[NU Sports] One last bowl guess ...

[SjT (Stephen J. Truog)]

... before the computers and Cartel sort this mess out tomorrow.

TITLE: LSU vs. Alabama - I hope the pollsters remember Urban Meyer's whines of 2007 and put Okie State here simply to avoid a rematch ... but it's an SEC world and we're all just living in it right now. If I'm the Tigers, I'm ticked because I already beat Bama on THEIR turf, so what happens if -- with a month to prepare -- Saban edges out The Hat in the rematch? B-C-MESS!

ROSE: Wisconsin vs. Oregon - The Ego Bowl between two brash, smug young coaches who each "got a job on third base and think they hit a triple." As long as the Smug Smirk of Cheddarland doesn't repeat his cutesy effort in Pasadena from a year ago and sticks to the script of ground and pound, the Badgers should manhandle Oregon ... just like every other halfway decent team the Ducks have faced in the past three years.

SUGAR: Michigan vs. West Virginia - The Sugar folks will sweat out the final rankings, but as long as Big Blue makes the cut, they're in over K-State or a free-falling Oklahoma. As for the foe, why take TCU when you can grab the Mountaineers (who'll bring more fans) and stage the Rich Rod Bowl, where both sides can wear blue and gold proudly and agree on how happy they are that Rich Rod is gone. Lots of offense, too!

FIESTA: Oklahoma State vs. Stanford - The Treez should get an automatic bid despite not playing anyone all year and the Cowpokes get snubbed for the title shot, meaning they meet out west in what will truly be a shootout. Hope the stadium in Glendale goes up to triple digits, because neither team has a D to speak of this year.

ORANGE: TCU vs. Clemson - The Tigers should at least fill more seats than the usual 10,000 that make it to the Orange Bowl these days ... and as long as TCU gets into the top 16, they get in over K-State or Oklahoma.

CITRUS: Nebraska vs. Arkansas - Not sure why the SEC seems set on the Piggies here and UGa in Dallas, but it could be a fun offensive shootout in Orlando. Not sure if the Husker D can keep up with Arkansas, however, meaning they'll need a few breaks to get the win.

OUTBACK: Michigan State vs. Auburn - It all depends on how Sparty treats this bowl. If they mope at the position slide like last year, it could be a loss ... but on paper at least, they should win this matchup against the defending national champs.

GATOR: Ohio State vs. Florida - It's the St. Urban of Sanctimonious Pomposity Bowl in Jacksonville and an attractive matchup in names and seats/ratings ... not sure how the game will go, as both teams make a lot of mistakes - but if the Buckeyes play like they did in Ann Arbor, they can win this.

INSIGHT: Iowa vs. Baylor - Not quite sure about their foe, but the Hogeyes appear to be headed to the desert for the holidays and will likely be a heavy underdog against whatever Lil' XII team winds up here (maybe a rematch with Iowa State? :) ) ... but Ferentz usually has his team ready as bowl longshots.

TEXAS: Penn State vs. Texas - Much like the Gator Bowl, the Houston Bowl simply has to take this matchup based on name recognition alone. PSU doesn't deserve to fall this far (they should be in Jacksonville on New Year's Day) and they could show up in a foul mood and bulldoze the Horns. But still, the bowl folks would have never dreamed they'd have the chance to take PSU or Texas, yet alone both in one year.

DALLAS: Purdue vs. Iowa State - The Cyclones probably deserve a higher bowl spot here, too, but it could be a fun start to bowl day with these two teams airing it out.

MOTOR CITY: Northwestern vs. Western Michigan - I would think it would be NU/NIU, but it seems the bowl in Detroit wants the Broncos ... regardless, we need to get the bowl win monkey off our back. Go Cats!

???: Illinois - They'll probably land a spot, but will be sweating it out.

GO CATS!!!
-SjT
 
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STEPHEN J. TRUOG
sjtruog at yahoo.com
GO CATS!!! GEAUX SAINTS!!!
Super Bowl XLIV Champions!
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