I love the bowl season, but the wackiness of the it all makes for some difficult game picking.
Right now, I stand at 93-78-4 on the season (.543), so I am risking a fairly solid effort on the vagaries of the bowls. But here goes on some selected bowl games:
Florida State (38 UNDER) vs. UCLA–I do like the UNDER here at 38 points, as this should be a defensive struggle. I wonder if UCLA won’t have a bit of a letdown after such an emotional win over USC. I am not picking points in this game, but I think FSU will squeak it out.
Rutgers (-7.5) vs. Kansas State–I’m not convinced that Kansas State has quite turned the corner yet and I think Rutgers will learn from its bowl experience last season. Rutgers 28, K-State 17.
California (-3.5) vs. Texas A&M–Cal is better equipped to hold down a modified option offense than it is a passing attack of the kind it faced against Texas Tech a couple years back. I think DeSean Jackson and Marshawn Lynch will be the stars of this one and Cal wins solidly. Cal 35, Texas A&M 20.
Minnesota (66 over) vs. Texas Tech–This one should be a shootout and I expect the 66 point total to be surpassed.
Houston (+5.5) vs. South Carolina–The Cougars have a very sophisticated offense led by Kevin Kolb and they should be able to score with the Gamecocks. I think Kolb will cap a fine career with a win here. Houston 31, South Carolina 28.
Boston College (-6) vs. Navy–This is a battle between two fundamentally sound teams, but in the end, BC has the talent edge and should come away with the solid win. BC 34, Navy 17.
Texas (-9) vs. Iowa–The Big Ten was down this year and Iowa was one of the more disappointing teams. I can’t see the Hawkeyes having any luck stopping the Longhorns superior athletes, especially Limas Sweed and Jamaal Charles. Texas 38, Iowa 10.
Virginia Tech (-2.5) vs. Georgia–The Hokies have quietly put together a fine season and they feature the best defense in the country statistically. While the Dawgs showed some signs of life toward the end of the season, I think they will have trouble with Beamer Ball. Va. Tech 23, Georgia 14.
Tennessee (-4) vs. Penn State–This game seems like a bit of a mismatch in my eyes. Penn State is just not the team it was last year, while Tennessee is much improved. I think the Nittany Lions will have trouble scoring and that Tennessee will win comfortably. Tennessee 27, Penn State 10.
Arkansas (-2) vs. Wisconsin–These appear to be two evenly matched teams until you realize that Wisconsin feasted on inferior opponents all season long. I think Arkansas rebounds from its two-straight losses and Darren McFadden uses the game as a launching pad for next year’s Heisman campaign. Arkansas 28, Wisconsin 14.
West Virginia (-11) vs. Georgia Tech–Reggie Ball closes out his ignoble career and Calvin Johnson has one foot in the NFL door already. The Mountaineers will be hungry to end the season on a good note and I don’t think the Yellowjackets will mount much of an effort. WVU 38, Georgia Tech 17.
Michigan (+1) vs. USC–Usually, when I pick Michigan in a game, it comes back to bite me, but I feel good about the Wolverines here. This one should be a defensive struggle, but USC no longer has the coaching advantages over Lloyd Carr that it had the last time these two teams met. Michigan is the more mature team and it grinds out the win. Wolverines 17, USC 13.
Oklahoma (-7) vs. Boise State–The Broncos have had a great season, but they will be up against the best defense in the country in this game and an OU offense that is underrated. One day, BSU will win a game like this, but not just yet. Oklahoma 27, Boise State 16.
LSU (-9.5) vs. Notre Dame–This is basically a home game for LSU and Notre Dame should have a hard time going up against the talented Tiger defense. LSU is good at blowing out teams when the pressure is off, so I think they will win comfortably here despite a late Irish comeback. LSU 35, Notre Dame 24.
Florida (+7) vs. Ohio State–This is the game we are all waiting to see and I keep going back and forth on it in my mind. I do think Florida keeps it close and covers the spread. I do think the Gators will have some tricks up their sleeves, while Ohio State will pretty much do what they have done all year. Part of me wonders if the Buckeye defense has been adequately tested this year. Have they seen a Percy Harvin or a Andre Caldwell? Not really. I think that, in the end, the relatively weak Big Ten schedule will hurt OSU and that we will see an upset in this game for the second year in a row. Florida 24, Ohio State 21.
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