It's time for our RSS Bowl Pick 'Em Extravaganza! We'll pick every game with confidence points and bring in Brother Yohey to compete against the Yoder Brethren. I'll have you know my bowl picking record is quite stellar, we'll see if that jinxes me this time around. My guess is that it will. Actually, there are quite a bit of compelling bowl matchups that will take place in the next few weeks (even though only 1 team gets the crystal above). Well, at least once we get past Middle Tennessee vs Southern Miss. Below will be each bowl game and our picks and confidence points. Play along at home and try and beat the bloggers, maybe you'll win a prize, like being accepted into the Big 10! Part I takes us up through the 2009 Bowl Games and we'll be back after Christmas with Part II...
Dec 19 - New Mexico Bowl - Wyoming (6-6) v Fresno State (8-4)
-I'll admit it's pretty weird seeing Wyoming in a Bowl Game. Fresno RB Ryan Matthews (good name) is by far the best player in this game, and we all like Fresno State. Some more than others...
Mr. Yoder I: Fresno 28 Mr. Yoder II: Fresno 22 Brother Yohey: Fresno 2
Dec 19 - St. Petersburg Bowl - Rutgers (8-4) v UCF (8-4)
-The only reason Rutgers has been in the news recently is because they're candidates for Big 10 expansion. Evidently Rutgers will lead into a huge boon in popularity for the Big 10 in New York. My guess is that maybe 5-6 % of the New York market will tune in to this game, and half of that will be by accident. On the field, this game is one of the tougher to call because of the averageness that is present.
Mr. Yoder I: UCF 5 Mr. Yoder II: Rutgers 9 Brother Yohey: Rutgers 3
Dec 20 - New Orleans Bowl - Middle Tennessee (9-3) v Southern Miss (7-5)
-It seems that Southern Miss's home away from home is the Superdome and the New Orleans Bowl. I have no idea why Middle Tennessee is not going by Middle Tennessee State, which is the name of the university. It's perplexing, every preview is missing the State from their name. I know a guy that went to Middle Tennessee State. That's the extent of my insight into this game. Since I know nobody from Southern Miss (and that's where some guy named Favre went), I'll pick the Blue Raiders.
Y1: MTSU 3 Y2: So Miss 1 BY: So Miss 4
Dec 22 - Las Vegas Bowl - BYU (10-2) v Oregon State (8-4)
-Easily the most intriguing matchup before Christmas is in the Las Vegas Bowl, which seems to be BYU's home away from home. BYU was the early pick to be this year's BCS buster, but have since fallen by the wayside. Bro Yohey likes the Beavers and Jacquizz Rodgers a lot in this game, I'll cautiously place my bet on Max Hall and the Cougars.
Y1: BYU 18 Y2: Oregon St 3 BY: Oregon St 28
Dec 23 - Poinsettia Bowl - Utah (9-3) v Cal (8-4)
-Utah is another established non-BCS school that has had success in Bowl games. While Cal did manage to beat Stanford in the big game, Javhid Best is questionable for this one. We all like the Utes to get another BCS scalp.
Y1: Utah 12 Y2: Utah 19 BY: Utah 5
Dec 24 - Hawaii Bowl - Nevada (8-4) v SMU (7-5)
-June Jones returns to Aloha country with his new team SMU to go up against old foe Nevada. Nevada features many talented players including QB Colin Kaepernick, but in Bowl Games I always look towards goofy storylines - like finally seeing June Jones in a leis again. Maybe I should pick NCAA tourney games like this...
Y1: SMU 6 Y2: Nevada 10 BY: SMU 6
Dec 26 - Little Caesar's Bowl - Ohio (9-4) v Marshall (6-6)
-I wish I was making some of these names up... Little Caesar's? If it was me I would vote for a Hungry Howie's Bowl - best pizza chain I've ever had. Marshall's coach resigned after the season, I guess he didn't want to coach in a bowl game. Plus, Ohio's QB Theo Scott is a legit duel threat. BY goes for the max in this one, and we're all very confident in the Bobcats.
Y1: Ohio 25 Y2: Ohio 29 BY: Ohio 34
Dec 26 - Meineke Car Care Bowl - Pitt (9-3) v UNC (8-4)
-Pitt's incredible FR RB Dion Lewis tried to steal the show against Cincy with an incredible performance, but the defense couldn't hold off Tony Pike. North Carolina does not have those offensive capabilities, and a rested Lewis should see Pitt through. Again, we're in agreement for a Pitt victory.
Y1: Pitt 22 Y2: Pitt 24 BY: Pitt 29
Dec 26 - Emerald Bowl - USC (8-4) v BC (8-4)
-I'm still not sure that everyone is aware that USC had a down season. Against the wishes of USC cheerleaders in the media, they play in the ultra-glamourous Emerald Bowl against Boston College. I wouldn't expect USC to come out flat in a Bowl game. This team will want to make an example out of the Eagles and set the tone for next year. The most compelling element will be seeing how much Pete Carroll wants to run up the score. I have no idea what Yohey is thinking with this pick by the way...
Y1: USC 34 Y2: USC 33 BY: BC 1
Dec 27 - Music City Bowl - Clemson (8-5) v Kentucky (7-5)
-CJ Spiller and the Tigers should have no trouble with the Wildcats in Nashville. This is the 67th straight season that Kentucky has played in the Music City Bowl, although Andre Woodson isn't walkin through that door folks. Let's see if SEC Nation gets juiced to get behind Kentucky in this one... I kinda doubt it.
Y1: Clemson 31 Y2: Clemson 31 BY: Clemson 16
Dec 28 - Independence Bowl - Georgia (7-5) v Texas A&M (6-6)
-Picking a 6-6 Big XII team against a 7-5 SEC team may not be the straight-forward play, but Georgia is such an undisciplined team that it's hard to pick them after a month layoff. Plus, A&M is making sloooowww strides under Mike Sherman like almost beating Texas. Another step in that direction would be a Bowl win over an SEC powerhouse.
Y1: A&M 13 Y2: UGA 18 BY: A&M 17
Dec 29 - EagleBank Bowl - Temple (9-3) v UCLA (6-6)
-I have no idea what EagleBank is, but evidently this Bowl game is being played in Washington DC. Hopefully there is a foot of snow to welcome UCLA from the West Coast. Hopefully we can see a few more Bowl games in the Northeast and Midwest and see if it affects the Southern and Western schools. My guess is that Temple will be much more pumped for this one than the Bruins. Picking Temple... in a college football Bowl game.... yikes.
Y1: Temple 1 Y2: UCLA 7 BY: UCLA 18
Dec 29 - Champs Sports Bowl - The U (9-3) v Wisconsin (9-3)
-The U is back, almost. They were early season darlings, but did manage to finish with a very respectable 9-3 season. Wisconsin had another solid season with Jon Clay the next in line in the bruising Wisconsin running back tradition. This is the best of the Christmas-New Year's matchups and we're split in our picks.
Y1: Wisconsin 4 Y2: The U 11 BY: The U 19
Dec 30 - Humanitarian Bowl - Idaho (7-5) v Bowling Green (7-5)
-I'm sure millions will be tuning in to watch traditional powers Idaho and Bowling Green go toe to toe on the blue turf of Boise. Something tells me this game has either Joe Tessitore or Eric Collins written all over it, let's check Awful Announcing to see if I'm right... yes! Eric Collins it is! Good luck to whoever wants to watch this one.
Y1: Idaho 2 Y2: Idaho 2 BY: BG 14
Dec 30 - Holiday Bowl - Nebraska (9-4) v Arizona (8-4)
-Watch this game for one reason. Ndamukong Suh. We here at RSS told you about Suh as a Heisman contender long before his breakout game against Texas. He is the best defensive college football player this decade and has to consider himself hard done by to finish a distant 4th in the Heisman. If Suh comes out and plays angry he might get 17 sacks.
Y1: Nebraska 33 Y2: Nebraska 12 BY: Nebraska 31
Dec 31 - Armed Forces Bowl - Houston (10-3) v Air Force (7-5)
-Ironically, this is the 3rd time these schools will play in 2 years and a rematch of last year's AF Bowl. While it might be tempting to pick Air Force here, the only real threat in the air is 2010 Heisman candidate Case Keenum. I wouldn't be shocked to see at least 450 and 4 TDs for the Houston gunslinger.
Y1: Houston 24 Y2: Houston 30 BY: Houston 10
Dec 31 - Sun Bowl - Oklahoma (7-5) v Stanford (8-4)
-OU is another program that has gotten off easy for having a crappy season. Of course, losing Sam Bradford could have something to do with that. This will be the showcase game for Toby Gerhart, but he probably hasn't faced a defense like Oklahoma. Plus, I don't exactly have confidence that the Cardinal will have a lot of luck in the passing game. That being said, Stanford's the pick. Nice swerve, eh?
Y1: Stanford 17 Y2: Oklahoma 21 BY: Stanford 33
Dec 31 - Texas Bowl - Missouri (8-4) v Navy (8-4)
-Mizzou is another team caught up in the Big 10 expansion talk, with both sides seemingly interested in making that happen. One reason is that Mizzou has gotten screwed out of good Bowl games the past 3 seasons. Navy will make it close with the triple option, but Danario Alexander and Blaine Gabbert are too dynamic. Missouri outscores Navy in this one.
Y1: Mizzou 29 Y2: Mizzou 20 BY: Navy 11
Dec 31 - Insight Bowl - Iowa St (6-6) v Minnesota (6-6)
-Like some other weird situations, Minnesota in the Insight Bowl is another instance that has become a yearly tradition. I'm sorry, but I'll have better things to do than watch two 6-6 teams play on New Year's Eve, but I have more faith in the Golden Gophers than the Cyclones. It is scary to put 27 pts worth of faith in them though...
Y1: Minnesota 27 Y2: Minnesota 4 BY: Iowa State 12
Dec 31 - Peach Bowl - Va Tech (9-3) v Tennessee (7-5)
-I refuse to call this the Chick-Fil-A Bowl, even though it is very yummy (but overpriced). Lane Kiffin has made an impact at UT everywhere... except on the field. 7-5 might be a step in the right direction, but do Volunteer supporters want to follow Lane Kiffin where he is leading the program? Look no farther than Frank Beamer and VT to see how a program can be turned around the right way. I'm sure there will be some nice young UT women to help the Vols out after they lose.
Y1: VT 19 Y2: VT 25 VT: 13
Happy Bowl season, leave us your picks below if you'd like and don't forget to check after XMas for Part II. We'll also continue our Top 10 Stories of the Decade Countdown with #9! Bye for now...
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