ShareThisWith the college football smorgasbord known as bowl season upon us, picking all 34 games is quite a chore. So let's get started (all times Eastern and all rankings A.P).
SATURDAY:
EagleBank Bowl in Washington, D.C.
Navy (8-4) vs. Wake Forest (7-5), 11 a.m.
Already a 24-17 winner in Winston-Salem on Sept. 27, no way the Midshipmen can beat the Demon Deacons twice in a season.
Wake Forest, 31-21.
New Mexico Bowl in Albuquerque
Colorado State (6-6) vs. Fresno State (7-5), 2:30 p.m.
Former WAC rivals meet in bottom of the barrel postseason matchup.
Fresno State, 24-20.
St. Petersburg (Fla.) Bowl
South Florida (7-5) vs. Memphis (6-6), 4:30.
Played at Tropicana Field, inaugural game won't quite have the buzz of the Rays' run to the World Series.
South Florida, 34-21.
Las Vegas Bowl
No. 17 BYU (10-2) vs. Arizona (7-5), 8.
Why are the Wildcats favored by three? Cougars and QB Max Hall win three straight bowl games for first time ever in fourth straight Vegas Bowl appearance.
BYU 27-20.
SUNDAY:
New Orleans Bowl
Troy (8-4) vs. Southern Mississippi (6-6), 8 p.m..
Unheralded Trojans are second best team in state of Alabama.
Troy, 26-22.
TUESDAY:
Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego
Boise State (12-0) vs. TCU (10-2), 8.
Intriguing matchup is best non-BCS game. Can the Broncos stay perfect vs. rugged Horned Frogs defense? Only if they protect freshman wunderkind QB Kellen Moore (25 TD passes, 9 ints.). TCU is second in nation with 41sacks. Uh-oh.
TCU, 26-20.
CHRISTMAS EVE:
Hawaii Bowl in Honolulu
Hawaii (7-6) vs. Notre Dame (6-6), 8.
Embattled coach Charlie Weis gets a visit from the ghost of Irish coaches past and snaps ND's frustrating 9-bowl losing skid.
Notre Dame, 31-29.
DECEMBER 26:
Motor City Bowl in Detroit
Florida Atlantic (6-6) vs. Central Michigan (8-4), 7:30.
Not much to watch here but at least check out gifted Chippewas junior QB Dan LeFevour (72 career TD passes, 32 TD runs).
Central Michigan, 41-17
DECEMBER 27:
Meineke Bowl, in Charlotte, N.C.
North Carolina (8-4) vs. West Virginia (8-4), 1 p.m.
How is that half of Wall Street has gone broke but a muffler company can still peel off a couple million for a bowl game? Ponder it while watching Mountaineers QB Pat White (4,425 career rushing yards, most by a QB).
West Virginia, 38-22.
Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando, Fla.
Florida State (8-4) vs. Wisconsin (7-5), 4:30.
Seminoles have lost four of last six bowls, which is a lot considering FSU went unbeaten in postseason from 1982-96 (13-0-1). Badgers winding up here is a disappointment.
Florida State, 23-20.
Emerald Bowl in San Francisco
California (8-4) vs. Miami (7-5), 8.
Bears will have quasi-home field advantage. Hurricanes' program has fallen so far that it's actually an achievement to make it here.
Cal, 27-16.
DECEMBER 28
Independence Bowl in Shreveport, La.
Louisiana Tech (7-5) vs. Northern Illinois (6-6), 8 p.m.
Behind unheralded WR Phillip Livas (1,889 all-purpose yards), home-standing Bulldogs win first bowl since 1977.
La. Tech, 28-21.
DECEMBER 29
PapaJohns.com Bowl in Birmingham, Ala.
Rutgers (7-5) vs. North Carolina State (6-6), 3 p.m.
Kudos to Greg Schiano's Scarlet Knights for shaking off 1-5 start with six straight wins to get here. They'll make it seven vs. game Wolfpack.
Rutgers, 20-16.
Alamo Bowl in San Antonio
No. 22 Northwestern (9-3) vs. No. 25 Missouri (9-4), 8.
The last time the Wildcats played here in 2000 they lost to Nebraska, 66-17. It won't be that bad this time.
Missouri, 45-24.
DECEMBER 30
Humanitarian Bowl in Boise, Idaho
Nevada (7-5) vs. Maryland (7-5), 4:30 p.m.
Tickets for this one are moving slower than Lindsay Lohan after a long night out.
Maryland, 31-30.
Holiday Bowl in San Diego
No. 13 Oklahoma State (9-3) vs. No. 15 Oregon (9-3), 8.
Ranked eighth and seventh in the nation respectively in scoring, the Cowboys and Ducks combine for 83 points a game.
Oklahoma State, 42-41.
Texas Bowl in Houston
Rice (9-3) vs. Western Michigan (9-3), 8.
The Owls haven't won a bowl since beating Alabama, 28-6, in the 1953 Cotton Bowl. Then again, they've only had one try since 1962.
Rice, 41-31.
NEW YEAR'S EVE
Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth, Texas
Houston (7-5) vs. Air Force (8-4), Noon.
Cougars love to throw (second in nation in passing, 414 ypg), Falcons love to run (fifth at 268,9 ypg).
Houston, 38-34.
Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas
No. 24 Oregon State (8-4) vs. No. 18 Pittsburgh (9-3), 2.
With a 5-1 mark since 200, Beavers are one of nation's better bowl teams.
Oregon State, 24-17.
Music City Bowl in Nashville, Tenn.
Vanderbilt (6-6) vs. Boston College (9-4), 3:30.
Eagles' eight consecutive bowl wins is second longest streak ever.
BC, 27-10.
Insight Bowl in At Tempe, Ariz.
Kansas (7-5) vs. Minnesota (7-5), 5:30.
Gophers backed in with four straight losses including 55-0 clunker to Iowa regular-season finale.
Kansas, 37-28.
Chick-fil-A Bowl in Atlanta
LSU (7-5) vs. No. 14 Georgia Tech (9-3), 7:30.
Defending national champs fell a long way, but will salvage some pride here.
LSU, 23-17.
NEW YEAR'S BOWL
Outback Bowl in Tampa
Iowa (8-4) vs. South Carolina (7-5), 11 a.m.
Hawkeyes have won two of last three bowls vs. SEC.
Iowa, 21-17.
Capital One Bowl in Orlando
No. 16 Georgia (9-3) vs. No. 19 Michigan State (9-3), 1 p.m.
Loss makes Bulldogs one of nation's biggest disappointments. QB Matthew Stafford debuts well for NFL scouts.
Georgia, 31-24.
Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Fla.
Nebraska (8-4) vs. Clemson (7-5), 1.
4-1 finish earned Tigers interim coach Dabo Swinney a five-year contract.
Clemson, 28-21
Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.
No. 5 Southern California (11-1) vs. No. 6 Penn State (11-1), 5.
Trojans' hellacious defense gave up four TDs in last eight games.
USC, 23-10.
Orange Bowl in Miami
No. 12 Cincinnati (11-2) vs. No. 21 Virginia Tech (9-4), 8.
ACC has lost eight straight BCS games. All good things come to an end.
Va. Tech, 20-16.
JANUARY 2
Cotton Bowl in Dallas
No. 8 Texas Tech (11-1) vs. No. 20 Mississippi (8-4), 2 p.m.
Heisman candidate is snubbed, coach gets no job offers, team no BCS bowl. Tech is college football's Rodney Dangerfield.
Texas Tech, 41-26.
Liberty Bowl in Memphis
Kentucky (6-6) vs. East Carolina (9-4), 5.
Wildcats might be worst team that made a bowl.
East Carolina, 33-17
Sugar Bowl in New Orleans
No. 7 Utah (12-0) vs. No. 4 Alabama (12-1), 8.
Not much of a consolation prize for former No. 1-ranked Crimson Tide. But they'll take it.
Alabama, 27-10.
JANUARY 3
International Bowl in Toronto
Connecticut (7-5) vs. Buffalo (8-5), Noon.
Doesn't NAFTA prohibit exporting of bowl games?
Connecticut, 30-27
JANUARY 5
Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Ariz.
No. 3 Texas (11-1) vs. No. 10 Ohio State (10-2), 8:30.
Shafted by Big 12 and BCS, Longhorns make their case for split national title.
Texas, 31-14.
JANUARY 6
GMAC Bowl in Mobile, Ala.
Tulsa (10-3) vs. No. 23 Ball State (12-1), 8.
Why was this fun matchup hidden at the end?
Tulsa, 45-41.
JANUARY 8
BCS National Championship Game in Miami
No. 1 Florida (12-1) vs. No. 2 Oklahoma (12-1), 8 p.m.
SEC is 4-0 in BCS national title games, including Gators' beatdown of Ohio State two years ago. Meanwhile, Sooners have lost last three BCS games while yielding 146 points. Next.
Florida, 38-30.
(E-mail John Lindsay at lindsayj(at)shns.com. Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.scrippsnews.com)
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