[NU Sports] PIGSKIN PICKS - Bowl Pool

[SjT (Stephen J. Truog)]

Here are my bowl game picks ... make sure you get yours in by noon tomorrow
(Tuesday) if you haven't already ...

* CHAMPS BOWL: Georgia Tech 27, Syracuse 12
-- Would be a better basketball game, but the bowl season starts with these
two inconsistent teams. The Cuse ended the year better, but Tech is in a
better conference. A far better conference.

* GMAC BOWL: Memphis 44, Bowling Green 34
-- The MAC is getting its chance to prove it deserves more bowl bids this
year, but will anybody watch? Probably not ... but this game is one of the
more entertaining matchups. The Tigers outgun the BUGS.

* FORT WORTH BOWL: Cincinnati 16, Marshall 12
-- And this is the flip side of the MAC bowls - an unentertaining game that
really shows that mid-level teams from the big conferences are better than
a lot of the top-tier teams from the mid majors.

* VEGAS BOWL: UCLA 38, Wyoming 21
-- The Bruins ended the season giving SC a scare while the Cowboys got
crushed at home by Utah. The sooner they end this game, the sooner they can
hit the Strip.

* HAWAII BOWL: Hawaii 48, UAB 44
-- Could be one of the more entertaining shootouts in bowl week, but as MSU
and NU found out, it's tough to beat the Warriors (and their home-island
officials) in Honolulu.

* MPC BOWL: Fresno State 23, Virginia 20
-- The Bulldogs know the blue turf and approach this game as a chance to
prove they belong ... the Cavs wilted down the stretch in the ACC, passed
up Orlando for Boise (?!?!) and have made a habit of not showing up for
bowls. By the time they wake up and play, it's too late.

* MOTOR CITY BOWL: Toledo 40, Connecticut 20
-- The MAC champs feel right at home in Ford Field and blitz newcomer UConn
early and often.

* INDEPENDENCE BOWL: Miami (OH) 27, Iowa State 24
-- A decent game -- the Redhawks should win handily, but the coaching
change takes its toll (is Indiana really a step up over Miami?) and Miami
has to escape late.

* INSIGHT BOWL: Oregon State 26, Notre Dame 10
-- It won't be as ugly as the last time the Beavers ambushed the Irish in
the desert, but the result is the same. Oregon State hung in there with the
likes of USC and LSU this year, so they won't be jittery ... while the
Irish are still stinging from the school's classless and embarassing
coaching shuffle fiasco.

* HOUSTON BOWL: Colorado 41, UTEP 20
-- The Miners are a good story and it'd be nice to see them win, but the
Buffs have too much power up front and steamroll UTEP early.

* ALAMO BOWL: Ohio State 31, Oklahoma State 28
-- This is one of the five best bowl games to watch, with great playmakers
on both sides of the ball. The Buckeyes opened up the O lately and have
found some success ... while the Cowpokes have a habit of jumping out to
big leads and falling asleep. In the end, Buckeyeball is poise and special
teams, and that wins close games.

* TIRE BOWL: North Carolina 20, Boston College 14
-- A future ACC matchup, but the Eagles let the BCS slip away while the
Heels have finished strong and are virtually at home.

* EMERALD BOWL: Navy 37, New Mexico 17
-- Anchors away! The Middies cap a successful season with a big bowl win.

* HOLIDAY BOWL: California 56, Texas Tech 27
-- There's usually a lot of scoring in San Diego for the bowl game ...
could be a shootout, but the Bears are angry about being passed over and
Tech pays the price.

* SILICON VALLEY BOWL: Troy 24, Northern Illinois 10
-- Will anyone watch this one? After all the whining about not being in a
bowl, the Huskies blow their big chance to prove they deserved it all those
years.

* MUSIC CITY BOWL: Alabama 16, Minnesota 7
-- The Gophers can't move the ball on the Tide defense and ... much like
their season, just stop trying midway through.

* SUN BOWL: Purdue 45, Arizona State 27
-- Could have been a great shootout if Walter hadn't gotten hurt, without
their QB and with Purdue having a healthy Orton, the Boilers roll here.

* LIBERTY BOWL: Louisville 55, Boise State 52
-- The best bowl game of 'em all (most entertaining at least) could be in
Memphis this year, with two bombs-away offenses and two teams who deserved
BCS bowls more than the Big Least ... and managed to keep their coaches
despite some big offers. The Cardinals win a fun one and the BCS breathes a
quarter sigh of relief on the unbeatens.

* PEACH BOWL: Florida 31, Miami (FL) 21
-- A good Peach Bowl rivalry matchup for the Sunshine State title this year
since both beat FSU ... lots of trash talking, but the young Gators get
their revenge on Brock for leaving and triumph. Bring on the Urban era!

* OUTBACK BOWL: Georgia 38, Wisconsin 14
-- Both teams were in the top 5, but collapsed in November. Georgia has
more talent and rolls over the Badgers much like MSU and Iowa did.

* COTTON BOWL: Texas A&M 24, Tennessee 14
-- The Vols had some close scrapes against mediocre teams at the end of
November ... then played solid against Auburn? Which team will show up? I'm
betting the letdown type as Aggieland fills the Cotton Bowl and cheers a
big win.

* GATOR BOWL: Florida State 45, West Virginia 10
-- A snoozer in Jacksonville as "Saint" Bobby does to his alma mater what
he does to family - run up the score. Yawn. Though it is fun to see a BCS
year with ZERO Florida teams!

* CITRUS BOWL: Iowa 13, LSU 12
-- What the Liberty Bowl is to offense, the Citrus is to defense this year,
with two great defenses and a great chess match of head coaches. LSU has
some great athletes, but Ferentz has the Hawks on a roll with the waterboy
as running back. Drew Tate leads a late drive and his Hawkeye legend
continues to grow. Great game.

* QUASI-ROSE BOWL: Michigan 27, Texas 24
-- The Granddaddy once again is tainted with a Big XII intruder, but at
least it should provide the best of a boring BCS slate. Texas has talent
galore, but Mack still can't coach it worth squat ... the Rose Bowl means
more to Michigan, and after losing last year, the Wolverines win it this
year as Edwards makes a big case for top pick in the NFL draft.

* FIESTA BOWL: Utah 23, Pittsburgh 7
-- Not much reason to stay up late ... Utah caps a cinderella season by
soundly trouncing a team that has no business being in the BCS. Instead of
giving us Auburn-Utah, the crappy B(C)S puts the Utes in a no-win
situation. A win here won't prove they belonged because the Big Least
doesn't belong. Still, a nice sendoff to Meyer and a storybook season,
nevermind the somewhat bittersweet ending.

* SUGAR BOWL: Auburn 34, Virginia Tech 10
-- The Hokies are solid and hang with the Tigers early, but Auburn's the
best team in the nation all-around, solid on offense and defense, and they
wear down VaTech in the second half. Too bad we didn't get to see Auburn in
Miami ... or at least vs. Utah ... but they make their case for #1 with a
resounding win.

* ORANGE BOWL: USC 38, Oklahoma 20
-- This title game has it all -- the #1 and #2 ranked teams all season
(though not the best ... see Auburn), the big four Heisman candidates, two
of the game's best coaches and two of the world's most annoying bands
playing the same friggin' song over and over and over and over. At least
OU's has more than three notes. Hopefully the Sooner Schooner and Trojan
Horse collide at midfield. As for the game, I really don't think it will be
that close. The Big XII and OU were overrated last year and exposed ...
they're overrated again this year but the Big XII didn't have the talent to
expose it. USC does. With calm Leinhardt leading the way and Pete and Norm
having weeks to prepare, the Trojans will carve up the Sooner D like OSU
and ATM did, while USC's defense will be ready to stuff White and Peterson.
While folks in Auburn will disagree, the Trojans won't have to share the
title this time.

GO CATS!!!
Go Wolverines! Go Hawkeyes! Go Badgers! Go Bucks! Go Boilers! Go Gophers!
-SjT


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88888b  Y88 *     Stephen J. Truog     * 88888b  Y88
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