Let's go bowling

It's that time again. It is Bowl season for the NCAA Division I Football. There are 34 bowls this year. No, that is not a mis-print. 68 teams out of the 119 division I football programs are going bowling. I am not going to get into individual game analysis, but here is the full lineup:

Dec. 20:

Eagle Bank Bowl: Navy vs. Wake Forest. Navy's triple option offense might be too much for the Demon Deacons defense to handle.

New Mexico Bowl: Fresno State vs. Colorado State. Here is where the Bulldog's stronger schedule pays off. The Rams are a little too soft on defense.

St. Petersburg Bowl: Memphis vs. USF: The Tigers of Memphis deserved to make it to a bowl game, but the Bulls played in Conference USA, a much stronger schedule.

Las Vegas Bowl: BYU vs. University of Arizona. While the Wildcats are much improved over the last year, I believe that the Cougars are primed to showcase their powerful offensive attack.

Dec. 23:

R&L Carriers (Don't ask me) New Orleans Bowl: Southern Miss vs. Troy: The Golden Eagles may keep the game close, but I think the Trojan's defense is a little stronger.

Dec. 23:

Poinsettia Bowl: TCU vs. Boise State: Without question one of the best non-BCMESS match ups. The Horned Frogs had themselves a 10 win season, and the Boise State Broncos are looking to cap off an un-defeated season. Flip a coin on this one.

Dec. 24:

Hawaii Bowl: Notre Dame vs. Hawaii: If QB Jimmy Clausen had a better group of receivers, I would say that this is a lock for the Fighting Irish. He doesn't so the Rainbow Warriors have a chance on their home field.

Dec. 26:

Motor City Bowl: Florida Atlantic vs. Central Michigan: Florida Atlantic has a 6-6 season in the Sun Belt Conference. The Chippewas were a little stronger in the MAC. Congrats to the Owls for making a bowl, but I like CMU in this one.

Dec. 27:

Meineke Car Care Bowl: North Carolina vs. West Virginia: A home game for the Tar Heels looks good on paper, but the fans loyal to the Mountaineers are tough to keep quiet. I know the Heels can win this game, the question is......do they?

Champs Sports Bowl: Florida State vs. Wisconsin: This should be a good match up, but I think that the speed of the Seminoles on both sides of the ball should prevail over the smash-mouth thinking of the Badgers hailing from the Big 10. Oh...the game is played in Orlando.

Emerald Bowl: Miami vs. California: I know this is kind of a home game for the Golden Bears, but Miami's first year head coach has this program steered in the right direction. It will be close.

Dec. 28:

Independence Bowl: Northern Illinois vs. Louisiana Tech: This is a home game for the LTU Bulldogs, and the Huskies of NIU had an average season at best.

Dec. 29:

Papajohns.com Bowl: Rutgers vs. NC State: The Scarlet Knights have had an off year under Coach Schiano, and the Wolfpack have been quite impressive on defense at times this year. What does this mean? Order a meat lover's pizza and watch the game to see who pulls this one off.

Dec. 30:

Holiday Bowl: Oklahoma St. vs. Oregon: This game will be filled with offense. If the Cowboys travel well to San Diego, they have a chance against a very good Duck team.

Texas Bowl: Rice vs. Western Michigan: The Owls had quite a good year notching 9 wins in Conference USA. They have a QB that will be playing on Sundays in the not too distant future. The Broncos also had a 9 win campaign this year as well while playing in the MAC. The three Rice losses came on the road to Texas, Tulsa and Vanderbilt all three are bowl teams. My edge to the Owls.

Dec. 31 Armed Forces Bowl: Houston vs. Air Force: Look for the points to be a plenty in this game. The Falcon's 4 losses all came against bowl bound teams, the Cougars put up a ton of points this year. Use the same coin to flip for the outcome of this one as well.

Sun Bowl: Pittsburgh vs. Oregon State: I will pick the Beavers over the Panthers in this one. The Big East was a little soft this year, and the Pac 10 was pretty tough.

Music City Bowl: Boston College vs. Vanderbilt: This is the first bowl game for the Commodores in quite a while, but I think the Eagle's defense is just too tough to overcome.

Insight Bowl: Kansas vs. Minnesota: I think the Golden Gophers will be happy to be in the warm climate of Phoenix as opposed to the frigid confines of Minnesota. The Jayhawks are still quite explosive on offense, and I believe that will be the difference in this game.

Chick-fil-A Bowl: Georgia Tech vs. LSU: Coach Paul Johnson was just named the NCAA coach of the year. This should be plenty of reason that the Yellow Jackets will beat the defending national champion Bayou Bengals.

Jan. 1:

Outback Bowl: Iowa vs. South Carolina: Iowa has a tough defense, and if the Gamecocks knew who the heck their starting QB was, it might make it easier to pick them over the Hawkeyes. That being said, Iowa gets the nod.

Gator Bowl: Clemson vs. Nebraska: It would be bitter sweet if the Tigers could win their bowl game after losing their coach mid-season. The Cornhuskers have put together a nice 9 win season. I have to give the edge to Clemson in this one.

Capital One Bowl: Michigan St. vs. Georgia: Don't ask me why, but the Bulldogs are always well prepared for their bowl games. I think this gives them the edge over an average Spartan team.


Orange Bowl: Virginia Tech va. Cincinnati: This BCMESS game pitts the Big East Champs against the Acc Champs. Va Tech is always so good on defense, and the Bearcats are strong offensively. I will take the Hokies in this one.

Rose Bowl: USC vs. Penn St.: Another BCMESS game should be quite a thriller. Joe Pa has just signed a three year extension to remain with the Nittany Lions until he becomes 85. Yes 85. The Trojans lost to the Oregon State Beavers. If not for that, they may have been in Miami instead of Pasadena.

Jan. 2:

Cotton Bowl: Ole Miss vs. Texas Tech: The key to this game is whether or not the Red Raiders sulk because they were left out of the National Championship picture or they look past it and show how strong their team is on both sides of the ball. The Rebels are not too shabby themselves. This is one game I would not bet on, but I like Texas Tech.

Liberty Bowl: Kentucky vs. East Carolina: All things considered, I like the Pirates of ECU over the Wildcats.

Sugar Bowl: Alabama vs. Utah: The Utes were the only non-BCMESS at large selection. I hope they make it count. Boise State is licking their chops to play in a BCS game. I think the Crimson Tide will prevail and wonder about their loss to Florida all during the off season.

Jan. 3:

International Bowl: Buffalo vs. Connecticut: Another good match up. Both teams were strong within their respective conferences. Coach Turner Gil just received a contract extension from the Bulls through 2013. The Huskies of UCONN had the nation's top rusher on their side this year. I like the Huskies in a close game.


Jan. 5: Fiesta Bowl: Texas vs. Ohio St.: Two teams that travel well are coming to the valley of the sun. I believe that Colt McCoy and the rest of the Longhorns will light up the scoreboard. The Buckeyes just don't seem to have enough to impress me. We shall see.

Jan. 6: GMAC Bowl: Tulsa vs. Ball State. The Cardinals were undefeated until the Buffalo Bulls beat them in the MAC Championship Game. The Golden Hurricanes are loaded on offense. This one will be fun to watch. I like Tulsa in this one.

Jan. 8: BCMESS National Championship Game: Oklahoma vs. Florida. The Gators have so much speed on both sides of the ball and the Sooners have the Heisman Trophy winner at QB. What does this all mean? You know what they say.......SPEED KILLS.

Gators are national champs. Try to avoid going to the restroom until half time or at the end of the game. You could easily miss 3 touchdowns if you don't.


Be safe and be well during this holiday season!!


Has anyone seen my eggnog?