College Bowl Breakdown - A Pre-New Years Look

Poinsettia Bowl – Dec 20 – Utah -8.5 vs Navy
What You Need to Know – Utah struggled with injuries to QB Brian Johnson and RB Darrell Mack early in the season before ripping off an 7-game winning streak. Navy has scored 30 or more in all but one game this season and has the nation’s top rushing attack for the third consecutive year.
Complicating Factor – Navy’s coach Paul Johnson left a few weeks ago for the Georgia Tech job and left Ken Niumatalolo to become the first Polynesian coach in NCAA history.
Why You Should Watch – Navy’s QB is named Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada and the triple option is always fun to watch… Navy averages 5.7 yards a rush and has 51 rushing TDs.
Prediction – Navy will handle Utah’s good run attack and roll up the points en route to an upset victory.

New Orleans Bowl – Dec 21 – Memphis vs Florida Atlantic -2.5
What You Need to Know – Memphis was a survivor this season in a weak Conference USA. Florida Atlantic beat Troy in the final game of the season to win a tougher-than-you-think Sun Belt that hung in there against some very tough SEC teams this season.
Complicating Factor – Five of Memphis’s seven wins were by a field goal or less this season.
Why You Should Watch – It’s a good excuse to not go out shopping the Friday night before Christmas. And FAU’s sophomore QB is named Rusty and is anything but that.
Prediction – The Owls (that’s Florida Atlantic) win this one big.

Papajohns.com Bowl – Dec 22 – Southern Miss vs Cincinnati -11
What You Need to Know – The Golden Eagles had high hopes at a long shot BCS bid this season but the normally vaunted defense came up short far too many times this year. Cincinnati had a breakthrough season under new coach Brian Kelly’s spread offense and transfer senior QB Ben Mauk.
Complicating Factor – Brian Kelly is the hottest name in coaching right now. Despite this being his first year, he is rumored to go pretty much everywhere, possibly even Michigan.
Why You Should Watch – So Miss’s sophomore RB Damion Fletcher is a star in the making, and Cincinnati scored 38 or more in half its games this year.
Prediction – Cincinnati’s passing offense is too good. They win and cover.

New Mexico Bowl – Dec 22 – Nevada vs New Mexico -3
What You Need to Know – Nevada lost five of six games by one score and came as close as anyone to beating Hawaii this season. New Mexico has been inconsistent this year and seems to always win small or lose big.
Complicating Factor – New Mexico gets a home bowl game for the second straight year.
Why You Should Watch – True freshman QB Colin Kaepernick is a dual threat and has the Wolfpack scoring tons of points.
Prediction – Nevada is better than their record and wins this away bowl game with its high-flying offense.

Las Vegas Bowl – Dec 22 – UCLA vs BYU -7
What You Need to Know – UCLA was 4-1 before a shocking home loss to Notre Dame sent them into a tail spin where they lost five of seven games and saw coach Karl Dorrell finally let go. BYU lost two early season games but has won nine straight since then, the second longest winning streak in football.
Complicating Factor – These two teams actually met in early September and UCLA won, but a lot has changed since then.
Why You Should Watch – BYU is the hottest football team on the mainland and worth a watch.
Prediction – The Cougars make it ten straight with a dominant revenge win.

Hawaii Bowl – Dec 23 – Boise State -11 vs East Carolina
What You Need to Know – The Broncos have been awesome yet again this year despite losing QB Jared Zabransky. ECU is about as nondescript of a bowl team as you can come by, but hey, at least they get to spend the holidays in Hawaii.
Complicating Factor – Boise returns exactly one month later to the site of a loss that snapped a 9-game winning streak.
Why You Should Watch – It’s Boise State. I think you owe it to them after last year’s Fiesta.
Prediction – Star RB Ian Johnson runs wild again and Boise State wins big.

Motor City Bowl – Dec 26 – Purdue -8.5 vs Central Michigan
What You Need to Know – Purdue started out 5-0 and looked like the real deal, even reaching the top 25, before hitting the heart of its Big Ten schedule and finishing 2-5 to eke into a bowl game. Central Michigan dominated an underrated MAC this season but dropped a goose egg all too often, including a shocking 30 point home loss to I-AA North Dakota State.
Complicating Factor – These two teams met in mid-September and it wasn’t pretty. The Boilermakers steamrolled to a 23 point victory.
Why You Should Watch – Both these offenses are quite entertaining, and neither defense is great. CMU sophomore Dan LeFevour is the best QB you’ve never heard of.
Prediction – This is one of the more entertaining games of the bowl season, and Purdue wins a shootout in the final seconds.

Holiday Bowl – Dec 27 – Arizona State vs Texas -2
What You Need to Know – Dennis Erickson did it again, this time taking a mediocre Arizona State squad and turning them into one of this year’s finest Cinderellas and a 7-2 Pac 10 record. Texas QB Colt McCoy really struggled this year, and so did Texas for much of the season, but RB Jamaal Charles carried this team all year.
Complicating Factor – Neither team really wants to be here. Texas is back to an all-too-familiar Holiday Bowl yet again, and the Sun Devils expected to be throwing a Fiesta when the BCS bowls were announced.
Why You Should Watch – A break or two for both teams would have made this a primetime Fiesta Bowl matchup instead of a Christmas afterthought.
Prediction – The winning team will be the one with the coach good enough to motivate to victory despite lost BCS dreams, and that team is Arizona State.

Champs Sports Bowl – Dec 28 – Boston College -4.5 vs Michigan State
What You Need to Know – BC was one of this year’s many Cinderellas who made a huge undefeated run at the #2 spot before finally falling back to earth. Michigan State survived its schedule and won at Purdue and against Penn State to eke into a bowl game.
Complicating Factor – MSU went 3-5 in a bad Big 10 including losses to both Iowa and Northwestern and has no business being in a bowl game.
Why You Should Watch – Boston College QB Matt Ryan is the real deal, with great instincts for the game and fantastic pocket presence. He could be starting for your NFL team some day soon.
Prediction – This game and this line is a joke. BC blows out the undeserving Spartans.

Texas Bowl – Dec 28 – TCU -3.5 vs Houston
What You Need to Know – TCU was supposed to be this season’s Boise State but got killed in Texas early before stumbling to just 4-4 in the Mountain West. Houston is a high-powered offense that put up points all year except in its four games against bowl opponents where they went 0-4 and gave up an average of 43 points a game.
Complicating Factor – Both of these teams choked all year against good teams.
Why You Should Watch – You shouldn’t. It’s on NFL Network and it’s not worth the trip to a sports bar.
Prediction – Your guess is as good as mine. Houston’s offense breaks through TCU’s vaunted defense and ekes out a win.

Emerald Bowl – Dec 28 – Maryland vs Oregon State -4.5
What You Need to Know – Maryland beat two top 10 opponents this year but also went 3-5 in a poor ACC, as big a Jekyll and Hyde team as anyone in the country. Oregon State has struggled with injury all year to its star RB and WR
Complicating Factor – Beaver QB Sean Canfield struggled with 10 TDs and 20 INTs before getting injured against USC and new starter Lyle Moevao helped the team reel off three straight wins since.
Why You Should Watch – Oregon State RB Yvenson Bernard may not have the size to star in the NFL, but he has one final time to shine on the college stage and is a lot of fun to watch.
Prediction – Yvenson Bernard comes up big in another bowl game and the Beavers win by a TD.

Meineke Car Care Bowl – Dec 29 – Connecticut vs Wake Forest -3
What You Need to Know – UConn was another of this year’s Cinderella teams with an 8-1 start before a disappointing finish. Wake Forest was gritty again this year with tough defense and special teams en route to an 8-4 finish.
Complicating Factor – Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe was supposedly headed to take the Arkansas job before a change of heart returned him to Wake.
Why You Should Watch – This game matches two basketball schools that became last year’s and this year’s BCS Cinderellas.
Prediction – This will be the lowest scoring most boring bowl game, and Wake will win by at least a field goal.

Liberty Bowl – Dec 29 – Central Florida -3 vs Mississippi State
What You Need to Know – Central Florida was the class of Conference USA this year behind an absolutely unstoppable running attack. Miss State was a feel good story under Sylvester Croom. They beat Auburn, Kentucky, and Bama en route to a four game improvement over three straight 3-win seasons.
Complicating Factor – Junior RB Kevin Smith has 2,448 yards and 29 TDs this year. That leaves him just 181 yards from breaking the season rushing record held by a guy you might have heard of before… Barry Sanders.
Why You Should Watch – Kevin Smith may have a bland name, and he might also play for a team you’ve never watched, but he’s the second best RB in football behind Darren McFadden and will be an NFL star soon.
Prediction – Miss State played Arkansas a month ago and held McFadden to just 88 yards on 28 carries. They keep Smith in check but UCF wins a close one anyway.

Alamo Bowl – Dec 29 – Penn State -5 vs Texas A&M
What You Need to Know – Penn State looks nice at 8-4 but they lost every game that mattered this season in a watered down Big 10. A&M also looked good early against weak competition before wilting yet again in the Big 12.
Complicating Factor – Dennis Franchione is finally out after a handful of weird seasons, and new coach Mike Sherman won’t be starting until the offseason.
Why You Should Watch – A&M has a great triple threat running offense with a little bit of thunder and lightning, always a fun view.
Prediction – A&M seems at its best when it plays free of the emotional rollercoaster that is Franchione, and this should be a free-at-last victory dance.

Independence Bowl – Dec 30 – Alabama -3.5 vs Colorado
What You Need to Know – Bama started 6-2 before losing a heartbreaker to LSU and skidding to a four game losing streak including an embarrassing home defeat to Louisiana-Monroe. Colorado scored one of the season’s biggest upsets over Oklahoma and didn’t do much else outside of that.
Complicating Factor – The Tide aren’t paying Nick Saban over $5 million a year to finish 6-6.
Why You Should Watch – Because you’ve got nothing else to do after the NFL regular season finale.
Prediction – Saban is still worth at least 7 points in Vegas. Roll Tide.