3rd Annual College Bowl Spectacular
It’s time for our 3rd annual College Bowl Spectacular. (Insert the soundtrack for the Final Countdown Here) You can say whatever you want about the Stool, but I’m willing to guarantee that we are the only publication in New England who has seen every single bowl team play at least once this season. Sometimes being a degenerate gambler has its advantages and this is one of those times. That may help explain whey we’ve never had a losing Bowl season in the history of the Stool (2 years). So buckle up, drink some egg nog and bet your Christmas bonus on what we’re about to tell you. It’s time to keep that streak alive as we tackle the 2,309 bowl games being played this year.
December 19th
Poinsettia Bowl
Bowling Green vs. TCU - 12
Ah, there is no better place to start bowl season than with the distant cousin of the Rose Bowl. I guess my first question with this game is when did 7-5 MAC teams start making it into Bowl games? At this rate it wouldn’t surprise me to see Bentley playing in Bowl Season next year. Anyway, this looks to be a tough match up for Bowling Green. TCU has only lost twice this year and they were both early and they were both vs. pretty good teams in BYU and Utah. They are coming into this game riding a 7 game win streak and have pretty much dominated everybody they’ve played over that stretch. There is no reason to think that won’t continue in this one.
The Pick – TCU
December 21st
Las Vegas Bowl
BYU vs. Oregon +3.5
Hmm, this is a tough one. BYU lost two of their first three games and haven’t lost since. And not only haven’t they lost but they’ve covered virtually every single game going an impressive 9-2-1 vs. the number. But Oregon will clearly be the toughest test they’ve faced all season long. However, I’d be shocked if Oregon brings their A game to the Las Vegas Bowl. The Ducks will be too busy partying, hitting strip clubs and raising hell in Sin City to concentrate on football. Meanwhile the Mormons will be in Church and studying their playbook. That should be the difference in this one.
The Pick – Mormons
December 22nd
New Orleans Bowl
Troy vs. Rice -7.5
It’s not officially Bowl Season until you’re betting on Troy. I’d also like to nominate this for the “Worst Bowl Game of the Year” award. Both teams are 7-5 and don’t have a good win between them. However, the more impressive loss belongs to Troy who got blanked by Nebraska 56-0. This narrowly edges out Rice who lost to Texas 52-7. In any event, I’ll take the points here and root for a cancellation before the game starts.
The Pick – Troy
December 23rd
PapaJohns.com Bowl
East Carolina vs. South Florida -3.5
I think this is a new bowl game right? I don’t ever remember hearing this name before. And what’s up with the .com at the end of it? Papa Johns is a pizza joint right? Anyway, I’ve been betting on South Florida all season long. In fact, I think if I went back and looked at what team I bet the most on this year it would be South Florida. So you know I’m not going to bail out on them now. And they’ve been pretty good going 7-4 ATS. But I’m going to bet small on this game because ECU is 10-2 vs. the number which is pretty scary to bet against. As a warning to people who bet on the Bulls in this one, be prepared for at least 7 very wacky play calls from the South Florida head coach.
The Pick – South Florida
New Mexico Bowl
New Mexico vs. San Jose State -4
Hmm, I smell a rat. How did New Mexico finagle an invitation to the New Mexico Bowl? Coincidence? I think not. I’ll take the Lobos in a home game.
The Pick – New Mexico
Armed Forces Bowl
Utah vs. Tulsa +2
How can you have an Armed Forced Bowl that doesn’t feature one of the service academies playing Notre Dame? This seems like a natural fit. But instead we get Utah vs. Tulsa. Utah finished strong while Tulsa dropped 3 of their last 4 games. Despite the long layoff that’s enough for me to take Utah in this one. And they’ve played a tougher schedule.
The Pick – Utah
December 24th
Hawaii Bowl
Arizona State at Hawaii -8
Arizona State ended the season by kicking me squarely in the balls. I bet on them against UCLA and they got totally dominated. Then I bet against them vs. Arizona and they won easily. So what I’m saying is I don’t know whether to make heads or tails of these guys. What I do know is that Hawaii played Purdue and Oregon State in their last two games of the season and struggled in both those games. And they were big favorites in both those tilts. So I’m going with Arizona State in this game and fully expect them to get blown out because any time you start flip flopping on a team they just continue to kick you in the junk. But what are you going to do? Nobody said gambling was an easy business.
The Pick – Arizona State
December 26th
Motor City Bowl
Middle Tennessee St. vs. Central Michigan – 10.5
It doesn’t get any better than the Motor City Bowl. This year we get a blockbuster match up between the Middle Tennessee State and the Central Michigan Chippewa’s. I’m still not convinced that Middle Tennessee State isn’t a Division IAA school. Therefore, I’ll take the Mac champs vs. the UNH of the South.
The Pick - CMU
December 27th
Emerald Bowl
FSU vs. UCLA -4.5
I wonder what the spread would have been in this game if USC crushed UCLA? I’m guessing it would be a pick em. This game is a rough one for me. I hate laying points with UCLA because their offense is so bad. But I hate betting on FSU. It wouldn’t surprise me if the final score in this game was 3-0. I guess I’m going to go with FSU in this one for a very small play.
The Pick – FSU
December 28th
Independence Bowl
Ok State vs. Alabama +2
Who the hell is coaching Alabama in this game? Anybody? Anybody? That has to be why Alabama is catching 2 in this game. Despite the fact that as a rule, I generally like to bet on teams that have head coaches, I’m still going with Alabama. I just feel like kids who go to Alabama don’t quit on anything. They are always trying to prove that you can never sleep on Alabama football. And this is a statement game for the program as it tries to prove that Alabama is still a premiere coaching job after everybody and their grandmother has turned it down. I think the Tide circles the wagons and pulls off a victory.
The Pick – Tide
Texas Bowl
Kansas State at Rutgers -7.5
Hell has officially frozen over. Not only is Rutgers in a bowl game, but they are a TD favorite. Somewhere Marco Battaglia is smiling. But it’s not all gumdrops and candy canes in Rutgersville. This game is being shown on the NFL network. And from what I’ve gathered it is not going to be shown in New Jersey. Talk about a kick in the balls. Rutgers gets in their first bowl game since the stone age and nobody gets to watch it. I guess that’s what you get for living in the armpit of America. Anyway, as much as I love the State College of New Jersey, I’m taking the pts here.
The Pick - Kstate.
Holiday Bowl
Texas A+M vs. Cal -5.5
I feel like this is the 9th straight year that Cal has been in the Holiday Bowl. And ordinarily I’d do the research to back up my claim, but this article takes 7 hours to write and if I researched every game it would take me two weeks. So you’re just going to have to trust me. Anyway, Cal has been one of the most over rated teams in the country the entire year which explains their 5-6 record vs. the spread. People were picking them to win the National Championship this year and they didn’t win one big game in my book. I’ll take the Aggies in this one to keep it close and possibly win.
The Pick – Texas A+M
December 29th
Music City Bowl
Kentucky vs. Clemson -10
If you listen to everybody in the SEC, the fact that Kentucky was 7-5 this year means that they probably should have been a BCS team. After all how can anybody have a winning record in the SEC unless they are an absolute powerhouse? Granted they did schedule some cream puffs like UL Monroe which they beat by a whopping 2 points. The truth of the matter in this game is that both teams suck. Clemson has lost 3 out of their last 4 games and I refuse to lay 10 pts with them vs. anybody.
The Pick – Kentucky
Sun Bowl
Missouri vs. Oregon State -3.5
People who were with us from the beginning of the season will remember that Oregon State was our first mortal lock of the year vs. Boise State. They promptly lost 394-14. But since then Oregon State has turned into the type of football team that we thought they were in the beginning. “The Beavers are who we thought they were. We had em on the hook and we let em off. You want to crown their ass, crown em.” They’ve won 8 out of their last 9 games and I think the fact that they were able to go to Hawaii and win a totally meaningless game shows that they are still focused on football. Look for them to finish on a high note and avenge my mortal lock pick from earlier this year.
The Pick – Oregon State
Liberty Bowl
Houston vs. South Carolina 6.5
Houstonhasn’t played anybody all season long. Meanwhile if the Ole Ball Coach caught a couple breaks this season they literally could be playing in a BCS bowl game. The only thing that scares me about South Carolina is they seem like one of those teams that always shoots itself in the foot. But I still like them here against Houston.
The Pick – South Carolina
Insight Bowl
Minnesota vs. Texas Tech -6.5
This is one of those bowl games that is virtually impossible to predict what is going to happen. You can’t have two more middle of the road teams that have two completely different styles playing each other. You’ve got Minnesota who loves to pound the ball vs. Texas Tech who throws on every play. Something has to give, but I have no idea what is. I could easily see this being a game in which neither team can stop each other. Since I admittedly have no clue on what is going to happen, I’ll just take the pts and hope for the best.
The Pick – Minnesota
Champ Sports Bowl
Purdue vs. Maryland -1
Yuck. This is another unbelievably crappy matchup between two power conferences. This game reminds me of the Kentucky vs. Clemson matchup in that it features two teams that suck and that I would never bet on in a million years. I guess I’ll take Maryland even though I really don’t want to.
The Pick – Maryland
December 30th
Meineke Car Care Bowl
BC vs. Navy +6
Thank God that the Superfans always play in crappy bowl games against crappy teams. Because if they were playing somebody good this year their bowl victory streak could be in jeopardy. But I don’t even think the fact that Tom O’Brien spit in their face will be enough to prevent them from rolling over the Naval Academy.
The Pick – BC
Alamo Bowl
Iowa vs. Texas -11
It appears that the Alamo Bowl selection committee was looking for the two teams that ended the season with the most consecutive losses between them for this match up. Iowa dropped their last 3 games while Texas dropped their last two. So as you can clearly see, they both have a ton to play for. I’m going to take Texas in this one just because Iowa hasn’t beaten one good team all season long.
The Pick – Iowa
Chick Fil A Bowl
Virginia Tech vs. Georgia 2.5
I have to tip my cap to Virginia Tech. I was bashing them earlier in the season. I said that they were horrible and that once things start going bad for the Hokies they just quit on the season. And for a while it looked like I was going to be right as they got clobbered by BC and started fighting on the sidelines. But since that loss, VTech ran off six straight wins and were clearly the best team in the ACC at the end of the season. Meanwhile Georgia was up and down all year and was one of the most over rated teams in the country. It’s always tough to see how teams react after a month off, but if these teams play like they were at the end of the season then Virginia Tech should get the win here.
The pick – Virginia Tech
December 31st
MPC Computers Bowl
Nevada vs. Miami -3
Yet another game featuring a team whose coach got axed before the bowl game. But Miami should be in better shape than most in this situation because the defensive coordinator has been named the new head coach. In fact, I think the coaching change will help the “U” because everybody is going to want to make a statement for the new coach. And what better way to impress the new guy than by beating up on a 2nd place WAC team that was out gained by 330 yards in their last game against Boise State? This one has blowout written all over it.
Mortal Lock – Miami
January 1st
Outback Bowl
Penn State vs. Tennessee -4
Finally we’re into the January 1st bowl games. And let me just say that I long for the days when there were 100 games on New Year’s Day instead of having them all spread out over the week. It just sucks. Not to mention the fact that my New Year’s resolution is always no gambling after New Years Day, but that doesn’t work when all the best games are after January 1st. Anyway, the first bowl of the New Year is a tough one. The Vols were inconsistent this year, but I feel a lot of that was due to injuries. And you never know who will be coming back after a month layoff and I’m not going to do the research to find out. And what about Penn State? Will Joe Paterno be healthy enough to coach? Whatever the case may be I don’t see PSU being able to move the ball on Tennessee. I really don’t like this game so I’m hoping I sleep through the 11am kickoff. But if I am up, I’m taking the Vols for a small play.
The Pick – Tenn
Cotton Bowl
Nebraska vs. Auburn -3
I hate Auburn. They are one of these SEC teams that I believe was drastically over rated this year. And even though I don’t like Nebraska either, sometimes you need to take a stand in your life. And this is one of those times. I’m betting on the fact that a decent Nebraska team can hang with a mediocre Auburn team. As a side note, I’m pretty confident I’m going to be wrong in this game.
The Pick – Nebraska
Gator Bowl
Georgia Tech vs. West Virginia -7
Man, I feel like this is the toughest group of bowl games since the Stool has been in existence. How can you handicap this game? West Virginia was horrible down the stretch. They lost to South Florida at home and needed double OT to beat Rutgers. But they did get a huge emotional boost when Rich Rodriguez turned down the Alabama job to stay with WV. On the flip side, Georgia Tech wasn’t exactly lighting the world on fire scoring like a combined 4 pts in their last two games, both losses, against Georgia and Wake Forest. At this point I just don’t know how you can lay seven pts with WV.
The Pick – GT
Capital One Bowl
Wisconsin vs. Arkansas -2
I’m still so disgusted by the fact that Florida passed Michigan to play in the National Championship that I have no choice but to take Wisconsin here. I have no idea whether they’ll win this game, but I’ll be rooting for them. And I think I have the perfect strategy for Wisconsin to win this game. Just put 14 guys in the box because Arkansas can’t pass. I mean they are the only team in college football that literally can’t complete a forward pass.
Rose Bowl
Michigan vs. USC -1
This spread kind of surprised me. I thought Michigan would be at least a field goal favorite here. I love the Wolverines. If Ohio State couldn’t stop Michigan at Ohio State then I don’t think USC will be able to stop Michigan either. And I’m not sold on USC’s offense. They’ve disappeared in lots of their big games this season.
The Pick - Michigan
Fiesta Bowl
Boise State vs. Oklahoma -7.5
Listen, I love the Blue Turf as much as the next guy. But this game isn’t being played in Boise. And Oklahoma isn’t one of those teams that will look past the Broncos or take it easy on them. The Sooners take their bowl games very seriously and a Fiesta Bowl blowout would look great on their mantle. If I was a Bronco fan I’d be asking whey they didn’t get matched up vs. a GT, Wake Forest, Wisconsin, Nebraska or Penn State. I just think that of all the teams that Boise State could have played on New Years Day, Oklahoma was one of the worst for them.
The Pick – Oklahoma
January 2nd
Orange Bowl
Wake Forest vs. Louisville -10
Finally we get a matchup that I really like. I don’t think Wake Forest has been given enough respect all season. Conversely I think Louisville has been given too much respect. I mean you can say whatever you want about the Demon Deacons but they’ve proven themselves week in and week out by winning one tough game after another. Furthermore, I think they run the perfect type of offense to confuse Louisville. The Cardinals may win this game, but I think it will go down to the wire.
Mortal Lock – Wake Forest
January 3rd
Sugar Bowl
ND vs. LSU -9
This game is a total joke. How the hell is ND playing in the Sugar Bowl on January 3rd? Is the key to getting in a BCS game just to beat all the service academies and then get annihilated by all the teams with scholarships? If that’s what it takes to play in the Sugar Bowl than Notre Dame clearly deserves it. I don’t know how anybody could like the Irish in this one. They’ve played two good teams all season and got CRUSHED by both of them. LSU will be the 3rd good team they’ve played and it will be the 3rd good team to CRUSH them. This one is too easy.
Mortal Lock #2 – LSU
January 6th
The International Bowl
Western Michigan vs. Cincinnati – 7
What the hell is this game doing on January 6th right in the middle of the BCS Bowl games? I refuse to discuss it.
The Pick – Cincy
January 7th
GMCA Bowl
Ohio vs. Southern Miss -6.5
Umm, ditto for this game.
The Pick – S.Miss
January 8th
BCS Championship
Ohio State vs. Florida -7.5
This game is being played on January 8th? For a second I thought it was the Kickoff Classic. Anyway, Ohio State has proven from the opening gun that they are the best team in the Nation. Michigan is the only team that gave them a challenge and that was only because of a couple boneheaded turnovers. Meanwhile Florida has used smoke and mirrors and Gary Danielson to get where they are right now. All of that will be exposed as Ohio State rolls over an over matched Florida team proving just how bad college football needs a playoff system.
The Pick – Ohio State