The end of the college football bowl season comes to an end this week. It’ll culminate with the BCS Title game on Thursday but there’s plenty of games still to be played before that. My picks have sucked so far. I’m 10-15 but plan to finish strong and end up 19-15. Here’s how to see it:
SATURDAY, JANUARY 2
INTERNATIONAL BOWL
12 PM ET on ESPN2
South Florida (7-5) vs. N. Illinois (7-5)
The only bowl being played outside of the US features what should be a fairly even match-up. Northern Illinois has a great rushing attack and they’ll need to use it to slow down South Florida pass rusher George Selvie. South Florida’s passing game should be able to light up NIU and get them the win.
THE PICK: South Florida 34, N. Illinois 31
PAPAJOHNS.COM BOWL
2 PM ET on ESPN
Connecticut (7-5) vs. South Carolina (7-5)
What happened to Connecticut this season was unthinkable as you never imagine one of your teammates will be murdered. Jasper Howard was killed in an altercation mid-season and rocked the UConn program. This team kept it together to finish strong and qualify for a bowl game. South Carolina was again in the middle of the pack in the SEC. They showed stout defense again most of the year but had an inconsistent offense which has marked the Steve Spurrier era with the Gamecocks. I think UConn plays hard and stays in this one but just doesn’t have enough to defeat SC.
THE PICK: South Carolina 23, Connecticut 17
COTTON BOWL
2 PM ET on FOX
Mississippi (8-4) vs. Oklahoma State (9-3)
Both of these teams had hopes of winning their conference or at least their division and playing in the BCS. By those standards they failed but are still playing in the Cotton Bowl. Dexter McCluster is on the verge of a 1,000 yards rushing and 500 yards receiving in a season. He will be the key in this game. Oklahoma State is led by QB Zac Robinson who’s played well this season but lost his top target Dez Bryant due to NCAA Suspension for lying. Yeah tell the truth to the NCAA kids or you’re done. I think this is a game where the talent is greater on the offensive side of the ball for both teams. Should be a solid game and both teams want this win for their conferences. Jevan Snead and Dexter McCluster make the plays to improve their NFL Draft stock and salvage the season for the Rebels.
THE PICK: Mississippi 35, Oklahoma State 27
AUTOZONE LIBERTY BOWL
5:30 PM ET on ESPN
Arkansas (7-5) vs. East Carolina (9-4)
This is a game to watch for sure. See one of the best passers and future NFL starter Ryan Mallet lead the Razorbacks against the Conference USA Champs, the Pirates of East Carolina. Both teams have great offenses and this should be a shootout. Arkansas looks like it’s headed in the right direction under Bobby Petrino. Skip Holtz has done a great job with ECU and brings a senior-laden squad into Memphis for this game. It should be back and forth and ECU having just played high powered Houston shouldn’t be surprised by the offensive attack of the Hogs. I’ll take Mallet leading a game winning drive in the fourth though.
THE PICK: Arkansas 37, East Carolina 34
ALAMO BOWL
9 PM ET on ESPN
Michigan State (6-6) vs. Texas Tech (8-4)
Both teams had huge off-field distractions. First it was Michigan State loses 14 players to suspension for a fight. Then the bombshell of Mike Leach being fired as head of the Red Raiders days before this game! Just a stunning revelation came out this week about Leach’s handling of Adam James’ concussion. How does Texas Tech react with this happening the week of the bowl game? I think they’ll come out and play hard and their spread will exploit the Spartans’ defense.
THE PICK: Texas Tech 31, Michigan State 21
MONDAY, JANUARY 4
FIESTA BOWL
8 PM ET on FOX
TCU (12-0) vs. Boise St. (13-0)
I’ll say this one last time, it’s a shame they have to play each other instead of a team from a BCS automatic qualifier conference. None the less this should be a great game. Both of these teams had outstanding undefeated seasons. Boise St. knocked off the Pac-10 Champion Oregon and TCU won the Mountain West which is 4-0 in bowls. The Broncos’ Kellen Moore led the nation in QB efficiency but will face the toughest defense he’s ever seen. Jerry Hughes leads the Horned Frogs’ defense and he will be chasing Moore for four quarters. Boise St.’s defense looked great against Oregon but seemed to struggle at times towards the end of the season. Were they simply bored with the inferior competiton and got sloppy or did teams start to find a weakness in the Broncos? Andy Dalton is an under the radar signal caller for TCU. He’s a three year starter now and has played great this year. I look for him to expose the Boise defense and make TCU perfect for the year.
THE PICK: TCU 30, Boise St. 17
TUESDAY, JANUARY 5
ORANGE BOWL
8 PM ET on FOX
Iowa (10-2) vs. Georgia Tech (11-2)
This is by far the most uninteresting game of the BCS. I think it should be a close game but I don’t know if it’ll be fun to watch. Iowa brings a strong defense but will they be ready for the option attack of the Yellow Jackets? Iowa rallied in several games this season and overachieve this year to nearly win the Big Ten. Georgia Tech won the ACC with an offense that’s tough to prepare for. Their defense will be the key to this game. Can Michael Johnson come off the edge to constantly disrupt the Hawkeyes in the backfield? It won’t matter because the offense will pick them up in this one.
THE PICK: Georgia Tech 34, Iowa 27
GMAC BOWL
7 PM ET on ESPN
Central Michigan (11-2) vs. Troy (9-3)
Dan LeFevour, the CMU QB, is the best player you’ve probably never heard of before. He has had a great four year run with the Chippewas and will look to end his college career on a positive note before heading to the NFL. His running and passing abilities will be on display. This will be a back and forth battle. Troy has a productive QB as well in Levi Brown. He ranks second in the nation in passing yards per game. He’ll keep his team in it but LeFevour will make the play to win it.
THE PICK: Central Michigan 35, Troy 34
THURSDAY, JANUARY 7
BCS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
8 PM ET on ABC
Alabama (13-0) vs. Texas (13-0)
Is Mark Ingram going to be the latest player to fall victim to the Heisman curse? Does Alabama think they’ve already won the national title by beating Florida? There are questions for Alabama. No question though they’re the better team here. Texas couldn’t score much against the two best defenses they played this year
THE PICK: Alabama 27, Texas 13
Check back after the BCS National Championship for our final poll as we crown our national champion for college football.
