Here is the first group of my bowl picks. I'll do the regular bowls in two groups, in chronologicalish order, and then a special section for the decidedly unimpressive BCS match-ups.
Eaglebank Bowl: Navy vs. Wake Forest
A rematch! Navy won the previous outing. Still I am with the favorite, although it is hard to root against a team with a quarterback named Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada (I had to look up the spelling). This is a pretty good match-up to start the bowl season, especially if you like running games and defense.
My pick: WF
New Mexico Bowl: Fresno State vs. Colorado St.
Fresno State started out highly ranked and failed to live up to it. Colorado State was not, and now they're in New Mexico. As Dick Vitale might say, Big Mo!
My pick: CSU
St. Petersburg Bowl: USF vs. Memphis
It's as magicJack as all get out. I am looking forward to the day when every city with over 150,000 people hosts a bowl game (I am totally serious about that -- as long as we clarify which ones are the big important ones, I want as many bowl games as we can get teams for). As to the game, Memphis is a bad football team and an ugly city, neither of which USF suffers from.
My pick: USF
Las Vegas Bowl: BYU vs. Arizona
Again, I am a big believer in the motivation school of bowl picking. Arizona is glad to be in a bowl game; this is well short of what BYU was hoping for. Plus, BYU seems to have trouble (relatively speaking) moving the ball against any decent defense.
My pick: AZ
New Orleans Bowl: Southern Miss vs. Troy
The only team in a bowl game I can root for! And a Sun Belt team is favored! Even if over a C-USA team. Troy has looked better against real teams -- Southern Miss lost to Auburn, for goodness' sake, which should bar anyone from going to a bowl game.
My pick: TROY BABY
Poinsettia Bowl: Boise St. vs. TCU
I like it when newer bowl games have real names. Also, can anyone deny that, in terms of watchability and quality of the teams playing, that this is at least the second best bowl game this season? Also, offense wins games, but defense wins Poinsettia Bowls.
My pick: TCU
Hawaii Bowl: Notre Dame vs. Hawaii
Charlie Weis has a job. Tommy Tuberville and Phil Fulmer do not. There is no justice. If Boise St. and Cincinnati had trouble scoring, so will Notre Dame. Momentum favors Hawaii, who contrasts with perpetually collapsing Notre Dame.
My pick:HAWAI'I'I'I
Motor City Bowl: Florida Atlantic vs. Central Michigan
FAU is pretty bad at football. What kind of terrible sins do you have to commit to be forced from Florida to Detroit during Christmas? Home field, sort of, is what Central Michigan can count on. I do hate to root about Howard, though (we're on a first name basis). After Ford goes under, who will pick up this bowl game? I hope it's the Toyota Motor City Bowl.
My pick: CMU
Meineke Car Care Bowl: North Carolina vs. West Virginia
I think making fun of bowl names gets old pretty fast, and there's only so many fruits (why isn't there a Lemon Bowl?), but the words "Car Care" are in this one. My pick: again, all about momentum, this time in the long run: West Virginia is gasping to the end of a successful run and graduating back toward mediocrity, while North Carolina is on its way up. Also, if it comes down to coaching, West Virginia is in trouble.
My pick: UNC
Champs Sports Bowl: Wisconsin vs. Florida St.
The best match-up 1999 has to offer. Wasn't Wisconsin supposed to the team challenging Ohio State for the Big 10? FSU had trouble with good offenses, but Wisconsin is not a good offense. A match-up of mediocre teams from mediocre conferences who don't deserve to go to Disney World.
My pick: FSU
Emerald Bowl: Cal vs. Miami
I love Emerald Nuts commercials (see here and especially here). It's too bad Cal's a pretty good team playing at home, and Miami isn't.
My pick: CAL
Independence Bowl: Northern Illinois vs. Louisiana Tech
It will always be the Poulan Weedeater Bowl to me. I'm not quite sure why Northern Illinois isn't a bigger favorite, or why I think Louisiana Tech will win, but I'm going with my gut.
My pick: LA TECH
Papajohns.com: North Carolina St. vs. Rutgers
Easily the most important bowl game I'll be attending, and easily the one with the most frightening mascot. They are on a combined ten game winning streak, so I expect the best from both. It's too bad that, like most of the world, I stopped paying attention to either after dismal starts. But it will be fun to see them!
My pick: RUTGERS BABY
Alamo Bowl: Northwestern vs. Missouri
This game should be fun to watch, or at least as fun as a pretty big win can be. Missouri doesn't have much of a defense, but with that offense, and against Northwestern, that doesn't matter.
My pick: MISSOURI
Humanitarian Bowl: Nevada vs. Maryland
Maryland beat Clemson, who is in the Gator Bowl, while Maryland is in Idaho. Football is unfair. Maryland lost to Middle Tennesee and beat Delaware by seven points. There are no rational explanations for why ACC teams win or lose. Nevada's best win is ... Fresno State? None of this matters. We are but specks in the wind.
My pick: THA FRIDGE
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