[NU Sports] PIGSKIN PICKS - Bowl Pool

[SjT (Stephen J. Truog)]

No standings yet (sorry - finals week!:) ), but we have 20 bowl games that start next Saturday and one more chance for everyone to get in the hall of fame for this year - everyone starts out 0-0, so feel free to join.

Sorry for the rant at the start, once the fingers get going it's hard to stop.:) But it was truly a chore to find 20 games.

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Just a quick note to those who defend the current system of college football’s postseason – really, honestly, what argument do you have left?

Playoffs would be bad for student athletes? That one’s gone away the last few years as the number of Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday games has increased. No classes in the middle of the week, I guess.

The regular season is really a playoff and matters so much? Try telling that one to the millions who watched Texas defeat Oklahoma, wind up with the same record and yet be denied a shot at the title while OU moves on.

So all we have left is this grand bowl tradition we keep hearing about. Before the B(C)S came along, I would wholeheartedly agree. I loved watching game after game of great regional rivalries, pageantries and meaning on New Year’s Day, flipping between the flurry of morning games, then watching the sun set in Pasadena and Tempe in mid afternoon and getting all electric at night in Miami and New Orleans.

But is that tradition really left now? The contests seem to get crappier every year (look at the scores of the major bowls pre- and post- BCS to see). The stadiums are more empty every year. The sponsorship takes more and more away from the game every year. And as much as Pasadena tries, even their magic is slipping away (though this year could finally restore some of that in a true Pac 10 champ vs. Big Ten champ showdown).

Oh well, another new year comes around and hope springs eternal that sooner or later the fans of this great sport will stop accepting the spoon-fed lines about how great this horrible system is (it’s the worst of both worlds – no playoff, no bowl tradition) and rise up to demand some change.

Until then, it was a REAL struggle to try and find 20 decent games this year – even with the glut of bowl games out there – to fill out our list. The Big Ten bowls are obviously there and some bowls with ties to NU’s past were thrown in, but even the prime time games really seem weak this year.

Picks for ALL bowls due by kickoff next Saturday (Dec. 20) and changes will only be allowed in extreme cases (a player ruled ineligible, etc.). We all start fresh at a 0-0 mark, so one more chance to get into the hall of fame!

PIGSKIN PICKS – BOWL POOL
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BIG TEN
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ROSE BOWL: Penn State vs. Southern Cal
My Pick: NITTANY LIONS … I know the Trojans are awesome and I know they’re at home, but they’re used to getting the Big Ten’s second-place team in this game and stomping all over them and will be surprised when they see that the Big Ten champ is actually loaded with talent. Plus, no one coaches as well in bowl games as JoePa, though Carrol is coming close.

FIESTA BOWL: Ohio State vs. Texas
My Pick: BUCKEYES … the last two years aside, Tressel has done a fine job in bowl games and he’s brought this team along well, losing only an early game at SC with an injured Beanie Wells and a defensive classic vs. PSU. Those teams are 22-2, by the way. Now with a healthy Wells, a slew of seniors looking to go out with a bang and a freshman-no-more at quarterback, they have enough to catch Texas – who are still moping from the title game snub.

CITRUS BOWL: Georgia vs. Michigan State
My Pick: BULLDOGS … great battle of running backs, but there’s a reason Georgia was preseason #1 – unless they forget to show up (which has happened this year), they should have enough to win.

OUTBACK BOWL: Iowa vs. South Carolina
My Pick: HAWKEYES … good battle of coaches here, but don’t expect much scoring in the New Year’s Hangover Bowl, as SC relies on defense and Iowa always plays games close. The Hawkeyes shouldn’t be here, but use their ground game to grind out a victory.

CHAMPS BOWL: Florida State vs. Wisconsin
My Pick: SEMINOLES … the coaching seat in Madison is starting to get warm, especially with the AD being a guy who knew how to win in bowls. The Badgers put up a game fight last year in Tampa, but get outmatched here by the home crowd Noles.

INSIGHT BOWL: Kansas vs. Minnesota
My Pick: JAYHAWKS … could be a fun shootout if the Minnesota from the first half of the season shows up, but they just haven’t looked the same since the NU game and their confidence is gone, while Kansas’ has grown since the upset of Mizzou.

NATIONAL
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BCS TITLE GAME: Florida vs. Oklahoma
My Pick: GATORS … Urban’s whiners get their second questionable title in three years in front of the home folk. But losing to Ole Miss at home taints the title, especially if Texas wins big or PSU/USC wins convincingly in Pasadena.

ORANGE BOWL: Virginia Tech vs. Cincinnati
My Pick: HOKIES … snoozer. Flip a coin.

SUGAR BOWL: Alabama vs. Utah
My Pick: TIDE … another yawner. I’d love to see Utah win and really throw a wrench into Florida’s championship, but Saban is scary with a month’s worth of prep.

LIBERTY BOWL: East Carolina vs. Kentucky
My Pick: PIRATES … klunker central here. Usually the rule is go with the SEC team, but not this year.

COTTON BOWL: Mississippi vs. Texas Tech
My Pick: RED RAIDERS … Houston Nutt is a heck of a coach, but the SEC was overrated this year and Tech was sadly underrated by the polls and BCS. This one gets ugly.

GATOR BOWL: Clemson vs. Nebraska
My Pick: TIGERS … two teams living off their past reps to get the New Year’s bid they really didn’t deserve. Go with the Tigers, barely.

PEACH BOWL: Georgia Tech vs. Louisiana State
My Pick: TIGERS … I’d love to see the Jackets run all over LSU like they did Uga, but the Tigers will be ready for their option with their talent on D and do enough to win and help cover up the SEC’s overratedness this year. 

SUN BOWL: Oregon State vs. Pittsburgh
My Pick: BEAVERS … two inconsistent teams, but I’ll take the one that doesn’t play in the Big Least.

HOLIDAY BOWL: Oklahoma State vs. Oregon
My Pick: COWBOYS … should be a fun one here (it usually is in San Diego) as the Cowpokes win a shootout.

EMERALD BOWL: California vs. Miami
My Pick: GOLDEN BEARS … tough call here as you never know which ACC team will show up to play, but I’ll go with the Bears at home.

MOTOR CITY BOWL: Florida Atlantic vs. Central Michigan
My Pick: CHIPPEWAS … the folks in Motown must be ticked at NU for beating the Illini and forcing them to select FAU. There probably will be more people in Ford Field in March for the Final Four than for this bowl and the Lions home finale combined.

HAWAII BOWL: Hawaii vs. Notre Dame
My Pick: FIGHTING IRISH … just their luck – we get six wins and no room in the inn, but Notre Dame gets six wins and welcome to Hawaii, and a winnable bowl for once. It won’t be easy with the home refs, but the Irish should win here.

POINSETTIA BOWL: Boise State vs. Texas Christian
My Pick: HORNED FROGS … San Diego has two of the five best bowl games this year (take THAT, B(C)S) and this should be a dandy. I love the Smurf Turf guys at home, but on the road, TCU is tough.

LAS VEGAS BOWL: Arizona vs. Brigham Young
My Pick: COUGARS … it could be one of the better bowls in Vegas and the Wildcats will be tough to beat, but BYU represents the Mountain West well here, escaping with a win.

And off the board ...

ALAMO BOWL: Missouri vs. Northwestern
My Pick: WILDCATS ... this is the year! Mizzou enters down after a disappointing season (for their expectations) and NU jumps out early as Fitz is hungry for the bowl win. Then when Chase leads the charge back, the Tigers get close, but their D can't make the stop at the end to get the ball back. I hope! I hope!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!:)

GO CATS!!!
Go Lions! Go Spartans! Go Hawkeyes! Go Buckeyes! Go Badgers! Go Gophers!
-SjT

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STEPHEN J. TRUOG
sjtruog at yahoo.com
GO CATS!!!