Bowl Picks, Waitress Please Bring Some More Bowl Picks

I think I've got cabin fever. Bowl season kicks off Saturday. If 6-6 BYU and UTEP does not get you excited than nothing will. Don't worry, I am not going to go into a college football playoff discussion or mock the horrible names of the bowls or say there are too many (well I will slightly). Let's take a look at all 35(!) bowls and I will make a horrible educated guess on who will win. Read on....for entertainment purposes only of course.


New Mexico Bowl
Dec. 18, 2:00 pm, Albequerque
BYU(6-6) vs. UTEP (6-6)

The Match-up: The first bowl has become the standard for mediocre match-ups. Here we have BYU who certainly fell off this year and UTEP who finished 4th in Conference USA...in their division. In the course of the meal of bowl season, this is the saltine you popped in before the party starts.

The Wild Card: Mike Price still coaches at UTEP. Anytime someone remembers that he does they usually include a joke about his unceremonious firing from Alabama. I won't go there Mike, hope all is well.

The Pick: UTEP. BYU gets distracted by the enchantment of New Mexico as some kind of black magic that goes against Mormonism.


uDrove Humanitarian Bowl
Dec. 18, 5:30 pm, Boise
Northern Illinois(10-3) vs. Fresno State(8-4)

The Match-Up: Northern Illinois went undefeated in MAC play but lost in the championship game. The last three games before the title game they outscored their opponents 195-54. You may think they missed out on a superior bowl but the team that beat them is playing in GoDaddy.com Bowl in Mobile. Fresno gets the chance to travel...somwhere they already played this year.

The Wild Card: Pat Hill's mustache. That thing will not move unless a heavy dose of mineral spirits are applied.


The Pick: Fresno State gets the pick because the familiarity with the Smurf Turf.


R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
Dec. 18, 9:00 pm, New Orleans
Ohio(8-4) vs. Troy(7-5)

The Match-up: When the Sun Belt and the MAC get together, you can throw out the records. If you can't get up for this match-up in the middle of December than there is a serious problem with your sports fandom.

The Wild Card: Most famous alum from each school? For Ohio it has to be Paul Newman, all apologies to Piper Perabo and Peter King. For Troy, some dude named Manley Johnson who is Vice Chairman of the Federal Reserve. Edge, Ohio.

The Pick: Going with the Bobcats in this one, Frank Solich whips his kids intoa frenzy come mid-December.


Beef 'O' Brady's St. Petersburg Bowl
Dec. 21, 8:00 pm, St. Petersburg
Southern Miss(8-4) vs. Louisville(6-6)

The Match-up: I'm sure Cardinal fans are breathing a sigh of relief that Charlie Strong is staying put. Not just from a performance point of view, but this team has gone through coaches like free bread at an Italian restaurant. Louisville squeaked in to bowl eligibility and were all over the place on the field in terms of results. They did blank BCS bound UCONN 26-0 so that counts....for something. Southern Miss was 8-4 but had two one point losses in conference play. That means they are a very good Conference USA team, take that as what you will.

The Wild Card: I do enjoy how we get the single quotation marks bracketing the O in Beef 'O' Brady's. Have you ever been to one of these? I have a few times. When I was in my "out of college but no clue what I'm doing" phases I was a door to door salesman. Yes, there was a clever title like Sales Associate tagged on there but that's essenitally what I was. It was the worst job I've ever had and this was before the economy went in the complete crapper. I did learn a lot about life and about people though. One of our clients was Beef 'O' Brady's. We met at a location in South Carolina and spoke with the manager. After getting some details we headed out. Now, this was basically a pyramid scheme and the guy who was running it was as shady as Calipari on an extra slicky oil day. So off I would go into some random middle class neighborhood trying to convince people that if they bought this sheet of coupons, they would save money on the multiple trips they were obviously planning to that restaurant for the next year. Hell of a way to make a living. The sick thing was is that I was good at it; I was coming back to the office having sold a stack of the coupons and getting paid straight commision. Every night I got home with a wad of cash. Problem was this job was going nowhere, I hated everyone that worked there, and I was working 72 hour weeks. The final straw is when they sent me into the ghetto of Gastonia, NC and expected me to sell a bunch of pizza coupon books. Anyway that's what Beef 'O' Brady's reminds me of, those years in my 20s that I'll never get back.

The pick: Louisville. I think Charlie Strong is going to lead the Cards to bigger and better things in the future.


MAACO Las Vegas bowl
Dec. 22, 8:00 pm, Las Vegas
Utah(10-2) vs. Boise State(11-1)

The Match-up: Easily the best early bowl game and probably one of the best bowl games period. Riddle me this? When Utah beat Bama in the Sugar Bowl a few years ago, people made the excuse for the Tide that they were let down from their loss against Florida in the SEC Championship game. This year the supposed exact same thing happend to the Utes. They had their game of the year against TCU, at home with their whole season riding on it. TCU obliterated them which sent them into a spiral (said spiral consisted of losing at Notre Dame, they won the rest of their games). Now all that was said was that it was hurtful to TCU's case. On Boise's side their poor kicker is probably running around pointing out to everyone that even if Boise had beaten Nevada like they should have the Broncos would not have been in the national championship game. He did cost them a Rose Bowl bid though and lots and lots of money.

The Wild Card: As much as these two teams wanted better bowl games, the players have to be happy with the locale. Vegas baby, those upper classmen must be especially happy. Not that Vegas is probably big on checking IDs nowadays, they need the money. These guys get to play before Christmas as well, so they will get to spend the holidays at home. As much as it hurts for neither team to make the BCS, they at least get a nice swag bowl to play in.

The Pick: I like how Whittingham gets a team ready for bowls, but Boise has a lot of frustration to get out and they are the better team. The foot will not be taken off the gas pedal in this one.


S.D. County Credit Union Poinsettia bowl
Dec 23, 8:00 pm, San Diego
Navy(9-3) vs. San Diego State(8-4)

The Match-up: Scrappy San Diego State from the Mountain West gets a virtual home game against a tough Navy team. They mentioned this during the Army-Navy game on Saturday, but the Navy seniors have accomplished quite a bit in their career. That includes 4-0 against Army, 3 Commander in Chief trophies, 4 bowl games and a 35-17 record. Impressive.

The Wild Card: Of course it has to be the triple option. Navy is so successful because Ricky Dobbs their QB can throw it down the field when he has to and they do have some athletes on defense as well. There is always the "month to prepare" thing about the option, but it doesn't always work like that. Giving someone time to do something does not mean they will always do it right.

The Pick: Maybe I was just too impressed with a win over a rebuilding Army team or their destroying of Notre Dame but I think Navy runs wild.


Sheraton Hawaii bowl
Dec. 24, 8:00 pm, Honolulu
Hawaii(10-3) vs. Tulsa(9-3)

The Match-up: Both of these teams quietly put together spectacular records and feature high-power offenses. I expect this game to be similar to the Boise-ECU shootout from years back in this bowl which introduced most of us to Chris Johnson.

The Wild Card: Hawaii playing at home of course. How many "Wow Hawaii is in the Hawaii bowl?" jokes have you heard so far? Yeah I lost count to. Next person that says that to you should be met with the retort of "I heard the NFC West was a bad division this year."

The pick: Hawaii. Can never get enough of that Haka.


Little Caesars bowl
Dec. 26, 8:30 pm, Detroit
Florida International(6-6) vs. Toledo(8-4)

The Match-up: FIU has been unfairly targeted by anti-playoff pundits as a horrible team that would get an automatic bid under the 16-team playoff framework. They really don't deserve that label. They are just a small FBS team doing what they can. Their opening 4 games were Rutgers(lost by 5), Texas A&M(lost by 7), Maryland(lost by 14), and Pitt(got shelled by 27). That definitely will skew your final record. Toledo's logo is phallic in nature (all I got).

The Wild Card: I know recognition can be geopgraphical when it comes to food chains but this bowl did accomplish what Little Caesars wanted; it got people talking about the place. Granted, most of that chatter was in the form of, "Wait, Little Caesars is still around?". I saw them dissapear in Charlotte when I was a little kid and the only one I saw in Miami was a horribly shotty one that I would never buy food in. Yet now they host a bowl, even if a craptastic one.

The Pick: FIU. The Panthers have been battle tested, while Toledo's biggest win was ...Purdue?


AdvoCare V100 Independence bowl
Dec. 27, 5:00 pm, Shreveport
Air Force vs. Georgia Tech

The Match-up: Are you ready for some sweet triple Option on triple option action? The 117th ranked pass offense vs. 119th ranked pass offense. 2nd ranked rushing attack vs. 1st ranked rushing attack. This game may very well be over by 7 pm.

The Wild Card: I've never Paul Johnson. I'm sure he's somewhat of a nice guy but the man looks as miserable coaching a football team as I've ever seen. Never seems happy, his halftime interviews are usually pretty snappy, and he constantly gets on his players. I know perception is hardly reality from the outside of a TV, but it looks like the man dislikes the game, his team, and anyone who tries to talk with him.

The pick: Air Force. The Falcons handled Navy and Army so I don't think the Georgia Tech triple option led by a replacement QB will befuddle them.



Champs Sports bowl
Dec. 28, 6:30 pm, Orlando
West Virginia(9-3) vs. NC State(8-4)

The Match-up: Pretty intriguing game here. Bill Stewart has really done a fine job considering how many people were counting on him to fall on his face. He hasn't sniffed a title game but they have had solid records and bowls. The amazing thing about NC State is that despite having the most even-keeled, stable personality as their coach the Wolfpack are the same old Wolfpack. Up and down, good and bad, wild game Wolfpack that had a shot to lock up the ACC Atlantic but failed against Maryland.

The Wild Card: I've been somewhat familiar with these two fanbases. I won't throw the term 'unrealistic expectations' out there but they can be hard on their teams. Whoever loses this game will have their fans rabble-rabbling.

The Pick: NC State. I think we see the good Wolfpack, the bad Mountaineers, and the ugly cheerleader who made the team because they had to fill the fatty requirement.


Insight bowl
Dec. 28, 10:00 pm, Tempe
Missouri(10-2) vs. Iowa(7-5)

The Match-up: Both teams rode their high hopes to the top of the unrealistic expectations mountain only to see them take the log plume into the lazy river of moderately good bowl placement. Did that analogy blow your mind? Mizzou got the nod for this game of Nebraska even though the Huskers played for the Big 12 title. When reached for comment the Big 12 said "Cuz fuck them, that's why."

The Wild Card: Iowa may be having some problems with players so it appears there is more cause for concern than the team losing 5 games.

The Pick: Mizzou. I know that the conventional pick is "tough" Big Ten team over the spread speed team but I think the issues off the field and Iowa's lack of focus hurts them.


Military Bowl Presented By Northrop Grumman
Dec. 29, 2:30 pm, Washington D.C.
East Carolina(6-6) vs. Maryland(8-4)

The Match-up: I know Maryland is a little salty that they slid down the bowl pole and landed in a less glamourous bowl, but there are a few upsides. They only won 2 freaking games last year so they should be happy to be there, they play against a very beatable opponent, and the bowl is close to home so they should travel well. East Carolina also deserves some kudos for making another bowl after Skip Holtz skipped town (a-thank you).

The Wild Card: I think we all have the same question right now: The fuck is a Northrop Grumman? According to their website:

"At Northrop Grumman, corporate responsibility is a key component of our business and operating strategies. We take pride in conducting our business with a broad perspective, taking into account our customers, our employees, our shareholders, and the environment and communities in which we operate.
As we continue to grow as a company, we remain committed to maintaining the highest of ethical standards, embracing diversity and becoming an ideal corporate citizen. We do so by implementing our core values: taking responsibility for the quality we put forth, delivering customer satisfaction, demonstrating leadership as a company and as individuals, acting with integrity in all we do, valuing our people, and regarding our suppliers as essential team members."

I consider myself a patriot but seriously one thing I do not trust are defense contractors. Our defense budget is bloated with a bunch of crap we don't need and that has no effect on keeping us safe. Look at all that sweet talking, doesn't fool me. This company is making a shit ton of money an you and I are footing the bill for it.

The Pick: Maryland. Ralph Friedgen is either highly under or over appreciated and I can't decide which.


Texas bowl
Dec. 29, 6:00 pm, Houston
Illinois(6-6) vs. Baylor(7-5)

The Match-up: The magic of bowl season! Two teams not expected to be assured of bowls this year and whose records reflect that but there is always room at the table. Houston better be prepared to be Zookified. Baylor is worth watching just for Robert Griffin.

The Wild Card: Texas bowl. Is this really the best we could do? Should we have expected anything else from the home of a franchise named 'The Texans'? Seriously a few moments of thought could produce better branding. The Jalapeno classic, the Steer bowl, the BBQ bowl.

The Pick: Baylor. Seriously this might be the toss-up of the lot.


Valero Alamo bowl
Dec. 29, 9:15pm, San Antonio
Oklahoma State(10-2) vs. Arizona(7-5)

The Match-up: Arizona had quite a thud ending to their regular season. Losing to rival Arizona State because they couldn't make their extra points. Oklahoma State had a great season but fell just short against Oklahoma in a barn burner. Should be a good offense-defense match-up in this one.

The Wild Card: Alamo bowls have been highly attended and highly entertaining lately. The last five years the margin of victory has been an average of 6 points.

The Pick: Arizona. I think Okie State gets ditracted while Arizona focuses in. Stoops will be all over them while Blackmon begins thinking NFL, Holgorsen denies coaching rumors, and Gundy doesn't shine T Boone's shoes exactly the way he wants them the first time.


Bell Helicopter Armed Forces bowl
Dec. 30, noon, Dallas
Army(6-6) vs. SMU(7-6)

The Match-up: Army makes it all three service academies in bowl games, and that's a good thing. These guys will never compete for national titles (most likely) but they have all found systems that fit what they do and give the young men who are going to serve a chance to compete on the field. SMU made the CUSA championship game but couldn't beat UCF. June Jones continues to emit positive vibes for the program.

The Wild Card: I wonder how SMU views the 'Pony Excess' 30 for 30? Source of their biggest success and shame.

The Pick: SMU. I've watched every Black Night game this year save one and the one thing I do know is Army is horrid against the pass. I am not saying this as a dig on the young men, they put forth great effort, they just have not been able to stop the forward pass mechanism.


New Era Pinstripe bowl
Dec. 30, 3:20 pm, Bronx
Kansas State(7-5) vs. Syracuse(7-5)

The Match-Up: The Cuse is in the house! Back in a bowl for the first time since 2004. Doug Marrone doing his miracle worker performance. Kansas State delivered a curse of the vampiric performance by bringing back Bill Snyder and returning to bowl glory.

The Wild Card: These two teams met in the 2001 Insight bowl and also the 1997 Fiesta Bowl when Donovan McNabb was under center and Paul Pasqualoni was chomping salami on the sideline.

The pick: The Cuse. Things can open up nicely for the Orange in the Big East if Marrone keeps the momentum going.


Franklin American Mortgage Music City
Dec. 30, 6:40 pm, Nashville
North Carolina(7-5) vs. Tennessee(6-6)

The Match-up: Two teams that had pretty ugly 2010 campaigns get a nice bowl game! Seriously, not a long trip for either school and they get nice bowl swag (up to $500 value per NCAA rules) and the schools get a little money in the pocket. Especially Tennessee since they will no doubt travel well. North Carolina will be discussed in the context over the players lost over the course of the season due to NCAA investigation. Catfish loves to hear about this every single 2 minutes of every UNC game played this year. Tennessee made a bowl game after Lane Kiffin bolted for the west coast. The Vols really had a bad season, barely beating UAB in overtime after dropping a game at LSU where they out Les Miles'd the Tigers.

The Wild Card: I know this will only infuriate Catfish more but I have to wonder where Butch Davis' head is at. Does he want to stay at Carolina long term? I thought by now he would have had them in the ACCCG (granted I thought the same thing about Randy Shannon). I can't really see him being an attractive hire for any school or NFL team. I was never really sure about him being happy to stay for a long time in Chapel Hill though. Everyone there seems to be more focused on getting the basketball program back on track and worrying about Duke though.For the school and Butch, it just might be one of those old axioms that Huey Lewis pontificated so poetically.



The Pick: Carolina. Call me a fool for thinking the ACC takes down SEC speeeeeeeeeeeed in this one.


Bridgepoint Education Holiday
Dec. 30, 10 pm, San Diego
Nebraska(10-3) vs. Washington(6-6)

The Match-up: It's deja vues all over again. Braska went to UW earlier this year and beat that ass 56-21. We already mentioned the Insight bowl passed on them, but now it turns out Big Red is likely to lose money by traveling to this bowl. Clearly, the Big 12 sent the Huskers out with this clear message:



The Wild Card: The Jake Locker debate is sure to continue all the way through the draft. Some "experts" think he is the real deal, others look at his numbers. Is playing on a bad Washington team (but they finished 3rd in the Pac 10!) enough of an excuse for his bad numbers. Some are just enamoured with his physical tools. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I saw Kyle Boller throw a ball from the 50 yard line on one knee through the uprights at the combine.

The Pick: Nebraska. But it won't be the blowout it was during the regular season. Not because Washington is not that bad, but because Nebraska will sleep walk through it.


Meineke Car Care bowl
Dec. 31, noon, Charlotte
South Florida(7-5) vs. Clemson(6-6)

The Match-up: The Meineke Car Care bowl knows where its bread is buttered the last few years. They try their best to include a team that will get a local draw to Charlotte. Now a lot of bowls do this, because it is all about revenue for these non-profit organizations. UNC the last two years, West Virginia and now Clemson will put some butts in the seats. Oh, the game. Clemson is having an identity crisis which is what happens when your head coach is named Dabo. South Florida is going to be a top 25 team again soon with Skip Holtz at the helm.

The Wild Card: This game used to be played around Christmas. I am going home to Charlotte for Christmas but now they moved the game to the first New Year's Eve bowl. I would have ponied up some money for some cheap upper decker seats. Your loss Meineke!

The Pick: Clemson in a slopfest.


Hyundai Sun bowl
Dec. 31, 2 pm, El Paso
Notre Dame(7-5) vs. Miami(7-5)


The Match-up: Call me biased but I think the Sun Bowl made an excellent choice in creating this match-up. It has got people talking. It is always good to renew a rivalry, especially when one side of them had turned tail and ran from the rivalry. However, this is not the glory #1 vs. #2 match-up we saw back in the 80s. Both programs have had a rough year. Notre Dame has surged at the end of the year while Miami fell flat on their face and now have a new coach (who won't coach the bowl game). I dread this game as a Miami alum only because losing to Notre Dame is high on the list of my intolerable sports occurences. The Canes have offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland performing interim duties for the bowl game, and so far he says the attitude has been strong for Miami. Notre Dame has been very quiet so far, with Brian Kelly surely cooking up a good game plan.

The Wild Card: This game being on at 2 in the afternoon assures that I will be beyond intoxicated before the night even arrives on New Year's. Which is fine, I am not a big fan of New Year's. If Miami loses then I will be indentified as the lumped mass on the couch while everyone makes the final countdown.

The Pick: Notre Dame(/vomits). Like I said I am excited about the Al Golden hire, Jimmy Johnson agrees with me, but Notre Dame is a team hitting their stride with a sharp coach and Miami has no clue what its identity is. Miami will be in the game because of their superior size on the O-line and fast players on the outside. Notre Dame will win because of their continuity with the players filling in for injured ones and Miami's mistakes. If there is one thing we can be guaranteed it is that Miami will have stupid penalties and mental lapses. It is their M.O. this year. The Michael Floyd-Brandon Harris match-up will be very spicy by the way. Heart says Hurricanes but head knows better.


AutoZone Liberty bowl
Dec. 31, 3:30 pm, Memphis
Georgia(6-6) vs. Central Florida(10-3)

The Match-up: The Fightin' O'Leary's had a very strong season this year. Their 2 losses to BCS opponents were by a combined 11 points. How good are they? I am still not sure, they won CUSA but is a bowl game against a very so-so Georgia team this year a proper indicator? It will be in perception, Georgia is still a school from the SEC so if they win it is a very distinguished notch on UCF's belt.

The Wild Card: Coach Mark Richt. Is he on the hot seat? Should he be? My answers would be no and no but with a new AD in place and expectations always high to borderline unrealistic you never know.

The Pick: Georgia. Am I being a homer for my friend Beck? Possibly, but then again AJ Green is a freaking monster.




Chick-fil-A bowl
Dec. 31, 7:30 pm, Atlanta
South Carolina(9-4) vs. Florida State(9-4)

The Match-up: Runner-ups from the ACC and Big East meet in the Georgiadome. This bowl rarely dissapoints, always an entertaining game if you decide to tune in on New Year's eve. The Gamecocks won the SEC East only to get destroyed against Auburn. F$U took the Atlantic crown in the ACC only to get run over by Virginia Tech. This sets up a pure bragging rights game here. The Visor takes on Jimbo.

The Wild Card: Spurrier is a gmablin' man. He yanks QBs and calls unconventional plays at certain times. Since this bowl game as no tangible consequence for him, I look for a huge bag o' tricks to be opened on the Seminoles.

The Pick: F$U. Jimbo will have the offense working and I think Sakerlina's improvised offensive gameplan implodes.


TicketCity bowl
Jan. 1, noon, Dallas
Northwestern(7-5) vs. Texas Tech(7-5)

The Match-up: Well this is just a let's have a bowl for the hell of it. Northwestern always plays tough under Pat Fitzgerald but are without their QB who broke his leg on the winning TD pass over Iowa. I honestly have not seen much of Texas Tech this year. Have no idea how much Leach residue is on the squad.

The Wild Card: Remember when there was always a 11 am Citrus bowl on New Year's day? I miss the before noon game.

The Pick: Texas Tech. Northwestern heads south to play Texas undermanned.


Outback bowl
Jan. 1, 1 pm, Tampa
Florida(7-5) vs. Penn State(7-5)

The Match-up: This is one of those SEC/Big Ten match-ups that are guaranteed to involve big name programs every year even if the teams did not perform that well. Florida has speed and talent but have been very inconsistent this year. Penn State started off looking like it was headed for a historically bad year but was able to make some headway in the Big Ten.

The Wild Card: It is literally painful for me to watch Joe Paterno do anything these days. The man earned his choice of exit years ago so we are all held to watch him patrol the sidelines, slur his speech in interviews, and not be able to hear radio show hosts:



The Pick: Florida. With a month to practice and tune up I think the Gators get their playmakers in the right places, even if those playmakers were arrested on felony charges earlier this season.


Capital One bowl
Jan. 1, 1 pm, Orlando
Alamaba(9-3) vs. Michigan State (11-1)

The Match-up: If you were handed the records and teams seperately, most people would have thought Bama would never have 3 losses. This is no doubt a step down for the program after two consecutive BCS bowls, one being the title game. Like I said earlier there were many who were quick to give the Tide a pass for the Sugar Bowl loss to Utah, so you would think if Michigan State wins here there will be the same types of comments. Sparty did everything it could to win the Big Ten, except for one October day in Iowa that went horribly wrong. This should be a great power on pwoer match-up.

The Wild Card: Mark Ingram, the forgotten player of 2010. He had a knee problem and was not as dominant as last year obviously but still had 856 yards and 11 touchdowns on a 5.6 ypc clip. How will this affect his draft status? I'm not sure but the man is still a powerful runner.

The Pick: Michigan State. I think the Spartans will come into this game dead focused and with more to prove than Alabama.


Progressive Gator bowl
Jan. 1, 1:30 pm, Jacksonville
Mississippi State(8-4) vs. Michigan(7-5)

The Match-up: Bulldog Nation must have lost pounds in sweat over Dan Mullen the last few weeks. Metioned for both the Miami and Florida jobs, Mullen appears to be staying put for the time being. Rich Rod may not be staying put, but at least he shared his love for Josh Groban with the world.

The Wild Card: Should be interesting to see how Mississppi State handles Denard Robinson. After starting the year with insane numbers, he cooled off a bit in conference play but still put up gaudy numbers. MSU played Cam Newton to a 17-14 loss, but that was early in the year before Auburn really got rolling.

The Pick: Mississippi State. I like the weakness of Michigan's defense over the stregth of Michigan's offense.


Rose Bowl Game presented by VIZIO
Jan. 1, 5:00 pm, Pasadena
Wisconsin(11-1) vs. TCU(12-0)

The Match-up: It's BCS time! I am really looking forward to this game. If you are one of the 5 people that read here you know that I admire TCU. If there is one way they can answer the bell outside of winning the title it will be to beat the big, bruising Wisconsin in the Grandaddy of them all. The Badgers had one loss in a rainy field in East Lansing, but other than that they have trounced the competition. TCU once again ran through the regular season, notching some impressive wins but not as much as they did last year.

The Wild Card: Gary Patterson's defensive scheme. Wisconsin wants to use their hulking line to run it all over the Frogs, mixing in some sure throws for Scott Tolzein. How will the 4-2-5 handle it?

The Pick: I've been a TCU bandwagon navigator for 2 years now. No use jumping off now, Horned Frogs in a "stunner".


Tostitos Fiesta bowl
Jan. 1, 8:30 pm, Glendale
Connecticut(8-4) va. Oklahoma(11-2)

The Match-up: UCONN is not a BCS success story. They are in an unfortunate situation. They are the weakest BCS team, playing far from their home, and will most likely going to cost themselves a lot of money. They play Oklahoma which to the delight of Big 12 traditionalists (if they exist) vanquished Nebraska on their exit out of the conference. The Sooners have their own BCS demons to slay.

The Wild Card: How many people are going to watch this game outside of the panhandle area? My guess is not many. Probably a lot of frowny faces in the Fiesta Bowl board room.

The Pick: UCONN! No I'm just kidding, too much talent on the Oklahoma side.


Discover Orange bowl
Jan. 3, 8:30 pm, Miami Gardens
Stanford(11-1) vs Virginia Tech(11-2)

The Match-up: Stanford had one bad night against one of the teams playing in the title game. Virginia Tech had two bad games to start the season. The glaring note for Tech is that they lost to FCS James Madison. However, since that game they rolled and have been classic Tech on defense and explosive on offense. Andrew Luck is expected to be the #1 pick in April, but first Bud Foster gets a month to prepare and take a crack at him.

The Wild Card: The idea for spreading the BCS games out were so that they could get each game in prime time and hence better chance to rake in advertising dollars. However, with games such as these on weekdays it makes it harder for the fanbases to travel. It's easy to take the vacation for New Year's, but now you're asking people to take vacation past January 1. Furthermore, in this economy, people in general are not as willing to travel just for a game when watching at home is just as entertaining. Now I get that some schools are bulletproof to this and that iswhy they get the BCS nod if allowed. It starts to beg the question on whether those schools should just break off and form their own superconference.

The Pick: Stanford. Jim Harbaugh is as coveted as his star QB. Other colleges, NFL teams will be after him but if he chooses to stay at Stanford (they are going to offer him a big deal) he could bring a title shot to the school should he continue on this pace.


Allstate Sugar bowl
Jan. 4, 8:30 pm, New Orleans
Ohio State(11-1) vs. Arkansas(10-2)

The Match-up: Same old song. Ohio State after another dominant Big Ten season faces off against an SEC opponent on an indoor track. The Buckeyes are 0-9 against the SEC in bowls. Here is a big opportunity for them to break that streak against an Arkansas team that is much stronger offensively than defensively.

The Wild Card: Ryan Mallet. He's thrown 30 TDs and has the ability to carve up a defense. Ohio State is not going to sit back though.

The Pick: Arkansas. I had Ohio State winning it all this year, and in truth they have noly lost once, but they are far from battle tested. A lot of their wins look unimpressive now. That's not their fault, Miami was supposed to be a quality non-conference game and they never faced Michigan State because of the conference rotation.


GoDaddy.com bowl
Jan. 6, 8:00 pm, Mobile
Middle Tennessee(6-6) vs. Miami(OH)(9-4)

The Match-up: I hate any lower level bowl that is played after January 1st. This bowl will be played by a 6-6 Sun Belt team and MAC champion Miami who just lost their head coach to Pitt on a Thursday night in Alabama.

The Wild Card: Never a fan of the GoDaddy commercials. I understand they are pushing their brand and must do so by outlandish means, but Danica Patrick unzipping some jumpsuit doesn't get me excited to register a domain name.

The Pick: Middle Tennessee because I like how they refused to pander to the geographic labels that every other school uses. Forget using directional indicators such as north, south, eastern, southwestern; they are just somewhere in the middle.


AT&T Cotton bowl
Jan. 7, 8 pm, Dallas
LSU(10-2) vs. Texas A&M(9-3)

The Match-up: I read somewhere that the chairman of the Cotton Bowl(or some such person) made an anti-playoff rant and one of the reasons he gave was that he wanted to preserve the tradition of the Cotton Bowl. What is left of the tradition of this game? It's no longer played on New Year's Day during the daytime, and it's not even being played in the Cotton Bowl. The days of Thrill Hill are long gone.

The Wild Card: Has there ever been more of a wild card in a college football game than Les Miles? Whether his team pulls one out of their ass, or he calls a gutsy fake on a 4th down while chewing grass you never know what you will see. In their bowl game last year Les had another interesting display of clock management so we can only hope for a repeat performance.

The Pick: LSU. A&M came on really strong at the end of the year but Les Miles playing in Jerry Jones' house? Combustable.


BBVA Compass bowl
Jan. 8, noon, Birmingham
Pittsburgh(7-5) vs. Kentucky(6-6)

The Match-up: Really people? A full week after New Year's we have a compass bowl in Alabama between two weak teams.

The Wild Card: Kentucky QB Mike Hartline was arrested a week ago for being "drunk in public".

The Pick: Disenchanted program who just lost their stache against middling SEC team that just had their QB arrested. I'm going with Kentucky for reasons I know not.


Kraft Fight Hunger bowl
Jan. 9, 9 pm, San Francisco
Nevada(12-1) vs. Boston College(7-5)

The Match-up: Ugg. I have bowl fatigue already and they haven't even started yet. This is Nevada's prize for knocking off Boise? I hope they travel well and their team has a great experience because from the outside, this is a Sunday night bowl game that starts at 9 pm eastern.

The Wild Card: BC lost all 5 of their games in succession. Their best win was over....Clemson?....Syracuse? Wow they have a shitty resume.

The Pick: Nevada. /fires pistol formation in the air


Tostitos BCS National Championship Game
Jan. 10, 8:30 pm, Glendale
Oregon(12-0) vs. Auburn(13-0)

The Match-Up: Finally, we come to the game that will crown a mythical national champion. Oregon's spread it out high octance offense against Auburn's Newton spread. The expectation is a fast-paced high-scoring affair but with so much time off between games (37 days) who knows how the teams will respond once they are out there. What if Newton's shoulder goes dead like McCoys did last year? I expect one or both teams to come out rusty, nervous or a combination of both (rusvous?).

The Wild Card: What is Oregon going to do to stop Cam. We've already seen that SEC defenses cannot contain him and he is impervious to NCAA regulation. I think you have to attack him. If you sit back he either will wait for a running lane to open up or he will fire it downfield. Oregon's best bet is to creat chaos at the line of scrimmage.

The Pick: Oregon. I know, another contrary to SEC dominance pick. Ohio State smashed Oregon's offense up last year in the Rose Bowl as well. However, I think Chip kelly is going to take what he learned from that game and use it to make a better performance. Auburn's defense is stout at the line with Fairly but I think Oregon is going to avoid his presence using their hurry up mode and outside speed. Both teams will score, but in the end I think Oregon wins the turnover battle and take it by 10.

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What A Long, Strange Trip It's Been To The BCS Title

Tonight the teams the BCS selected to play for the title will meet on the wonderfully kept field of the Rose Bowl. Intensity from the teams and their fan bases will create a swirl of crimson and burnt orange. At the end of the night the winner will either be rolling or hooking. Both teams were on a mission to make this game after it eluded them last year and now, after emotional conference title games; Bama smoked Florida in a rematch and Texas had to hit a FG with 1 second left to get past Nebraksa.

In case your scoring at home and even if you are not, those games happened 32 days ago. Despite this being the mythical championship game for the 2009 season, it is far removed from those 13 games. It is a season by its self. A one game season after a month of practice, interviews, and much ballyhoo from media members and message boards. There is no momentum, whether it is the positive kind the Tide had after beating Florida or the negative kind Texas may have had after a bad performance in Dallas. It is a new year, a new season and winning this game depends on who has prepared better, who is sharper mentally, and which team exploits their strengths.

If a team comes out flat from their respite too bad, this is the only chance they get and the clear football is at stake. Colt McCoy has had nowhere near the year he had last year but he is here and all he needs is one good game. His struggles do not matter because he only has to be good tonight. Problem is the Tide is strong up front and will be certain to apply pressure like they did to Tebow and like Nebraska did to Suh. On the other side Greg McElroy's near perfect game against Flroida in Atlanta does not mean anything now. He has to repeat that performance and it has been a long time since he has taken a live game snap. Texas's defense has been their strength this year and they will have their hands full with Heisman winner Mark Ingram and the big Alabama offensive line. The coaches from both teams know this, and know that the other coaching staff knows they know. Everybody knows. They have had weeks to look at film and craft and hone and implement their gameplans. In one sense, there is almost too much time to prepare because as much as Nick Saban would like to believe, do not live in a bubbleand the longer it takes to take the field, the more time there is for players to lose focus, get overconfident, or get a stomach bug.

My lean, like most of the country, is with Alabama. While I do not expect a performance like the SEC title game from the Tide their advantages on the lines cannot be ignored. The trend has been this bowl season that the team that is more physical up front has won the games, and this game should follow suit. I would like to see Texas give them a good game and I think they will. If Texas is razor sharp for 60 minutes then they will take it. Ultimately I think the Tide wins by a touchdown in a game that will be a letdown to watch. However, before we kick things off between the battle of these "college football storied programs"(look for Brent to say that a lot), let's take a look back on some things that have happened in the world since we last saw a game that had an impact on the mythical national championship about to be decided.

-Dick Clark counted us into a new year and decade...sort of.
-Kimbo Slice won a UFC fight
-Mark Ingram won the Heisman, becoming the first Alabama player to do so.
-Mike Leach was suspended, then fired.
-Tiger Woods....enough said.
-TMZ sports was birthed from the canal of the tabloid hungry sports culture we have created.
-Urban Meyer decided to step down as Florida coach to reconnect with one daughter who was happy to have her Dad back and another who wanted to have a meaninful conversation with him. Then he said screw it, family life and chest pains be damned.
-The Colts pissed on history for what they think is a definite Super Bowl run.
-Gilbert Arena did his Cactus Jack impersonation, and got suspended.
-Laker fans showed how much they disliked the Christmas Day officiating, but stayed classy by only tossing harmless foam fingers.
-George Michael died. No not that one, that one.
-Pacquiao vs. Mayweather ran into problems because of testing.
-Pot Bobby Knight called out kettle John Calipari for questionable practices in coaching integrity.
-Brian Kelly abandoned his undefeated Cincinnati team to coach Notre Dame.
-Chris Henry died after jumping from his fiance's truck.
-The Big Ten thought about expansion.
-The U put on a show for the country and became ESPN's highest rated documentary ever.
-Roy Williams kicked a guy out of a game at the Dean Dome for yelling "Miss it".
-And 34 bowl games have been played that have no bearing on determining a champion.

Enjoy the game which probably means you have will have to mute Brent.

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Positive Season Ends In A Thud

Before the college football season began, there was cautious optimism about the Miami Hurricanes. Reticent hope of a fruitful season. An upturned eyebrow of speculation over a tough schedule. In my season preview for my Hurriances, a team that delights, shames, and infuriates me all at once, I predicted an 8-4 record and a Gator Bowl appearance. I got the losses right and they would have been in the Gator Bowl if not for the Bobby Bowden farewell-dang gum-aww shoot tour. Of course that record was going into the bowl so the Canes were actually one better at 9-3 going into that game last night. Then Miami threw up all over themselves. A 20-14 loss to a Wisconsin team that was playing the Big Ten brand of football that led the conference to a 1-6 record in bowl games last year has put a sour taste on the end of a season that met, if not exceeded expectations, and threw a wet blanket on any high preseason rankings for next year.

After the first two wins of the season, the trumpets were blaring declaring Miami was 'back'. Jacory Harris was getting insane hype after only two good games. A reality check at Virginia Tech toned it down somewhat. The Canes battled back like I hoped they would against Oklahoma. Sitting at 3-1 with the prospect of being favored in their remaining games produced images of BCS bowls dancing in Miami fans' heads. However inconsitency and mistakes cost them two more games against Clemson C.J. Spiller and North Carolina.

Through the whole season up until their previous game against South Florida, a realistic Canes fan was happy with how the season turned out and eager to get to next season. The dud they laid last night washed all of that away. The big kick return to open the game seemed to a sign that Miami was all in for the game. Fifty-nine minutes later all you could do was shake your head. Wisconsin did a tremendous job with their gameplan: run the ball, dominate both lines, pass away from the Miami corners, and avoid miscues. The miscues is a bit misleading considering Wisconsin lost two fumbles, but Miami did not do anything with it.

All that is left are these facts for Miami fans:

Randy Shannon is 0-2 in bowl games and in both cases the team was ill-prepared, out-0coached and played flat.

Jacory Harris may have had a sweet fade, but he has a long way to go before he is considered a great college QB. Don't get me wrong I like him as a player and a personality but he has to limit his mistakes and continue to grow.

Sweet fancy Moses that field was attrocious last night. Cooper getting injured hurts about as much as the loss. [Update: he might be out until 2011, cripes.] Big thumbs down to the Champ bowl for allowing that condition of field.

The offensive line is downright bad. Does Art Kehoe need to come back? Jason Fox did not play and he will not be back next year. The line will have to prove it can pass protect and run block against a physical D-line next year for the team to be legit.

In total a season that was better than expected ended with a huge letdown. The canes have a lot to figure out in the offseason and they better because they travel to Columbus on September 11th.

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Big Ten Supporters Should Not Throw Stones

On a friendly message board recently me and a chum got into a debate about the Big Ten and the ACC. This stemmed from him being an Iowa fan and thinking his Hawkeyes are going to put a cork in the triple option. I am not a big Georgia Tech supporter but I do think they win the Orange Bowl. He then let fly with an attack on the ACC being "soft". Truth be told the ACC fell way below expectations this year; from dropping important out of conference games to the better teams playing down to their competition in confrence play the ACC dissapointed without a doubt. However, for a Big Ten supporter to hurl this kind of vitriol at another BCS conference is rather ridiculous. Once again the Big Ten has two teams in BCS bowls so once again they will get paid and their ardent fan followings assure the BCS, the conference, and the schools of that. Yet looking at the Big Ten's 1-6 bowl record from last year and 9-20 mark over past four years, it does not seem apropo for banner-waving from this contigent of college football. They have lost their last 6 BCS bowl games and this year have two more shots to end that streak. The ACC has a one-game win streak at least. My response to the ACC attack is after the break and is copied verbatum so there may be a S-bomb or two.

I am really not picking GT over Iowa because of the ACC, I really just think they are going to win the game.

Nice of you to dodge the whole bowl record thing but again to state the glass houses theorem, I will hit your precious Big Televen with some knowledge.

Illinois: 3-9, including a 30-0 loss to Ohio State, and a 53-52 loss to Fresno State..at home.

Indiana: Their wins are: Eastern Kentucky, Western Michigan, Akron, and the aforementioned shitty Illinois team. And lo! What's this? They lost to, to use your words "horrible" Virginia Cavaliers 47-7. I repeat 47-7. So if you lose to a horrible team by 40, what does that make you?

Iowa: I acutally rooted for your Hawkeyes to be a BCS buster so I have nothing bad to say, other than they are not a truly elite team, they squeaked out more than a few wins and you know it. It is really a shame that Stanzu got hurt against Northwestern. An ankle and pipe dreams shattered on one play. If Iowa had run the table, you know they would be behind Texas and Bama in the rankings though right? That would have been more frustrating.

Michigan State: Ahh, the Clemson of the midwest. They lost to Central Michigan at home. They lost to Notre Dame(yeah that's not a good loss considering they had a chance to win). They lost to your Hawkeyes 15-13, wow what a barn burner that was. They play Texas Tech in the Alamo bowl, should be interesting.

Michigan: A bunch of frauds. Their coach is a rule-breaking shit-eater. Lost 5 in a row to close out the season. Committed 15 turnover against Iowa and still had a chance to win the game at the end. They did beat Notre Dame, but so did 5 other teams. Their largest win was at home 63-6...against Delaware State. Back to Back bowless seasons.

Minnesota: Only decent win was against Northwestern, depending on whether you think NW is decent. They got shutout twice this year. They play Iowa State in their bowl game....AWWW Shit, Daly[Ed Note: Our own Walterpeck] has got to be pumped.

Northwestern: 8-4 is impressive for a school like NW. And hey! they destroyed Iowa's season! However let's check the OOC schedule: Towson, Eastern Michigan, Miami(Ohio), and Syracuse. And they lost to Cuse, with Greg Paulus at QB! Rofl, that is like losing a hopscotch game to Christy Brown. [I'll pause while you google that reference]. They play Auburn in their bowl game...oof that is going to be ugly.

Ohio State: Fuck em. You know I hate them but they along with Iowa are one of the conference's decent teams. They dropped a close one at home to USC thanks to the hymm of prayer rank 18 cast by Matt Barkley, but then again USC finished 6th in the Pac Ten. The Rose Bowl against Oregon should be intriguing.

Penn State: Bigges fraud of a 2 loss team out there. OOC schedule: Akron, Syracuse, Temple, Eastern Illinois. Lost to the only 2 decent teams they played this year (Iowa, OSU). Playing LSU in their bowl game, if not for LSU's lack of offense and their dumbass coach, they would have no shot.

Purdue: Alma mater of Drew Brees AND Kyle Orton. They upset Ohio State, that's about it. They beat Notre Dame at home...right after they lost to Northern Illinois at home.

Wisconsin: They are ok, but nothing to scream about. 9-3 is a good record, but again they lost to Ohio State, Northwestern and Iowa, the other decent teams in the conference. I'm searching for their landmark win but can't decide between Fresno State(by 3 in double OT), Wofford, Northern Illinois, or Hawaii. I guess Fresno. They play the U in their bowl game in Orlando, I'm cautiously optimistic that if Northwestern can put up 33 against them, Miami can manage a good day offensively.

Wow, you're right the ACC is so weak compared to these teams.

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Bowl Season is Put Out of its Misery

It was the ending we all deserved: a poorly played game, with horrible officiating, and the worst television production and broadcasting I have ever seen in a championship game. I knew it was going to be a bad night when I saw the officiating crew, Ron Cherry and the ACC. I watched this crew "operate" all year and the horrible officiating you saw last night was par for the course. The Florida Gators defeated the Oklahoma Sooners 24-14 in the title game last night in the BCS title game. The Gators now have 3 titles since '96 and are on their way to becoming the Miami of the 1990s and 2000s. Anyone who watched the game witnessed the full-on fellating of Tim Tebow which was unbearable. More on the game, FOX's debacle they called coverage and the results of our ASD bowl picks after the break.

A rational person cannot tell me that seeing the way the two teams played last night that Utah would not have won versus either if they played like they did in the Sugar Bowl. Also, you don't think USC could handle either of those sqauds? I must throw in at this point that Florida won the game and are champions and they were certainly deserving of being in the game. The problem is not with the Gators, it is with the system. After my brilliant idea of a quad national championship I introduce yesterday, the AP poll refused to comply. In the coaches poll, Kyle Whittingham showed he has balls in addition to the only undefeated team in the land by voting his Utah team number 1.

Oklahoma blew this game on failing to capitalize on mistakes by Florida and Tebow but Florida won the game by making the plays and getting into the endzone. I don't think anyone expected the Oklahoma offense to struggle like it did, even though no one was expecting 60 points which enforces my thought that the offense played a bad game more than the defense was so dominant. The Sooners went with the running game early, which gave them success, but down at the 1 yard line OU ran it 4 straight times and got stuffed. Isn't that a Heisman trophy winner at QB? The game seemed to be taken out of Bradford's hands, and then when Bradford had the ball in his hands at halftime he threw a pass into traffic short of the goal line when his team was out of timeouts. Oklahoma picked off Tim Tebow twice and got a roughing the kicker penalty to extend a drive but did not score on any of those opportunities, and that's your game.

Once again Percy Harvin was the difference maker for Florida. After Tebow could not rush the ball in from the 1, the ball was given to Harvin behind center and he ran it in for the Gators' second touchdown. When OU tied the game at 14 the first play from scrimmage was a hand off to Harvin who ran it 52 yards which set up the go-ahead score. Harvin finished with 171 yards but yet again will not get the accolades his quarterback will. Aaron Hernandez, the athletic UF tight end was another big difference maker as he made two big plays on shovel passes from Tebow. Tebow struggled early, and made some good plays, but this win was one by the Florida defense and the offensive weapons around him, not just one player.

Thom Brennaman cemented his legacy last night after his blowfest of Tebow last night. From now on, anyone who watched that game will associate Thom with his calling of that game. All of the FOX BCS coverage was horrid with last night topping it all. They tried to implement their fast cut-scene coverage that worked so well for baseball, but these are two different animals. Football is not as slow as baseball, cut scenes to the band and cheerleaders after every freaking play is distracting and more than a few times caused them to miss the snap. The lack of replays was inexcusable. It took Thom and Charles Davis about 3 minutes, which was about 2 minutes and 49 seconds longer than everyone in the country to realize it was 3rd down instead of 4th. The Tim Tebow worship was the worst of all though. The one thing these media people that kneel at his altar don't realize, the hate comes from you, you created this monster. If they did not give him credit for a 5 yard run like he just cured cancer, there would not be such a backlash. At this point the large portion of the sports viewing audience just want Tebow to go away. You know, Shawn Bradley went on a religous mission, and so does everyone at BYU. We get it, he is a good guy, he is pious, he does service work, he is a great player. On a final note it was nice to see lord Tim gesticulating like a donkey all over the field while the game was still going on and getting an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty with minutes to go. You stay classy.

Final Results of our bowl picks.

Cleet: 19-15
Catfish: 16-18

My last word on college football this year besides my reinforcement of the quad-champions of Florida, Utah, USC, and Texas is that next year, no matter the records or the situation, Ohio State and Oklahoma play each other in a bowl game.

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Pick-Counterpick Bowl Update

I usually prided myself on being astute at picking bowls, this year not so much but, I do hold a slight lead over Catfish in our picks. My Penn State upset blew up in my face as I watched the USC bench do the Soulja Boy with 7 minutes left in the first half.

Cleet: 14-13
Catfish: 13-14

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New Year's Football Thoughts

It is the second day of 2009 and I am back in the office today for one day of work before the weekend. Yes, everyone has pointed out how strange it is to be off since before Christmas and then come in for one day but luckily I still have the after effects of a bad cold, the dreary gray sky, and a half-emptied office to cheer me up. It has been awhile since I last visited our little online haven and I have collected a few various thoughts from the past week and a half of sports. Read on for the brain smatterings.

The NFL

- The Jets seriously let down the Patriots in their last game, but that is exactly why you never want your fate in someone else's hands. As I have said all along the Pats get zero sympathy from anyone, and the failure to win that game in Indy proved very costly. Still, Belichick deserves props for what he did this year even if he deservedly will not get any. The Matt Cassell quandry will not dominate the off-season media coverage as mystery surrounds Brady's knee and it will be interesting to see how it will effect the team if Scott Pioli bolts for the Browns. Eric Mangini got sacrificed at the alter of Farve and I do not see how the Jets can turn this into a positive unless they let Farve loose and snag Spagnuolo.

- It was interesting to see how the Panthers were able to move the ball into sure-fire field goal range for kicker John Kasay in a game they needed against the Saints to lock up the 2 seed. If they had been that aggressive in getting Kasay a closer kick the previous week in the Meadowlands they could have had the 1 seed. With that said I don't think it will bother the Panthers to have to travel to New York again if necessary.

- A lot is being made of Arizona and Minnesota having problems selling out their playoff games. Certainly in the case of Arizona it can be stated that the fanbase is not as loyal as others, but when you look at the Vikings case, I think this is an economic situation more than anything else. People are more obliged to say for get the expensive ticket and trip to the stadium I will just sit back on the recliner and follow the game from home. It is not so much that people are not interested, it is that in times like the ones we are facing a grossly over-priced upper-deck ticket for an opening round play-off game is not high on the budget.

- I was not completely shocked by Mike Shanahan getting axed. The fact that he was in charge of the personnel moves was the biggest factor in my mind. There was probably no way he was going to give up the GM duties aand the Broncos had to cut ties. ESPN loved rolling out Shanahan's record with and without Elway. It is as if he was supposed to be that dominant after losing Elway and the rest of that team. What? You mean that the coach will not win as many games after losing one of the greatest quarterbacks ever to play? Madness! Also, it was not just like Shanahan lost only Elway; Terrell Davis succumbed to injuries, Atwater and the secondary retired or moved on, Romanowski hit the prescription center a little too much, Neil Smith retired, and the dirty strong O-line was re-tooled as well. Shanahan did take Denver to some playoff appearances and almost made the Super Bowl with Jake Plummer at the helm until Jake chose his horrible turnover game of the year for the AFC Championship. Mike will be back somewhere, and I think it will be a good hire when he is unless he gets GM control again.

- The Eagles are similar to the Giants of last year and could end up doing to the Giants what they did to the Cowboys last January. I have yet to speak with someone or read somewhere that someone is picking the Vikes.

- It is always the case, but this year whoever these teams hire as their new coaches is so crucial to whether the teams turn around. A strong hand is needed in Cleveland where talent is substantial on the offensive side of the ball, the Jets need someone who can rally all the discontent veterans together, the Broncos need...a lot of help.

The Bowls

- Thanks to ESPN for turning Chase Daniel's family into another edition of Brenda Warner. Hey, there was a false start on Northwestern, let's get a shot of the Daniel clan, it will really pump up the drama.

- Is there anyone who does not think the bowl season is spread too long and too thin? There were some great games, but a lot is lost in not having the cluster of good games on or around New Year's. It is another freakin week until the faux-champion is even crowned.

- As with baseball, Fox just does not get it. It's the Orange Bowl, the match-up is week and you are rolling out kick-off after 8:30 EST? When you consider the Doobie Brothers extended halftime, the game did not end until around or after midnight (I went to bed) and if you consider I have a stronger inclination for watching sports than most, who was left watching? They will do the same for the title game, which is ridiculous, get ready for the same kind of ratings you got with baseball.

- As a Miami fan, alum, former employee, and all together huge supporter I am pissed. The clock/game management at the end of the Emerald Bowl against Cal was some of the worst I have ever seen. From the players to the coaches it was not a sharp performance. Holding a timeout with 2:27 left down 7 and letting the clock tick down to :06 at midfield is inexcusable. I have championed Randy Shannon since day 1. It is good to have a positive minority role model in place at the helm and his disciplinarian tactics have virtually eliminated off-field problems, but in the end you have to do that AND win games. The firing of offensive coordinator Patrick Nix was welcome to most Hurricane fans including myself, but then Nix stated that it was Shannon, not he who elected not to spread the field and open up the offense. Shannon fired his defensive coordinator after last year and his offensive one this year, next year he has no excuses, none. Robert Marve is gone and Jacory Harris is the starter, he has the summer to improve his decision-making and learn how to hold on the ball. No excuses next season, Randy and believe me, I'm rooting for you.

- The call for a playoff is louder than ever in college football and after some putrid bowls, it cannot be denied that it is what should happen. Even if the retarded, inbred cousin of the playoff system, also known as the +1 comes to fruition, it will still not be good enough. With the bowl games being featured on their own now and not bunched together as in years prior, unless you have a rooting interest it is so transparent how college football is suffering from the bowl system as it is now. By suffering I mean from a sports philosophical point of view, financially they are doing quite well thank you.

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Point-Counterpoint: Our Bowl Picks

The bowls are upon us. Beginning tomorrow, we will be served with a slew of slightly stolid and somewhat superfluous slate of college football over the next twenty days. The old guard of the sport will tell you nothing beats the tradition of bowl games, but the bloated and commercialized world of the modern bowl game creates a general malaise until by the time we get to uninteresting BCS bowls, the viewing audience tunes out. However, it is football and we will be watching. In the spirit of bouts of mostly unattractive competition, we here at the ASD are squaring off in a no holds barred, fight to the death bowl pick compeition. It's me versus Catfish and this time, it's personal....with a vengeance! But not really, this is not for money and the winner may or may not choose to invoke bragging rights. The games and the duo of picks after the break. It's time for pick-counterpick!

Eaglebank Bowl- Washington D.C., Dec. 20, 11:00 a.m.
Wake Forest(7-5) vs. Navy(8-4)
Cleet: Wake Forest- Breakfast games are made of win.
Catfish: Wake Forest- Picking a team down 13 is for geniuses and idiots.

New Mexico Bowl- Albuquerque, Dec. 20, 2:30 p.m.
Colorado State (6-6) vs. Fresno State (7-5)
Cleet: Fresno State- I once drove through New Mexico at sunset, enchanting.
Catfish: Fresno State- Victor Conte is from Fresno, so the Rams have no chance.

St. Petersburg Bowl- St. Petersburg, Dec. 20, 4:30 p.m.
Memphis (6-6) vs. South Florida (7-5)
Cleet: South Florida- Can we at least try to be creative with the bowl names?
Catfish: Memphis- No free throws for the Tigers to miss.

Las Vegas Bowl- Las Vegas, Dec. 20, 8:30 p.m.
BYU (10-2) vs. Arizona (7-5)
Cleet: BYU- I guess the Cougars have to avert their eyes until they are inside the stadium.
Catfish: BYU- The Hoff will be the only thing from Zona looking good.

New Orleans Bowl- New Orleans, Dec. 21, 8:00 p.m.
Southern Miss (6-6) vs. Troy (8-4)
Cleet: Troy- Going up against Sunday Night Football not a wise decision.
Catfish: Troy- This is for all the people that say schools can't make the transition from 1-AA.

Poinsettia Bowl- San Diego, Dec. 23, 8 p.m.
Boise State (12-0) vs. Texas Christian (10-2)
Cleet: Boise State- Should be one of the best bowl games hands down.
Catfish: TCU- Spitting blood from one's eyes is more impressive that blue turf.

Hawaii Bowl- Honolulu, Dec. 24, 8 p.m.
Hawaii (7-6) vs. Notre Dame (6-6)
Cleet: Notre Dame- I can think of worse places to be on Christmas Eve.
Catfish: Hawaii- Charlie's Hawaiian shirt will be sized XL Samoan.

Motor City Bowl- Detroit, Dec. 26, 7:30 p.m.
Florida Atlantic (6-6) vs. Central Michigan (8-4)
Cleet: Central Michigan- More or less fans than a Lions game?
Catfish: FAU- I flipped a coin.

Meineke Car Care Bowl- Charlotte, Dec. 27, 1:00 p.m.
West Virginia (8-4) vs. North Carolina (8-4)
Cleet: West Virgnia- This bowl already is sold out.
Catfish: North Carolina- David Noel > Noel Devine.

Champ Sports Bowl- Orlando, Dec. 27, 4:30 p.m.
Wisconsin (7-5) vs. Florida State (8-4)
Cleet: Florida State- The shared hatred for Florida has really cooled the FSU-Miami relations.
Catfish: Wisconsin- Still plenty of time for some new FSU suspensions.

Emerald Bowl- San Francisco, Dec. 27, 8:00 p.m.
Miami (Fla.) (7-5) vs. California (8-4)
Cleet: Miami- I don't think they'll win, but I can't go against my alma mater.
Catfish: Cal- I can.

Independence Bowl- Shreveport, Dec. 28, 8:00 p.m.
Northern Illinois (6-6) vs. Louisiana Tech (7-5)
Cleet: Northern Illinois- I respect both schools but is this game really necessary?
Catfish: Louisiana Tech- Win it for Paul Milsap.

Papajohns.com Bowl- Birmingham, Dec. 29, 3:00 p.m.
North Carolina State (6-6) vs. Rutgers (7-5)
Cleet: NC State- Russel Wilson is the truth.
Catfish: NC State- Greg Schiano is the false?

Alamo Bowl- San Antonio, Dec. 29, 8:00 p.m.
Missouri (9-4) vs. Northwestern (9-3)
Cleet: Mizzou- Just because his team is not as good as advertised does not mean Jeremy Maclin isn't.
Catfish: Mizzou- and healthy for the first time in months.

Humanitarian Bowl- Boise, Dec. 30, 4:30 p.m.
Maryland (7-5) vs. Nevada (7-5)
Cleet: Maryland- Nothing says humanitarian like a blue football field.
Catfish: Nevada- Turtles don't travel well and get done in by the pistol.

Texas Bowl- Houston, Dec. 30, 8:00 p.m.
Rice (9-3) vs. Western Michigan (9-3)
Cleet: Rice- This game is on NFL Network, lewl!
Catfish: Rice- Complicated offenses and Michigan don't go well together.

Holiday Bowl- San Diego, Dec. 30, 8:00 p.m.
Oklahoma State (9-3) vs. Oregon (9-3)
Cleet: Oklahoma State- Should be a great one to watch, unless you like defense.
Catfish: Oregon- Provided they don't lose another five QBs in freak hunting accidents.

Armed Forces Bowl- Fort Worth, Dec. 31, 12:30 p.m.
Houston (7-5) vs. Air Force (8-4)
Cleet: Houston- Catfish is not going to pick against the Falcons is he?
Catfish: Air Force- Fly Boys!

Sun Bowl- El Paso, Dec. 31, 2:00 p.m.
Oregon State (8-4) vs. Pittsburgh (9-3)
Cleet: Oregon State- This usually is a great bowl game, and it is one of the oldest, but having driven through El Paso once I would have no desire to spend a great length of time there.
Catfish: Oregon State- Betting on The 'Stache in big games should come with a Surgeon General's warning.

Music City Bowl- Nashville, Dec. 31, 3:30 p.m.
Boston College (9-4) vs. Vanderbilt (6-6)
Cleet: Boston College- As you can tell I am expecting great things from the ACC this bowl season.
Catfish: Boston College- Remember when Vandy had that big win against the juggernaut Auburn?

Insight Bowl- Tempe, Dec. 31, 5:30 p.m.
Kansas (7-5) vs. Minnesota (7-5)
Cleet: Kansas- Another NFL Network gem.
Catfish: Minnesota- The Deadspin rules of sports blogging insist we make a Mangino joke. He's big. There.

Chick-fil-A Bowl- Atlanta, Dec. 31, 7:30 p.m.
LSU (7-5) vs. Georgia Tech (9-3)
Cleet: Georgia Tech- Having gone to this bowl a few years ago when LSU destroyed UM, ran up the score, fake-kicked when up 30 points, go Jackets.
Catfish: LSU- Oh, are we picking who we're rooting for? Someone needs to explain these rules.

Outback Bowl- Tampa, Jan. 1, 11 a.m.
South Carolina (7-5) vs. Iowa (8-4)
Cleet: Iowa- I think the Gamecocks are a fraud.
Catfish: South Carolina- No weather to aid the Hawkeye running game.

Capital One Bowl- Orlando, Jan. 1, 1:00 p.m.
Georgia (9-3) vs. Michigan State (9-3)
Cleet: Georgia- I guess my UGA national championship pick was a tad off.
Catfish: Michigan State- Mark Richt better hope I'm right or the swell of unhappy boosters will continue to grow.

Gator Bowl- Jacksonville, Jan. 1, 1:00 p.m.
Clemson (7-5) vs. Nebraska (8-4)
Cleet: Clemson- If Dabo does not win this game, it is going to be a long off-season in Tigertown.
Catfish: Nebraska- Two new coaches that both need the win. Bo > Dabo.

Cotton Bowl- Dallas, Jan. 2, 2:00 p.m.
Mississippi (8-4) vs. Texas Tech (11-1)
Cleet: Texas Tech- Time to remind everyone you were one bad night in Norman away from the BCS title game.
Catfish: Ole Miss- The found mojo of the Tech defense is gone. McCluster!

Liberty Bowl- Memphis, Jan. 2, 5:00 p.m.
Kentucky (6-6) vs. East Carolina (9-4)
Cleet: East Carolina- Still an impressive year for ECU.
Catfish: Kentucky- It took 7 INTs for the Pirates to beat Tulsa.

International Bowl- Toronto, Jan. 3, 12:00 p.m.
Buffalo (8-5) vs. Connecticut (7-5)
Cleet: UCONN- So, you lead the nation in rushing on a poor passing team and you get second team all-american. Makes sense.
Catfish: Buffalo Barkley made me do it.

GMAC Bowl- Mobile, Jan. 6, 8:00 p.m.
Tulsa (10-3) vs. Ball State (12-1)
Cleet: Tulsa- Should actually be interesting to watch this game.
Catfish: Ball State- New coach, no problem.

Orange Bowl- Miami Gardens, Jan. 1, 8:30 p.m.
Virginia Tech (9-4) vs. Cincinnati (11-2)
Cleet: Virginia Tech- Is Bud Foster ever going to get a head coaching job? In other news this bowl will not be high in the ratings.
Catfish: Virginia Tech- Over/under on Beamer Ball mentions: 7

Rose Bowl- Pasadena, Jan. 1, 5:00 p.m.
Penn State (11-1) vs. Southern California (11-1)
Cleet: Penn State- That's right I said it, Lions win this game.
Catfish: USC- They've been in a game this big before.

Sugar Bowl- New Orleans, Jan. 2, 8:00 p.m.
Utah (12-0) vs. Alabama (12-1)
Cleet: Alabama- In a close one I think but the size on the lines proves too much.
Catfish: Alabama- Adrenalin fades and so do the Utes.

Fiesta Bowl- Tempe, Jan. 5, 8:00 p.m.
Ohio State (10-2) vs. Texas (11-1)
Cleet: Texas- The lots of stuff to prove bowl.
Catfish: Ohio State- The Sweatervest cometh.

BCS Title Game- Miami Gardens, Jan. 8, 8:00 p.m.
No. 1 Oklahoma (12-1) vs. No. 2 Florida (12-1)
Cleet: Florida- I do not think they are as great as people think but in this match-up I see them stopping OU more than OU stops them.
[tiebreaker- total points in championship game: 84]
Catfish:Oklaho who am I kidding? Florida
Points: 67

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