With tonight’s Poinsettia Bowl, the Bowl Season kicks off. Which to me means it’s officially the Holidays. For each bowl, I have picked the winner, and assigned each game a confidence rating of 1-32. The higher the number, the more confident I am in my pick. The rankings given reflect those of the last Cross Poll. Happy Bowling!
Poinsettia Bowl: Utah vs. Navy … Th, 12/20, 9:00 pm, ESPN
Pick: Utah … Confidence: 21
New Orleans Bowl: Florida Atlantic vs. Memphis … Fr, 12/21, 8:00 pm , ESPN2
Pick: Memphis … Confidence: 5
PapaJohn’s.com Bowl: Southern Miss vs. #19 Cincinnati … Sa, 12/22, 1:00 pm, ESPN2
Pick: Cincinnati … Confidence: 24
New Mexico Bowl: Nevada vs. New Mexico … Sa, 12/22, 4:30 pm, ESPN
Pick: New Mexico … Confidence: 18
Las Vegas Bowl: #15 Brigham Young vs. UCLA … Sa, 12/22, 8:00 pm, ESPN
Pick: BYU … Confidence: 26
Hawaii Bowl: #16 Boise State vs. East Carolina … Su, 12/23, 8:00 pm, ESPN
Pick: Boise State … Confidence: 28
Motor City Bowl: Purdue vs. Central Michigan … W, 12/26, 7:30 pm, ESPN
Pick: Purdue … Confidence: 32
Holiday Bowl: #13 Arizona State vs. #22 Texas … Th, 12/27, 8:00 pm, ESPN
Pick: Arizona State … Confidence: 6
Champs Sports Bowl: #12 Boston College vs. Michigan State … Fr, 12/28, 5:00 pm, ESPN
It has come down to this. What a wild season we’ve had in college football, and you have to admit that it has been exciting. From one week to the next, you don’t know what to expect, unless you expect upsets. Because this year it hasn’t been about whether upsets will occur but when they will happen. And now, if both teams can make it through this final weekend, we should be in for an improbable BCS Championship game between Missouri and West Virginia. While fans of traditional powers will whine about how weak their schedules were and how _____ team deserves a shot, if you’ve seen these two teams play, you know we’ll be in for an exciting game between two very good teams.
But first, they have to make it through this weekend. Can Missouri beat Oklahoma the second time around? Can West Virginia avoid this year’s curse of the #2 team by beating their most hated rival? It’s coming down to the wire, and all I know for sure is that we’re in for an exciting finish.
Now for the predictions.
I didn’t do as well last week as I have previously, going 11-7, including going 0-3 in Friday’s games, which brings my record for the year to 73-27. This week, I’m calling all the conference championship games along with The Cross Poll Top 30 games and the classic Army/Navy game.
Thursday Throwdown: Rutgers at Louisville, Thu., 11/29, 7:30 pm, ESPN … Everyone (or at least the 150 people in the world who have the NFL Network) will be watching tonight’s Dallas/Green Bay slugfest. But for college football aficionados, there’s this game between disappointing Big East teams. Normally, Louisville is tough to beat at home. But normally Louisville isn’t as bad as they are this year. … Rutgers 31, Louisville 24
MAC Championship: Miami (OH) vs. Central Michigan, Sat., 12/1, 11:00 am, ESPN2 ... The first of the conference championship games gets started in the AM. I don’t have a lot on this one; the last time I watched Miami play, their quarterback was named Ben. … Miami 31, CMU 32
Navy vs. Army, Sat., 12/1, 12:00 pm, CBS … For those of you who feel nostalgic, or just like a passionate rivalry game with very little national implication, you can’t get much better than Army/Navy. Except maybe Harvard/Yale. … Navy 39, Army 33
C-USA Championship: Tulsa at Central Florida, Sat., 12/1, 12:00 pm, ESPN ... The last time these teams met earlier this season, UCF won 44-23. I see little reason to expect a different outcome here. … Tulsa 29, UCF 41
ACC Championship: #8 Virginia Tech vs. #11 Boston College, Sat., 12/1, 1:00 pm, ABC ... When these two teams met in the regular season, Virginia Tech dominated Boston College for 55 minutes before losing on a last-second Matt Ryan touchdown toss. The Hokies will be looking for revenge, and I think they’ll get it. But then again, I picked them last time too. … Virginia Tech 20, Boston College 17
SEC Championship: #15 Tennessee vs. #5 LSU, Sat., 12/1, 4:00 pm, CBS … Wow. A conference championship that isn’t a repeat. What a novelty. LSU has tended to lose close games to worse teams this year, so Tennessee has a chance to make a BCS game if they can keep it close. But I don’t think they can. … Tennessee 21, LSU 34
UCLA at #10 USC, Sat., 12/1, 4:30 pm, ABC … UCLA hung 16 on Oregon last week, and I think they’ll do the same against USC. The only difference is I expect USC to do some scoring too. … UCLA 16, USC 33
#30 Oregon State at #22 Oregon, Sat., 12/1, 4:30 pm, ESPN2 … Remember when Oregon was the best team in the nation? It looks like they lost the best player in the nation, because they’ve been unable to do anything since Dennis Dixon went down. They’re at home here, but I think the Beavers will be able to handle the Ducks’ fourth-string quarterback, whatever his name is. … Oregon State 25, Oregon 21
#16 Brigham Young at San Diego State, Sat., 12/1, 6:30 pm, The MTN … This game was supposed to happen earlier in the year but got pushed back due to the San Diego wildfires. BYU should have a pretty easy time here. … BYU 33, SDSU 20
Pittsburgh at #2 West Virginia, Sat., 12/1, 7:45 pm, ESPN … The 100th installment of the Backyard Brawl. The line on this one is West Virginia by 28.5. If you want a safe bet, I would take Pitt here. Not that I don’t think West Virginia will win this one, because I believe they will, but I think Pitt will be fired up. And while they’ll lose big, they won’t lose that big. For West Virginia, it’s win and they’re in the national championship. Remember though that this is a nasty rivalry and it’s by no means a sure thing. … Pitt 18, West Virginia 38
Arizona at #13 Arizona State, Sat., 12/1, 8:00 pm, ESPN 2 … Apparently, the state of Arizona got the memo about in-state rivalry games a week late. Come on guys, get it together. … Arizona 27, Arizona State 30
Big 12 Championship: #9 Oklahoma vs. #1 Missouri, Sat., 12/1, 8:00 pm, ABC … Like West Virginia, for Missouri, it’s simple: win and they’re in. That’s easier said than done, however, because this is a strong Oklahoma team. And remember that earlier this year Oklahoma beat Missouri 41-31. Missouri has a lot riding on this game, and they come in with momentum. I just can’t believe it’s going to turn out any different than it did the first time. … Oklahoma 38, Missouri 32
Washington at #6 Hawaii, Sat., 12/1, 11:30 pm, ESPN2 … If I were the coach of a team not likely to make a bowl game, I would schedule a game at Hawaii in December too. Have a nice vacation, Huskies, but try to remember you’re playing a football game too. … Washington 25, Hawaii 42
I went 16-6 last week, bringing my record for the year to a nice, even 45-15. This week, I’m pressed for time, so I won’t make very long posts for each one. Keeping it short and simple. Also, this week, rather than the BCS rankings, I’m using the rankings I’ve developed in the Cross Poll. (Shameless plug.)
Thursday Throwdown: #3 Oregon at Arizona, Thu., 11/15, 9:00 pm, ESPN … The quack attack keeps rolling and makes it 2-0 against teams beginning with “Arizona.” … Oregon 34, Arizona 26
#9 Hawaii at Nevada, Fri., 11/16, 11:00 pm, ESPN2 … Watching Hawaii is like watching your alarm clock after you’ve hit snooze: you’re know it’s going to go off any minute now. … Hawaii 41, Nevada 28
Syracuse at #19 Connecticut, Sat., 11/17, 12:00 pm, ESPN2 … Syracuse is averaging 15.9 points per game. UConn is giving up 15.0 points per game. Gee, I wonder how much Syracuse will score? … Syracuse 15, UConn 39
Florida Atlantic at #20 Florida, Sat., 11/17, 12:00 pm, GamePlan … Dear Florida Atlantic, welcome to the party. Here’s your door prize. Sincerely, the Florida school in the top 25. … FAU 22, Florida 41
Northwestern at #21 Illinois, Sat., 11/17, 12;00 pm, ESPN … Is there a rule that if you’re a BCS program from Illinois you have to wear purple? … Northwestern 25, Illinois 35
#8 Ohio State at #24 Michigan, Sat., 11/17, 12:00 pm, ABC … Who makes the long trip to Pasadena this year? Everyone will be watching this one, but after last week, it’s just not as sexy. … Ohio State 23, Michigan 21
#26 Kentucky at #11 Georgia, Sat., 11/17, 12:30 pm, LFS/Gameplan … In the eternal struggle between cats and dogs, always go dogs. Unless it’s a labradoodle, and then you need to man up and not let your girlfriend choose your pets. … Kentucky 29, Georgia 39
#5 Missouri at Kansas State, Sat., 11/17, 12:30 pm, FSN … Battles of cat vs. cat are a little trickier though. But who would you choose, the tiger or the wildcat? That’s what I thought. Keep in mind, however, how Kansas State humiliated Texas a few weeks ago. … Missouri 40, Kansas State 30
#30 Mississippi State at Arkansas, Sat., 11/17, 2:00 pm … Darren McFadden will probably run for 300 yards again, and Arkansas will probably still lose. But, then again, probably not. … Mississippi State 18, Arkansas 28
Idaho at #14 Boise State, Sat., 11.17, 2:00 pm, GamePlan … Oh no! SmurfTurf! Save your eyes, change the channel, quickly. … Idaho 20, Boise State 40
Vanderbilt at #22 Tennessee, Sat., 11/17, 2:00 pm, GamePlan … Vandy usually plays the Vols tough. But they’ll always be the little brother. … Vanderbilt 21, Tennessee 30
#27 Brigham Young at Wyoming, Sat., 11/17, 2:00 pm, The Mtn … I have to admit that I haven’t seen either of these teams play this year. There, I said it. You can question my fanhood. … BYU 26, Wyoming 20
Iowa State at #1 Kansas, Sat., 11/17, 3:30 pm, ABC/GamePlan … And I felt weird about ranking Kansas #2 last week. Raise your hand if you saw this in August. … Iowa St 20, Kansas 39
#25 Penn State at Michigan State, Sat., 11/17, 3:30 pm, ABC/ESPN … If both teams play up to standard, this one will essentially be a contest of who can avoid losing. … Penn St 26, Michigan St 25
#23 Wisconsin at Minnesota, Sat., 11/17, 3:30 pm, BigTen … Does anyone remember a few years ago when this game came down to the wire until Rhys Lloyd kicked that winning field goal, ran over to the sideline and grabbed Paul Bunyan’s axe? This one won’t be that dramatic. … Wisconsin 38, Minnesota 22
#2 LSU at Mississippi, Sat., 11/17, 3:30 pm, CBS … Speaking of dramatic, this one should be a barn-burner. … LSU 33, Ole Miss 19
Miami (FL) at #10 Virginia Tech, Sat., 11/17, 3:30 pm, ABC/GamePlan … This game will go a long way toward deciding who represents the Big East in the BCS. Oh, right. … Miami 15, VaTech 27
#29 California at Washington, Sat., 11/17, 3:30 pm, ABC/GamePlan … Boy, I sure hope this one is playing on my local ABC station. Aw shucks! … Cal 34, Washington 22
#7 West Virginia at #18 Cincinnati, Sat., 11/17, 7:45 pm, ESPN … Ohio State/Michigan is going to get all the hype, but this game is almost as important in deciding BCS berths. The Big East will likely come down to West Virginia or Connecticut, but Cincinnati could easily play spoiler here like the did for UConn last week, and South Florida before. … WVU 28, Cincinnati 24
#17 Boston College at #13 Clemson, Sat., 11/17, 7:45 pm, ESPN2 … Can the Eagles right the ship after two straight losses? And can they do it against a surging Clemson team? … BC 21, Clemson 29
Louisville at #28 South Florida, Sat., 11/17, 8:00 pm, ESPNU … Likewise for South Florida. Minus the “surging” part, which I would not use to describe Louisville this year, even though they played West Virginia tough last week. … Louisville 23, USF 31
#4 Oklahoma at Texas Tech, Sat., 11/17, 8:00 pm, ABC … I picked Texas Tech last week, and they let me down. In the immortal words of our illustrious president, “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, won’t get fooled again.” … Oklahoma 35, Texas Tech 34
