top WR Decker. Again, I normally don't like teams who are bumped up, but Minnesota is going through their own issues on both offense and with their head coach being rumored for the Kansas job.
Prediction: Iowa State 20-10
Atlanta, GA
Georgia Dome
December 31 2009
7:30 PM ESPN
Virginia Tech vs. Tennessee
Leave it to Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin to continue to keep his team in the news between ripping Urban Meyer on College Game Day, to sending girls to "visit" with potential high school recruits. I can't imagine that he came up with all of these ideas himself, but USC never gets investigated so maybe he learned them in Oakland? Virginia Tech is a better team with a better coach and should win a good defensive game.
Prediction: Virginia Tech 20-17
Tampa, FL
Raymond James Stadium
January 1 2010
11:00 AM ESPN
Northwestern vs. Auburn
I love Pat Fitzgerald. I think Northwestern would have beat Penn State this year had their QB made it more than 20 minutes, but that has been their problem all year. Auburn started the year hot before falling off. I think they can use their 2 QB's better than Northwestern, resulting in a win.
Prediction: Auburn 34-28
Orlando, FL
Florida Citrus Bowl
January 1 2010
1:00 PM ABC
Penn State vs. Louisiana State
Being a Penn State fan, it is very hard for me to predict this game. I think LSU has major issues at QB, but Penn State has major Offensive Line issues, making both the running and passing games struggle against good defenses. Defense is going to be the theme here and I think this game turns out to be like the 2002 Capital One game when PSU played Auburn.
Prediction: Louisiana State 13-9
Jacksonville, FL
Jacksonville Municipal Stadium
January 1 2010
1:00 PM CBS
West Virginia vs. Florida State
If I had to pick 1 game I could go to, it would be this one, even though Penn State plays at the exact same time, less than 2 hours away. So, instead of deciding between the 2, I will watch at home with the remote nearby. Should be an entertaining game that normally would go WVU's way with the coaching conflicts at FSU, but Bobby Bowden is a proud man who I think can pull off the win.
Prediction: Florida State 35-34
Pasadena, CA
Rose Bowl
January 1 2010
4:30 PM ABC
Ohio State vs. Oregon
This game saw the opening spread move over 4 points in favor of Oregon in the first 2 hours. I watched both teams a few times on TV and Ohio State live once as well. It all depends on how Pryor plays. Does he play like he did against Purdue or like he did against Penn State? I will go against the nation on this an pick OSU to win with defense.
Prediction: Ohio State 31-30
New Orleans, LA
Louisiana Superdome
January 1 2010
8:30 PM Fox
Florida vs. Cincinnati
The question here is how does Florida react to both the loss to Alabama and the loss of Defensive Coordinator Charlie Strong. Cincinnati has problems on defense and any pressure on QB Pike is going to be an issue with his arm problems. This game has to potential to be as ugly as when Hawaii made the BCS a few years ago.
Prediction: Florida 45-17
Toronto, ON
Rogers Centre
January 2 2010
12:00 PM ESPN2
South Florida vs. Northern Illinois
Another Bowl that I think has a bad matchup. Depending on when I decide to re-open the business after New Years, I may or may not attend this game. South Florida is playing with their 2nd string QB, but should be able to win this game.
Prediction: South Florida 34-17
Birmingham, AL
Legion Field
January 2 2010
2:00 PM ESPN
South Carolina vs. Connecticut
The dark horse in the Notre Dame soap opera is UConn coach Randy Edsall. This give South Carolina an edge in the mental state of their team. Also watch for Steve Spurier to call the same offensive play (usually a fade) a minimum of 3 times in a row at some point of this game. No idea why the offensive genious thinks his QB Garcia can make this play work, but it is almost always a major fail. Despite this, I think South Carolina will win this game that will have multiple momentum shifts.
Prediction: South Carolina 27-23
Arlington, TX
Cowboys Stadium
January 2 2010
2:00 PM Fox
Oklahoma State vs. Mississippi
The Cotton Bowl, which is no longer played in the Cotton Bowl, features two teams who fell off throughout the season. Oklahoma State got destroyed 27-0 with a BCS game on the line and Ole Miss has offensive line woes that require a lot of max-protect schemes. I think Oklahoma State is going to just go through the motions despite being the better all-around team.
Prediction: Mississippi 27-20
Memphis, TN
Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium
January 2 2010
5:30 PM ESPN
Arkansas vs. East Carolina
I like East Carolina against most teams because of their defense, but they gave up a lot of points to Houston's passing attack and Ryan Mallett is the top SEC QB. However I am never sold on the defense of an Petrino coached team.
Prediction: East Carolina 30-28
San Antonio, TX
Alamodome
January 2 2010
9:00 PM ESPN
Michigan State vs. Texas Tech
I love the Alamo Bowl people, who even openly asked @sbradley3 to on twitter the other day to cover some activities for them via social media. I do think they got an odd Bowl matchup with Michigan State missing 10% of their team due to a fight and Texas Tech not knowing who their QB would be until yesterday when they picked Potts. I think Texas Tech will dominate the crowd, and the game. No truth to the rumor that the Alamo Bowl told MSU Coach Dantonio he can't call his timeouts if losing by more than 16 in the final minute.
Prediction: Texas Tech 38-24
Glendale, AZ
University of Phoenix Stadium
January 4 2010
8:00 PM Fox
Boise State vs. Texas Christian
I understand the argument @slmandel made that it does neither BSU or TCU any good to play lower ranked teams like Georgia Tech or Iowa. I just don't see what good it does them to play each other either. The conventional argument is that the non-AQ teams couldn't win if they had to play a full season in a conference like the SEC, Big Ten or the Big XII. This is where a playoff (or +1) would allow these types of teams to try and disprove critics. Personally I think TCU is better than both Texas and Cincinnati. I also think they would lose to Alabama, but sadly we don't get to find out. In fact, had Texas lost, Cincinnati would have played Alabama, not TCU. I think this normally would cause TCU to be down and dejected, but I think Gary Patterson is an amazing coach who keeps his teams frame of mind steady. Boise State QB Moore only threw 3 interceptions all year, and they are to nations top offense, but I don't think they played a team anywhere close to as good as TCU on defense. I think he throws 2 picks in this game alone.
Prediction: Texas Christian 38-27
Miami, FL
Land Shark Stadium
January 5 2010
8:00 PM Fox
Iowa vs. Georgia Tech
I saw Iowa dominate Penn State live, but all the games I watched on TV, I was not impressed. I think they are a bit like Wisconsin in that they are so bland you don't realize how good they are. Georgia Tech is suspect in some areas on defense and special teams, but their offense is unlike anything Iowa has seen all year. I think their QB Nesbitt will complete a late pass, leading to a last-drive win.
Prediction: Georgia Tech 31-30
Mobile, AL
Ladd-Pebbles Stadium
January 6 2010
7:00 PM ESPN
Central Michigan vs. Troy
Some people don't like this matchup, but it should be a nice offensive shootout. Troy is 3rd nationally offensively and Central Michigan has QB Dan LeFevour who has better career stats then Tim Tebow. The real thing to figure out here is if Central Michigan will have their head coach if Cincinnati loses Brian Kelly to Notre Dame. Rumors continue that Cincinnati would be interested in Butch Jones if Kelly leaves. Despite this, I still like LeFevour to take over in the 4th quarter.
Prediction: Central Michigan 34-27
Pasadena, CA
Rose Bowl
January 7 2010
8:00 PM ABC
Texas vs. Alabama
The opening points spread was Alabama favored by 4. I would take Alabama on any spread less than 10. I think Colt McCoy should have won the Heisman last year, and Texas should have played for the National Title, but I have been less than impressed this year by both Texas and McCoy when they have played tough competition.
Prediction: Alabama 31-17
Posted By: JGuiher
