College Bowl Picks 2011: Part 3

There are a couple of Bowl Games going on (Sun Bowl- Georgia Tech vs. Utah, DJBC Sports Corner picked the Yellow Jackets to win this; and the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl- Illinois vs. 6-7 UCLA, both the Illini and Bruins are being coached by assistant head coaches following the dismissals of Ron Zook and Rick Neuheisel respectively; DJBC Sports Corner picked UCLA).

Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas (Reliant Stadium- Houston, TX)
Texas A&M Aggies vs. Northwestern Wildcats
PICK: Was Texas A&M 30-10 over Northwestern

Sun Bowl (Sun Bowl- El Paso, TX)
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets vs. Utah Utes
PICK: Georgia Tech 31, Utah 17

Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl (AT&T Park- San Francisco, CA)
Illinois Fighting Illini vs. UCLA Bruins
PICK: UCLA 41, Illinois 33

AutoZone Liberty Bowl (Liberty Bowl- Memphis, TN)
Cincinnati Bearcats vs. Vanderbilt Fighting Commodores
PICK: Cincinnati 37, Vandy 23

Chick-fil-A Bowl (Georgia Dome- Atlanta, GA)
Virginia Cavaliers vs. Auburn Tigers
PICK: Virginia 27, Auburn 23

No Games on New Year's Day due to the Final Week of the NFL Regular Season

MONDAY JANUARY 2:
TicketCity Bowl (Cotton Bowl- Dallas, TX)
Penn State Nittany Lions vs. Houston Cougars
PICK: Houston 27, Penn State 21

TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl (EverBank Field- Jacksonville, FL)
Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Florida Gators
This is practically a home game for the Gators, because it's only an hour away from Gainesville, so the Gator fans won't have too far to travel. This is probably eerily to the 2007 BCS National Championship when the Buckeyes lost to LSU at the Superdome. The Gators will bring the noise and the speed. This is the final game for Buckeye offensive and defensive coordinators Jim Bollman and Jim Heacock. The former was one of the first Jim Tressel assistant hires, and the latter had been on staff since the John Cooper era. This is a game for Will Muschamp to prove that he is the coach for the Gators. This will be the final bowl game not only for the Buckeye seniors, but for the Buckeye juniors as well, because of next year's postseason ban. This will be a good game, but the Gators will edge the Buckeyes due to the SEC speed and the home field.
PICK: Florida 20, Ohio State 17

Outback Bowl (Raymond James Stadium- Tampa, FL)
Georgia Bulldogs vs. Michigan State Spartans
PICK: Georgia 37, Michigan State 21

Capital One Bowl (Citrus Bowl- Orlando, FL)
Nebraska Cornhuskers vs. South Carolina Gamecocks
PICK: South Carolina 28, Nebraska 19

Rose Bowl presented by Vizio (The Rose Bowl- Pasadena, CA)
Wisconsin Badgers vs. Oregon Ducks
PICK: Oregon 42, Wisconsin 28

Tostito's Fiesta Bowl (University of Phoenix Stadium- Glendale, AZ)
Oklahoma State Cowboys vs. Stanford Cardinal
Erin Andrews, ESPN sideline reporter tweeted before the BCS Selection show, "a loss in Baton Rouge vs. a loss in Ames", referring to which loss would determine the # 2 team in the final BCS rankings (with would be Alabama). Oklahoma State was robbed of a spot (because of that loss to Iowa State) in the BCS National Championship game.
PICK: Stanford 49, Oklahoma State 31

TUESDAY January 3
Allstate Sugar Bowl (Mercedes-Benz Superdome- New Orleans, LA)
Michigan Wolverines vs. Virginia Tech Hokies
Could this be Denard's last stand? We hope not (we need him to beat Urban Meyer in Columbus in November). But, Michigan's improved defense, coached by defensive coordinator Greg Mattison turned heads this year, and Michigan's defense will give Virginia Tech hell. The Hokies also have problem with converting red zone possessions into touchdowns. This is what will separate the men (Michigan) from the boys (Virginia Tech).
PICK: Michigan 38, Virginia Tech 24

WEDNESDAY January 4
Discover Orange Bowl (SunLife Stadium- Miami, FL)
Clemson Tigers vs. West Virginia Mountaineers
PICK: Clemson 33, West Virginia 21

FRIDAY January 6
AT&T Cotton Bowl (Cowboys Stadium- Arlington, TX)
Arkansas Razorbacks vs. Kansas State Wildcats
PICK: Arkansas 24, Kansas State 21

SATURDAY January 7
BBVA Compass Bowl (Birmingham, AL)
Pitt Panthers vs. SMU Mustangs
PICK: Pitt 20, SMU 7

SUNDAY January 8
GoDaddy.com Bowl (Mobile, AL)
Arkansas State vs. Northern Illinois
PICK: ??

MONDAY January 9
Allstate BCS National Championship Game (Mercedes-Benz Superdome- New Orleans, LA)
# 1 LSU Tigers vs. # 2 Alabama Crimson Tide
For the sixth straight year, the Southeastern Conference will win the BCS National Championship game. In the first game between these two schools this year, no touchdowns were scored in a boring 9-6 overtime field goal defensive battle won by the Tigers. There will be touchdowns in this game (knock on wood), and the Tigers will be the 3rd 14-0 team in I-FBS history.
PICK: LSU 30, Alabama 24

2011 College Bowl Season: Part 2

Christmas is over, and there are more college bowl games to play as the old year fades into the sunset and the new year rises like a phoenix.

TONIGHT-
AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl (Shreveport, LA)
North Carolina Tar Heels vs. Missouri Tigers
Pick: Mizzou 20, UNC 14

TUESDAY-
Little Caesar's Pizza Bowl (Ford Field- Detroit, MI)
Purdue Boilermakers vs. Western Michigan Broncos
Pick: Purdue 34, Western Michigan 13

Belk Bowl (Charlotte, NC)
North Carolina State Wolf Pack vs. Louisville Cardinals
Pick: Louisville 21, NC State 17

WEDNESDAY-
Military Bowl (FedEx Field- Landover, MD)
Toledo Rockets vs. Air Force Falcons
Pick: Toledo 28, Air Force 19

Bridgeport Education Holiday Bowl (QualComm Stadium- San Diego, CA)
Cal Golden Bears vs. Texas Longhorns
Pick: Texas 33, Cal 22

THURSDAY-
Champps Sports Bowl (Orlando, FL)
Florida State Seminoles vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Pick: Notre Dame 24, Florida State 20

Valero Alamo Bowl (Alamodome- San Antonio, TX)
Baylor Bears vs. Washington Huskies
Pick: Baylor 41, Washington 17

FRIDAY-
Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl (Dallas, TX)
Brigham Young Cougars vs. Tulsa Golden Hurricane
Pick: Tulsa 23, BYU 19

New Era Pinstripe Bowl (Yankee Stadium- The Bronx, NY)
Iowa State Cyclones vs. Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Pick: Rutgers 27, Iowa State 21

Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl (LP Stadium- Nashville, TN)
Wake Forest Demon Deacons vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs
Pick: Mississippi State 42, Wake 10

Insight Bowl (Sun Devil Stadium- Tempe, AZ)
Iowa Hawkeyes vs. Oklahoma Sooners
Pick: Oklahoma 34, Iowa 21

On Friday- The New Year's Eve, January 2*, and BCS Bowl Games
*- NO Bowl Games on New Year's Day, due to the Final Week of the NFL Regular Season

Projected Picks:
Sun Bowl: Georgia Tech
Taxslayer.com Gator Bowl: Florida
Outback Bowl: Georgia
Capital One Bowl: Nebraska
Rose Bowl: Oregon
Tostito's Fiesta Bowl: Stanford
Allstate Sugar Bowl: Michigan
Discover Orange Bowl: Clemson
AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic: Arkansas
BCS National Championship: LSU

2011 Bowl Games: Part 1

Bowl Season is Here! Could this be the last Bowl Season ever? I hope not. I love Bowl Games, because they are the tradition of college football.

NEW MEXICO BOWL at University (of New Mexico) Stadium (Earlier Today):
Temple Owls vs. Wyoming Cowboys
Result: Temple won 37-15

FAMOUS IDAHO POTATO BOWL at Boise State Bronco Stadium (In Progress):
Ohio Bobcats vs. Utah State Aggies

R&L CARRIERS NEW ORLEANS BOWL at Mercedes Benz Superdome (Tonight):
San Diego State Aztecs vs. Louisiana-Lafayette Rajin' Cajuns
Pick: San Diego State 27, LL 19

BEEF O'BRADY'S ST. PETERSBURG BOWL at Tropicana Field (Tuesday):
Florida International Owls vs. Marshall Thundering Herd
Pick: FIU 30, Marshall 22

SAN DIEGO COUNTY CREDIT UNION POINSETTIA BOWL at Snapdragon Stadium (Wednesday):
TCU Horned Frogs vs. Louisiana Tech Techsters
Pick: TCU 33, La Tech 8

MAACO LAS VEGAS BOWL at Sam Boyd Stadium (Thursday):
Arizona State Sun Devils vs. Boise State Broncos
Pick: Boise State 39, Arizona State 16

Tis the Bowl Season to Be Jolly: Part 1

The College Football Bowl Season begins on Saturday, and lasts over 23 days, ending with the BCS National Championship between # 1 Auburn and # 2 Oregon at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.


NEW MEXICO BOWL:
University Stadium; Albuquerque, NM- Saturday @ 2PM EST on ESPN
Brigham Young (BYU) Cougars (6-6; regular season) vs. University of Texas-El Paso (UTEP) Miners (6-6; regular season)
It's not easy being the first bowl. One of these two teams will finish at 7-6, while the other will be 6-7.
Pick: BYU 23-14

uDrove HUMANITARIAN BOWL:
Bronco Stadium; Boise, ID- Saturday @ 5:30PM EST on ESPN
Northern Illinois Huskies (10-3; regular season) vs. Fresno State Bulldogs (8-4; regular season)
Northern Illinois lost in another MAC Title Game, losing to Miami of Ohio. The Huskies have to travel to a stadium painted in smurf blue to play Fresno State.
Pick: Fresno State 29-10

R+L Carriers NEW ORLEANS BOWL:
Louisiana Superdome; New Orleans, LA- Saturday @ 9PM EST on ESPN
Ohio Bobcats (8-4; regular season) vs. Troy Trojans (7-5; regular season)
Pick: OU Bobcats 27-19

Beef 'O'Brady's ST. PETERSBURG BOWL:
Tropicana Field; St. Petersburg, FL- Tuesday @ 8PM EST on ESPN
Southern Mississippi Eagles (8-4; regular season) vs. Louisville Cardinals (6-6; regular season)
Pick: Southern Miss 30-16

MAACO LAS VEGAS BOWL:
Sam Boyd Stadium; Las Vegas, NV- Wednesday @ 8PM EST on ESPN
Utah Utes (10-2; regular season) vs. Boise State Broncos (11-1; regular season)
Both of these teams had high hopes of being BCS busters when the season began in September. Along the way, Utah suffered back-to-back thumpings to TCU and Notre Dame, while Boise State was upset on Black Friday by Nevada in nearby Reno. Can recent BCS-buster Boise State knock off 2008 BCS-buster Utah?
Pick: Boise State 40-20

San Diego County Credit Union POINSETTIA BOWL:
Qualcomm Stadium; San Diego, CA- Thurs. Dec. 23 @ 8PM EST on ESPN
Navy Midshipmen (9-3; regular season) vs. San Diego State Aztecs (8-4; regular season)
I was going to give the Aztecs props and the edge for playing in their home city, but it's not going to happen.
Pick: Navy 28-14

and
Sheraton HAWAII BOWL:
Aloha Stadium; Honolulu, HI- Fri. Dec. 24 @ 8PM EST on ESPN
Hawaii Rainbow Warriors (10-3; regular season) vs. Tulsa Golden Hurricane (9-3; regular season)
This is going to be a good matchup between two great teams- Hawaii and Tulsa. I'm not going to give the Rainbow Warriors the edge based on their home field advantage, but because Hawaii had to deal with Nevada and Boise State all year long (the Warriors knocked off Nevada while losing to Boise State).
Pick: Hawaii 35-32

And looking ahead to Next Week's Post:
Little Caesar's Bowl (Ford Field; Detroit)- Florida Int'l (6-6) vs. Toledo (8-4)
AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl (Independence Stadium; Shreveport, La.)- Air Force (8-4) vs. Georgia Tech (6-6)
Champs Sports Bowl (Florida Citrus Bowl; Orlando)- West Virginia (9-3) vs. NC State (8-4)
Insight Bowl (Sun Devil Stadium; Tempe, Ariz.)- Missouri (10-2) vs. Iowa (7-5)
Military Bowl presented by Northrop Grunman (RFK Stadium; Washington D.C.)- East Carolina (6-6) vs. Maryland (8-4)
Texas Bowl (Reliant Stadium; Houston)- Illinois (6-6) vs. Baylor (7-5)
Valero Alamo Bowl (Alamodome; San Antonio)- Oklahoma State (10-2) vs. Arizona (7-5)
Bell Helicopter Armed Forces (Gerald J. Ford Stadium; Dallas)- Army (6-6) vs. Southern Methodist (7-6)
New Era Pinstripe Bowl (Yankee Stadium; The Bronx)- Kansas State (7-5) vs. Syracuse (7-5)
Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl (LP Field; Nashville)- North Carolina (7-5) vs. Tennessee (6-6)
Bridgeport Education Holiday Bowl (Qualcomm Stadium; San Diego)- Nebraska (10-3) vs. Washington (6-6)
Meineke Car Care Bowl (Bank of America Stadium; Charlotte, NC)- South Florida (7-5) vs. Clemson (6-6)
Hyundai Sun Bowl (Sun Bowl; El Paso)- Notre Dame (7-5) vs. Miami (7-5)
AutoZone Liberty Bowl (Liberty Bowl; Memphis)- Central Florida (10-3) vs. Georgia (6-6)
Chick-fil-A Bowl (Georgia Dome; Atlanta)- South Carolina (9-4) vs. Florida State (9-3)