It’s the middle of December when in college football it’s the time in between the regular season and the college bowls slated to begin this Saturday December 18th. Cam Newton the Auburn quarterback won the Heisman Trophy in a landslide and there will actually be three NCAA Championship Football Games in the smaller divisions. Imagine that a playoff system something they haven’t figured out in major college football.
+ and – for bowl picks
So here’s the bowl schedule and my picks for the winners including the three championship games this weekend in FCS, Division 2 and Division 3 levels.
Saturday December 18th
FCS Division 1A Villanova at Eastern Washington: Eastern Washington +
Division 2 Minnesota Duluth vs Delta State: Minnesota Duluth + 20-17
Division 3 Mount Union vs Wisconsin_Whitewater: Wisconsin Whitewater (these two teams have played in the last 6 championship games vs each other) + 31-21
College Bowl Schedule
December 18th
New Mexico Bowl: BYU vs UTEP: UTEP – BYU 52 Utep 24 (0-1)
Humanitarian Bowl: Northern Illinois vs Fresno State: Fresno State – Northern Illinois 40 Fresno State 17 (0-2)
New Orleans Bowl: Troy vs Ohio: Troy + Troy 48 Ohio 21 (1-2)
St Petersberg( Beef O Bradys) Bowl: Louisville vs Southern Mississippi: Southern Mississippi – Louisville 31 Southern Miss 28 (1-3)
Wednesday December 22
Las Vegas Bowl: Utah vs Boise State; Boise State (What a drop for Boise State!) + Boise State 26 Utah 3 (2-3)
Thursday December 23
Pointsettia Bowl: San Diego State vs Navy: Navy – 35-14 San Diego State (2-4)
Friday December 24
Hawaii Bowl: Tulsa vs Hawaii: Hawaii– Tulsa 62 Hawaii 35 (2-5)
Sunday December 26
Little Ceasers Pizza Bowl: Toledo vs Florida International: Toledo– Florida International 34 Toledo 32 (2-6)
Monday December 27
Independence Bowl: Georgia Tech vs Air Force: Georgia Tech–Air Force 14 Georgia Tech 7 (2-7)
Tuesday December 28
Champs Sports Bowl: North Carolina State vs West Virginia: West Virginia– North Carolina State 23 West Virginia 7
(2-8)
Insight Bowl: Iowa vs Missouri: Missouri– Iowa 27 Missouri 24 (2-9)
WednesdayDecember 29
Eagle Bank Bowl: Maryland vs East Carolina: Maryland + Maryland 51 East Carolina 20 (3-9)
Texas Bowl: Illnois vs Baylor: Baylor– Illinois 38 Baylor 14 (3-10)
Alamo Bowl: Oklahoma State vs Arizona: Oklahoma State + Oklahoma State 36 Arizona 10 (4-10)
Thursday December 30
Armed Forces Bowl: SMU vs Army: SMU–Army 16 SMU 14 (4-11)
Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium: Syracuse vs Kansas State: Syracuse + Syracuse 36 Kansas State 34 (5-11)
Music City Bowl: North Carolina vs Tennessee: Tennessee– North Carolina 30 Tennessee 27 2ot (5-12)
Holiday Bowl: Washington vs Nebraska: Nebraska vs 6-6 Washington are you kidding me!– Washington 19 Nebraska 7 (5-13) I am stunned and i’m not kidding over Washington’s win but with a 5-13 bowl record I can’t pick them very well!
Friday December 31
Meineke Car Care Bowl: Clemson vs South Florida: Clemson–South Florida 31 Clemson 26 (5-14)
Sun Bowl: Notre Dame vs Miami: Miami (For the first time in 20 years this heated rivalry is played again. Remember the fight in the tunnel before the game in the 1980s.)– Notre Dame 33 Miami 17 (5-15)
Liberty Bowl: Central Florida vs Georgia; Georgia– Central Florida 10 Georgia 6 (5-16)
Chick FilA Bowl; Florida State vs South Carolina; South Carolina. (South Carolina beat Alabama and got to the SEC Championship Game, Nice season)– Florida State 26 South Carolina 17 (5-17)
Saturday January 1
Dallas Football Classic: Northwestern vs Texas Tech: Texas Tech + Texas Tech 45 Northwestern 38 (6-17)
Outback (Tampa) Bowl: Penn State vs Florida; Florida (46 Year old Florida Coach Urban Meyer retires against 84 year old Joe Paterno who will still coach some more years!) + Florida 37 Penn State 24 (7-17)
Capital One (Orlando) Bowl Michigan State vs Alabama: Michigan State in a mild upset here. Alabama has struggled at times.– Alabama 49 Michigan State 7 Boy was I wrong!! (7-18)
Gator Bowl( Jacksonville) Michigan vs Mississippi State: Mississippi State + Mississippi State 52 Michigan 14 ( 8-18) Hope it doesnt cost Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez his job. It did Rich Rod Out as Michigan Coach
Other non BCS Bowls after January 1st
Thursday January 6
Godaddy.com bowl Miami Ohio vs Middle Tennessee State: Miami Ohio. (Does Danica Patrick drive in for an appearance at halftime?)+ Miami Ohio 35 Middle Tennessee State 21 (12-19)
Friday January 7th
Cotton Bowl: Texas A&M vs LSU: LSU (Les Miles the Mad Hatter Coach finds a way to pull games out)+ LSU 41 Texas A&M 24 (13-19)
Saturday January 8th
Birmingham Bowl: Pittsburgh vs Kentucky; Pittsburgh+ Pittsburgh 27 Kentucky 10 (14-19)
Sunday January 9th
Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl: Nevada vs Boston College: Nevada (one of the better teams that few have heard enough about) 11-1 after big win over Boise State. + Nevada 20 Boston College 13 (15-19)
BCS Bowls; The Big Boy Big Money Bowls
Saturday January 1st
Rose Bowl at Pasadena, California: Wisconsin vs TCU: Wisconsin (Did you expect me to say anything but On Wisconsin?) TCU is undefeated and has speed but they havent beat a Wisconsin team that can score and is more powerful than any Badgers team I’ve seen before) Go Badgers–TCU 21 Wisconsin 19. Boo Hoo. A disappointment for me as a Badgers fan but happy for non BCS team TCU. Congratulations on a fine win and undefeated season. (8-19)
Fiesta Bowl at Glendale, Arizona: Oklahoma vs Connecticut. Is there possibly a bigger rout in the BCS games. Oklahoma rolls over a 4 loss Connecticut Big East Champion in this game. + Oklahoma 48 Connecticut 20 (9-19)
Monday January 3
Orange Bowl: Miami, Florida; Virginia Tech vs Stanford. Stanford (Watch out Virginia Tech. A good Stanford team is coming accross the counrty to beat you) + Stanford 40 Virginia Tech 12 (10-19)
Tuesday January 4
Sugar Bowl: New Orleans, Louisiana: Arkansas vs Ohio State. Ohio State. (Two pretty good teams that missed out on a bigger game especially Ohio State who wanted a Rose Bowl or national championship) + Ohio State 31 Arkansas 26
(11-19) Ohio State was previously 0-9 against SEC in bowl games.
BCS National Title Game
Monday January 10
Glendale Arizona; #1 .Auburn vs #2 Oregon. Auburn (Oregon is very good but they havent played a team with Auburn’s speed or Auburn qb and Heisman Trophy winner’s talent. Auburn wins the crystal ball. + Auburn 22 Oregon 19 (16-19) Congratulations Auburn on the national championship. A 11-2 finish in my picks for me after New Years Day when I was 5-17 in my picks
So there are all my picks of the 38 college football bowl games. The 35 bowl games plus the three championship games this weekend in the lower levels where they actually have a playoff system.
Finally a friend notified me that Temple (8-4) who actually beat Connecticut who is playing in a BCS bowl was not invited to a bowl along with 6-6 Western Michigan and 6-6 Arizona State. His suggestion was that the play a Freezer Bowl somwhere in Alaska. Perhaps the North Pole. Congratlations to those teams that made a game whether they deserved it or not. Personally I don’t like 6-6 teams making a bowl because if they lose the bowl they have a losing record and they don’t have a winning record to begin with. Best wishes, talk soon and enjoy the games especially if you have a team involved. Happy Holidays! badgerbratman