College Football Recap: Week Two

At this point, the college football season is still in the midst of that awkward opening stage filled with intermingling between FBS powers and FCS minnows. For example, fresh off of nabbing a huge home win against Georgia, Clemson blew off some steam by beating up on a local HBCU [South Carolina State if anyone cares] in week two. Admittedly, the upstart programs from the FCS have done their best to make many of these games interesting, and have even pulled off a decent amount of wins in the past two weeks. Still, the usual outcome is a FBS team playing horribly and still walking away with a win [KUDOS to Nicholls State and Chattanooga, the two FCS teams that actually pulled off wins against FBS competition this weekend]. Week two didn't deliver a riveting schedule from top to bottom, but there was enough meat on the bone for us to come to a few realizations by the end of Saturday night. Here's all you need to know about week two. Feel free to forget anything about week two not mentioned below.   

• Ladies and gentleman...we have a Heisman race. Teddy Bridgewater is still the unquestioned frontrunner, but the reigning Heisman winner Johnny Manziel took a week off from being a super-villain in order to allow college football fans an opportunity to notice that he is playing better than ever. Bridgewater will edge out Johnny Football statistically at year's end. That's primarily because Louisville has a schedule that would be pretty manageable for some high school football programs. However, Manziel will have the marquee matchups that Heisman campaigns are often built on. Even if Teddy throws for 700 yards against Western Idaho Clown College next week [aka Kentucky], none of it matters if Johnny Manziel can take down mighty Alabama next week. This year's Heisman race is going to be a heavyweight fight between the best two signal callers in college football. Will it be Teddy's stats or Johnny's big wins? The season-long saga begins next week in College Station.

At least this guy [Shilique Calhoun] can score for MSU

• Michigan State is comically bad on offense. The good news is that they may have one of the best defenses in the country. Sparty improved to 2-0 after knocking off USF in a hideous display of something that was meant to resemble football. Five different Spartans took snaps at QB [three quarterbacks, and two running backs in a sad variation of the Wildcat], and none of them were effective. When any of the QBs did manage to get a decent pass off, it usually  ended up bouncing off the hands of an equally inept wide receiver. The best hands belonging to a Michigan State Spartan on Saturday were those of defensive end Shilique Calhoun. Calhoun scored MSU's first two touchdowns, scooping a fumble for a score and also returning an interception for six more much needed points. State's QB carousel started with Connor Cook, halftime saw Andrew Maxwell make a return, and even true freshman Tyler O'Connor took some snaps. None of them were able to provide any sort of spark for the Spartan offense. The one bullet still in the QB chamber for State is another true freshman, dual-threat Damion Terry. Terry would have likely saw time against USF, but he was recovering from strep throat. The most awkward part about State's QB struggles is the fact that all their quarterbacks seem to be good players, but none of them can force their talents to translate on the scoreboard. Next week, coach Mark Dantonio will try to hash out his QB situation against Youngstown State,  but Notre Dame is waiting in week four. 

•  The "U" is a major issue. Al Golden has worked wonders in Coral Gables, taking his program from the shame of probation to the precipice of the national title conversation. The Canes took down a hapless Florida team that was nearly as anemic as Michigan State was on offense this past weekend. Now Miami has the college football world thinking, "Why not the Hurricanes?" Wins at Florida State and in Jacksonville for the ACC Championship [likely against Clemson] will be necessary, but it surely isn't impossible to imagine Miami running the table and finding its way to Pasadena. Miami has the speed and the play makers to have a special season. We found that out on Saturday as they locked down the Gators.

The Dawgs hunkered down against South Carolina

•  Georgia is still a national title contender. The Bulldogs started the season entrenched firmly in the national title conversation, but a combination of ambitious non-conference scheduling [opening at Clemson] and unfavorable conference scheduling [South Carolina and LSU in weeks two and four respectively] made a 1-3 start a very real possibility for one of the best teams in the country. A tailspin was on the horizon after dropping the opener to Clemson last week, but the Dawgs righted the ship by outlasting South Carolina on Saturday. Though a date with LSU is two weeks away, teams such as Alabama and Texas A&M aren't on the schedule this year, meaning that a SEC title and a possible back door route to the BCS title game are still possibilities for the Bulldogs. Georgia has the look of a team that could find themselves playing Alabama in the SEC Championship for the second year in a row -- once again with a trip to the BCS title game on the line.

Devin Gardner has Michigan rolling

•  Notre Dame isn't that good, but Michigan is. For the second week in a row, the Michigan Wolverines looked great during their dismantling of the Irish. The game wasn't as close as the score indicated. Michigan was dominant for long stretches of the game, as Devin Gardner orchestrated Al Borges' pro style offense to perfection [except for his epically awful interception that was caught in the end zone]. Notre Dame, on the other hand, was exposed as a team that lacks creativity on offense and discipline on defense. Michigan has a favorable schedule until November, so it will be awhile before we know how good Michigan really is. What they have shown us so far is that they will at least be a formidable opponent for Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship game. 

• The mighty have fallen. USC and Texas were slammed back to earth with shocking losses that caused them to exit the AP Top 25. Now both schools have coaches on the hot seat, and questions on both ends of the ball. USC may have a built in excuse for the lame effort they turned in against Washington State. NCAA sanctions have robbed them of the depth that made them a juggernaut in the 2000s, now the school has just enough talent to have high expectations, but nowhere near enough to meet them. Texas has suffered a steady decline since a freak injury robbed them of a shot to beat Alabama in the 2010 national championship. Inconsistent quarterback play may be the primary culprit of Texas' demise, but as BYU showed us late Saturday night, the defense isn't quite what it used to be either. The Cougars rushed for a mind blowing 550 yards against the Longhorns, leaving many in the state to question whether coach Mack Brown has lost control of his program. It will be interesting to see how these two traditional powers will regroup during a season where expectations have been tempered early on.      

Country's Top Lineman Commits to Bama

The University of Alabama has done more with less at the quarterback position than anyone else in recent college football history. Winning national championships with the likes of Greg McElroy and AJ McCarron [brilliant game managers, but otherwise underwhelming talents at the game's most important position] takes a special blueprint. The Crimson Tide's latest dynasty has been dependent on recruiting elite talent to execute a simple [as in straight-forward], yet devastating, game plan. It's a scheme that values decision making over play making at the quarterback position, and nothing breeds good decision making for a QB like having the time to figure it all out. That's why a commitment from top ranked offensive line recruit Cameron Robinson is a huge get for Nick Saban and the rest of Tide Nation. Robinson [6'5, 330lbs] is the type of prospect that allows the AJ McCarrons of the world to win national championships. Maybe more important than putting Robinson in a maroon uniform, is keeping him out of purple and gold one. Robinson, a Louisiana native, was a top recruiting priority for the rival LSU Tigers. However, Alabama got the job done in the living room, and now Robinson will be getting the the job done next year in Tuscaloosa. No one knows who will be quarterbacking the Tide this time next year, but we now know one of the men who will be protecting him. Cameron Robinson is Alabama's newest bookend.

College Football Recap: Week One

The opening weekend of the 2013 college football season was so big that it actually started on Thursday evening and ended late Monday night, but now that the festivities have finally concluded, here's a few things that we learned during week one.

• Jadeveon Clowney is going to have a tough time pleasing the prognosticators that pegged him as a Heisman frontrunner. The reason why defensive ends don't get Heisman nods was on full display Thursday night when South Carolina opened the season against North Carolina. The media microscope that was fixated on Clowney revealed a dirty secret to the world -- defensive ends take plays off. Now this may not come as shocking news to anyone who has ever played football before, but criticism and scrutiny hit the junior phenom like an anvil as pundits began critiquing his work ethic on running plays that were heading in the opposite direction of his pursuit or pass plays where he was triple teamed. It would make sense to run the ball away from Clowney, especially when you consider that he nearly killed Michigan running back Vincent Smith during last year's bowl game [Watch the video. I seriously thought he was dead when I saw it live. I still have no idea how he got up from that hit]. Just as shut down corners struggle to intercept passes because quarterbacks don't throw to their side, Jadeveon Clowney won't when the Heisman because opposing teams will spend more time running away from him, rather than running up the field. It seems that his Heisman run has ended before it even started. 

Fresno State QB Derek Carr

• No one is beating the Fresno State Bulldogs. I didn't think much of Fresno State's win against Rutgers when it happened. The unfortunate thing about being a good team in the Mountain West is that Boise State is always better than you. However, after watching the Broncos get crushed by Washington Saturday night, it's obvious that this year is providing an exception to the rule. The Dogs, led by Derek Carr [brother of David] and a ridiculously talented group of skill position players, are clearly a better team than Boise this year. Fresno can score with any team in the country, and Boise has finally graduated too much talent to replenish in one year. Never count out Chris Peterson, but it looks like Fresno is this year's best candidate to be a BCS-buster.

•  I could throw for at least 300 yards and two touchdowns if I suited up at quarterback for Texas Tech. New head coach Kliff Kingsbury started a true freshman walk-on quarterback against a half decent team from Southern Methodist last Friday. What would surely be a recipe for disaster at most schools turned into a record breaking performance from little known Baker Mayfield [he even has a walk-on sounding name]. Mayfield threw 4 TD passes and rushed for another score on his way to 413 yards passing in relief of another unknown Texas Tech quarterback who will probably through for 500 yards next week since he's on scholarship. It doesn't matter who is taking the snaps for Coach Kliff, the Red Raiders are going to put points on the board. 

• Johnny Manziel has officially turned heel. Similar to Hulk Hogan's turn to the dark side that saw him become "Hollywood" Hogan and join the NWO, Johnny Manziel's transformation into Johnny Football has turned him into college football's favorite villain [The video of Hogan betraying the good guys pretty much parallels Manziel's day against Rice. We thought Johnny Football would run out and make everything OK...instead he took the field and delivered three leg drops to Randy Savage]. Manziel's taunting and other antics against Rice on Saturday weren't that big of a deal. What could be a big deal is Manziel's apparent revelry in his new found role as the bad boy of college football. Manziel, much like Tim Tebow in college and in the NFL, is a competitive force of nature more than anything else. The more angry Johnny Football gets, the more his negativity may be channeled towards his competition. Two weeks from now, we could see Johnny Football holding a can of spray paint as he stands triumphantly over an unconscious AJ McCarron, writing "A&M" across the back of his jersey to cap off a second straight upset of the Crimson Tide. Johnny's angry, and I don't think his opponents will like him when he's angry. Rice sure didn't. 

• A quick note on Alabama. AJ McCarron is an awful quarterback -- and it just doesn't matter. He's still good enough [mostly smart enough] to lead Bama to big wins. The Crimson Tide are well on their way to another national championship. 

• The Clemson Tigers had every opportunity to "pull a Clemson" and give away their marquee game against Georgia, but the Tigers showed a trait that hasn't been seen on campus in a long time. These Clemson Tigers showed a killer instinct against the Bulldogs, refusing to loosen their grip on the game and their national title hopes. After holding it together against Georgia, the Tigers essentially play a three game season that includes Florida State, South Carolina, and the ACC Championship game. Clemson has never been in better early season position to play for a national title.   

Who was the idiot who put these guys on the schedule?

• The FCS ain't nothing to f--- with.  This weekend, several FBS programs found out the hard way that the lower rung of Division I plays some pretty decent football. Fresh off a banner year behind quarterback Colin Klein, Kansas State welcomed two-time defending FCS champion North Dakota State to the Family Stadium in the Little Apple. K-State is still trying to figure out what hit them, as the Bisons stunned them on their home field. Eastern Washington won the 2011 FCS National Championship preceding NDSU's two titles. They showed off their championship pedigree by beating a ranked Oregon State squad in Corvallis. Northern Iowa, a ranked FCS outfit, knocked off Iowa State. McNeese State, who is unranked even in the FCS, blew the doors off of USF in the debut of their new head coach. The most ironic part of this FCS uprising is the fact that the losing teams from the FBS are dishing out six figure payouts to these FCS programs. This money, in most cases, is being used to help further the development of the already rapidly growing athletic programs at these FCS powerhouses. The more cash unsuspecting FBS programs throw towards the likes of NDSU and EWU, the harder it will become to beat them.

•  The Heisman trophy is Teddy Bridgewater's to lose...and so is a spot in the BCS National Championship. Watching Bridgewater dismantle Ohio this weekend was a joy to watch, but what's truly scary is that the Bobcats were actually one of the better teams on Louisville's ridiculously soft "power conference" schedule. Excluding a complete and total meltdown, the Cardinals' only chance of losing a game is on December 5th in the season finale

  

  Teddy Heisman?

  against Cincinnati [Seriously, Ohio is the second best team Louisville will play this year, check the schedule]. With double digit wins almost a certainty, Bridgewater should have two main goals for 2013 -- throw as many touchdowns as possible, and look good enough doing it to be the second player picked in the 2014 NFL Draft [behind Jadeveon Clowney of course]. If Louisville can run the table with Bridgewater tossing 4-5 touchdowns each weekend, a trip to New York's Downtown Athletic Club is a definite, but it may also prelude a trip to Pasedena for the BCS title game. Louisville will never have an easier road to gridiron glory, and they may never have a more talented quarterback to get them there.   

AmStat's Bowl Madness 2012-2013 (Part One)

The Bowl Season gets more ridiculous every year, but the reason why it still exists is because we as fans can't withstand the urge to travel halfway across the country for a game that in the grand scheme of things means absolutely nothing. I don't plan on wasting too much time getting through most of these picks, but each one is worth a few lines I guess. Just remember that I'm not picking against the spread, so don't blame me if you lose your entire Christmas bonus because of a backdoor cover. Let's get started...

Gildan New Mexico Bowl - Saturday 12/15/12 1PM on ESPN
University Stadium (Albuquerque, NM) 
Nevada Wolfpack (7-5) vs Arizona Wildcats (7-5)
Nevada might have a chance at winning this game if Colin Kaepernick was still operating Chris Ault's pistol offense, but that isn't the case. The Wildcats will be suiting up the nation's leading rusher and Doak Walker finalist Kadeem Carey. That should be enough for an Arizona victory. However, as long as Rich Rodriguez is coaching this team, I hope they lose every game.
Bear Down 45, Wolfpack 13

This will never get old

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl - Saturday 12/15/12 4:30PM on ESPN
Bronco Stadium (Boise, ID)
#22 Utah State Aggies (10-2) vs Toledo Rockets (9-3)
Utah State quietly had a really good season (they came very close to knocking off Wisconsin earlier this year) and deserved to be ranked. Still, Toledo won nine games including six in the much better than advertised Mid-American Conference. Utah State can sputter on offense against good teams, and Toledo can score on anyone. The Rockets will get their 10th win and will end the season as one of three ranked teams in the MAC.
Rockets 42, USU 31

San Diego Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl - Thursday 12/20/12 8PM on ESPN
Qualcomm Stadium (San Diego, CA)
BYU Cougars (7-5) vs San Diego State Aztecs (9-3)
BYU has been a minor disappointment this year after registering ten wins last year, but the Aztecs are a manageable opponent for Bronco Mendenhall's Cougars. In the end, I expect San Diego's home field advantage to carry them in a close victory.
Aztecs 27, The Honor Code 24

Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl St. Petersburg - Friday 12/21/12 7:30PM on ESPN
Tropicana Field (St. Petersburg, FL)
Central Florida Golden Knights (9-4) vs Ball State Cardinals (9-3)
The MAC has a chance to have four teams finish with double-digit wins this year. Ball State will be the team that doesn't meet their end of the bargain. UCF is preparing for a move to the Big East and they have accumulated a wealth of talent in preparation for the move. Recent sanctions may have derailed some of their momentum but UCF is too far developed as a program to drop a bowl game to Ball State in Florida.
UCF 45, Ball 17

Pirate's Booty: Because booty is more important than water

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl - Saturday 12/22/12 12PM on ESPN
Mercedes-Benz Superdome (New Orleans, LA)
Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns (8-4) vs East Carolina Pirates (8-4)
The Sun Belt is rapidly improving as a conference every season. Successful Sun Belt programs are starting to make a living off of recruiting fringe level SEC players with promises of immediate playing time. Transfers are also making a major impact, as is the case at ULL with quarterback Terrence Broadway. A top prospect out of high school, Broadway made his way to the Bayou primarily as part of the aftershock that occurred when Kevin Sumlin bolted Houston. Now the Cajuns are playing a bowl game in their own backyard and the best player on the field is suiting up for their team. Things are definitely changing in the Belt.
Ragin' Swamp People 31, Pirate's Booty 24

Maaco Las Vegas Bowl - Saturday 12/22/12 3:30PM on ESPN
Sam Boyd Stadium (Las Vegas, NV)
#19 Boise State Broncos (10-2) vs Washington Huskies (7-5)
Boise State may have a record that is on par with what we remember from the Kellen Moore era, but don't be fooled. This is a down year for Boise State, and they will prove it by dropping this game. Washington QB Keith Price will look good enough in this bowl game to start next year as a dark horse Heisman candidate for the second consecutive year.
Huskies 48, Blue Man Group 35

Sheraton Hawaii Bowl - Saturday 12/24/12 8PM on ESPN
Aloha Stadium (Honolulu, HI)
Southern Methodist Mustangs (6-6) vs Fresno State Bulldogs (9-3)
SMU took a step back this year on their road towards respectability. They would have liked a better season going into the Big East next year, but they will have to settle for being throttled in a bowl game by this very underrated Fresno team.
That Random Green V 35, Not Quite Pony Excess 13

WKU fans: What...the hell...is this?

Little Caesars Bowl - Monday 12/26/12 7:30PM on ESPN
Ford Field (Detroit, MI)
Central Michigan Chippewas (6-6) vs Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (7-5) 
The MAC is a very top heavy conference, but the Sun Belt is building a more complete collection of programs down south. This bowl season will show that the middle and bottom of the Sun Belt are much stronger than the middling teams in the Midwest. A topping of CMU by the Hilltoppers will be another piece of evidence in favor of the rise of the Sun Belt.
Big Red Gumdrops 21, Maroon Chips 17

Military Bowl Presented by Northrop Grumman - Tuesday 12/27/12 3PM on ESPN
RFK Memorial Stadium (Washington D.C.)
#24 San Jose State Spartans (10-2) vs Bowling Green Falcons (8-4)
San Jose State has completed an epic turnaround from being one of the worst programs in college football a few years ago to being ranked in the BCS Top 25. Of course when that happens, your coach leaves for a crappy power conference job where he has no chance to succeed and will probably be fired before he can even be realistically expected to compete. Okay, maybe that doesn't always happen, but it did happen to the Spartans. Mike MacIntyre has already bolted for Colorado (after their treatment of previous coach Jon Embree, the Buffs are lucky anyone wanted their awful coaching gig), but San Jose State has way too much talent to drop this game against BG. Honestly, 100% of their focus won't be required. After this year's big three in the MAC (NIU, Kent State, and Toledo), the rest of the conference struggles to stack up to other Non-AQ competition. By the way, if you're wondering how good San Jose State is, they held Stanford to 20 points and only loss by three at the Farm earlier this season.
Ain't No Sparty Like A West Coast Sparty 52, Random School My Ex Went To 31

Belk Bowl - Tuesday 12/27/12 6:30PM on ESPN
Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, NC)
Cincinnati Bearcats (9-3) vs Duke Blue Devils (6-6)

Connor Vernon

Congrats to Duke on reaching their first bowl game since a time when I still occasionally wet the bed. David Cutliffe is the man who accomplished mission impossible and has the Dukies bowling. Sadly, the Blue Devils have to play in the ridiculously named Belk Bowl (Belk is a Charlotte based business, no word on whether or not they actually sell belks). More good news though, this will at least be a virtual home game for Duke in Charlotte. If the school can get a Cameron Crazy type performance from a football fan base with a reason to be excited, they could pull off an upset. It will also help to have stud wide out Connor Vernon lining up on the outside as well. Vernon will be a possession guy on Sundays, but he will be a home run threat in this game. Meanwhile, Cincinnati is going into this game disappointed in themselves for not winning the Big East's BCS bid, and mourning the departure of their coach Butch Jones (gone to Rocky Top Tennessee). I think Cincy will drop this game in a minor upset, but good luck to my former high school teammate George Winn. He's the Bearcats starting running back, and it's been great to watch him play this year.
I Can't Believe Duke is in A Bowl Game 34, Bearcats Are Actually Kind of Cute 31

Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl - Tuesday 12/27/12 9:45PM on ESPN
Qualcomm Stadium (San Diego, CA)
#17 UCLA Bruins (9-4) vs Baylor Bears (7-5)
The Holiday Bowl has traditionally been one of the best bowl games in terms of great players, high powered offenses, and great finishes. This year will be no different. This game features a Doak Walker finalist (UCLA's Jonathan Franklin) and a Biletnikoff Finalist (Baylor's Terrance Williams), leading two offenses who can really light it up. Baylor showed what it can do at full potential when they thrashed then #1 Kansas State, they can carve out a very impressive 8-win campaign with a win in this game. UCLA could announce they're arrival as a consistent Pac-12 contender with a 10-win season.
Powder Blues 49, Sic 'Em Bears 45

AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl - Wednesday 12/28/12 2PM on ESPN
Independence Bowl (Shreveport, LA)
Ohio Bobcats (8-4) vs Louisiana Monroe Warhawks (8-4)
The Ohio Bobcats opened up the season with a win against an emotional Penn State team that turned out to be very good. Monroe's huge early season win against Arkansas turned QB Kolton Browning into a media darling for a week or two, but the Hogs turned out to be really bad team under John L. Smith (who is a lunatic, keep in mind). I've been hard on the MAC outside of their best three teams, but I think Ohio has what it takes to get the job done down south. Records may point to Ball State and Bowling Green, but Ohio is really the fourth best team in the MAC.
Bob 30, War 14

I'd run through a wall wearing one of these

Russell Athletic Bowl - Wednesday 12/28/12 5:30PM on ESPN
Citrus Bowl (Orlando Florida)
Rutgers Scarlet Knights (9-3) vs Virginia Tech Hokies (6-6)
The Scarlet Knights were one win away from playing in the BCS and reaping all of the financial benefits that went along with it. Instead, they're now rummaging through an undoubtedly unimpressive gift basket from the fine people at Russell Athletic. There's no way they can be excited about this game. Combine that with their matchup with against a more talented Virginia Tech team who is probably determined to avoid giving Frank Beamer his first losing season in ions, and Rutgers doesn't have a chance in this game.
FYI: Hokies Are Turkeys 34, Those Helmets Are So Cool 14

Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas - Wednesday 12/28/12 9PM on ESPN
Reliant Stadium (Houston, TX) 
Minnesota Golden Gophers (6-6) vs Texas Tech Red Raiders (7-5)
The name of this bowl sucks. Minnesota sucks. Texas Tech is good...especially on defense (and especially when they are playing bad teams). Side note, the way Tommy Tuberville left Tech is disgusting. The rumor circulating is that he was at dinner with a few recruits on a visit to Texas Tech, and he left the dinner mid meal to take the job at Cincy. I don't understand how the NCAA can penalize kids for transferring with a straight face after hearing a story like that. Tech already has a much classier guy in former Texas A&M OC (and former Tech QB) Kliff Kingsbury.
Not Those Raiders...the Red Ones 52, Seriously...They Suck 17

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl - Thursday 12/29/12 11:45AM on ESPN
Amon G. Carter Stadium (Fort Worth, TX)
Air Force Academy Falcons (6-6) vs Rice Owls (6-6) 
Rice has to play Air Force in a bowl game dedicated to honoring members of the armed forces, and the game is sponsored by Bell Helicopter...Rice Doesn't have a chance do they?
AFA 28, Hooters 14

Who wouldn't want to play in this bowl game!

New Era Pinstripe Bowl - Thursday 12/29/12 3:30PM on ESPN
Yankees Stadium (Bronx, NY)
Syracuse Orange (7-5) vs West Virginia Mountaineers (7-5)
Bowl games are often decided not by who has the best team, but by the team that is most excited to be there. Syracuse loves playing in this NYC based bowl game (this is their second appearance in the bowl's three-year existence). New York City is a vital market to the Orange and they take their unofficial title of being NYC's home team in college football very seriously. Playing at Yankees Stadium is a pseudo home game to them, and they play extra hard to protect their home turf in NYC. West Virginia comes into this game reeling. The Mounties were thinking national championship at one point this season, but their porous defense started a trend of losing that they just recently bucked with a pair of wins over Big 12 bottom-feeders (Iowa State and Kansas). Syracuse has a balanced and dynamic offensive attack, and I don't think the 'Neers can get off the field enough to win.
Juice 59, Mounties 56

Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl - Thursday 12/29/12 4PM on ESPN2
AT&T Park (San Francisco, CA)
Navy Midshipmen (7-4) vs Arizona State Sun Devils (7-5)
The Naval Academy is coming off of an emotional win against Army, and Arizona State doesn't have too much going there way in the momentum department, but I expect the Sun Devils size and speed to be a bit overwhelming for the Middies.
Sparky 38, Annapolis 21

The Original Angry Beavers

Valero Alamo Bowl - Thursday 12/29/12 6:45PM on ESPN
Alamodome (San Antonio, TX)
#13 Oregon State Beavers (9-3) vs #22 Texas Longhorns (8-4)
It took us 17 games to get to this magical point in time, but we have finally arrived at the first pairing of two ranked teams in a bowl game. The Alamo Bowl is usually a pretty good football game, and I expect as much from the 2012 edition. The Beavers have over achieved all year, racing out to nine wins out of nowhere. This year's Texas team was short on the talent that is typically on the field in Austin, but these Longhorns worked their butts off to squeeze eight wins out of this year's schedule. I can't wait to watch this game because it will be two hard hitting teams that will leave it all on the field. When the clock hits triple zeroes, the aftermath at the Alamodome may look like the aftermath at the actual Alamo.
Hook 'Em 27, Angry Beavers 21

Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl - Thursday 12/29/12 10:15PM on ESPN
Sun Devil Stadium (Tempe, AZ)
TCU Horned Frogs (7-5) vs Michigan State Spartans (6-6)
Both of these programs entered the year poised to have breakout years. TCU was supposed to prove they belonged with the big boys during their first season as a member of the Big 12, and Michigan State was supposed to compete for the Big Ten title after falling just short of the Rose Bowl a year ago. Instead, TCU was derailed by their starting QB's off the field issues, and the Spartans struggled to find effectiveness from any skill position players not named Le'Veon Bell. However, the Spartans seem to have more figured out at this point. There offense has shown much more life now that young receivers Keith Mumphery and Aaron Burbridge have a more prominent role.
Sparty Hard 23, Horny Toads 17

Well this will hold you over until New Year's Eve. Enjoy the bowl games and be on the lookout for the rest of the bowls being blurbed about soon!

Wolverines Basketball Making A Return to the Elite

It's been awhile. The year was 1998 to be exact. Whether you choose to believe it or not, that's the last time being a Michigan fan really meant something. There have been great moments since then, but not consistently sustained greatness. Being a Michigan fan has been a rather pedestrian experience for the past decade and change. It's gotten so bad that I now support Michigan State just to have a second horse in the race.

It's important to understand that I've been a Michigan fan since birth. My friends and family did an excellent job brainwashing me into believing that decent wholesome people cheered for the Wolverines, and that Michigan State fans were simply savages who couldn't educate themselves any better than to root for the glorified community college that was located in East Lansing. Also, East Lansing isn't really a place. They drilled that into me so well that I still believe it to this day. Let's be serious. If you've ever been to Lansing, you know the only way to get to East Lansing is to be on Michigan State's campus. As a matter of made up fact, Mateen Cleaves is actually the mayor/emperor of East Lansing. Though this isn't true, it very well could be because East Lansing isn't a real place...but I digress.

Let's get back to the year that was 1998. We (yea, I said we...dammit) kicked things off by winning the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day. That win subsequently clinched our most recent national championship in football and derailed the rest of Ryan Leaf's career. You also wouldn't be going out on a limb if you were to say that it derailed the rest of his life. The win also ushered in the creation of the BCS, the completely nonsensical system that we currently use to decide the national champ. Don't forget that if not for one of the luckiest play in the history of sports, Nebraska would have lost to Missouri earlier in the season and the BCS would have never existed. Eight year-old me was devastated by that Nebraska win against Missouri. Like most eight year-olds, sharing was not high on my priority list. Sharing a championship was unfathomable to me then (okay, it still is now).

Since the BCS era began in 1998, Michigan has been involved in five BCS bowl games. They have won both the Sugar and Orange Bowls, but have lost three consecutive Rose Bowls. The biggest game the program has played since 98' wasn't even a bowl game, it was their #1 vs #2 showdown with Ohio State in 2006. They lost that game too. They even suffered through a period known as the Rich Rodriguez era, when the always proud Michigan defense looked like they had been swapped out with the Delaware Blue Hens defense. Michigan football is now on the road to recovery under Brady Hoke, but the program is nothing to poke your chest out about.

The Tractor was the Tournament's MOP

A few months later in the glorious year of 1998, Big Ten basketball fans were introduced to something that had never been seen before -- a conference tournament. Back in these days, the Ivy League was joined by the Pac-10 (now the Pac-12) and the Big Ten (now the Big Ten with 12 teams) as athletic conferences that did not indulge in the hoopla of playing a conference tournament. However, all of this was due to change in Big Ten country. The Big Ten kicked off their inaugural tournament at the United Center in Chicago, and expectations were high for Michigan. The Wolverines featured three future pros (including one lottery pick, Robert "Tractor" Traylor), and were on the safer side of the bubble going into the tournament. Michigan caught every break they needed, avoiding both Michigan State and Illinois on their way to the championship game against Purdue. The scene was set for me to be watching the first ever Big Ten Championship Game at the Detroit Roller Wheels Skate Rink, because my mom had forced me to go to some girl's birthday party on that particular day. eight year-old me struggled mightily to stay upright on roller skates, but I managed to see enough of the game to imprint the lasting image of Robert Traylor (R.I.P.) cutting down the nets after a decisive victory. 

That was the Michigan basketball program's last great moment, but a return to the elite is on the horizon. The 2012-2013 Michigan Wolverines are good. Truthfully, they are damn good. To top it off, not only are they damn good, they're just as young as they are good. It's a sinister combination.

It all started when the university decided to hire John Beilein as their next head basketball coach back in 2007. Beilein had experience winning games while wearing maize and blue. He had been brilliant during his time at West Virginia, carving a Big East mainstay out of humble beginnings in Morgantown.

Blake was a bit much for Zack Novak

Despite his winning reputation, I admittedly didn't like the decision to bring in Beilein. I'd always viewed Michigan as a sleeping giant in college hoops, but I thought it would take a big name to shake some life into the program. I always secretly hoped to land Tubby Smith (now the coach at Minnesota). I always believed Beilein to be a coach with a low ceiling. He got the most out of his squads, but their potential would always be limited. I dreaded an assumed two decades of seeing my beloved Wolverines bounced in the Sweet Sixteen year after year with no breakthrough in site. At first it seemed that I was right. Beilein's Mountaineer teams could always shoot the rock, and Beilein promptly went to Larry Bird country (Indiana) to find two marksman. Stu Douglass and Zack Novak arrived on campus armed and dangerous, and they proved to be a perfect compliment for Manny Harris and DeShawn Sims, the two standout Detroit Public School League products that former coach Tommy Amaker had left behind. The new core of the Wolverines instantly changed the team's fortunes and put them in the NCAA Tournament in Beilein's second season. They would advance to the second round to play against Oklahoma. The game against the Sooners summed up everything that was wrong with Beilein in my eyes. Oklahoma was led by their 6'10 somewhat superhuman power forward Blake Griffin. Michigan's starting power forward was 6'4 Zack Novak. In layman's terms, Michigan showed up for the NCAA tournament without a power forward. Michigan played hard and hung tough with the Sooners, but ultimately lost the game. Blake Griffin scored 33 points and grabbed 17 boards. To this day he probably thinks he played that entire game wide open. He probably never looked down to notice Zack Novak.

To make matters worst, the next year's Michigan team floundered under the weight of high expectations. They missed the postseason, and a riff between Beilein and star player Manny Harris caused him to make an ill-advised jump towards the NBA. My dislike for Beilein ratcheted higher as it seemed that not only could Beilein only recruit shooters, he was also scaring away the most talented player that he already had.

It looked as if the wheels would officially fall off of the Beilein regime in year four when Michigan started 1-7 in the Big Ten. However, something very strange happened midway through the conference schedule. Beilein's long term plan began to fall into place. Novak and Douglass were two of the countries top shooters, and sophomore point guard Darius Miller was quietly turning into an early entry NBA candidate. With Harris no longer around, Beilein was able to give his minutes to another freshman gem, Tim Hardaway Jr. When Selection Sunday rolled around, the Wolverines were winners of 9 of 13 games and safely in the tournament field once again. With a little more size now on the roster, the team demolished Tennessee before giving Duke a handful in a losing effort. The team was now on everyone's radar, and not even the early departure of Morris could quell expectations for success.

Burke is one of the nation's best point guards

Morris' departure was nullified by the addition of Trey Burke. It's not very often that a freshman point guard is an upgrade over a point guard that is currently playing with the Los Angeles Lakers, but if you asked Mike D'Antoni if he would pull the trigger on a Burke for Morris swap, I don't think he would hesitate. Burke was a Freshman All-American (he was the Big Ten Freshman of the Week seven times) who showed glimpses of being dominant at times. With Burke pushing the pace, last year's team raced to a share of the Big Ten title. It was a fitting send off for Novak and Douglass, the two recruits who changed the culture of Michigan basketball. Even though Novak and Douglass were almost living legends on campus, rumblings had already started to surface that their replacements might even be better. The trio of Glenn Robinson III, Mitch McGary, and Canadian import Nik Stauskas was being hailed as one of the best incoming groups in the country. A quick glance at the roster revealed that the Wolverines were only losing two contributing players from a team that won the Big Ten, and from there the hype machine was born.

When Michigan entered this season as a top five team, it seemed a little bit outrageous. Though they had a great season last year, they did get bounced in their first NCAA Tournament game, there were definitely areas that should have attracted more concern. Could a trio of freshman really be that much better than two proven veterans who played the game with an extremely high level of intelligence? 

It didn't take long to find out. 

Just over a month into the season, Nik Stauskas is being touted as the most surprising freshman in the country. He has proven to be as good of a shooter as Stu Douglass, but can attack the basket with the reckless abandon of Zack Novak (with much more efficiency and skill). You can pencil Stauskas in as being one of the Big Ten's most deadly offensive threats for four straight years. 

Glenn Robinson III has simply lived up to his name. The Little Big Dog does so many things that make him resemble his dad during his days of dominating the Big Ten while he was at Purdue. GR3 has an incredibly sculpted NBA body. If you gave an NBA general manager a magical marker and told them to draw a small forward, the picture would look very similar to Glenn Robinson III. The skill set would be fairly on point as well. The kid can play on the wing by using his athleticism, or he can turn into a power forward on the low block. 

Mitch McGary has drawn some favorable comparisons to a player who had a decent college basketball career. When you see McGary running around the court like a mad man, it's hard not to see the type of motor that made Tyler Hansbrough one of the greatest college players ever. What makes McGary a terrifying player is that he is taller, stronger, and faster than Hansbrough ever was.   

Add these three with returning stars Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway, and it is clear that Michigan is not to be taken lightly. This Wolverines outfit has already taken down the likes of Pitt, K-State, Arkansas, and North Carolina State on it's way to a comfortable perch in the top three of both polls. They are living up to the hype, and are a legit Final Four contender. In addition to this season's success, if Beilein can continue to recruit at a high level (he already has a commit from next year's #5 point guard and #5 small forward in the country) the Wolverines could do something that not even the Fab Five could do -- win a national championship.

Longhorn Long Snapper is Former Green Beret

Nate Boyer is a long snapper for the Texas Longhorns. His story is one of many in college football that deserves to be celebrated.

 

The 2011 AmStat College Football Playoffs...That Will Never Happen

The holiday season is the time where we as people take time to appreciate all that we are thankful for, but as football fans, it is the time of year where we gripe about the one thing that we don't have that is on our Christmas list every year - a college football playoff. This year is no different, and for this reason, AmStat would like to present to you the Christmas miracle that is the 2011 BCS College Football Playoffs (that will of course never happen in real life because university presidents are the greediest people on earth).  

Here's the format for the BCS Playoffs. College sports are always centered around the top 25 for the entire regular season but then they quickly throw the importance of the number out of the window during the postseason. In AmStat's version of the playoffs, the top 25 matters more than ever because the top 25 teams qualify for the BCS playoffs (I know this is too many teams, but since we're never going to have a playoff anyway, allow me to take some poetic license). The first round of the bracket will consist of play-in games on the home field of the higher seed. Second round games will also be held on the campus of the higher seed. Teams will be reseeded after the first two rounds (a brilliant idea that only the NHL uses). The final eight teams will play in BCS bowl games from that point on. All the teams that were knocked out of the playoffs on campus are still eligible to play in bowl games once they are eliminated (the bowl system has been preserved!). This setup will require that the BCS will need to add two more bowl games. The logical choices would be the Cotton Bowl (this will probably eventually happen in real life) and the Capital One Citrus Bowl (The Citrus Bowl's BCS inclusion was contingent on adding "Citrus" back to the name because I HATE sponsor-only bowl names). One site will also host the national championship game just as in the current system. The bowl sites will be on rotation for hosting quarterfinals, semis, and the final. For logistic reasons. The site hosting the National Championship game will always host a quarterfinal BCS game. All of this sound reasonable so far? Good. One last concession, the Heisman ceremony has to be moved to Sunday night to allow candidates to play in their first round playoff games. Now we settle things on the field.

*All times EST of course

Playoff upsets? Count me in!

#25 Auburn at #8 Kansas State, 12/10 1pm on ESPNU 
UPSET CITY! Tigers win 30-24. Auburn isn't giving up their national title without a fight. We've had a playoff for one year and we've already seen a 25-seed pull off an upset.
#23 West Virginia at #10 Wisconsin, 12/10 1pm on ESPN
No such luck for the Mountaineers on ESPN though. The Badgers run right through the Mounties 42-14. Montee Ball scores three touchdowns, but doesn't grab any extra Heisman votes because the ballots are due before the noon kickoff.
#24 Texas at #9 South Carolina, 12/10 3:30pm on CBS
The road teams are on a roll, because Texas is rolling South Carolina on "The Deuce" (remember when this was ESPN's nickname for ESPN2). Case McCoy plays one of those games where he looks like Colt and South Carolina remembers that their South Carolina. All of a sudden the final score reads 27-10 in favor of Texas.

#21 Southern Miss at #12 Baylor, 12/10 3:30pm on FXRobert Griffin III goes nuts against a Southern Miss team that would have much rather just played in the Liberty Bowl (or whatever bowl you play in when you win the Conference USA). Bears win 52-14. This was a definite waste of Gus Johnson in a playoff situation.
#20 Nebraska at #13 Michigan, 12/10 3:30pm on ABC
Rematches are bound to happen, and this isn't a bad game to see twice. Nebraska travels to Ann Arbor for the second time this year and falls short yet again, but they keep it a lot closer this time. Wolverines win 31-28.

David Wilson makes the Hokies a tough out in a playoff

#22 Penn State at #11 Virginia Tech, 12/10 4:30pm on ESPN
Virginia Tech cruises past Penn State 31-10. David Wilson's speed is too much for the Nittany Lions to contain, and then there's the part about them not having a good quarterback. That hurt too.
#19 Houston at #14 Oklahoma, 12/10 9pm on ESPN
Who says the regular season doesn't mean anything? If Houston wins the CUSA title, they have a bye this week. But they lost, and now they're in Norman getting hammered by the Sooners. Cougars drop their second straight game, 49-28.
#18 TCU at #15 Clemson, 12/10 8pm on ABC
These two teams met in Death Valley in 2009 and TCU left with a 14-10 win. Clemson may have won the ACC this year, but it seems as if the only good team the Tigers can beat is Virginia Tech. Clemson turns out to be more cub than tiger and TCU wins a close one, 24-21. I respect the Frogs enough to not even call it an upset.
#17 Michigan State at #16 Georgia, 12/10 8pm on CBS
This game will actually take place in real life on January 2nd in the Outback Bowl, but as a part of the BCS playoffs, the game has already taken place. The Spartans did not repeat their embarrassing performance from last year against Alabama against another SEC opponent, but they did fall short once again. This time losing 27-21 between the hedges. 

Tyler Wilson is a legit star at QB

#13 Michigan at #6 Arkansas, 12/17 12pm on CBS
The second round of the playoffs kicks off with the first game of a CBS triple-header. The Hogs take care of Michigan in a game that would have been much more interesting if Ryan Mallett had stayed in school for one more year. Fortunately, Tyler Wilson may be just as good as Mallett. The final score reads 30-20 Hogs.
#11 Virginia Tech at #10 Wisconsin, 12/17 3:30pm on ESPN
Wisconsin will carry the Big Ten banner in the BCS after dispatching the Hokies in the first true defensive struggle of the tournament. No touchdowns for Montee Ball for the first time this season as Wisconsin wins 14-10.
#16 Georgia at #4 Stanford, 12/17 3:30pm on ABC
Stanford's dominant offensive line is finally starting to get some much needed recognition after manhandling the Georgia defense on The Farm. Andrew Luck leaves the field after his last home game with a 31-13 win and a clean jersey. 
#18 TCU at #3 Oklahoma State, 12/17 3:30pm on FX
We still haven't got a chance to properly utilize the vocal talents of Gus Johnson in the BCS playoffs. The most excitable broadcaster in sports is stuck with a laugher. The Pokes roll through TCU 42-17.
#25 Auburn at #1 LSU, 12/17 3:30pm on CBS
LSU beat Auburn by 35 earlier in the season. This 42-10 drubbing was just for good measure. The punt return for a touchdown, interception return for a touchdown, and the forced fumble from Tyrann Mathieu during this game have him firmly in the lead for the BCS Playoff's Most Outstanding Player award.

Why not go for it? Blake Bell is 6'5 245lbs

#14 Oklahoma at #5 Oregon, 12/17 8pm on ESPN
It's hard to imagine the Sooners as a Cinderella team, but what else can you call them after bouncing Oregon 50-49 in Autzen after going for two in overtime with Blake the "Belldozer" Bell bursting into the end zone on a QB draw.
#24 Texas at #2 Alabama, 12/17 8pm on CBS
CBS is the real winner of the BCS Playoffs so far. They're wrapping up a day of coverage that included the top two teams in the country (LSU and Alabama) and guests appearances from two of college football's most watched teams (Michigan and Texas). Someone's ratings just went through the roof. As for the primetime finale, Texas made a game of it but couldn't upset Alabama. 24-17 Roll Tide.
#12 Baylor at #7 Boise State 12/17 8pm on ESPN2
Baylor began this season with an upset victory at TCU, and they can add a Boise State road victory notch to their belt as well after defeating the Broncos 38-31. Robert Griffin III is rising to the expectations that have come with being a Heisman Trophy winner, and this game just about solidifies the fact that he won't return to Baylor next year.
#1 LSU vs #14 Oklahoma - AT&T Cotton Bowl, 12/24 12pm on FOX
The BCS quarterfinals are underway as the Cotton Bowl moves to Christmas Eve this year in our latest edition of "Throwing Tradition Out the Window!" but I'm sure they don't mind welcoming the number one team in the country to Jerry World for a date with the Sooners. This is the most potent offense that the Tigers have played all year and it takes a daring comeback to get by Oklahoma in their toughest test of the season. Tigers escape Arlington with 28-24 win.
#2 Alabama vs #12 Baylor - Capital One Citrus Bowl, 12/24 4pm on ESPN

Montee Ball had a rough time in our playoff

Baylor's amazing run finally ends in the Citrus Bowl. The Tide are able to contain RG3 in the second half to pull away late and secure a 38-24 victory. Griffin announces after the game that he is returning to Baylor, triggering a chorus of boos from Dolphins fans at the Citrus Bowl who were hoping to see him as their starting quarterback in 2012.
#3 Oklahoma State vs #10 Wisconsin - Rose Bowl presented by Vizio, 12/25 4pm on ESPN
The Cowboys don't have any problems with Wisconsin as they win their first ever BCS bowl by the score of 38-17. Montee Ball ends his season with two consecutive games without a touchdown.
#4 Stanford vs #6 Arkansas - AllState Sugar Bowl, 12/25 8:30pm on ESPN
Arkansas may be the team that benefits from this playoff the most. The Razorbacks enter into this game with two losses against the top two teams in the country. They should be able to make the claim of being the third best team in the country. A plus-one playoff system leaves the Razorbacks out in the cold, the current system leaves them out of the BCS all together. The playoff system has them beating Stanford 30-27 in the Sugar Bowl and one game away from playing for the national championship.
#2 Alabama vs #3 Oklahoma State - Discover Orange Bowl, 12/31 4pm on ESPN
In a season that has left us with one undefeated team, the question of who's number two has been asked with more volume than any other in the country. When both teams met on the field, it was Oklahoma State who emerged victorious, 24-20. As it turns out, it isn't always the best idea to assume that one team is better than the other. What a novel concept.
#1 LSU vs #6 Arkansas - Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, 12/31  8:30pm on ESPN

Even with a playoff the Honey Badger and LSU won it all

With Oklahoma State awaiting the winner in the national championship game, Arkansas and LSU battled in the desert. LSU forced turnovers, but Arkansas continued to make plays. In the end...the Tigers survived once again. Les Miles and his team held off Arkansas despite the Hogs playing their best game of the year. A blocked field goal in the waning moments would prove to be the difference for the Tigers. LSU advances home to New Orleans after a 35-32 victory.
#1 LSU vs #3 Oklahoma State - BCS National Championship, 12/9 8:30pm on ESPN
LSU wins the national championship anyway, 27-24. Still, don't you feel better that we arrived to that conclusion this way?

AmStat's College Football Bowl Rundown

The doling out of the Heisman Trophy always marks the beginning of college football fans' awkward anticipation for the upcoming bowl season. The period is kicked off by the annual bickering over who was invited into the BCS (Virginia Tech playing in the Sugar Bowl has to be illegal in some sort of way). Then their is the fake excitement over supposedly marquee pairings that take place in obscure bowl games (This year we have a tie for this distinction between Ohio State vs Florida in the Gator Bowl and Notre Dame vs Florida State in the Champs Sports Bowl). Shortly after these topics have been mulled over, we start to wonder why the BCS doesn't just have a 16 team playoff. Unfortunately, right when we start to realize that the entire bowl system is corrupt and immoral, the ESPN conglomerate of networks (with special singular appearances from FOX and CBS) bombards us with enough quality college football to keep our heads spinning until it's time to start reading college hoops Bracketology columns in February. Every year around this time, ESPN runs their gigantic incarnation of a bowl season office pool. This year the mega contest is called "Bowl Mania" and I'm not certain, but I think if Florida International beats Marshall in an empty baseball stadium in Tampa Bay...I win a Corvette (I could be mistaken of course). Anyways, Bowl Mania requires you to pick the winners of all 35 bowl games and attach a confidence number to each pick. The most confident pick garners a 35, and the game that you picked based on the ferocity of the teams' logos because you've never heard of either of the schools will get an uno (Northern Illinois vs Arkansas State will be this game for a lot of people). Because most of the people that read this blog are addicted to gambling, it is only fair that I share my picks with the world, but I will also offer the disclaimer that this may not be helpful to most hardcore gamblers because ESPN's bowl mania does not require you to pick against the spread for their contest. This will probably differ from the rules of your local barber shop bookie or the sports nerd from human resources that treats his cubicle like a Mississippi Riverboat. I apologize in advance. This is AmStat's Bowl Mania entry...share the loot if this makes you any.

*All start times EST

Brock Osweiler

35pts. #7 Boise State (11-1) over Arizona State (6-6) - Maaco Bowl Las Vegas, 12/22 8pm on ESPN
Boise State feels that they belong in the BCS, and they are absolutely right. When big-time schools get snubbed, they mail it in in their bowl games. When Non-AQs get snubbed, they show up for their bowl games ticked off. Arizona State's Brock Osweiler is an NFL prospect at quarterback for the Sun Devils, but the Broncos will be looking to make an example out of ASU, and Osweiler doesn't have enough weapons around him to do anything about it.
34pts. #18 TCU (10-2) over Louisiana Tech (8-4) - San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl, 12/21 8pm on ESPN
That bowl sponsorship is definitely a mouthful, but there's only one thing you need to know about Louisiana Tech. Their best player is their punter. Ray Guy award winner Ryan Allen will get plenty of work while the Frogs beat down the Bulldogs in San Diego.
33pts. #6 Arkansas (10-2) over #8 Kansas State (10-2) - AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic, 1/6 8pm on FOX
Remember the good old days when the Cotton Bowl was played on New Years Day at the actual Cotton Bowl Stadium? Those days are long gone. This year's edition will see Jerry Jones welcome his alma mater (Arkansas) to "Jerry World" for a primetime showdown nearly a week into the new year. Kansas State has had a magical season, but this will be a tall order, as they will essentially be playing Arkansas in their home away from home. K-State did play well against Oklahoma State, a team that has similar fire power to Arkansas, but I just don't see this one being close.
32pts. #14 Oklahoma (9-3) over Iowa (7-5) - Insight Bowl, 12/30 10pm on ESPN
Luckily for coach Kirk Ferentz and the rest of the Iowa Hawkeyes, most of the country will be fast asleep by the time the Sooners finish pounding the Hawkeyes. Iowa got a bad draw during a down year by having to play a very talented team looking to salvage their season.

RG3 may be playing his final game at the Alamo Bowl

31pts. #12 Baylor (9-3) over Washington (7-5) - Valero Alamo Bowl, 12/29 9pm on ESPN
If Baylor coach Art Briles was smart, he would bench newly crowned Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III...because if RG3 gets loose against Washington's shaky defense, that may be all he needs to cash in on his current first round draft stock. I'm not sure why I don't have this game higher. The Huskies don't have a shot.
30pts. Cincinnatti (9-3) over Vanderbilt (6-6) - AutoZone Liberty Bowl, 12/31 3:30pm on ABC
This is the high confidence pick that I am already regretting. Vanderbilt may have won the Big East this year if they played in the conference. I may have gotten too wrapped up in the overall records here. Still Cincinnati has a ton of skill position talent and a wealth of big game experience that the Commodores will be lacking. This is the game that will probably ruin my entry.
29pts. #15 Clemson (10-3) over #23 West Virginia (9-3) - Discover Orange Bowl, 1/4 8:30pm on ESPN
Congrats to the Clemson Tigers for drawing the Big East representative in this year's BCS lottery. A few weeks ago, the Tigers were falling apart at the seams. Now they're ACC Champions and all but penciled in as Orange Bowl Champs as well. As long as the Clemson team that got blitzed by North Carolina State stays far away from Miami, the Tigers should be good against the Mounties.
28pts. #3 Oklahoma State (11-1) over #4 Stanford (11-1) - Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, 1/2 8:30pm on ESPN
Andrew Luck has impressed me all season. His oozing pro potential has left stains on Pac-12 fields all season. Unfortunately, I can't say the same about Stanford's entire team (except for the offensive line, my goodness their offensive line is amazing). The Cowboys aren't known for their defense but I don't think it will take much for them to tilt Stanford's balanced attack towards having Andrew Luck try to win the game single-handed. The attitudes are different coming into this game. OK State knows this is their best team in school history, and they feel that they should be playing for a title (I feel the same way, I had them ranked ahead of Alabama for weeks). Stanford is probably relieved that they avoided a matchup with one of the SEC's defensive superpowers. This may be a foolish confidence pick, but I think Stanford will come up way short in this one.

Melvin Ingram

27pts. #9 South Carolina (10-2) over #20 Nebraska (9-3) - Capital One Bowl, 1/2 1pm on ESPN
I don't care what anybody says. This will always be called the Citrus Bowl to me, and Capital One can't tell me any different. You also can't tell me that Taylor Martinez is going to be able to pass for 100 yards against an SEC defense. Rex Burkhead won't have too much fun meeting the likes of South Carolina's Melvin Ingram and Jadeveon Clowney at the line of scrimmage either. This could be a long ugly day for the Huskers.
26pts. #25 Auburn (7-5) over Virginia (8-4) - Chick-fil-A Bowl, 12/31 7:30pm on ESPN
I don't care what anybody says. No matter how much I love Chick-fil-A (It's beyond amazing by the way), this will always be the Peach Bowl to me. This year's game matches a resurgent Cavaliers team against a bunch from Auburn who were well aware that they couldn't duplicate their miracle run from last year but still performed admirably. Auburn has taken too many hard knocks in the SEC to cough up a game to the likes of UVA.

25pts. #24 Texas (7-5) over California (7-5) - Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl, 12/28 8pm on ESPN 
The Holiday Bowl is famous for epic games, but I don't see that happening this year. It is a travesty that Texas is still ranked even though they have lost three of their last four games, but the Horns still have plenty of talent. It shouldn't take much for them to outclass the Bears.
24pts. Illinois (6-6) over UCLA (6-7) - Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl, 12/31 3:30pm on ESPN
At the season's halfway point, no one would have expected that this would be one of several lame duck bowl games. The Illini were 6-0 at the midway checkpoint and seemingly ready to battle for a spot in the Big Ten title game. You probably could see the UCLA coaching change coming at the halfway point though. UCLA was 3-3 with wins over lowly Oregon State, downtrodden Wazzou, and "no negative adjective necessary" San Jose State. Expect the Illini to end the season with a win after overwhelming the Bruins with their young talent at the wide out position.
23pts. Georgia Tech (8-4) over Utah (7-5) - Hyundai Sun Bowl, 12/31 2pm on CBS
I hope joining the Pac-12 was worth it, Utah. You can expect a lot of mediocre records, random bowl games in Texas border towns, and far more difficult opponents in those aforementioned games. If the you had stayed put, you could possibly have ten wins right now and would probably be playing a bowl game in Hawaii or some other scenic locale. Instead, have fun preparing for the Jackets' deadly triple option and enjoy the bowl trip to Juarez, Mexico. Signed the Mountain West's shattered dreams of being a BCS automatic qualifier. I hope Georgia Tech runs for 500 yards against them.
22pts. Texas A&M (6-6) over Northwestern (6-6) - Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas, 12/31 12pm on ESPN
Northwestern has a reputation for making thrilling improbably comebacks. Texas A&M has a reputation for squandering double digit second half leads. I may have been drunk when I made these picks. On a side note, this gets my vote for this year's worst bowl name. Did these two bowls merge together? That's just ridiculous. Sigh.
21pts. Mississippi State (6-6) over Wake Forest (6-6) - Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl, 12/30 6:40pm on ESPN
Whenever two supposedly equal teams from the SEC and the ACC play each other, the SEC team always wins by 20 points. Please reference Wake Forest's 41-7 dismantling at the hands of Vanderbilt a few weeks ago for supporting evidence.

Case Keenum almost took the Cougars to the BCS

20pts. #19 Houston (12-1) over #22 Penn State (9-3) - TicketCity Bowl, 1/2 12pm on ESPNU
It saddens me to see a venue as gloriously historic as the Cotton Bowl being used to host a sponsor-named bowl game that airs on ESPN's most obscure network. Fortunately, football fans at least stumbled upon a good matchup this year. This is another lame duck coaches bowl but for two very different reasons. Penn State's iconic Joe Paterno was fired amid scandal, and Houston's Kevin Sumlin has already booked it for College Station. On the field, Case Keenum will be able to sling the ball around for more than enough yards to take out the offensively challenged Nittany Lions.
19pts. Rutgers (8-4) over Iowa State (6-6) - New Era Pin Stripe Bowl, 12/30 3:20pm on ESPN 
This is definitely my favorite new generation bowl game. It has a great premise, a good name to go along with it, and is two for two with attracting ideal teams. Last year Syracuse came to the Bronx and this year Rutgers will flood the stadium with fans. Iowa State is just happy to be playing this late in the season, they won't put up much of a fight in this glorified road game for them.
18pts. Toledo (8-4) over Air Force (7-5) - Military Bowl presented by Northrop Grumman, 12/28 4:30pm on ESPN
Toledo comes from the MAC, which has been a glorified airport for offenses this year, and Air Force runs the option better than anyone in the country. In these matchups I tend to favor the passing team. The Rockets can play from both ahead and behind. The Falcons cannot.
17pts. North Carolina State (7-5) over Louisville (7-5) - Belk Bowl, 12/27 8pm on ESPN
This was a very close second in the race for worst bowl name, and the matchup doesn't make the name any more appealing. Louisville was one game away of making a mockery of the entire BCS by advancing to the Orange Bowl with a 7-5 record. The Wolfpack are only here after catching fire in the latter stages of the season. Their huge offensive outputs in wins over Clemson and Maryland are my reason for giving them the nod here.

Kawann Short

16pts Purdue (6-6) over Western Michigan (7-5) - Little Caesar's Bowl, 12/27 4:30pm on ESPN
It will be hard too tell these two similarly programs apart on game day, but Purdue will dress All-American Kawann Short in black and gold and WMU will not. That will be the difference. Broncos quarterback Alex Carder will undoubtedly be rudely introduce to Mr. Short before the conclusion of the evening.
15pts. #21 Southern Mississippi (11-2) over Nevada (7-5) - Sheraton Hawaii Bowl, 12/24 8pm on ESPN
Southern Miss ran Houston off their own home field in the C-USA title game, and only upset losses to Marshall and UAB kept them out of the Sugar Bowl themselves. It seems like the Golden Eagles should take care of Nevada easily, but then again...Nevada is much better than both Marshall and UAB.
14pts. FIU (8-4) over Marshall (6-6) - Beef 'O' Brady's St. Petersburg Bowl, 12/20 8pm on ESPN
Picking the Golden Panthers for one reason, and one reason only. Wide receiver T.Y Hilton. Youtube him. He will play on Sundays.
13pts. San Diego State (8-4) over UL Lafayette (8-4) - R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl, 12/17 9pm on ESPN
I'm not sure why I have such a small amount of confidence points dedicated to this game. Maybe it's because the game is being played in Louisiana. That's all I can come up with, because I don't see a logical reason why Aztec quarterback Ryan Lindley doesn't carve up the Cajuns down in the Bayou.

Long live the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl!

12pts. Ohio (9-4) over Utah State (7-5) - Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, 12/17 5:30pm on ESPN
My favorite bowl name this year...by far. Ohio is definitely the better team here but remember the performance the Aggies had at Auburn this year, and the Tigers turned out to be a decent team. Utah State could definitely make this one interesting.
11pts. SMU (7-5) over Pittsburgh (6-6) - BBVA Compass Bowl, 1/7 1pm on ESPN
I'm not sure why this game is being played on January 7th like these two teams are ranked one and two in the country. Pitt boasts a few standouts on defense, but are very erratic on offense, especially since their workhouse back Ray Graham went down for the year with an injury. SMU quarterback Kyle Padron will have plenty of possessions to attack the Panther's from June Jones' spread attack.
10pts. Ohio State (6-6) over Florida (6-6) - TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl, 1/2 1pm on ESPN2
There is no way that this was an accident. They might as well milk it up and have Urban Meyer do the coin toss at midfield. Hell, why not just call it the Urban Meyer Bowl and paint his likeness in the corner of both end zones. These would all be welcome distractions to the fact that Ohio State is average and Florida is just outright bad this year. O how the mighty have fallen. Braxton Miller makes the difference in this one. He's far from Tim Tebow or Terrell Pryor, but that's what we've got for this one.
9pts. #5 Oregon (11-2) over #10 Wisconsin (11-2) - Rose Bowl Game presented by Vizio, 1/2 5pm on ESPN
Hate to oversimplify such a huge game but...speed kills. Oregon has speed in excess, Wisconsin barely has enough. Game Ducks. Quack, Quack.
8pts. Northern Illinois (10-2) over Arkansas State (10-2) - GoDaddy.com Bowl, 1/8 9pm on ESPN
I actually had the chance to see Northern Illinois play a few times this year, and they have a lot of talent. I haven't seen Arkansas State play, but going 8-0 in the Sun Belt just doesn't carry enough weight for me to pick them over a Huskies team with plenty of bowl experience.
7pts. Missouri (7-5) over North Carolina (7-5) - AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl 12/26 5pm on ESPN2
This has the potential to be a great game, so much potential that I really don't have an idea as to who is going to win. I'm giving the edge to Missouri based on their much tougher schedule in the Big 12, but North Carolina has plenty of playmakers on both sides of the ball. This is the first of the absolute toss up picks.
6pts. Temple (8-4) over Wyoming (8-4) - Gildan New Mexico Bowl, 12/17 2pm on ESPN
This pick comes from the business side of things. The MAC has some sort of television coup with ESPN that has their games on TV Tuesdays through Saturdays throughout the season (seriously). The Mountain West has most of their games air on either the Versus Network (channel 12943 on most TVs) or The Mountain Network (does not exist on most TVs). Despite similar records, I've seen Temple play three times this year, and I was not aware Wyoming fielded a team this year. So this is another familiarity pick. If Temple can nearly beat Penn State in Happy Valley, they should be able to squeak by Wyoming in New Mexico...I think...because for all I know the Wyoming Broncos could be the Denver Broncos. I've never seen them play.
5pts. #16 Georgia (10-3) over #17 Michigan State (10-3) - Outback Bowl, 1/2 1pm on ABC
Michigan State doesn't win bowl games...that's all you need to know. Sparty's last bowl win was a decade ago in something called the Silicon Valley Bowl.

David Molk is the nation's best center

4pts. #13 Michigan (10-2) over #11 Virginia Tech (11-2) - AllState Sugar Bowl, 1/3 8:30pm on ESPN
This is a karma pick. The most fraudulent selection in the history of the BCS couldn't possibly win their bowl game could they? Virginia Tech should have to play a triple header against Kansas State, Boise State, and Michigan to right the wrong that they caused. I'm not sure how they are ranked ahead of Michigan, and I'm even more confused as to how they were selected. Denard Robinson should be able to run wild against the Hokies on the fast track in the Superdome, but the Wolverines strength in the trenches behind Remington Award (Best Center) winner David Molk will be the deciding factor. Hopefully that will offer some consolation to the fans in Boise and the Little Apple.
3pts. Florida State (8-4) over Notre Dame (8-4) - Champs Sports Bowl, 12/29 5:30pm on ESPN
This is a dangerous pick since the Irish routed Miami in the Sun Bowl last year, but I like the 'Noles because the program is a little more stable than Miami was when they went to El Paso, and the game is being played in Florida. The Seminoles also possess a glaring advantage in the athleticism department (as they do against most teams). Michael Floyd is a force of nature and should have at least been a finalist for the Biletnikoff award, but Florida State will have enough speed in the defensive back field to limit him somewhat.

GJ Kinne is the real deal at QB

2pts. Tulsa (8-4) over BYU (9-3) - Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl, 12/30 12pm on ESPN
This could possibly be one of the most exciting games of the bowl season, or Tulsa could run BYU off the field. Both scenarios are in play. Tulsa has four losses, but they were all to opponents ranked in the top ten at the time (all of them are still ranked in the top ten except for Houston). BYU has three losses, but they nearly beat Texas in Dallas (I assume that's a big deal because they are still ranked despite their 7-5 record) and they gave TCU a solid game as well. Tulsa's GJ Kinne will be the one to watch, his NFL arm will be what carries the Golden Hurricanes to victory.
1pt. #1 LSU (13-0) over #2 Alabama (11-1) - BCS National Championship, 1/9 8:30pm on ESPN
This game will suck just as bad as the first one and LSU will still win. I will always contend that Oklahoma State would have pulled the upset here. I can say that with 100% confidence because the world will never really know for sure. I hate the bowl season.