Bowl Predictions for 12/2: Updated Version Before BCS Pairings Come Out
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As promised, an updated version of my predictions (with some teams already having been chosen:
Big East: South Florida, Connecticut, Cincinnati, Rutgers
Big Ten: Wisconsin, Penn State
Conference USA: UCF, Southern Miss, Memphis, Houston (possibly more)
Independent: Navy
MAC: Bowling Green, Central Michigan
Otherwise, here’s the last shot before the BCS pairings are announced:
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BCS CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: BCS #1 vs. BCS #2 (Jan. 7, 8 p.m., FOX) in New Orleans, LA
Matchup : Ohio State vs. LSU
Comments: After such a wacky year, two powerhouses still meet for the national championship. To be cliché: “The more things change, the more things stay the same”. Ohio State moves up from #3 with Mizzou and WVU losing, and LSU dominated Virginia Tech, Georgia did not make the SEC championship like LSU did, so they should get the nod, and KU lost to Mizzou who lost to Oklahoma, and they played a very easy schedule.
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ORANGE BOWL: ACC #1 vs. BCS (Jan. 3, 8 p.m., Fox) in Miami Gardens, FL
Matchup : Virginia Tech vs. Missouri
Comments : Perhaps Kansas will make a BCS bowl over Mizzou, but I can’t just give the game to Kansas because Mizzou beat them and KU played an easy schedule, but in real life this one’s a toss-up for who plays Va. Tech.
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FIESTA BOWL: Big 12 #1 vs. BCS (Jan. 2, 8 p.m., Fox) in Glendale, AZ
Comments : There was talk on ESPN that perhaps Oklahoma and Kansas would meet in this game because they had not met this season, but that’s just stupid. Teams from the same conference should not play in bowl games. One good thing about playing bowl games is that teams see other teams whom they usually don’t play, so OU/KU is (hopefully) not going to happen. Also, shorter flight for Hawaii fans.
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SUGAR BOWL: SEC #1 vs. BCS (Jan. 1, 8:30 p.m., Fox) in New Orleans, LA
Matchup : Georgia vs. West Virginia
Comments : Georgia still gets a BCS bid for being ranked high enough, so they take the SEC Sugar spot vacated by LSU, and West Virginia ends up here as Big East champion, and shorter flight for their fans as well.
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ROSE BOWL: Big Ten #1 vs. Pac 10 #1 (Jan. 1, 4:30 p.m., ABC) in Pasadena, CA
Comments : With Illinois moving up to the top 14 (possibly, with Boston College dropping out), and the Rose Bowl being so traditional, Illinois gets Ohio State’s previous spot against USC.
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GMAC BOWL: C-USA#2 vs. MAC #1 (Jan. 6, 8 p.m., ESPN) in Mobile, AL
Matchup : Tulsa vs. Central Michigan
Comments : Still wondering how this bowl is the lead-in to the big game.
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INTERNATIONAL BOWL: Big East #5 vs. MAC #3 (Jan. 5, noon, ESPN2) in Toronto, ON
Matchup : Rutgers vs. Ball State
Comments : Still dislike Canada, don’t we?
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GATOR BOWL: ACC #3 vs. Big East #2/Big 12 #4 (Jan. 1, 1 p.m., CBS) in Jacksonville, FL
Matchup : Virginia vs. Texas Tech
Comments : Big East has a three-way pick-‘em between Virginia, Clemson, and Boston College for the top three non-BCS bowl spots. Virginia goes here with second-best record of the three, but that’s up in the air, as records aren’t the binding factor in choosing teams.
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CAPITAL ONE BOWL: Big Ten #2 vs. SEC #2 (Jan. 1, 1 p.m., ABC) in Orlando, FL
Matchup : Michigan vs. Tennessee
Comments : With Illinois getting a Rose bid, Michigan moves up, letting Lloyd Carr go out on a decent bowl, and there’s less reason to select Florida for the Ron Zook bowl. Florida is ranked higher, but Tennessee made the SEC championship and did better in the division.
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COTTON BOWL: Big 12 #2 vs. SEC #4 (Jan. 1, 11:30 a.m., Fox) in Dallas, TX
Comments : Mizzou could fall here if the computers overlook Kansas’s loss to Mizzou and send them to a BCS bowl. Auburn cannot pass up a chance to play in such a highly regarded bowl, even if other SEC bowl sites are closer to campus.
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OUTBACK BOWL: Big Ten #3 vs. SEC #3 (Jan. 1, 11 a.m., ESPN) in Tampa, FL
Matchup : Wisconsin vs. Florida
Comments : Florida gets to stay in-state, especially since Tennessee was here last year. Wisconsin gets to avenge its loss to Georgia two years ago in the bowl.
CHICK-FIL-A BOWL: ACC #2 vs. SEC #5 (Dec. 31, 7:30 p.m., ESPN) in Atlanta, GA
Matchup : Boston College vs. Arkansas
Comments : Some have said Clemson is a better fit, as their fans travel well and is closer to Atlanta, and is perhaps more popular than BC. But Boston College has been a great team for most of the year; they made the ACC championship, and it’s hard to imagine them dropping down to a much lesser bowl such as the Champs Sports.
INSIGHT BOWL: Big Ten #6 vs. Big 12 #7 (Dec. 31, 5:30 p.m., NFL Network) in Tempe, AZ
Matchup : Indiana vs. Oklahoma State
Comments : Not only does Indiana finally make a bowl game, they get to play a big-name school.
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MUSIC CITY BOWL: ACC #5/6/7 vs. SEC #6/7 (Dec. 31, 4 p.m., ESPN) in Nashville, TN
Matchup : Florida State vs. Mississippi State
Comments : Still not the place for Bobby Bowden and the Seminoles, though Mississippi State should be very happy to be here.
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SUN BOWL: Big East #2/Big 12 #6 vs. Pac 10 #3 (Dec. 31, 2 p.m., CBS) in El Paso, TX
Matchup : South Florida vs. Oregon State
Comments : Oregon State was here last year, but they’re a much better option than Oregon or UCLA. For some reason, South Florida just doesn’t fit the image for this bowl, but they already accepted an invitation, so moot point.
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HUMANITARIAN BOWL: ACC #8 vs. WAC (Dec. 31, 2 p.m., ESPN2) in Boise, ID
Matchup : Maryland vs. Boise State
Comments : Boise State gets to play at home once again, and should have an easy time against a Maryland team that earned bowl-eligibility in its last week.
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ARMED FORCES BOWL: Mountain West #3/4 vs. Pac 10 #6 (Dec. 31, 12:30 p.m., ESPN) in Fort Worth, TX
Matchup : Air Force vs. California
Comments : Should be Utah in this spot, but Air Force and Navy played each other earlier in the season, and apparently rematches doesn’t sit well with bowl committees, so Air Force comes here. Apt name, though, huh?
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INDEPENDENCE BOWL: Big 12 #8 vs. SEC #8 (Dec. 30, 8 p.m., ESPN) in Shreveport, LA
Matchup : Colorado vs. Kentucky
Comments : Really don’t know what to say. Why are there so many bowl games?
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ALAMO BOWL: Big Ten #4 vs. Big 12 #5 (Dec. 29, 8 p.m., ESPN) in San Antonio, TX
Matchup : Penn State vs. Texas A&M
Comments : Maybe shouldn’t have chosen Penn State already, especially if Illinois doesn’t get the Rose bid for some reason, as Michigan would be available, and aren’t they a more popular option than Penn State?
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LIBERTY BOWL: C-USA #1 vs. SEC #6/7 (Dec. 29, 4:30 p.m., ESPN) in Memphis, TN
Matchup : Central Florida vs. Alabama
Comments : Not really where ‘Bama fans imagined the program would be with Nick Saban at the helm, though they are in better shape than last year (albeit only one level).
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MEINEKE CAR CARE BOWL: ACC #5 vs. Big East #3 (Dec. 29, 1 p.m., ESPN) in Charlotte, NC
Matchup : Wake Forest vs. Connecticut
Comments : Wake Forest gets to play in its backyard. Should vastly outnumber UConn fans.
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EMERALD BOWL: ACC #5/6/7 vs. Pac 10 #4/5 (Dec. 28, 8:30 p.m., ESPN) in San Francisco, CA
Matchup : Georgia Tech vs. Oregon
Comments : Don’t even know if Oregon can win this game without Dennis Dixon.
TEXAS BOWL: Big 12 #9 vs. C-USA #6 (Dec. 28, 8 p.m., NFL Network) in Houston, TX
Matchup : Western Kentucky vs. Houston
Comments : Big 12 did not have enough bowl-eligible teams. TCU vs. Houston in the Texas Bowl is also a good possibility, and a good matchup, but Western Kentucky has the better strength-of-schedule, and should get a shot as well.
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CHAMPS SPORTS BOWL: ACC #4 vs. Big Ten #5 (Dec. 28, 5 p.m., ESPN) in Orlando, FL
Matchup : Clemson vs. Michigan State
Comments : If Illinois does not get a Rose bid and gets into the Capital One, Michigan tumbles down to here as Wisconsin and Penn State have already accepted invitations to better Big Ten bowls. Boston College is a good ACC possibility if the Chick-Fil-A likes Clemson better.
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HOLIDAY BOWL: Big 12 #3 vs. Pac 10 #2 (Dec. 27, 8 p.m., ESPN) in San Diego, CA
Matchup : Texas vs. Arizona State
Comments : Arizona State may squeak into a BCS bowl, but there is a good chance they’ll end up here, and that’s still no small accomplishment.
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MOTOR CITY BOWL: Big Ten #7 vs. MAC #2 (Dec. 26, 7:30 p.m., ESPN) in Detroit, MI
Matchup : Purdue vs. Central Michigan
Comments : Central Michigan gets to stay in-state, but Purdue still gives them a tough matchup.
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HAWAII BOWL: WAC vs. C-USA #5 (Dec. 23, 8 p.m., ESPN) in Honolulu, HI
Matchup : Fresno State vs. East Carolina
Comments : East Carolina most likely (or already) ends up here, with most other C-USA bowl spots filled up, and Tulsa being a better candidate for the GMAC by being a better team.
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LAS VEGAS BOWL: Mountain West #1 vs. Pac 10 #4/5 (Dec. 22, ESPN, 8 p.m.) in Las Vegas, NV
Comments : UCLA still had a shot at the Rose Bowl this week, and though it needed a lot of help for them to get in, this bowl still is not a very good consolation prize in comparison to a Rose Bowl (sorry Vegas, but it’s true).
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NEW MEXICO BOWL: Mountain West #3/4 vs. WAC (Dec. 22, ESPN, 4:30 p.m.) in Albuquerque, NM
Matchup : New Mexico vs. Nevada
Comments : Lobos versus Wolfpack: two similar looking animals facing off against each other. Not sure what the significance is, but there should be one.
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PAPAJOHNS.COM BOWL: Big East #4 vs. C-USA #3 (Dec. 22, ESPN2, 1 p.m.) in Birmingham, AL
Matchup : Cincinnati vs. Southern Miss
Comments : Really thought Cincinnati could’ve done better, though South Florida and UConn were pretty good teams (relative to the conference) as well this year.
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NEW ORLEANS BOWL: Sun Belt #1 vs. C-USA #4 (Dec. 21, ESPN2, 8 p.m.) in New Orleans, LA
Comments : Saw this one coming weeks ago.
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POINSETTIA BOWL: Mountain West #2 vs. At-large / Navy (Dec. 20, ESPN, 9 p.m.) in San Diego, CA
Comments : Should be Air Force’s spot. Would’ve created a good matchup/rematch, and Air Force is a better team, but teams are supposed to play new opponents in bowls, so Utah gets the nod grudgingly.
Remember that 6-6 teams are not eligible if there are teams in the conference with more overall wins, therefore Iowa does not get a bowl over Michigan State, Indiana, and Purdue.
All information other than bowl predictions correct when last checked (today), and all times are EST. Team-selection guidelines (SEC #4, for example) may be off by a place or so.
