How in the world did ESPN decide it was a good idea to broadcast a bowl game between two teams we’ve barely heard of, and won’t kick off until after the first college playoffs, and after four NFL wild card games? This is normally the week bowl season gets interesting, and this season isn’t an exception. What’s different is that after the drama and excitement of the first ever FBS playoffs, there’s still more games to be played. Really, that needs to be fixed. If you’re going to have crummy bowl games, at least get them over with before Christmas. I used to think there are too many bowl games. Now that I’ve researched 36 of them (see my entry for the Citrus Bowl for the 37th game), I can safely say, with a calm yet primal scream, “please stop the insanity!” As of press time, I’m 13 of 16 in games I predicted in print. I didn’t call the Poinsettia Bowl at all, and I evidently deleted the games played Monday. I e-mailed predictions to colleagues in the industry, but won’t claim them in my percentage, for better or for worse. So...here we go! Music City Bowl – Notre Dame vs Louisiana State – 3 p.m. today. Irish struggles have been well documented in this neck of the woods, and I’ll not rehash those issues here. On the other hand, LSU was at least a part of the discussion for Southeastern Conference and national championships. For Notre Dame to win, they Irish will need to run the ball; in fact, the less they throw it the better. I’m not convinced that can happen. The Irish won’t have to be perfect, but they’ll need to play more like the team that took Florida State to the wire, and less like the team that lost to Northwestern. The Tigers are favored by a touchdown, and I think ultimately they’ll cover the spread. Belk Bowl – Georgia vs. Louisville – 6:30 p.m. today. Finally, a bowl game with a pair of ranked teams. Both teams can run the ball, but Georgia is doing so without susepnded then injured Heisman candidate Todd Gurley. The difference will be the ability to throw the football, and that will give an edge to the Bulldogs. There’s reason to think this will be the best game before New Year’s Eve for fans without a rooting interest to watch. I think the team that creates a big second-half break for themselves will win, and that will be Georgia. Foster Farms Bowl – Stanford vs. Maryland – 10 p.m. today. I have a natural inclination to take de facto home teams, and with this game being played in Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., Stanford gets the nod. But it is a matchup of 7-5 teams that doesn’t kick off until after my bedtime. The Terrapins men’s basketball coach is Mark Turgeon, who is from my hometown and played hoops at Kansas. So I’ll take Maryland. Peach Bowl – Mississippi vs. Texas Christian – 12:30 p.m. Wednesday. I’ll concede Ole’ Miss was fairly impressive the first half of the season, but I’m among those who didn’t really believe they’d wind up undefeated this year. Both teams have a little something to prove, and that’ll make for an excellent football game. Hopefully, it’ll be the kind of game that encourages the playoffs to expand sooner rather than later. I’ll take TCU in this one. Fiesta Bowl – Arizona vs. Boise State – 4 p.m. Wednesday. The key to a Boise State victory will be the Broncos’ ability to rush the passer; in this case the Wildcats’ Anu Solomon. It won’t be necessary to get a bunch of sacks; just screw with Arizona’s timing enough to get the job done. Boise State can and will do that, and take the victory, but it’ll be close. Orange Bowl – Mississippi State vs. Georgia Tech – 8 p.m. Wednesday. Will this game will be over before the clock strikes 12? Probably, since both teams are run-first offenses. Mississippi State will be better at stopping the run, and Tech will need to benefit from multiple turnovers to get the win. I’m taking the Bulldogs in this game, by 10 points and with 45 minutes to spare before the new year. Outback Bowl – Auburn vs. Wisconsin – noon Thursday. This has been one of the better bowl games in recent years, and Wisconsin certainly has something to prove after the ummm...uhhh...tushy whuppin’ the Badgers took in the Circle City. But if Wisconsin can’t handle a third-string quarterback with a playoff spot on the line, what makes me think they can handle (arguably) the second-best team in the SEC? I’m taking Auburn. Cotton Bowl – Michigan State vs. Baylor – 12:30 p.m. Thursday. It’s possible whomever loses the coin flip will be playing from behind all day. Baylor’s only loss is to Big 12 co-champ TCU, and the Spartans are the only team in the country to lose to a pair of playoff teams. The only way this game could be more dramatic is if it were a playoff game. The turnover battle will be critical. Neither team will punt more than three times, and holding the offense to a field goal attempt will be like getting a stop. I think Michigan State might have the better overall defense, but the Bears’ offense will remind Sparty fans of Oregon, and I’m taking Baylor. Citrus Bowl – Missouri vs. Minnesota – 1 p.m. Thursday. I did little to no research because I will never ever, publicly or privately, regardless of situaton or circumstance, predict or otherwise favor the University of Misery to win at anything. Ev-er ev-er ev-er. Just so we’re clear, I’m not placing a wager on Minnesota, either. Rose Bowl – Florida State vs. Oregon – 5 p.m. Thursday. I’m glad this is the first playoff game, so people can get the bad taste out of their mouths; I think this one will be a blowout that reminds people of the Super Bowls in the 1980s. Oregon will just keep going and going, and the magic that Florida State has used to get through the season undefeated will finally wear off. It may be close at halftime, but by the end of the third quarter ESPN announcers Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit will be previewing Ohio State vs. Alabama. Sugar Bowl – Ohio State vs. Alabama – 8:30 p.m. Thursday. This one is much harder to predict, and so from the beginning if someone is taking the Crimson Tide and giving the 9-1/2 points, take it. This should be much closer. The key is Cardale Jones handling the bigger stage, and the month of media hype around this game. But Urban Meyer doesn’t recruit guys to be third-teamers, and I think Jones will handle everything just fine. This may well be the lowest-scoring game of all the bowls, and frankly this one is the hardest for me to call. I’m going to go with Alabama, but this one will be remembered for a long time to come. Or at least until the National Championship game. Armed Forces Bowl – Houston vs. Pittsburgh – noon Friday. Reality check! I’d be much more interested in this game if it were Texans vs. Steelers. It’s not, and I’ll take Houston because I can’t think of any actors with the last name of Pittsburgh. TaxSlayer Bowl – Iowa vs. Tennessee – 3:20 p.m. Friday. This game would be a lot of fun to watch, but I think we’ll discover why playoff games should be played after the rest of the bowls. Tennessee can throw the ball when the quarterback has time; but the Volunteers are giving up just under four sacks a game. Iowa was only so-so this year against conference competiton that isn’t comparable to the SEC, so I’m reluctantly taking the Vols. Alamo Bowl – Kansas State vs. UCLA – 6:45 p.m. Friday. I have a rooting interest, and am going with it. K-State in a tight game, but hopefully not relying on a late field goal. Cactus Bowl – Washington vs. Oklahoma State – 10:15 p.m. Friday. Cowboys have underachieved all season, so I’m taking the Huskies. Birmingham Bowl – Florida vs. East Carolina – 1 p.m. Saturday. If the Pirates jump on the Gators early, there’s a chance for the upset. I’m taking ECU. GoDaddy.com Bowl – Toledo vs. Arkansas State – 9 p.m. Sunday. Taking Toledo. You can make me predict, but you can’t make me care.
