But, the bowls are an enormous part of the fabric of college football, a tradition that is unique to this sport and one that is not likely to go away anytime soon. I need a bit of convincing to help me embrace the bowls, at least at a base level. So here is my attempt at finding the value in the bowl system, a silver lining of sorts.
1. Momentum
Yes, a win in the Brut Sun Bowl is not much more than a moral victory, but the bowls do offer teams a chance to grab some momentum heading into the off-season, momentum that can provide a springboard into the next year. It's amazing sometimes how a bowl win can start a sort of snowball effect of momentum that rolls through spring practice and into next August.
2. Extra Time
Time to practice, time to continue to gel as a team. This also pays huge dividends for teams, especially young ones, as they look to the future.
3. More Games
More college football, especially when you pair two teams not likely ever to meet under any other circumstances, can't be bad, right?
4. Speculation and Argument
Sure, a clear-cut, no-argument-necessary national champion would be nice. But who doesn't secretly love the constant squabbling and speculation that circles college football like a pack of vultures above an antelope carcass? The bowls, even with the BCS having made things a little clearer at the end of the season (a little, mind you), only prolong and even amplify the conversation.
That's about all I can come up with. Post a comment if you have some others to convince me with.
One more housekeeping note before I get to the picks. ESPN has once again unveiled their Bowl Mania game, which gives us - myself and you, faithful reader - a chance to compete together in our picks. Click on over to ESPN's Bowl Mania site, create an entry, and enter the Freshman Fifteen Group. Just search for "The Freshman Fifteen" among private groups, and join (password: fifteen). Make sure your entry is a "confidence points" entry. And only one entry per person - the phenomenon found here and in the NCAA Basketball Tournament of giving people umpteen chances to fill out brackets is ridiculous. Make your picks and stand by them!
And now on to the games. I'll be going in chronological order and referring to each bowl by it's official name, only to display how ridiculous some of these names are (more on that next week). I'll also give you my confidence level (CL) - numbered 34 as "most confident" and 1 as "least confident", as per ESPN's Bowl Mania.
1. New Mexico Bowl: Fresno State vs. Wyoming
Also known as The Bowl No One Cares About (Version 1). Wyoming was expected to do no better than 8th in the Mountain West this year and somehow managed a bowl invite. They'll consider the season a success, regardless of the result here. Which is good, because they'll lose.
Fresno State 38, Wyoming 20 CL: 26
2. St. Petersburg Bowl Presented by Beef 'O' Brady's: Central Florida vs. Rutgers
This may be the best bowl name ever. How can anyone not laugh when reading the phrase "Beef 'O' Brady's"? Rutgers went 8-4 on what was almost certainly the easiest schedule in Division 1-A, but will be favored simply because they're in the Big East. UCF will pull the "upset" on the back of a home-field advantage of sorts, and by being well-seasoned by a difficult schedule (Miami and Texas out of conference, all 4 losses came to bowl teams).
Central Florida 27, Rutgers 21 CL: 11
3. R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl: Southern Mississippi vs. Middle Tennessee State
The Bowl No One Cares About (Version 2). There will be several who earn that distinction this week. Southern Miss brings offensive players of major conference talent to New Orleans (RB Damion Fletcher and WR DeAndre Brown), and the Blue Raiders won't have an answer for them.
Southern Mississippi 41, Middle Tennessee State 28 CL: 31
4. Maaco Bowl Las Vegas: BYU vs. Oregon State
The first of the many enticing matchups of the bowl season. It's a chance for the Mountain West to fire their first major cannon shot in their war to prove they belong as a BCS conference, and BYU has the firepower to do it. But Oregon State, as usual, has improved steadily through the season, and the Pac Ten has been underrated all year. Expect a big bowl season from the conference, starting on the swift feet of the Rodgers brothers, James and Jaquizz. The one advantage BYU will have is that they're far less likely to be distracted by the entrapments of Vegas. Unless they're not good Mormons. We'll see.
Oregon State 26, BYU 23 CL: 19
5. San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl: Utah vs. California
Did you know that it's POINsettia, not POINTsettia? Very strange and eye opening. It's currently unclear whether Jahvid Best will play, but it may not matter. Utah will end up connecting on their cannon shot - they have won 8 straight bowl games (that spells preparation, folks), and they've been Pac-Ten killers the past few years.
Utah 30, California 24 CL: 6
6. Sheraton Hawaii Bowl: Nevada vs. SMU
June Jones heads back to the islands, bringing an SMU team that's ecstatic to be back in a bowl for the first time in a quarter century. It's a great accomplishment for the program, and finally a step forward out of the dregs of their death penalty. But they'll be forced to defend a Nevada team with a quirky but extremely effective rushing attack, complete with three 1,000 yard rushers. They'll gash the SMU defense and roll up half a hundred on the Mustangs.
Nevada 51, SMU 34 CL: 33
7. Little Caesars Bowl: Marshall vs. Ohio
The Bowl No One Cares About (Version 3). It'll be a sort of regional rivalry game in Detroit, as Marshall and Ohio reside only 79 miles from one another. It'll also probably be the least watched bowl game, certainly outside of southeast Ohio and western West Virginia. Ohio is my pick - I actually saw a bit of one of their games this year and they weren't half bad!
Ohio 20, Marshall 15 CL: 24
8. Meineke Car Care Bowl: Pittsburgh vs. North Carolina
One of the better and more underrated bowl matchups. Both teams have potentially big years in them next year, and the winner likely will reap huge benefits in next year's preseason rankings. Pitt is the better team this year and ought to win - they have balance and are solid in every area of the game. North Carolina has shown flashes of brilliance (wins over Virginia Tech and Miami in a 3 week stretch), but lack the consistency of Pitt.
Pittsburgh 31, North Carolina 24 CL: 4
9. Emerald Bowl: Boston College vs. USC
Many think that USC will be so disgusted at the notion of playing in a bowl on December 26 that they won't show up with any kind of focus or intensity. I'm inclined to think the opposite, that the Trojans will come north to San Francisco with a vendetta - to run Boston College off the field and make the statement that they'll not see the Emerald Bowl or any similar bowls again anytime soon. Look for a big game from Matt Barkley and Joe McKnight, and some tweaking on defense that will bring back some of the ferocity, intimidation, and strength that's been severely lacking at USC all year. I'm so confident that USC will show up angry and focused that I'm making it my most confident pick.
USC 38, Boston College 14 CL: 34
10. Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl: Kentucky vs. Clemson
Clemson, anomaly as they are, probably won't fare any better against Kentucky than they did against their SEC brethren, South Carolina. And so will end another disappointing season for the Tigers. The opposite will be true for Kentucky, who overachieved to go 8-4 and make a bowl in what looked to be a down year.
Kentucky 35, Clemson 31 CL: 27
11. Advocare V100 Independence Bowl: Texas A&M vs. Georgia
Like USC, Georgia is unaccustomed to playing in middle-tier bowls like this one. Will they show up motivated? They'd better - as Texas found out, the Aggies can move the ball on anybody. They just have issues with stopping people, and that will make the difference in what looks to be a shootout.
Georgia 42, Texas A&M 35 CL: 20
12. Eaglebank Bowl: UCLA vs. Temple
Temple, feelgood story of the season, would love to tie a nice bow on it with a bowl win. The Owls last won a bowl 30 years ago. But, as mentioned earlier, the Pac Ten is tougher than people think, and though UCLA nearly got elbowed out of a bowl at the expense of Army, they'll have too much for Temple to handle.
UCLA 34, Temple 17 CL: 13
13. Champs Sports Bowl: Miami (FL) vs. Wisconsin
Tough assignment for the Badgers, having to go to Florida to face a very good Hurricanes team who's poised and ready to use this game as a springboard to a top 5 ranking to start next season. The Badgers are mediocre and won't keep up with Jacory Harris and Miami.
Miami (FL) 33, Wisconsin 16 CL: 25
14. Roady's Humanitarian Bowl: Bowling Green vs. Idaho
The Bowl No One Cares About (Version 4). Idaho edged out Wyoming and Temple for the least likely bowl entrant of the season, and happens to get to play close to home, down the road in Boise. The Vandals skidded to the finish line, losing 4 of their last 5 and giving up loads of points. But I'm going to pick them, they're probably the most excited Humanitarian Bowl entrants of all time. And that's worth at least 2 touchdowns.
Idaho 45, Bowling Green 42 CL: 2
15. Pacific Life Holiday Bowl: Arizona vs. Nebraska
Because I'll likely never again have the opportunity to comment on it, let me say that the Pacific Life commercial that always airs during ABC's college football broadcasts is perhaps the strangest commercial I've ever seen. You probably know the one: a montage of whales frolicking in the open sea, leaping, slapping tails against the surface, triumphantly exhaling a stream of water from their blow holes - all set to a corny college-band like tune. No narration. No indication that Pacific Life deals in the insurance business. Just jumping whales and a goofy song. I believe that the marketing agency must have come up with the idea during take-your-daughter-to-work day - it's the type of thing a room full of 9 year old girls would come up with. So the whale montage hosts a decent bowl matchup - Arizona vs. Nebraska. Lots of people will be high on Nebraska after their near takedown of mighty Texas, but don't forget that this team doesn't have an offense. It's Ndamukong Suh and the defense, a good kicking game, and nothing else. Arizona has the defense to keep the Cornhuskers from eking out points, and Nebraska's defense can't possibly play to the level they did against Texas - that was their Super Bowl.
Arizona 17, Nebraska 10 CL: 22
16. Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl: Houston vs. Air Force
Air vs. Ground. Houston and their pass-happy offense against the steady beat of the Air Force triple option. Air Force will do a good job keeping the ball out of Case Keenum's hands, but it won't matter much - Houston can score in bunches, at anytime, from any place on the field.
Houston 37, Air Force 31 CL: 28
17. Brut Sun Bowl: Oklahoma vs. Stanford
Oklahoma is another team looking to move past 2009 and get a good jump on 2010. They'll struggle with Toby Gerhart but still have more talent than Stanford, even in a down year.
Oklahoma 34, Stanford 24 CL: 9
18. Texas Bowl: Navy vs. Missouri
In a world of bowl names that get as specific as "San Diego County Credit Union", the Texas Bowl stands alone, generically promoting the entire state of Texas, hill country to gulf coast and everywhere in between. God bless you, Texas Bowl, you are a beacon of counter-culturalism.
Missouri 31, Navy 28 CL: 21
19. Insight Bowl: Minnesota vs. Iowa State
I have nothing good to say about this game. Two mediocre teams, one forgettable game.
Minnesota 23, Iowa State 13 CL: 16
20. Chick-fil-A Bowl: Virginia Tech vs. Tennessee
The Chick-fil-A Bowl annually produces one of the best matchups of bowl season, and this one, though not as exciting as recent Chick-fil-A Bowls, is interesting nonetheless. The two schools are surprisingly close to one another and the crowd should be about an even split. Virginia Tech has the better team, but they're known to lose to lesser opponents, and Tennessee's defense could give Tyrod Taylor fits. The Vols keep things close until Virginia Tech salts it away late.
Virginia Tech 21, Tennessee 13 CL: 30
Next: a look at the January Bowls (minus the National Championship), to be posted sometime between Christmas night and January 27. And don't miss the new sidebar item to be added, chronicling the Bowl Mania standings of the Freshman Fifteen group. Riveting stuff!
Merry Christmas to all - may your celebration of the holiday be filled with meditation on the amazing reality that God entered the creation He made in the most unlikely of ways, in a stable in a forgotten town, with almost no recognition or fanfare.
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