Other Bowl Game Predictions

Yes, it's time for the alphabet soup that is the college football bowl season. If you learn anything from reading this column and then watching these bowl games it's that it's about time for a college football playoff system. Since there were only 10 teams chosen for the big-money BCS bowl games it can be argued that a good number of these so-called lesser teams could play their way into a big-time game if there were a playoff system.

Dec. 20 Poinsettia Bowl - Utah vs. Navy

Yes, it's BCS-buster Utah. The Utes had a seven-game winning streak before losing to rival BYU in the season finale. Navy beat Notre Dame for the first time in 50 years and both teams are 8-4. Utah's highly ranked defense will face a potent Navy O (spread-option attack) in what should be a high scoring game. Prediction: Utah 38, Navy 37 2OT

Dec. 21 R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl - Florida Atlantic vs. Memphis

FAU enters its first bowl game in its history while Memphis tries to make people remember its football program, which is hard when your basketball team is so good. But Memphis is no Kansas, my friend and neither is Florida Atlantic, which got famous when some Miami players beat them up during a game. Prediction: Memphis 31, Florida Atlantic 3

Dec. 22 Papajohn's.com Bowl - Cincinnati vs. Southern Miss

It's Nick Lachey and his boy band vs. Brett Favre and his Wranglers. Just kidding. Those are the alma maters of the school's two most famous alums, anyway. What gives here is Cincy actually has a good team and usually makes annual bowl appearances. But so does Southern Miss and they are probably the better team. Prediction: Southern Miss 41, Cincinnati 35

Dec. 22 New Mexico Bowl - New Mexico vs. Nevada

The Lobos are going the way of the Boise State Broncos in that they will climb their way to the top by hosting all of their bowl games first before venturing out to bigger places. It's a good way to ensure that your fans get there, right? And that, coupled with the fact that Nevada, though a perennial bowl team, does not have 35,000 Wolf Pack fans in Albuquerque will give the Lobos the win. But not by much. The Pack have a QB named Colin Kaepernick who may be a future Heisman candidate. Prediction: New Mexico 35, Nevada 34

Dec. 22 Pioneer PureVision Las Vegas Bowl - BYU vs. UCLA

The Cougars return to Provo, Southern division, for another LV Bowl tilt against a Pac-10 team, this time getting a rematch with the same UCLA that defeated BYU in Pasadena earlier in the season. Danny White's nephew is QB for BYU and the wunderkind that skipped town on BYU (Ben Olsen) is QB for UCLA, thus setting up a nice aside for the whole shebang. In reality BYU has been playing inspired football while UCLA just got its ass handed to it by USC, its crosstown rival. And UCLA's coach just got fired. BYU, on the other hand, nearly cracked the BCS. Prediction: BYU 45, UCLA 10

Dec. 23 Sheraton Hawaii Bowl - East Carolina vs. Boise State

Live, from Honolulu, it's "The Team Nobody Knew" vs. "The Little Engine That Could"! East Carolina is from well, the eastern coast of North Carolina and Boise State is, of course, last year's BCS-buster extraordinaire that tricked the world into thinking that small schools can and will win, when given the chance. But these Broncos almost beat Hawaii, this year's BCS-buster. It's gonna be ugly, folks. Prediction: Boise State 49, East Carolina 17

Dec. 26 Motor City Bowl - Purdue vs. Central Michigan

Blowout alert! Blowout alert! The last time the Boilermakers had a dream was when Drew Brees was their QB and he's a seasoned NFL veteran now! Lately for the 'Makers it's been these types of bowls, with an occasional late-December to early-January bowl thrown in for good measure. But you cannot measure the heart and points that Central Michigan and Purdue will bring to this game, in what will be basically another home game for CMU. In my first upset special, CMU stuns the world by beating Big 10 Purdue in a not-so-defensive battle. Prediction: CMU 47, Purdue 43 2OT

Dec. 27 Pacific Life Holiday Bowl - Texas vs. Arizona State

Either of these teams could go deep into the playoffs, if there were such a thing. Both teams flirted with the BCS, took it out for a date and proposed to it, only to be jilted. For some odd reason, this bowl game always comes out entertaining and has since BYU used it as a stepping stone to their only national title. For you newbies, that's a long time ago (1984). In this version, Texas and Colt McCoy will go against Rudy Carpenter and the Sun Devils. Storylines abound in this game and points, too. Prediction: Arizona State 30, Texas 28

Dec. 28 Champs Sports Bowl - Boston College vs. Michigan State

BC is another team that flirted with the BCS all season. Its QB Matt Ryan is a Heisman candidate though his numbers cooled off down the stretch. But BC is a solid team, one that could go deep into the playoffs (if there were such a great thing!) and may have gone undefeated if it weren't for some costly plays. The Spartans are an up-and-coming team that underwent a tough schedule and survived. BC will send a statement in this game, however. Prediction: BC 38, Michigan State 21

Dec. 28 Texas Bowl - TCU vs. Houston

It's an all-Texas showdown as the Horned Frogs play at Houston in what is another home bowl game scenario. Houston will be favored because of the home field, but TCU played some solid opponents in the Mountain West Conference. It's probably the least attractive of all the matchups with the exception of the New Orleans Bowl, but these schools won't care. Prediction: TCU 27, Houston 24

Dec. 28 Emerald Bowl - Maryland vs. Oregon State

Ralph Friedgen will have his troops pumped up for this one, against Mike Riley and the Oregon State Beavers. It should be a very entertaining game, with the Beavers boasting a solid running game to go against Maryland's defense. And the Beavers will have the luxury of several thousand fans making the short trip down to San Francisco, which will also help them in this game. Prediction: Oregon State 28, Maryland 21

Dec. 29 Meineke Car Care Bowl - Wake Forest vs. Connecticut

Make no mistake about it, these teams can play. Wake is a good team from top to bottom and Uconn took the BCS out for a couple dates before West Virginia stole her heart and beat the intestinal tract out of the Huskies. Not bad, though, for two teams that last had success who knows when, since Uconn played in Division I-AA (now the FCS) not too long ago. But times have changed and this Uconn team could go deep in the playoffs too, if we had it. Prediction: Connecticut 49, Wake Forest 31

Dec. 29 AutoZone Liberty Bowl - UCF vs. Mississippi State

Central Florida, like South Florida, is fast proving that football talent in Florida does not just go the way of the Gators, Seminoles and 'Canes. Mississippi State is the kind of SEC team that always manages to go to a bowl game and shock some people. It should make for a great game and Memphis is a great place to play a great football game like this one will be. Prediction: UCF 30, Mississippi State 21

Dec. 29 Alamo Bowl - Penn State vs. Texas A&M

This is the "Who Did What?" Bowl featuring Joe Paterno and Gary Darnell, who replaces Dennis Franchione as coach for this game. Neither of these teams were flirting with the BCS, but did put together decent seasons, though they probably weren't up to the standards of either program. Expect a defensive struggle here, with the team making the least mistakes the victor. Prediction: Penn State 20, Texas A&M 7

Dec. 30 PetroSun Independence Bowl - Colorado vs. Alabama

Two programs on the rise collide in the most unlikely of places, Shreveport, Louisiana. The Buffaloes upset Oklahoma and head coach Dan Hawkins has taken his magic from his Boise State days and infused the program with hope again. Nick Saban has done a similar thing at Alabama, resurrecting the hopes of a state and a program. Both teams come into the game battle-tested and ready. Either team could go into a playoff format and post some upsets, thus reviving the argument (again!) for a playoff. Prediction: Alabama 24, Colorado 20

Dec. 31 Bell Helicopters Armed Forces Bowl - Air Force vs. California

Ah, the points will go on the scoreboard quickly in this game. In fact, the team that scores last may well win it. California has to hope to stop an Air Force attack that is not just about running the ball anymore. And Falcon QB Shaun Carney will want to go out a winner. The Golden Bears have a great running game, though and are also battle-ready with their Pac-10 schedule and victory over Tennessee. Prediction: Air Force 40, California 27

Dec. 31 Sun - South Florida vs. Oregon

Possibly the premier non-BCS matchup, this game could have been a BCS bowl if it weren't for South Florida's midseason stumble and Dennis Dixon's knee injury that curtailed Oregon's season and the QB's Heisman hopes. But the Bulls' defense remains, a stingy unit culled from veteran coach Jim Leavitt, a former Bobby Bowden disciple. Like the Bulls the Ducks were the talk of the BCS before everything went horribly wrong. If there were a playoff system, these two may be playing for the national title, if things went a bit different. Prediction: South Florida 28, Oregon 24

Dec. 31 Humanitarian Bowl - Georgia Tech vs. Fresno State

It's the "Who Cares Bowl" featuring two teams not too many people care about. The fact that it's played in Boise, Idaho on blue turf makes it the only reason to watch. Georgia Tech usually goes bowling this time of year and Fresno State is a solid program in the WAC that almost beat Hawaii. Both teams deserve to be here, but it won't be too exciting. In an upset special, Fresno State wins. Prediction: Fresno State 35, Georgia Tech 13

Dec. 31 Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl - Kentucky vs. Florida State

Kentucky got a glimpse of the BCS before it started playing SEC opponents and its Heisman hopeful, Andre Woodson, just became ordinary. Florida State usually goes bowling on New Year's Day, but some late-season losses, including one to Miami, sealed their fate. In this one look for Andre Woodson to lay the wood to a maligned Seminole defense in an upset special. Prediction: Kentucky 30, Florida State 3

Dec. 31 Chick-Fil-A Bowl - Auburn vs. Clemson

You know, I just love Chick-Fil-A and how the chicken is char-broiled and slow-roasted over an open fire. Oh, wait, we're supposed to be talking about football. There are no chickens in this game, my friends, just two good defenses who will slug it out. There may be some points but they will be hard to come by. It will be a good ole-fashioned Southern beat down and Bobby's son will upset Auburn. This game has to be a downer for the Tigers, anyway, since they are used to BCS games. Prediction: Clemson 13, Auburn 10

Dec. 31 Insight Bowl - Indiana vs. Oklahoma State

Indiana had to overcome a lot just be get to this point, including losing their head coach to cancer. Oklahoma State's coach had to overcome some comments he made to some media, which, right or wrong, generated publicity for the school. In this type of game, a porous defense would normally do Indiana in. But they have been playing for somebody all year long and so they will upset the Cowboys. Prediction: Indiana 38, Oklahoma State 35 3OT

Jan. 1 Outback Bowl - Wisconsin vs. Tennessee

Tennessee was just a few good snaps from knocking off LSU in the SEC Championship and possibly going into a BCS game. Instead the Vols will play Wisconsin and will return to the same bowl where Penn State upended them 20-10 one year ago. The Badgers are back in Florida for the fourth year in a row. Something has to give here, and it's Tennessee, who will be upset again. Prediction: Wisconsin 24, Tennessee 20

Jan. 1 AT&T Cotton Bowl - Missouri vs. Arkansas

It's the "What Might Have Been Bowl" in this one, as the Missouri Tigers flirted with a national title but were instead left at the BCS altar with this game. Arkansas probably considers this a home game and Darren McFadden will have the hopes of his state on his broad shoulders as he'll try to run, catch and throw his way to an upset. It's possible, given that the Razorbacks upset LSU and after watching Oklahoma destroy Missouri, it's gonna happen. Prediction: Arkansas 37, Missouri 30 2OT

Jan. 1 Gator Bowl - Virginia vs. Texas Tech

Other than Hawaii, Texas Tech has the capability of putting up massive amounts of points. They also beat Oklahoma, which can only be said for two schools (Colorado being the other). And Virginia, frankly, is overmatched in this game, a team that lost to Wyoming early in the season but then went out and upset UConn. In that time they rebounded by winning seven in a row and almost knocked off Virginia Tech as well. Either way, this one has blowout written all over it, and for good reason. Prediction: Texas Tech 55, Virginia 7

Jan. 1 Capitol One Bowl - Michigan vs. Florida

Welcome to the "We Ain't Gonna Take It Anymore Bowl," starring the defending national champs (Florida) and the mightily-humbled Michigan Wolverines. Tim Tebow looks to cap a wildly successful season in terms of statistics, shattering single-season rushing records for a quarterback and is the front-runner for the Heisman. That probably means little to him, since Florida expects to be in the national title hunt every year, like Michigan. But at least Florida beat their lesser opponents. Prediction: Florida 45, Michigan 21

Jan. 5 International Bowl - Rutgers vs. Ball State

Ray Rice and the Scarlet Knights are rushing to get to a bowl game in January, alright. But it's not the one they hoped for. And their opponent Ball State will not likely be having much of a ball in this one. But the Canadian fans will sure enjoy the heck out of Ray Rice after he runs for 250 yards and six touchdowns and Rutgers takes out some frustration of falling far short of its national title expectations. Prediction: Rutgers 56, Ball State 10

Jan. 6 GMAC Bowl - Tulsa vs. Bowling Green

In a game that should be played on Dec. 16 instead of Jan. 5, so the most entertaining game can go first, the Tulsa Golden Hurricane go up against Urban Meyer's first head coaching stop, a little school in Ohio that has been racking up bowl games. Tulsa upset BYU earlier this season so you can't count them out. The scoreboard operator will be busy in this one and so will the commentators. This one may not end until the wee hours of the morning, seriously. Prediction: Bowling Green 65, Tulsa 61 5OT

If any year were the year to argue for a playoff system, this is it, as you can see. Enjoy the holiday bowl season!