Bowl Picks: Part Two

It's time for the rest of my bowl picks. Take a look back at the first 23 to see how I'm doing so far (or don't). I'm doing pretty well picking bowl winners (17-6) and just above .500 against the spread (12-11). Expect more of the same in 2012. Here are the picks for the 12 games that will help us kick off the new year.

TicketCity Bowl
Houston vs Penn State (+7)
Houston opened as a nine-point favorite, but the line has come down since then. People are understandably down on Houston after the Cougars not only blew a chance to go to the BCS, but got embarassed by Southern Miss in the process. Plus, Kevin Sumlin took the A&M job. But, Penn State certainly takes the cake when it comes to awkward coaching situations. On the plus side, the Nittany Lions have already been through a few games with Tom Bradley at the helm. They'll be ready. Penn State will definitely be the best defense Case Keenum has seen all year, and I think that will give the Cougars a lot of trouble. Even if Matt McGloin is out, it's not the Penn State offense that will win the game. It's going to be on defense. I'll take the troubled Penn State team to not only cover, but pull off the win.
The pick: Penn State 24-21

Outback Bowl
Michigan State vs Georgia (-3)

Look for Richt and his Dawgs
to end the season on a high note.

Mark Richt has been on the hot seat all season, but I'm pretty sure that seat has cooled off quite a bit since September. He's done a solid job with this team and reminded his detractors why he's been in Athens for 11 seasons now. Michigan State's defense is tough, but Georgia's is just as good and maybe better. I like Georgia's offensive weapons better as well. Finally, if it's the SEC against the Big Ten, that seals it for me. Georgia should win.
The pick: Georgia 33-27

Capital One Bowl
Nebraska vs South Carolina (-2.5)
Nebraska is 3-0 all-time against South Carolina, but I'm pretty sure that changes this year. The Gamecocks have a strong defense that will be a nightmare for Huskers QB Taylor Martinez. Look for South Carolina to load up against the run and dare Martinez to beat them with his arm, and I don't think he will. Nebraska's defense will be a challenge for South Carolina, too, but I think the Gamecocks will get enough to win.
The pick: South Carolina 21-17

Gator Bowl
Ohio State (+2) vs Florida
Call it the Urban Meyer Bowl if you so desire. Meyer's former team takes on his future team. As much as Florida fans want to blame the underachieving offense on Charlie Weis, I think it was more the talent (or lack thereof) he was coaching. Ohio State may not be that great (6-6, just like Florida), but I think the Buckeyes have a defense that can frustrate the underachieving Florida offense. I'm just not sure what to think of Florida right now. The Gators should be okay in the long term, but I like the Buckeyes in this one. Enjoy the bowl win, Ohio State. You won't have one next year.
The pick: Ohio State 21-20

Rose Bowl
Wisconsin vs Oregon (-6)
Teach me how to Bucky or Teach me how to Duckie? Both of these teams score in bunches, so look for plenty of points in this one. Wisconsin's defense has been great at home, but not so much away from Madison. The Badgers' combo of Russell Wilson and Montee Ball will help Wisconsin keep up for most of the night, but when the game is over, Oregon should have a bit too much for Wisconsin's defense.
The pick: Oregon 45-38

Fiesta Bowl
Stanford vs Oklahoma State (-4)

Few bowl games interest me as much as the Fiesta Bowl.
The quarterback match-up is a big reason why.

This isn't the game Oklahoma State wanted to play in, but I still expect the Cowboys to be fired up for their first BCS appearance. It will very likely be Andrew Luck's final college game, and he'll probably be the most talked-about player. That's fine with OSU. While Luck may be the best pro prospect in the game, don't be shocked if Brandon Weeden outplays him. Weeden has better skill players around him. While Luck has good mobility and pinpoint accuracy, Weeden has the stronger throwing arm; and his accuracy, while maybe not quite at Luck's level, is still pretty darn good. Those two will be fun to watch all night. On the other side of the ball, Oklahoma State's defense should match up very well with the lack of speed on Stanford's offense. While the Cardinal will certainly hope to slow the game down a bit, OSU may set the tone with what Bill Young called "basketball on grass" this week. OSU likes to score in a hurry, and by the end of the night, that may be too much for Stanford. I just look at what Oregon and USC were able to do against Stanford, and I think OSU can have similar results. Win and cover for the Pokes.
The pick: Oklahoma State 38-31
Bonus OSU uniform prediction: This has to be the game they go with all black, right? Fans have been anxious to see it all season.

Sugar Bowl
Michigan (-2.5) vs Virginia Tech
This is a game the BCS got wrong. Kansas State deserved to be in this game more than either of these two, but we all make mistakes I guess. Virginia Tech had a weak schedule and didn't get many great wins. I'm not sure the Hokies are BCS quality this season. While Michigan doesn't exactly bring a lot of quality wins to the table either, the Wolverines' defense is strong, and they have an explosive quarterback who should be able to put on a show. I'll take Shoelace to lead Michigan to a comfortable Sugar Bowl win.
The pick: Michigan 35-20

Orange Bowl
West Virginia vs Clemson (-3)
This is another less-than-inspiring BCS game, but unlike Michigan and Virginia Tech, these teams earned automatic berths and had to be chosen. Despite Clemson's stumbles down the stretch, the Tigers probably are a better overall team than West Virginia. I don't think either team will be able to stop the other. Look for a lot of points, but probably more for Clemson.
The pick: Clemson 42-38

Cotton Bowl
Kansas State (+7.5) vs Arkansas

I don't think Kansas State will win, but I do expect Collin Klein
to keep his team in it all the way to the end.

It's an exciting match-up featuring a pair of teams that got hosed by the BCS. Arkansas got left out because there were two SEC teams ahead of them, and Kansas State was simply disrespected by the Orange Bowl. Vegas isn't showing Kansas State much respect either, but that's nothing new to them (or me, which is why I think I've used a Rodney Dangerfield clip about five times for K-State this year). I've been impressed with the effort and execution of the Wildcats all year. While I do think Arkansas has too much talent to lose this game, I do think Bill Snyder's guys will keep it close all the way to the final gun.
The pick: Arkansas 38-35

BBVA Compass Bowl
SMU (+3.5) vs Pittsburgh
This is one of those lousy bowl games that gets sandwiched between the first few BCS games and the national championship game. It's a 7-5 Conference USA team against a 6-6 Big East team. Hooray.
Pitt opened as a seven-point favorite, but the line has come tumbling down since Todd Graham stunned the team by bolting to Arizona State. Pitt's players may still be in a bit of shock and probably a little angry. SMU is not a great team this season, but I think the Mustangs will hang around before eventually falling to Pitt in an ugly game.
The pick: Pittsburgh 20-17

GoDaddy.com Bowl
Arkansas State (-1.5) vs Northern Illinois
Speaking of lousy games just before the championship, how about this one? At least we'll have the semi-racy, over-the-top GoDaddy.com ads that may or may not have Danica Patrick, and that's probably not enough to get me to watch. Although, give these two teams credit: they did both win their respective conferences (Sun Belt and MAC). Both can score a lot of points (Northern Illinois is 13th in the nation in points scored while Arkansas State is 27th), but NIU tends to get its yards on the ground (8th in the country rushing) while ASU does it through the air (17th in passing yards). Arkansas State, by the way, is the future home of former TU offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn, who surprisingly left his OC job at Auburn to become a head coach. I'll take the Red Wolves over the Huskies. You know which one is which right?
The pick: Arkansas State 52-49

BCS National Championship
Alabama vs LSU (+1)

I'm picking Les Miles get his second BCS trophy.

It's the big one. I know many of us were understandably underwhelmed with the 9-6 decision back in November. Ugly score aside, that doesn't change the fact that these are the two best teams in the country. Two most deserving? We can debate Alabama vs Oklahoma State all day. This is the game we get.
I expect a similar game this time around, but someone will make a big play on offense (Trent Richardson?) or special teams (Tyrann Mathieu?). Last time, I gave the edge to Alabama because of three reasons: the offensive playmaker in Richardson, the home crowd, and I liked the game-planning of Nick Saban over the risk-taking of Les Miles.
This time, the crowd will be behind LSU. Make no mistake about it: this is not a neutral site game. Tiger fans will pack the Superdome and all the streets around it. I don't think Les Miles gets enough respect for his game-planning, so the coaching may be a push. I still like Richardson's ability to break a big play, but let's not forget the Honey Badger. Tyrann Mathieu has had game-changing touchdowns in three of LSU's toughest games: punt returns for touchdowns in the Arkansas and Georgia games that shifted all the momentum to the Tigers' favor, and he also forced a fumble and returned it for a touchdown against Oregon. Don't rule out him being the guy who makes the big play to deliver another crystal football to LSU. It should be another low-scoring game, but I can't go against LSU in this setting. LSU will be your national champion. Quite frankly, based on their entire body of work, that's the way it should be.
The pick: LSU 16-10

Thanks for reading my picks blog this season. I guess I need to find something else to write about for a while.

Jersey Fouls

This is my favorite jersey for obvious reasons.

Jerseys are cool, but only in moderation. As adults, there are only three situations in which it is acceptable to wear a professional sports jersey.
1. You're at a game.
2. You're at some sort of party where people are watching a game.
3. You're playing in the game.

Hanging with friends, dates, the workplace, church. These are all places the jersey should not be seen. Yes, I've seen them in all of those places.

It's just not a good look. Those are the simple rules of jersey wearing.

Beyond that, there are some slightly more complicated rules of etiquette that should be observed by the adult jersey wearer. Kids, you're fine. Wear your jerseys whenever you want. For you grownups, let this blog be your guide.

Ideally, your jersey should be of a current player. Unless you are 10 years old, a personalized jersey that says "Timmy" on the back just doesn't impress anyone. Adults should get a jersey of a current player, ideally one with staying power. Keep this in mind when purchasing said jersey. It better be someone who will be with the team for a while. First round draft picks, franchise players and players with enormous contracts are ideal for jersey purchasing. Those things cost normally cost at least $80 and sometimes get closer to $200. So, get your money's worth.

I kept this in mind when looking around for Chiefs jerseys last year. At the time, there was no player on the roster that I thought A.) was a great player and B.) definitely would be with the team for a while. So, I held off. However, when I found a Derrick Johnson jersey on sale for $35 last spring, I knew I had made a worthwhile purchase. He just signed a five-year contract extension and is now a Pro Bowler.

Tamarick Vanover. Marc Boerigter. Snoop Minnis. Steve Bono. I saw all of those Chiefs jerseys at Arrowhead within the last year. Not a good look, folks. I'm not sure those were great choices when they were with the team. Now? Ugh. Former players that are out of the NFL are bad enough, but that's not the biggest faux paux I've seen.

Really? All the promising young talent in KC, and you
show up at the K rocking a Greinke jersey? Shame!

Do not wear a jersey of a former player who currently plays for another team. I saw way too many Zack Greinke jerseys at the last Royals game I went to. Not cool. The guy had a couple nice seasons in KC (one great one), but he wanted out. He's a Brewer now.

When a player goes to another team, it's time to put the jersey in the closet. Wearing that to a game is kind of like keeping a picture of an ex. You had some good times, but you're not together anymore. Time to find someone else. There are several more examples out there that are a lot worse than Greinke Royals jerseys, though. Here are a few examples of jerseys you need to put in your closet and leave there until further notice:

LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers - Some people still wear them. They shouldn't. The wound is way too fresh and won't go away anytime soon.

Terrell Owens, any team - Admit it. You hated Owens until he signed with your team. Then you got excited, bought the jersey, and by the end of the year you had buyer's remorse because of the locker room turmoil he caused. Now, it's the only jersey you have so that's what you wear on game day. You're better than that. Admit you made a mistake. Throw the TO jersey away.

Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals - I know it hurts, but it's over, Cardinal fans. Don't throw that number 5 away, though. That jersey will be cool again one day. This brings me to my next point.

I like my Tony G. jersey,
but I can't wear it for a while.

Legendary players are acceptable... after they've retired. One day, when guys James and Pujols have retired and the wounds have healed, you can bring those jerseys back out and maybe even wear them to games again. Not before then, though.

Michael Jordan Bulls jersey? Emmitt Smith Cowboys jersey? Joe Montana 49ers? All beyond acceptable. They are legendary players for those respective franchises and will mostly be remembered for what they did in those cities and not Washington, Arizona, or Kansas City. Wear the jerseys of your legends proudly.

I like my Tony Gonzalez Chiefs jersey, but he's a Falcon now. Until he hangs it up, that 88 will hang in my closet. When he makes his Hall of Fame speech, though, I'll probably bring it back out. He'll always be a Chief to me. He'll be in the Chiefs Hall of Honor one day. Then (and only then) can the 88 be worn to Arrowhead again.

I can't move to my last point before addressing a big grey area: Brett Favre Packers jerseys. He's retired (we think), but I'm pretty sure some bitter feelings still linger. Maybe in a few years when Favre goes into the Hall of Fame and hopefully buries the hatchet with Green Bay in his speech, those Favre Packer jerseys will be a little more acceptable. As long as Rodgers is quarterbacking that team, though, I'd suggest keeping your 4's hidden.

College rules. The beauty about college jerseys: for the most part, they are forever. They rarely have names on the back. So, they're flexible. My number 3 Notre Dame football jersey has flexed from Darius Walker to Michael Floyd, and in lean years I just say it's Joe Montana. Even the rare college jerseys that do have names last forever because they usually fall under the previously-mentioned legendary rule. Colleges won't take the time to make a jersey with a name on it unless the player is an all-time great. So, unless you have a jersey of a player who transferred or left the program with a pile of NCAA sanctions (see: Terrelle Pryor Ohio State jerseys), your college jerseys should be good forever.

Court Storming Etiquette

As we shift our focus from football to basketball, I thought it was time to revive another one of my lost blogs from OKBlitz.com: Court Storming Etiquette. The exciting games from this past week (Indiana stunning Kentucky and Kansas taking down Ohio State) reminded me of it.

Anyone who has been to college knows the feeling: being in the stands at the end of a big win and getting that urge to run onto the court. 

I remember my first court storming experience. It was February 2, 2002. Fourth-ranked Cincinnati came to Milwaukee on a 20-game winning streak, and it had won Conference USA every year since its inception. Dwyane Wade led Marquette past the Bearcats in a 74-60 victory. 

Heck yes. We stormed the floor. We went nuts. (click the link. If you look closely in the lower right-hand corner, you may notice a young student reporter with a questionable haircut.)

Court storming? Oh yeah. I've been there a couple times.
I took this photo after Marquette won the C-USA title.

Marquette hadn't been to the tournament in five years, and our program was finally back on the map. We stormed the floor again a year later when Marquette beat Cincinnati again to win its first (and only) Conference USA championship. Honestly, I think we were all happy to have winning the title as an excuse to rub it in Cincinnati's face a little more.

Storming the floor is fun, but you can't do it every time your team wins a game. The young, immature fan in all of us wants to run out there after every victory. We can't do that, though. Then, it wouldn't be special, and it gets really irritating when it happens too often. There are rules. Unfortunately these rules are unwritten, and they are complicated with a lot of gray area. Here's a little guide that may or may not help students decide when rushing the court is appropriate. We don't have to call these rules. Let's just call them suggestions.

You just won a tournament berth from a one-bid league?
Court storming is both allowed and encouraged. Go nuts.

ALWAYS storm the court if you play in a one-bid conference and clinch a bid to the NCAA tournament. For small conferences, the opportunity to go to the Big Dance is so rare, you have to celebrate when you get the chance. It’s especially rare when you get to clinch that bid at home. So if you get a chance to celebrate an NCAA bid at home, do it.

RARELY storm the court if the team you beat is not ranked. It was because of this rule that I questioned an Oral Roberts celebration after defeating Missouri two years ago. Missouri wasn't ranked, but it was a huge win for ORU, a Summit League team. Missouri was just 5-2 coming in, but it was still a Big 12 team that went to the Elite 8 the previous season. I forgave the ORU fans because I’m locally biased. It was sweet for a Summit League team to knock off a Big 12 team, and it had been a while since ORU had a great win like that. So, it was acceptable, but let’s stay in the stands for the next one. Okay, guys?

NEVER storm the court if your team is ranked in the top 10, maybe top 15. If the team is that good, you should expect to win every single time.

RARELY storm the court if you are a ranked team. Going along with the previous point, if your team is good enough to be ranked, you should anticipate winning every home game. So, you should always enter these games expecting a win, and home wins by ranked teams should be treated with class. However…

Wins over hated rivals make court storming more forgivable.

ALWAYS storm the court if you end a long run of futility against a hated rival. This would apply to a program like Kansas State, for example. A few years ago, the Wildcats had this guy named Michael Beasley, were ranked 24th in the country and hosting second-ranked Kansas. The Jayhawks had owned Kansas State forever, as KU had won 24 straight in Manhattan. Kansas State won, and the students rightly rushed the floor. Ending an embarrassing streak like that warrants a court rush every time. So, in short, if your rival has beaten you down for a long time, and you finally win a game, rub it in.

ALMOST ALWAYS storm the court if your team is unranked and upsets a highly ranked (1-10 or so) team. It’s an upset. Celebrate.

RARELY storm the court if your team is unranked and beats a team ranked between 20 and 25. This is especially true if your team is in the “others receiving votes” category. If your team is almost in the top 25, and the team you beat is barely in, and your team is at home, is it really an upset? It helps to know the point spread. Your team may actually be favored.

ALWAYS storm the court if you are an unranked team and you upset the nation’s top-ranked team. This is always cause for celebration. However...

Students at this arena (and others) should stay off the court.

NEVER storm the court if you are a fan of one of the nation’s elite programs: North Carolina, Kansas, Kentucky, UCLA, Duke, and Indiana fit this category. These programs should never see their students rush the floor. Ever. They are above it because of the number of national titles and All-Americans they have had. No matter how down one of these programs may get, they should still treat every win like they have done it before, because they have.

This is where Indiana's win over Kentucky comes into question. It crosses an "always" with a "never." Stupid gray area. I can't blame the IU students, though. If I were a student in Assembly Hall that day, you know I would have been on the floor. Indiana fans, though, should probably never storm the court again. If the program is truly "back," let's act like it.

One that may never be used...

ABSOLUTELY storm the court if your team ends an extended, history-making winning streak. In today’s college basketball world, I can’t imagine any men's program racking up a ridiculous winning streak of 35 or more. I can't see a team going unbeaten and then extending that winning streak well into another season like the Connecticut women seem to do routinely these days. However, if any team ever does do something as crazy as John Wooden’s UCLA Bruins’ 88-game winning streak, the school that breaks that should definitely storm the floor, tear down the rims, break things on press row, everything. But, I don’t think it’s going out on a limb to say that no team will even approach half of that UCLA streak, so this rule is pretty irrelevant, but it’s good to have anyway.

Finally, most importantly...

NEVER storm the court if you are not a student. It's for the kids only. Once you graduate from college, you graduate from court storming.

Bowl Picks: Part One

It's bowl season! Time to go to beautiful places like El Paso!

Beef 'O' Brady's
BBVA Compass
GoDaddy.com
Belk
FreeCreditScore.com
Bridgeport Education

Only one of those is NOT attached to the name of a bowl game this year. Nothing says prestige like the 35 bowl games we have now. As much as we kid/complain about the mediocrity of the first dozen or so, the last dozen or so tend to be a lot of fun.

So, to get you ready, here come the first half (give or take a few) of my bowl picks:

Gildan New Mexico Bowl
Temple (-6.5) vs Wyoming
This is the first epic battle to kick off bowl season. Compared to some of the other games, it's not bad. Both teams have eight wins, albeit in non-AQ conferences. While Temple hasn't played many great opponents (Penn State was the only ranked team), Wyoming was beaten convincingly by its tougher opponents (TCU, Boise State, Nebraska). I'll take the Owls and give the points.
The pick: Temple 30-21

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Ohio (+2.5) vs Utah State
There's more MAC excitement at stop two on the 2011-12 bowl tour. Ohio blew a big lead in the MAC Championship Game to end up here. Playing in their first Saturday game since October, I like the Bobcats to get some redemption and pull off a modest upset of the Aggies.
The pick: Ohio 27-24

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
San Diego State (-5) vs Louisiana-Lafayette
The Ragin' Cajuns make a short trip to New Orleans to take on future Big East member San Diego State (there is nothing that sounds right about "East" and "San Diego" together). The Cajuns will have the crowd behind them, but San Diego State is a little more battle-tested. I'll take the Aztecs to win and cover.
The pick: San Diego State 31-24

Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl St. Petersburg
Florida International (-4) vs Marshall
Both the Panthers and Thundering Herd boast a win over Louisville. The other common opponent is Central Florida: a win for FIU and a loss for Marshall. FIU may come from a weaker conference, but I'll pick the Panthers since they are playing in their home state and Marshall looked pretty bad against Conference USA's better teams late in the season.
The pick: Florida International 31-24

San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl
TCU (-10.5) vs Louisiana Tech

Casey Pachall leads TCU into the Poinsettia Bowl.
Next time we see the Frogs, they'll be a Big 12 team.

TCU had a lot of concerns over its pass defense early in the season after losses to Baylor and SMU. Those may not be completely fixed, but TCU did find a way to defeat Boise State and go unbeaten in the Mountain West. Louisiana Tech is talented and did well enough to win the WAC, but it hasn't seen a team with TCU's talent yet. The Frogs should be able to use its deep stable of running backs and other offensive weapons to get past Tech. I'll take the Frogs and give the points
The pick: TCU 35-21

MAACO Las Vegas Bowl
Arizona State vs Boise State (-14)
Boise State feels disrespected (again) by the BCS, but I have no sympathy for the Broncos. They should have won the Mountain West if they wanted to be in the BCS, and the Mountain West even gift-wrapped the conference for them by moving the TCU game to Boise, where the Broncos weren't able to get it done.
Boise State, though, does have plenty of talent and much more focus than Arizona State. Look for the Broncos to run up the score in Las Vegas.
The pick: Boise State 48-20

Sheraton Hawaii Bowl
Nevada vs Southern Miss (-6)
Larry Fedora is sticking around to coach one more game before leaving Southern Miss for North Carolina (If it would get me a free trip to Hawaii, I'd stick around for the bowl game, too). I'll be interested to see how hard the Golden Eagles play for him. Southern Miss has two head-scratching losses (Marshall and UAB), but it still has more talent than Nevada. Southern Miss may have a chip on its shoulder because the Liberty Bowl (normally the destination for the Conference USA champion) passed on inviting USM. I guess Hawaii is a sweet consolation prize. Look for a strong performance from the Golden Eagles.
The pick: Southern Miss 42-28

AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl
Missouri (-4.5) vs North Carolina
The Big 12 is stronger than the ACC top to bottom, so I'll take a 5-4 Big 12 team over a 3-5 ACC team. Missouri isn't a great squad by any means, but it does have some promising talent, especially with James Franklin at quarterback. Plus, Mizzou did hang around with a lot of the top teams in the Big 12 this year, with the only real blow out being against Oklahoma State. I like Mizzou to take care of North Carolina with relative ease.
The pick: Missouri 31-21

Little Caesars Bowl
Western Michigan vs Purdue (-2.5)
It's a MAC team without any great wins against a Big Ten team without any great wins. Both lost to Michigan by more than 20. Purdue beat Illinois by a touchdown while the Broncos lost to Illinois by a field goal. Sure, edge to Purdue to win, and even cover.
The pick: Purdue 27-23

Belk Bowl
Louisville vs North Carolina State (-2.5)
The Wolfpack finished the season strong by upsetting Clemson and blowing out Maryland to finish at 4-4 in the ACC. Louisville just barely missed out on winning the Big East BCS bid as West Virginia won the tiebreaker with the Cards and Cincy to go to the Orange Bowl. The teams are pretty close, but NC State should have quite a few fans in Charlotte. Yes, that's where the Belk Bowl is played. Just like Vegas, I'll give a slight edge to the Wolfpack.
The pick: NC State 30-27

Military Bowl
Toledo (-3) vs Air Force
Can you really beat Air Force in the Military Bowl? I would say yes if you're Toledo. The Rockets score a lot of points, and only a three-point loss to Northern Illinois prevented them from going to the conference title game. I'll value 7-1 in the MAC over 3-4 in the Mountain West. I like Toledo relatively big.
The pick: Toledo 45-28

Bridgeport Education Holiday Bowl
California vs Texas (-3)

Look for the Texas defense to lead the 'Horns to a bowl win.

Both of these teams enter with 7-5 records overall and 4-5 in their respective conferences. Both took their beatings from teams at the top (Stanford, Oregon, USC, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Kansas State, etc) and both got their wins over the conference bottom feeders. While the Longhorns' quarterback situation is pretty lousy, there is no denying their defense is outstanding. That will be the difference in the Holiday Bowl.
The pick: Texas 20-13

Champs Sports Bowl
Notre Dame (+3) vs Florida State
Once upon a time, Florida State was ranked in the top five. While Seminoles' offense did not turn out to be as great as some thought, the defense lived up the the hype. I think that spells trouble for the Irish, who failed to reach 20 points against Stanford and USC (who have pretty good defenses, but not as elite as Florida State's). The question is whether or not Florida State can muster enough offense to win the game. I think the game will be close, but Florida State will get just enough to win.
The pick: Florida State 21-20

Valero Alamo Bowl
Washington vs Baylor (-9)
It could be the farewell performance for Heisman winner Robert Griffin. Washington had pretty bad days against other Heisman contenders Andrew Luck and Matt Barkley. Plus, Baylor has some nice wins (Oklahoma, TCU, and Texas) while Washington really doesn't. Look for Griffin to light up the scoreboard before making a decision about the NFL.
The pick: Baylor 48-21

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl
Tulsa (+2.5) vs BYU
From the "slightly interesting but mostly worthless information" department: both of these teams defeated Central Florida 24-17. Overall, Tulsa's schedule seems more challenging. BYU's first season of independence came at a cost: the overall schedule was pretty average (two games against teams from Idaho, neither of which was Boise State). Tulsa's season ended in disappointment with the blowout loss to Houston, but overall TU improved a lot throughout Conference USA play. I think TU can score on this BYU team and will leave the Metroplex with a nice win to end the season.
The pick: Tulsa 34-28

New Era Pinstripe Bowl
Rutgers vs Iowa State (+1.5)
While the match-ups in this bowl game tend to be lousy, the Pinstripe Bowl is one of the new bowls that I think is kind of cool. I just think the idea of playing in Yankee Stadium is fun. Then again, I'm not the one out there freezing in New York in December. While Rutgers should have the hometown crowd, I was impressed with the fight Iowa State showed late in the season. I'll take the Cyclones to grind out an ugly win.
The pick: Iowa State 23-20

Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl
Mississippi State (-7) vs Wake Forest
Another shining example of the greatness that is bowl season: a pair of 6-6 teams doing battle in Nashville. As if picking SEC over ACC wasn't reason enough, Wake Forest's season finale convinced me which way to go. Wake lost 41-7 to Vanderbilt, a team that went 6-6 overall and 2-6 in the SEC, just like Mississippi State. Bulldogs roll.
The pick: Mississippi State 35-17 

Insight Bowl
Iowa vs Oklahoma (-14)

Bob Stoops meets his alma mater in the Insight Bowl.

Oklahoma certainly hoped to be playing in the Phoenix area for a bowl game, just not in the Insight Bowl. The preseason Big 12 favorite struggled through injuries and some issues in the defensive secondary to end up here against Bob Stoops' alma mater. The Sooners have way more talent, but my concern is how much they will care about this game. I base my pick off what I saw in the Sun Bowl a couple years ago. The Sooners didn't have much to play for that day either, but they blew Stanford out of the water and used it as a stepping stone for a Big 12 championship season in 2010. Look for a strong effort from the Sooners.
The pick: Oklahoma 38-21

Meineke Car Care Bowl
Texas A&M vs Northwestern (+10)
I'm tempted to just pick this game to go the way almost every important Texas A&M game has gone this year: Aggies lead at the half, collapse late and lose. I think this game will go something like that, but there is too much talent on the A&M sideline to lose to Northwestern. It may be ugly, but the Aggies will escape.
The pick: Texas A&M 30-24 

Hyundai Sun Bowl
Georgia Tech (-3.5) vs Utah
The one thing I can't get past: Utah finished behind UCLA in that lousy Pac-12 South division. Give me Georgia Tech's option attack to run past the Utes in El Paso.
The pick: Georgia Tech 38-27

AutoZone Liberty Bowl
Cincinnati (+2.5) vs Vanderbilt
The line is an indication of how much Vegas respects the SEC: Vandy went 6-6 overall and 2-6 in the SEC while Cincinnati went 9-3 overall and 5-2 in the weak Big East. While there's no doubt the SEC and Big East are the yin and the yang of BCS conferences, Vanderbilt may be getting a little too much credit for being an SEC team and Cincinnati may not be getting enough credit. The Bearcats will be out to prove something, and I'll pick them for a slight upset.
The pick: Cincinnati 27-24

Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl
Illinois vs UCLA (+2.5)
Barf. The award for worst bowl game goes right here. The combined record of these teams is 12-13. Both have fired their coaches. One of these "bowl teams" will finish the season with a losing record. Illinois began the season 6-0 before finishing 6-6. UCLA at least showed some fight against Oregon. Illinois is in free fall and really can't score. Give me the Bruins for the "upset" win to finish the season at 7-7. Barf again.
The pick: UCLA 24-23

Chick-Fil-A Bowl
Virginia vs Auburn (-1.5)
A year after being national champs, Auburn ends its 2011 campaign in Atlanta. Considering the number of NFL draft picks the Tigers lost from last season, it wasn't a bad season. Playing in SEC country should serve War Eagle well. Even though Michael Dyer has been suspended, Auburn should have enough defensively to end the season on a high note.
The pick: Auburn 20-17

That's it for the first part of my bowl picks. I'll pick the rest of the games closer to New Year's Day.

Oh, and FreeCreditScore.com. That was the only one at the top that's not tied to a bowl game... yet.