Bowls, Part III

Happy New Year!

And New Year’s means bowls, and lots of ‘em.

1/1, TicketCity: Northwestern vs. Texas Tech(-7.5)
The Red Raiders are better, but that seems like too many points, so I’ll take them.

1/1, Hall of Fam… err, Outback: Florida vs. Penn State(+6.5)
The Gators are better, and this time I think they’re enough better that I’ll give the points.

1/1, Citru…err, Capitol One: Michigan State vs. Alabama(-8.5)
Depends on which Crimson Tide team shows up… the one that played way over Auburn in the first half of that game, or the one that looked like total ass in the second half. On the off chance we get the latter, I will take the points.

1/1, Gator: Michigan vs. Mississippi State(-3.5)
I don’t quite know how to say this, but… the Wolverines really suck. I mean, seriously, historically bad on defense. Their secondary makes the Texans look like they’ve got Ronnie Lott and Deion Sanders. Yes, Denard Robinson is amazing to watch and all that, but they have so little defense it’s a joke. Give the points.

1/1, Rose: TCU vs. Wisconsin(+3)
Those points, however, I will take. The Horned Frogs defense is fast, but the Wisconsin O-line is enormous. The Badgers are huge, and will simply run it down their throats, control the ball and the clock, and make this a real game. Badgers, baby…

1/1, Fiesta: UConn vs. Oklahoma(-15)
This is a freaking joke. The Big East is a joke. No team that lost to Michigan should be in a BCS game, period. I’d say “Sooners by at least three touchdowns,” but this is OU in the Fiesta bowl here, which is not a building they seem to play well in. (Boise State, anyone?) However, the Huskies are so bad it won’t matter.

1/1, Orange: Virginia Tech vs. Stanford(-3.5)
Yeah, not going with the ACC. Go Cardinal!

1/1, Sugar: Arkansas vs. Ohio State(-3.5)
This one is interesting. How will the Buckeyes be affected by all the off-field stuff? Also, and people might not remember this, but the Razorbacks QB used to play for… Michigan. The Buckeyes might be out for blood in this game. I think I’ll give the points.

1/6, GoDaddy.com: Middle Tennessee vs. Miami, pick
Err, I pick not to watch? I hate these post-New Year’s crappy bowls. I know exactly nothing about Middle Tennessee, so I pick the Redhawks.

1/7, Cotton: Texas A&M vs. LSU(-1)
Interesting that the Cotton Bowl has moved into this time slot. This is actually a game that might be worth watching. The Aggies are better than most people realize, but Vegas knows what’s up. I also hate to bet on the Tiger offense, which has had some pretty awful showings. I think the extra time off favors LSU, though, so I’ll give the point.

1/8, CompASS: Kentucky vs. Pitt(-3.5)
OK, my blinding dislike for the Big East has maybe cost me a couple picks, and Kentucky is in a bowl? Really? OK, this time I’ll give the points.

1/9, Fight Hunger: BC vs. Nevada(-7.5)
WTF? The “Kraft Fight Hunger” bowl? Seriously? Was “BP Clean Water” taken? Who comes up with this stuff? Err, anyway, the game. I have to admit, I had no idea BC had qualified for a bowl game. And in case anyone missed it, Nevada is 12-1 and beat Boise State. Yeah, I’ll give these points.

1/10, BCS “National Championship” Game: Oregon vs. Auburn(-3)
Auburn is good, no question. However, they’ve not played an offense like Oregon’s; nobody in the SEC is even vaguely in their league, not Arkansas, not Alabama, not South Carolina. The Ducks can move the rock like nobody’s business, and against real opposition, as the Pac 10 was legit this year. On the other hand, the Ducks’ defense does not leave me with great confidence, and I expect Auburn to be able to move the ball at will. The over/under on this game is an astounding 74. Yikes! I think this will come down to whoever has the ball last, to use a very tired but possibly accurate football cliche. Given that it could go either way, I think I’m going to take the points.