Bowl Previews

I know everyone likes to make fun of the college football bowl season. I for one, find this time of the year very enjoyable. I always try to make time to watch every single bowl game available. This year, there are more bowl games than ever with 34. While everyone agrees a playoff system would be great for determining the college football champ, we have to enjoy what we have. As the old saying goes, "It is what it is."

Here's a little snap shot of this year's bowl games.

Thanks to The Helmet Project for the helmets. Make sure you have a few hours to spare before checking his site out, because you will be on it for a while. Trust me.....

I have listed the bowls in order from the "absolute shittiest that no one but me cares about" to "you will have your man card revoked if you miss this one."


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Independence Bowl - Shreveport, LA
Northern Illinois vs. Louisiana Tech

Shreveport is quite possibly the most boring city in America. This may be one of the most boring bowl match-ups in modern history. So it fits. Usually this game would go to a couple of middle of the road SEC and Big XII teams. Often times, this game is pretty interesting. The lack of bowl eligible Big XII and SEC teams leads to this shit fest of a match up. La Tech has home field advantage, as well as a better team. CFB 365 pick: Louisiana Tech.
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New Mexico Bowl - Albuquerque, NM
Colorado St. vs. Fresno St.

This game is traditionally one of my least favorite. At least, the Lobos aren't playing a home game this year. I said coming into the season not to buy into the hype of Fresno St. I knew they were being overrated by all the publications. On the other hand, I had no idea Steve Fairchild would get this Colorado St. team bowl eligible in his first season. I'm still a 'lil down on the Rams though. CFB 365 pick: Fresno St.
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Eagle Bank Bowl - Washington, DC
Wake Forest vs. Navy

This bowl game is ranked so low because we've already seen this match-up this year. Navy handed Wake Forest it's first defeat of the season. That loss seemed to send the Demon Deacons on a downward spiral. Now, Jim Grobe's bunch gets it's shot at redemption. Unfortunately, the story may end the same way for Wake. Navy's rushing attack may be just too much for the Deacs. CFB 365 pick: Navy.
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Motor City Bowl - Detroit, MI
Florida Atlantic vs. Central Michigan

The MAC champs Buffalo were swept up by a better bowl, and the lack of bowl eligible Big Eleven teams gives the Owls the chance to play the MAC's third place Chippewas. Central Michigan has home field advantage in this one. They also have the taken advantage over FAU. Plus, the last time Florida Atlantic traveled to Michigan, they left with an ugly loss to Michigan St. CFB 365 pick: Central Michigan.
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St. Petersburg Bowl - St. Petersburg, FL
Memphis vs. South Florida

This bowl game was created specifically for the Bulls when they have down years. How fortunate for the folks in St. Pete that the bad year happened to come in year one. South Florida opens the St. Petersburg Bowl with unbelievable home field advantage against Memphis. George Selvie and company should make life a little difficult for Tommy West's Tigers. If this game weren't a bowl game, would anyone watch? Really? CFB 365 pick: South Florida
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New Orleans Bowl - New Orleans, LA
Southern Miss vs. Troy

Southern Miss really came on strong at the end of Larry Fedora's first year as head coach. A weak schedule could also be attributed to this. Unfortunately for Southern Miss, Troy is one of the hottest non-BCS teams in the nation. Larry Blakeney is still producing some quality football teams down in Troy. Mark this one up for the Sun Belt! CFB 365 pick: Troy.
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Humanitarian Bowl - Boise, ID
Maryland vs. Nevada

Maryland has been the definition of a true schizo team all year long. They knocked off California and remained in the hunt for the ACC crown until the end. Then again, they lost at home to Middle Tennessee and they managed to not show up against Florida St. with said ACC crown on the line. Nevada is lead by the dynamic rushing duo of QB Colin Kaepernick and RB Luke Lippincott. Maryland's rushing D can be stingy when it shows up, so this should be an interesting match-up on the blue turf. CFB 365 pick: Nevada.
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Armed Forces Bowl - Ft. Worth, TX
Houston vs. Air Force

The Falcons are a mainstay in Ft. Worth. I guess that makes sense. These two teams both have prolific offenses in their own right. Houston's Case Keenum can chuck the ball all over the field. Kevin Sumlin has not missed a beat after Art Briles' departure to Baylor. On the other side of the ball, Air Force can run for days. It will be interesting to see which team can impose it's will offensively on the other. Usually, you go with the rushing team. Usually. CFB 365 pick: Houston.
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International Bowl - Toronto, ON
Buffalo vs. Connecticut

Buffalo bypassed the Motor City bowl to travel to nearby Toronto. Hopefully they'll have more luck than their NFL counterparts in that city. This game could be renamed the Who's Gonna be Syracuse's next head coach Bowl. I know Randy Edsall has taken his name out of the race, but ask Nick Saban how much that means. Now it seems Buffalo's coach, Turner Gill, is interviewing for the Auburn head coaching position. I think all this uncertainty will hurt the Bulls, as they are already faced with playing a superior opponent in the Huskies. Donald Brown should absolutely go off against Buffalo. CFB 365 pick: Connecticut
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Hawaii Bowl - Honolulu, HI
Hawaii vs. Notre Dame

This game would be rated a lot lower if not for the fact that there's a good chance that Notre Dame's gonna lose. That alone moves this bowl game up. It's hard for teams east of the Mississippi to travel to Hawaii and come away with the victory. It's even hard when your team sucks ass as much as Notre Dame does. The real question will be how many buffets will Charlie Weis put out of business before the game. CFB 365 pick: Hawaii.
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Music City Bowl - Nashville, TN
Boston College vs. Vanderbilt.

At first glance, this game looks like an easy victory for Boston College. They have more talent and better coaching than Vandy, However, there are a few things that are working in Vandy's favor. First off, this is a home game. Secondly, Vanderbilt will be extra juiced, as this is their first bowl game since the old testament. And finally, they're from the SEC and BC is from the ACC. Going with the upset! CFB 365 pick: Vanderbilt.
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Texas Bowl - Houston, TX
Rice vs. Western Michigan

Now we're finally getting to the bowl games that I'm actually excited about. Chase Clement and Jarret Dillard have become one of the better aerial duos in the nation at Rice. Head Coach David Bailiff has made the most of the talent Todd Graham left him. On the other side, the Broncos were the MAC team overlooked by everyone. While Ball St., Buffalo and Central Michigan gobbled all the highlights, Western Michigan quietly put together a great season. CFB 365 pick: Rice.
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Liberty Bowl - Memphis, TN
Kentucky vs. East Carolina

ECU started out the season hotter than anyone in the country. They then proceeded to fall completely off the face of the Earth. A win in the C-USA championship does salavage the season for the Pirates. Head coach Skip Holtz is a hot commodity coming into this game. This can be nothing but bad news for the Pirates. Kentucky also had a roller coaster season. This game is usually kind to the SEC team, and with the dual threat ability of Randall Cobb, the Cats should continue that tradition. CFB 365 pick: Kentucky.
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Papajohns.com Bowl - Birmingham, AL
North Carolina St. vs. Rutgers

Both of these teams are extremely hot right now. NC State won it's last 4 games to become bowl eligible. That streak looks like crap compared to Rutgers' 7 game winning streak. It took the Scarlet Knights a while, but they finally started to put it together. Wolfpack QB Russell Wilson may be playing better than any other QB not in the Big XII or SEC. The difference in this game should be the speed of Rutgers. We'll see if NC State can keep up with them. CFB 365 pick: Rutgers.
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Emerald Bowl - San Francisco, CA
Miami(FL) vs. California

The Hurricanes were just your run of the mill mediocre ACC team this season. At teams, they looked like a real contender for the ACC title. At others, they looked like Larry Coker was still roaming the sidelines. They'll get a tough test as they have to face the Golden Bears in their home territory. Jeff Tedford got about as much as he could out of his Cal team this season. They're one of the few West Coast teams that has the team speed to keep up with the Canes. This should be a pretty good cross country match-up. CFB 365 pick: California.
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Insight Bowl - Tempe, AZ
Kansas vs. Minnesota

The Insight Bowl always provides a thrilling football game. I don't see this year being any different. Kansas is your typical pass happy, no defense playing offense that will attack the Gophers all game long. Minnesota has surprisingly been rather efficient offensively this season. Kansas QB Todd Reesing's ability to scramble when the play breaks down will be the difference in this one. Also, the last time Minny made the trip to the Insight Bowl, they gave up a huge fourth quarter lead to Texas Tech that cost then coach Glenn Mason his job. CFB 365 pick: Kansas.
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Outback Bowl - Tampa, FL
South Carolina vs. Iowa

Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz should just make a second home in Tampa. His Hawkeyes always seem to end up in the Outback Bowl. Also, Iowa always seems to play pretty well in this ball game. This time of year, running games matter even more than in August. Iowa's Shonn Greene is clearly the best player in this game. It will be pretty intersting to see what happens the first time Greene runs into Eric Norwood up the middle. CFB 365 pick: Iowa.
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Las Vegas Bowl - Las Vegas, NV
BYU vs. Arizona

This game appears to have mismatch written all over it. Max Hall, Harvey Unga and Austin Collie should have a field day. To quote an old, turd bag, wannabe analyst, "Not so fast my friend." 'Zona is a pretty good football team. Mike Stoops is no longer on the hot seast, but he's still on the pretty damn warm seat. Also, I gotta think the Wildcats are a little more excited to be in this bowl game than the Cougs are. This will be about the 26th year in a row that BYU has playe din this game. All that being said, it will still be pretty tough for the Cats to knock off BYU. CFB 365 pick: BYU.
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Champs Sports Bowl - Orlando, FL
Wisconsin vs. Florida St.

The Badgers completely fell off the face of the earth this season. Wisconsin was supposed to be one of the teams competing to unseat Ohio St. as Big Eleven champs. Not so much. There are tiny rumblings in Madison these days. This is due to the fact that Wisconsin's win total has diminished every year under Brett Bielema. If the rumblings in Madison are tiny, the ones in Tallahassee are monstrous. Could this be Bobby Bowden's last game on FSU's sideline. Just the mere thought should have the Seminoles all kinds of fired up. CFB 365 pick: Florida St.
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Gator Bowl - Jacksonville, FL
Clemson vs. Nebraska

This game is the tale of two worlds. Nebraska is happy to be in Jacksonville. Bo Pelini has lead the Cornhuskers to a surprising bowl berth. On the other sideline, Clemson fans can't help but be disappointed with this trip to Jax. With the likes of James Davis, C.J. Spiller, Cullen Harper and Aaron Kelly on offense, the Tigers were picked by many (including myslef) to be in a BCS game right about now. Dabo Swinney has the Tigers fired up, and I still think they have a great offense hidden within them. Maybe it will come out in Jacksonville. CFB 365 pick: Clemson.
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GMAC Bowl - Mobile, AL
Tulsa vs. Ball St.

Both these teams flirting with going undefeated this season. However, both teams completely shit on themselevs down the stretch. This game is brought down a notch due to the fact that both squad lost in their respective conference championship games. All that bad crap being said, this should still be a very entertaining game. Both David Johnson and Nate Davis can really chuck the ball. Both teams also have very underrated running games. CFB 365 pick: Tulsa.
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Meineke Car Care Bowl - Charlotte, NC
West Virginia vs. North Carolina

This is one of my favorite match-ups of the bowl season. It's also one of the more overlooked games on the slate. I still like to watch West Virginia's rushing attack with Pat White and Noel Devine. Even though Bill Stewart's first season hasn't been that successful, it's still been fun to watch the Mountaineers. Every North Carolina game I've watched this season has been interesting. So it seems that UNC likes to keep things close, which is always good in bowl games. I know the Tar Heels have home field advantage in this one, but it's Pat White's last game in a Mountaineer uniform. Look fro him to absolutely go off! CFB 365 pick: West Virginia.
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Alamo Bowl - San Antonio, TX
Missouri vs. Northwestern

Northwestern was a bit of a surprise to me this season. I knew they would be better than last year, but what Pat Fitzgerald and his coaching staff did this season was incredible. Missouri is coming off of an embarassing performance in the Big XII championship game. Chase Daniel and Jeremy Maclin should have pretty solid games against the Wildcats D. Or at least they should. CFB 365 pick: Missouri.
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Sun Bowl - El Paso, TX
Oregon St. vs. Pittsburgh

I still don't like the Panthers very much this season. LeSean McCoy is a top flight back. Other than that, nothing else really impresses me about Pitt. Oregon St. managed to stumble over their vaginas down the stretch. Costing them the Pac-10 championship and a trip to the rose bowl. Last year, the Beavers in-state rival demolished a Big East team in this bowl game. It could be more of the same this time around. CFB 365 pick: Oregon St.
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Chick-Fil-A Bowl - Atlanta, GA
LSU vs. Georgia Tech

My southern bias may be showing through on this one. This game probably shouldn't be ranked so high. To say that LSU has been a disappointment would be an understatement. I knew the Tigers would have some trouble finding a QB this season, but I had no idea they would have this much trouble. Georgia Tech has thrived in the triple option offense under Paul Johnson. Granted, LSU should pose a stiffer test than the schools in the SEC. However, I think the Yellow Jackets can still get the job done. CFB 365 pick: Georgia Tech.
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Capital One Bowl - Orlando, FL
Georgia vs. Michigan St.

This game probably features the best rushing match-up of any bowl game this season. The Bulldogs boast the incredible Knowshon Moreno coming out of the backfield. While this season has had it's down moments for Moreno, for the most part, he's been productive once again. Michigan St.'s Javon Ringer is still the best back in the nation. He has carried the Spartans on his back all season long. I think he has enough to carry Michigan St. for one more game. CFB 365 pick: Michigan St.
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Cotton Bowl - Dallas, TX
Ole Miss vs. Texas Tech

I think this game is going to be a lot closer than many people think. Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree shredded everyone they faced this season. Ole Miss may have the toughest defense the Red Raiders have seen all season. Greg Hardy will give Tech's O-line fits all season long. I think Harrell cries all game long, but Tech still manages to outscore Houston Nutt's ballclub. CFB 365 pick: Texas Tech.
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Holiday Bowl - San Diego, CA
Oklahoma St. vs. Oregon

The Holiday bowl always provides an intriguing match-up. However, it doesn't always live up to it's billing. Look no farther than Texas' drubbing of Arizona St. last year. I think this may be one of the more entertaining games of the bowl season. Eventually, I think Zac Robinson, Dez Bryant and Kendall Hunter will take care of business against the Ducks. CFB 365 pick: Oklahoma St.
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Poinsettia Bowl - San Diego, CA
Boise St. vs. TCU

Man, San Diego has a couple of great games this year. This game is easily the best non-BCS match-up. Boise St. comes in with a serious gripe about not making a BCS game. I think this will work against them. Another thing that will work against the Broncos will be the extremely tough TCU defense. Gary Patterson will have all kinds of schemes drawn up to combat Kellen Moore and Boise St. CFB 365 pick: TCU.
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Orange Bowl - Miami, FL
Cincinnati vs. Virginia Tech

This will most likely be the most boring of all the BCS games this year. As usual, the Big East and the ACC have failed in their promise to produce a quality conference champion. Well, mostly the ACC, because Cincinnati is a great football team. The Bearcats are superior to the Hokie in all facets of the game. I like Cinicnnati big. CFB 365 pick: Cincinnati.
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Sugar Bowl - New Orleans, LA
Alabama vs. Utah

I think this game will be a lot closer than most people think. Utah is a very good football team with a great QB in Brian Johnson. Also, Utah's D should be able to at least slow down Glenn Coffee and Mark Ingram. I still think Bama will win this one, just not as big as people think. CFB 365 pick: Alabama.
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Fiesta Bowl - Tempe, AZ
Ohio St. vs. Texas

Everyone hide your children! The Buckeyes are in another bowl game. Yes. I do believe Jim Tressel will completely whiff once again and get manhandled in this one. Plus, Texas could be playing for a possible split national championship. The only thing that could slow down the Longhorns will be if Colt McCoy wins the Heisman adn completely blows his load before the game. CFB 365 pick: Texas.
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Rose Bowl - Pasadena, CA
USC vs. Penn St.

This game could possibly be JoePa's last. That makes it definite must see.Unfortunately for JoePa, I dont think he's gonna fare well against the Trojans. USC's defense should have no trouble dealing with Penn St.'s offense. On the other side of the ball, Penn St.'s D matches up pretty well with USC's O. A few big plays from Damien Williams and Vidal Hazelton could be the key to this game. CFB 365 pick: USC.
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BCS National Championship - Miami, FL
Florida vs. Oklahoma

I'll have plenty more on this game later, so no need for a brief capsule here. Just know this: The Gators are the greatest thing to hit the gridiron since Janet Jackson's Super Bowl wardrobe. CFB 365 pick: Florida.