College Football Saturday - Bowl Edition

College Football Picks

Greg:               43 – 24

Andrew:         39 – 28

Bowl season is upon us! This weekend, the madness starts in Albuquerque, NM and will end next month in Miami. There are 35 games in all, with five of those being the featured BCS matchups, including the title game. There are some stinkers and some tantalizing games, but all in all it should be exciting. We know all about the BCS and National Title game, but today we’ll predict the winners of the 30 other bowls. Greg enters with a four game lead in the picks standings due to a great finish to the regular season. Enjoy!

Gildan New Mexico Bowl – Nevada vs. Arizona

Andrew: Arizona – In a battle of offense, the Wildcats get it done under Rich Rod.

Greg: Arizona – Rich Rodriquez takes his Wildcats to a bowl in his first season in the desert. They beat USC, so I think they can handle Nevada.

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl – Toledo vs. Utah State

Andrew: Utah State – The Aggies boast a dominant defense that will give Toledo problems.

Greg: Utah State – The Aggies run-heavy style will be tough for the Rockets of Toledo to stop. Aggies win.

S.D. County Credit Union Poinsettia – BYU vs. San Diego State

Andrew: BYU – Hard to go against the Aztecs who are the home team, but BYU nearly beat Notre Dame on the road, so I know they are capable of good things.

Greg: San Diego State – They are basically playing a home game in this bowl, and had a great season. They cap it off with a solid bowl win.

Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg – Ball State vs. UCF

Andrew: Ball State – The Cardinals get up for big games well, and I say they bring home the lone win for the Hoosier state.

Greg: UCF – Another essential home game, UCF will take care of the Cardinals. Even though the MAC did well against top teams all season, I don’t think they win many bowl games.

R + L Carriers New Orleans Bowl – East Carolina vs. LA-Lafayette

Andrew: LA Lafayette – They impressed in nearly beating Florida, plus they played and won in this bowl last season.

Greg: LA Lafayette – I’m doing my best so far to allow Andrew to catch me, but I like the Ragin’ Cajuns’ chances here.

MAACO Bowl Las Vegas – Washington vs. Boise State

Andrew: Boise State – I will never pick against Boise State in bowl games.

Greg: Washington – Steve Sarkisian’s Huskies lay claim to a win over the Broncos in Sin City.

Sheraton Hawaii Bowl – Fresno State vs. SMU

Andrew: Fresno State – SMU better enjoy the scenery because it won’t be pretty on the field.

Greg: Fresno State – I don’t like SMU. June Jones’ team gets smoked here.

Little Caesars Bowl – Western Kentucky vs. Central Michigan

Andrew: Central Michigan – The Chippewa’s enter the game with a three game win streak. They are also very familiar with this bowl…

Greg: Western Kentucky – Bobby Petrino’s new team gets a win in their first bowl game of his tenure (even if he doesn’t coach it).

Military Bowl – San Jose State vs. Bowling Green

Andrew: San Jose State – Another WAC and MAC matchup and I again go with WAC.

Greg: San Jose State – One of the few non-BCS bowls that I will actually tune into. Should be a great game.

Belk Bowl – Cincinnati vs. Duke

Andrew: Cincinnati – Duke should only put hope into their basketball program.

Greg: Cincinnati – Duke is in a bowl game! Too bad they will lose.

Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl – Baylor vs. UCLA

Andrew: UCLA – Baylor’s offense can only take them so far. UCLA is more solid overall.

Greg: Baylor – UPSET ALERT

AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl – Ohio vs. LA-Monroe

Andrew: LA-Monroe – Started the year beating then #8 Arkansas (who was massively overrated) and they end year with a bowl win.

Greg: Ohio – Finally picking a MAC team… in honor of John Groce.

Russell Athletic Bowl – Rutgers vs. Virginia Tech

Andrew: Rutgers – Better defense wins out.

Greg: Rutgers – Rutgers will want revenge after blowing the Big East Championship Game.

Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas – Minnesota vs. Texas Tech

Andrew: Texas Tech – Don’t really think the pickers of this game thought this through. They don’t match up well at all.

Greg: Texas Tech – High powered offense vs. a mediocre team…hmmm… I don’t think this will be close. Red Raiders win big!

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl – Rice vs. Air Force

Andrew: Rice – Momentum plays a role and Rice ended the year hot.

Greg: Air Force – Love picking the service academies. The Falcons take out the Owls in this matchup.

New Era Pinstripe Bowl – West Virginia vs. Syracuse

Andrew: West Virginia – Geno Smith needs to make a statement heading into the NFL Draft. This will be his chance.

Greg: Syracuse – Another UPSET… the Orange over the hillbillies.

Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl – Navy vs. Arizona State

Andrew: Arizona State – The Sun Devils boast a better offense, but Navy’s offense can be tricky.

Greg: Navy – Gotta go with the Midshipmen over the Sun Devils.

Valero Alamo Bowl – Texas vs. Oregon State

Andrew: Oregon State – Had a very strong year while Texas was up and down.

Greg: Oregon State – One of my favorite stories of the year has been the Beavers, and to top it all off they will win their game over ole Mack Brown.

Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl – TCU vs. Michigan State

Andrew: TCU – Lost faith in the Spartans early this year.

Greg: TCU – Michigan State has struggled scoring all year. TCU’s defense is very good, so they win.

Franklin American Mortgage Music City – NC State vs. Vanderbilt

Andrew: Vanderbilt – Not a bowl game I am too excited about.

Greg: Vanderbilt – NC State lost their coach. Vandy is a decent team. Jay Cutler puts on his jersey against and they beat the Wolfpack.

Hyundai Sun Bowl – USC vs. Georgia Tech

Andrew: USC – Barkley said he came back because he had some bigger things to accomplish. Is this what he meant?

Greg: Georgia Tech – USC has struggled stopping the run and being disciplined throughout the season. They have to do both to win this game and I don’t think they can.

AutoZone Liberty Bowl – Iowa State vs. Tulsa

Andrew: Tulsa – Clearly had the better year.

Greg: Tulsa – I say they carry their momentum from the C-USA title game.

Chick-fil-A Bowl – LSU vs. Clemson

Andrew: LSU – If they wouldn’t have choked against Alabama late in the fourth quarter, they would be playing in the Championship Game.

Greg: Clemson – Clemson’s offense handles the Tiger’s defense and they win this delicious bowl game.

TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl – Mississippi State vs. Northwestern

Andrew: Northwestern – Big Ten has to win some…

Greg: Northwestern – I’m a big fan of Pat Fitzgerald’s Cats and have been all year. I say they get their first 10-win season.

Heart of Dallas Bowl – Purdue vs. Oklahoma State

Andrew: Oklahoma State – Don’t know how the Boilers found themselves here but they will be overwhelmed.

Greg: Oklahoma State – In one of the worst named bowls in the history of college football, the Cowboys work the oil drills and pound the Boilers in Big D.

Outback Bowl – South Carolina vs. Michigan

Andrew: South Carolina – I think this is an intriguing matchup but I like the Gamecocks.

Greg: South Carolina – If Connor Shaw is healthy, this should be one of the better games of the season. Playing Denard Robinson as a non-QB has been the best thing they’ve done all year, but the Gamecock defense will shut them down.

Capital One Bowl – Georgia vs. Nebraska

Andrew: Georgia – Nobody believes in the Cornhuskers now after the Big Ten Championship Game.

Greg: Georgia – This game won’t be close. Georgia will blow them out.

AT&T Cotton Bowl – Texas A&M vs. Oklahoma

Andrew: Texas A&M – Can you pick against the Heisman winner? I can’t.

Greg: Texas A&M – “Johnny Football” will rape Landry Jones.

BBVA Compass Bowl – Pittsburgh vs. Ole Miss

Andrew: Ole Miss – I just don’t know which team will show up for Pittsburgh… the one that should have beat the Irish or the one that stunk most of the year.

Greg: Ole Miss – SEC vs. Big East… obvious!

GoDaddy.com Bowl – Kent State vs. Arkansas State

Andrew: Kent State – Nearly in the BCS picture, Kent State will play well in their coach’s last game.

Greg: Arkansas State – Ark. St.’s new head coach was previously their offensive coordinator. Kent St.’s new coach is on his way out. I am going with continuity.

Enjoy your weekend!

By: The Sports Guys