Motor City Bowl
Purdue vs. Central Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
December 26
7:30 pm Eastern
ESPN
Purdue
Record: 7-5 (3-5)
Record against bowl teams: 1-5
Best Win: Central Michigan (8-5)
Worst Loss: Indiana (7-5)
The Rundown: Purdue had a veteran, experienced team this season and could have been a surprise team In the Big Ten. Instead, the Boilermakers struggled against good teams and did just enough to get to a bowl game. Interestingly, the only bowl team that Purdue beat is the same Central Michigan team they are facing in the bowl game. The offense was much improved behind QB Curtis Painter and a talented receiving corps, and it averaged almost a touchdown more per game than last season. Purdue had climbed all the way to a 7-2 record before losing the last three games, including to Indiana on a last second field goal.
Central Michigan
Record: 8-5 (6-1)
Record against bowl teams: 1-3
Best Win: Ball State (7-5)
Worst Loss: North Dakota State (FCS)
The Rundown: Central Michigan was a dominant team in conference play with their only loss was by a field goal after they had already locked up the MAC West. Unfortunately the OOC was a completely different story. Other than a win against Army, they were blown out in the other four games. Kansas, Purdue, Clemson, and FCS-member North Dakota State all beat Central Michigan convincingly with a combined score of 211-57. The Chippewas are led by first year head coach Butch Jones, the former West Virginia WR coach and previously the OC for Central Michigan.
The Matchup: This game was already played once this season on September 15. Purdue won it easily with a final score of 45-22. Both teams have continued to play at the same level as they did on that game, so the only difference is that now it will be on a neutral field instead of Purdue having the home field advantage. That won’t be enough to change the outcome.
The Pick: Purdue
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Pacific Life Holiday Bowl
Arizona State vs. Texas
San Diego, California
December 27
8:00 pm Eastern
ESPN
Arizona State
Record: 10-2 (7-2)
Record against bowl teams: 4-2
Best Win: Oregon State (8-4)
Worst Loss: Oregon (8-4)
The Rundown: Arizona State had a huge year, winning 10 games under new head coach Dennis Erickson. The Sun Devils won their first eight games, including victories over bowl teams Colorado, Oregon State and California. The first loss came on the road against an Oregon team with a healthy Dennis Dixon. The other loss came against USC that almost completely knocked them out of the Pac 10 title race. While Arizona State did beat four bowl teams, three of them finished with 6-6 records, and three of them were at home. Both times they faced a top tier team, they were beaten soundly. Arizona State did a great job at winning all of the games they were supposed to, but they weren’t able to capture an elite win this season.
Texas
Record: 9-3 (5-3)
Record against bowl teams: 4-2
Best Wins: Texas Tech (8-4) and UCF (10-3)
Worst Loss: Kansas State (5-7)
The Rundown: Texas had another good season, but couldn’t do enough to win the Big 12 South. Texas lost to Kansas State and Texas A&M both for the second straight year, even though the Longhorns appeared to be the better team. Throw in a loss in the Red River Rivalry, and Texas finished with just a 5-3 record in conference. Texas did score a couple of good non-conference wins against UCF and TCU.
The Matchup: This game is often considered the first major bowl of the season, since it is usually the first to have two ranked teams participate in it. This year’s matchup should not disappoint. Arizona State won 10 games, but none against the caliber of opponent that Texas is. Texas has struggled at times this season, but I expect them to show up strong in the bowl game.
The Pick: Texas
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Champs Sports Bowl
Boston College vs. Michigan State
Orlando, Florida
December 28
5:00 pm Eastern
ESPN
Boston College
Record: 10-3 (6-2)
Record against bowl teams: 5-3
Best Win: Virginia Tech (11-2)
Worst Loss: Maryland (6-6)
The Rundown: Boston College started off really hot, winning the first eight games and Matt Ryan garnered a lot of Heisman attention. First year head coach Jeff Jagodzinski was able to continue the success that former coach Tom O’Brien was able to build there. BC ended up losing the ACC Championship game to Virginia Tech, splitting the season series with them. Along with beating Virginia Tech, the Eagles also had good wins against Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, Bowling Green, and Clemson. BC’s two losses in the season were to bowl teams, albeit mediocre ones in Florida State and Maryland.
Michigan State
Record: 7-5 (3-5)
Record against bowl teams: 4-3
Best Win: Penn State (8-4)
Worst Loss: Northwestern (6-6)
The Rundown: Michigan State is also breaking in a new head coach in Mark Dantonio. Michigan State was competitive in every game they played, never losing a game by more than a touchdown. Also two of those losses were in overtime. Michigan State was the highest scoring team in the Big Ten this season and improved on their points scored by almost nine per game since last season.
The Matchup: Boston College has the nation’s best rush defense and will be going up against a power rush team. Michigan State has a good running game, but it will definitely have its problems in this game. Boston College should be able to win this game by forcing to the Spartans to have to beat them through the air.
The Pick: Boston College
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Texas Bowl
TCU vs. Houston
Houston, Texas
December 28
8:00 pm Eastern
NFL Network
TCU
Record: 7-5 (4-4)
Record against bowl teams: 1-4
Best Win: New Mexico (8-4)
Worst Loss: Wyoming (5-7)
The Rundown: TCU had a lot of preseason hype and started out well with a shutout victory against Baylor. Unfortunately, they lost the next two games and could never put more than two wins in a row. Other than the Texas game, TCU was never beaten by more than a touchdown. The Horned Frogs only picked up one quality win all season, a 37-0 shutout against 8-4 New Mexico. They didn’t beat another team with a winning record. TCU did finish 16th in the nation in total defense, but only third in the conference behind BYU and New Mexico.
Houston
Record: 8-4 (6-2)
Record against bowl teams: 0-4
Best Win: Tulane (4-8)
Worst Loss: East Carolina (7-5)
The Rundown: A quick look at Houston’s 8-4 record makes me think that they are a pretty good team. A closer look makes me wonder how good they actually are. While they did get eight wins, none of those games came against an opponent who won more than four games. It’s never a good sign when your two best wins are against Tulane and UTEP. The four losses came to bowl teams, and two of them were close games to East Carolina and Alabama. They had a chance to clinch the C-USA West title, but were blown out by Tulsa 56-7. Houston’s head coach Art Briles left after the regular season, taking over at Baylor.
The Matchup: I would have more faith in Houston if they still had Briles on the sideline, or if they had shown the capability to beat a good team. The game will be played in Houston, but the home field advantage will be minimal. I expect this to be a close game with TCU coming out on top.
The Pick: TCU
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Emerald Bowl
Maryland vs. Oregon State
San Francisco, California
December 28
8:30 pm Eastern
ESPN
Maryland
Record: 6-6 (3-5)
Record against bowl teams: 3-5
Best Win: Boston College (10-3)
Worst Loss: North Carolina (4-8)
The Rundown: Maryland was a very average team this season, not doing anything to stand out either positively or negatively. They had one really good win against Boston College and one bad loss against North Carolina. Both of those games were decided by a score. They beat a couple of 7-5 teams and lost to five bowl teams.
Oregon State
Record: 8-4 (6-3)
Record against bowl teams: 3-4
Best Win: Oregon (8-4)
Worst Loss: UCLA (6-6)
The Rundown: Oregon State started off a little slow out of the gate with a 2-3 record, but finished strong winning six of the last seven. While they were beaten badly at home by UCLA, the other three losses were on the road to teams that won nine or ten games. Good victories include winning at California when they were ranked #2 in the country, at #17 Oregon, and Utah.
The Matchup: This game appears to be a mismatch with Oregon State being the much better team. Maryland will also be traveling all the way across the country and may not have many fans in attendance. I think the Terps may be able to keep it close, but the Beavers should get the win.
The Pick: Oregon State
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Meineke Car Care Bowl
Connecticut vs. Wake Forest
Charlotte, North Carolina
December 29
1:00 pm Eastern
ESPN
Connecticut
Record: 9-3 (5-2)
Record against bowl teams: 2-3
Best Win: South Florida (9-3)
Worst Loss: Virginia (9-3)
The Rundown: Connecticut was one of the biggest surprises this year; they won nine games and had a chance at the Big East title. The Huskies lost only one game in their first nine games, and that was by a single point on the road to a nine-win Virginia team. Along the way they picked up good wins against South Florida, Rutgers, and Louisville. Connecticut was beaten soundly in the other two losses, but it was against really good teams on the road. The loss against West Virginia was the game that decided the Big East race.
Wake Forest
Record: 8-4 (5-3)
Record against bowl teams: 3-3
Best Win: Florida State (7-5)
Worst Loss: Nebraska (5-7)
The Rundown: Wake Forest lost the first two games of the season, but the ripped off a six game winning streak before splitting the last four games. Wake never picked up an elite win, but still beat three bowl teams and only had one bad loss. Only Clemson was able to blow out Wake Forest, the other three losses were by ten or fewer points.
The Matchup: Connecticut won a lot of games, but never beat a good team on the road. Since this game is almost a home team for Wake Forest, the Huskies may have some trouble. Also Jim Grobe is still one of the best coaches in the country, so the Demon Deacons get the nod.
The Pick: Wake Forest
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AutoZone Liberty Bowl
UCF vs. Mississippi State
Memphis, Tennessee
December 29
4:30 pm Eastern
ESPN
UCF
Record: 10-3 (7-1)
Record against bowl teams: 4-3
Best Wins: Tulsa (9-4) twice
Worst Loss: East Carolina (7-5)
The Rundown: This year UCF is most well known for the huge year that RB Kevin Smith is having. He was the nation’s leading rusher with 2448 yards and 29 rushing TDs. Smith also led the nation in scoring with 180 points (13.85 per game.) UCF beat Tulsa in the C-USA Championship game to give them their first conference championship. UCF never had a bad loss. The only home loss was against Texas by a field goal in their brand new stadium. The other two were on the road against bowl teams East Carolina and South Florida.
Mississippi State
Record: 7-5 (4-4)
Record against bowl teams: 3-4
Best Win: Auburn (8-4)
Worst Loss: South Carolina (6-6)
The Rundown: Sylvester Croom has finally turned Mississippi State around and brought them to their first bowl game since 2000. Along the way they beat Kentucky and Alabama when they were ranked and had another good win against Auburn. The Bulldogs struggled all year on offense and finished in the bottom ten in total offense. The defense was able to keep them in the games that they won.
The Matchup: The UCF offensive machine is firing on all cylinders, and even a strong Mississippi State defense isn’t going to be able to stop it. UCF also has an underrated defense, which should give fits to the Bulldogs anemic offense. This game could be a statement win for how far the UCF program has come in a short amount of time.
The Pick: UCF
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Valero Alamo Bowl
Penn State vs. Texas A&M
San Antonio, Texas
December 29
8:00 pm Eastern
ESPN
Penn State
Record: 8-4 (4-4)
Record against bowl teams: 3-4
Best Win: Wisconsin (9-3)
Worst Loss: Michigan State (7-5)
The Rundown: Penn State was a great team at home and a mediocre one on the road. The only road games they won were against Indiana by five points and Temple. They lost to Michigan, Illinois, and Michigan State on the road. They went 6-1 at home, with the only loss coming against Ohio State. They were able to knock off Purdue and Wisconsin at home.
Texas A&M
Record: 7-5 (4-4)
Record against bowl teams: 3-4
Best Win: Texas (9-3)
Worst Loss: Miami (5-7)
The Rundown: Texas A&M is in transition as head coach Dennis Franchione resigned after a tumultuous five year tenure. The defensive coordinator Gary Darnell will coach them in the bowl game. Former Green Bay Packers head coach Mike Sherman was hired to take over just three days after Franchione resigned. Sherman previously was an offensive line coach at A&M. The Aggies beat Texas for the second straight year, but the next best win was a triple-overtime thriller against Fresno State. A&M continued lose against Oklahoma and Texas Tech, and they also lost to Miami in a very down year.
The Matchup: Texas A&M has been a big soap opera for the past couple of months. Penn State isn’t a great team, but definitely hasn’t had to deal with any of the same drama. The more focused team gets the pick.
The Pick: Penn State
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PetroSun Independence Bowl
Alabama vs. Colorado
Shreveport, Louisiana
December 30
8:00 pm Eastern
ESPN
Alabama
Record: 6-6 (4-4)
Record against bowl teams: 3-5
Best Win: Tennessee (9-4)
Worst Loss: Louisiana Monroe (6-6)
The Rundown: Alabama came into this season with the highest paid coach and grand expectations. Instead they barely finished with a .500 record and are headed to the same bowl game as they went to last year. Lowlights of the season included four consecutive losses to end the season and losing to instate rival Auburn for the sixth straight season. The Tide did pick up a good win against Tennessee, and none of the six losses were by more than touchdown. That’s a good sign for next season, but they still have to play Colorado in the bowl game.
Colorado
Record: 6-6 (4-4)
Record against bowl teams: 2-4
Best Win: Oklahoma (11-2)
Worst Loss: Iowa State (3-9)
The Rundown: Head coach Dan Hawkins and Colorado hit rock bottom last year and are crawling their way back up to the top of the Big 12 North. The Buffaloes were up and down all season, impossible to predict each week. They had great wins against Oklahoma at home and on the road against Texas Tech. They also were beat by Iowa State and Kansas State, and were blown out at home by Missouri. Keep your eye on LB Jordon Dizon, an exciting defender who should be all over the field making plays.
The Matchup: This should be a good game and could go either way. Both teams are led by elite coaches who are trying to reestablish winning traditions at programs that are in rebuilding mode. Colorado has more to prove, while Alabama was hoping for a better bowl game. In a close matchup, that might be enough to swing the vote in favor of the Buffaloes.
The Pick: Colorado
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