COLLEGE FOOTBALL BOWL PREDICTIONS

     After a November of utter chaos, somehow things magically worked themselves out once again in the BCS's final year. After a year of work, 70 of the nation's best team received the ultimate gift, one more opportunity to throw on the helmet and pads! I've been slacking on keeping up with my predictions due to the weeks leading up to Finals week, but exams have now passed and I plan to return to writing for the next three weeks. Starting with bowl predictions!

New Mexico Bowl: Washington State @ Colorado State: The Cougars scraped up just enough regular season wins to becone bowl eligible and meet up in Albuquerque with the Colorado State Rams who received an at large bid from the Mountain West. On paper it may be tempting to pick the power conference school here but let's not forget this Colorado State team only trailed Alabama by 11 in the 4th quarter at Tuscaloosa. Washington State is no joke either, they played Auburn in week 1 and only lost by a touchdown. Colorado State is also closer to home, and probably more excited about being invited to a bowl game. I believe Colorado State is better defensively and that will be the difference maker in the season's first bowl game.     Colorado State 31 Wasu 27

Las Vegas Bowl: #20 Fresno State vs #25 USC:     While both teams are happy to be in Vegas, both teams probably would have hoped for a little more. Fresno State was arguably one win away from playing in a BCS bowl game, choking and giving up 62 points in a Friday night game against San Jose State. USC is no longer the perennial national title contender that we remember them as in the rest of the 2000s. Things looked better for USC down the stretch, winning 5 of its last 6 including a victory over Pac-12 champ Stanford. USC has been rather successful in bowls, and therefore I like them to continue that tradition against Fresno State.    USC 27 Fresno 24

Potato Bowl: Buffalo vs San Diego State: (Yawn). Seriously will their parents even be watching? Buffalo has a slightly better resume here, of their 4 losses two are to teams playing in BCS bowls (Ohio State and Baylor) and another is to conference champ Bowling Green. People overlook the fact that Buffalo was a home victory away from playing for a MAC title. The Aztecs went 6-2 in the Mountain West, which is supposedly the next best thing to power conference football. However I feel like the MAC is on the upswing and an opportunity to beat a Mountain West school will provide some much needed motivation.    Buffalo 29 SDST 20

New Orleans Bowl: Tulane vs LA. Lafayette: This game really doesn't impress me either. Neither team did anything impressive in its regular season schedule, so I think I'm just gonna give ULL the benefit of playing in their home state.   ULL 31 Tulane 24

Beef O' Brady's Bowl: Eastern Carolina vs. Ohio: I like the Pirates here. They finished the regular season 9-3, and two of their three losses were by 5 points or less. Furthermore their non-conference schedule consisted of three ACC games, two of which they won. Meanwhile Ohio didn't surprise anyone, beating their weak conference opponents in getting stomped against their good opponents. ECU wins.    ECU 49 Ohio 17

Hawaii Bowl: Boise State vs Oregon State: Again we have 2 teams who had more optimistic visions of 2013 at the year's first chapter. The Beavers limp into this bowl game under a 5 game losing streak and fortunate to receive an invitation to Hawaii. Boise State also has had a rough time adjusting to life in the Mountain West. Oregon is one of the only teams with a losing conference record to receive an invitation. Boise is undergoing a coaching change. While neither team's road here was pretty, spending Christmas Eve in Hawaii is pretty damn nice. This is really a toss up in my opinion, but I think I'll take Oregon State in a game of no defense because all losing streaks must come to an end at some point.    Oregon State 41 Boise 32

Little Caesars Bowl: Pittsburg vs. Bowling Green: Pitt did well to make a bowl game in its first year as an ACC member, and threw in some surprises along the way like beating ACC Coastal Champ Duke and knocking off ranked rival Notre Dame. Bowling Green has also proven to be one of the best mid-major schools in all of college football. The Falcons finished 10-3, beating heavily favored NIU in the MAC title game and two of it's 3 losses were by a field goal or less. I expect BGSU to play with a chip on their shoulder hoping to gain some national acclaim by winning a bowl game against a power conference school and I think they'll be successful in their quest.     BGSU 34 Pitt 23

Pointsettia Bowl: Utah State vs Northern Illinois: Like Fresno, NIU may have been one win away from a return to a BCS bowl game. Again we pit Mountain West versus MAC and again I'm leaning towards MAC. NIU has the best player on the field in Jordan Lynch and that will make all the difference in this kind of match up. It's Lynch's last collegiate game so it's hard not to believe the Heisman candidate will go out big.    NIU 34 Utah State 31

Military Bowl: Marshall at Maryland: Marshall enters coming off of one of its most successful seasons in recent times, finishing runners up in Conference USA. Maryland could smell the success, starting 4-0 and cracking the AP poll, but then all went downhill for the Terps en route to a 3-5 finish. The Terrapins have shown a lot of growth though over the past 2 seasons and I think they have more talent on their roster than Marshall, and they're playing close to home. Advantage MD.     Maryland 34 Marshall 24

Texas Bowl: Syracuse vs Minnesota: And this year's Texas bowl features...well....two teams very far from Texas. Minnesota returns to the Texas Bowl for the second straight year, whereas Syracuse will make its Texas Bowl debut. Both teams went 4-4 in conference play, and both teams come from conferences trying to gain some more respect. This is another toss up in my book but I think I'll take Minnesota, who seems to be on the upswing a bit.      Minnesota 27 Syracuse 23

Fight Hunger Bowl: BYU vs Washington: Again, don't be fooled by the big school vs small school match up. The Cougars played a respectable schedule, booking games against Notre Dame, Wisconsin, Texas, Virginia, Georgia Tech, and Boise State. Holding their own in all of those. All 4 of their losses are by 10 points or less, all to power conference schools. Washington is also no joke though. Also finishing 8-4, all 4 of Washington's losses came to top 17 opponents. With the exception of October, the Huskies went 7-1. This will prove to be a good match up, but I like the Huskies in a close one.    Wash 27 BYU 20

Pinstripe Bowl: Rutgers vs Notre Dame: I can't imagine Notre Dame is happy about this. The Irish followed up a National Title appearance with a Pinstripe Bowl appearance against Rutgers. Rutgers should also be thankful for an invitation after a mediocre season in a less than mediocre conference in which they didn't even win half their games. I think ND will start slow, as they don't have the motivation that Rutgers will, but at the end of the day the Irish are stronger, faster, and more athletic and should win this football game.     ND 34 Rutgers 14

Belk Bowl: Cincinnati vs North Carolina: This is a good opportunity for an AAC school to pick up a win against a power conference school. Granted UNC is no powerhouse when it comes to football, but a victory against an ACC member would give the AAC the smallest ounce of credibility, which it desperately needs. The upside for UNC...this game is in Charlotte. No place like home for the holidays right? Wrong! As big of a joke as I think the AAC is, Cincinatti is one of its few worthy members, and they'll prove it against UNC.     Cincy 34 UNC 28

Russel Athletic Bowl: Miami vs. #18 Louisville: FINALLY a match up that actually has some interest to it! Miami was a top 10 team before the injury to Duke Johnson in November. Since then Miami fell from the rankings and was the subject of much undeserved disrespect. DJ was the heart and soul of the team, of course losing him was going to be tough. And then there's Louisville, one wild loss to UCF away from a perfect season and potentially a date with FSU in Pasadena. But who did they really play besides UCF? The game is in Orlando, which pretty much gives Miami the home advantage and crowd, but this is also very likely to be Teddy Bridgewater's last game as a Louisville Cardinal. Expect a big exit.    L'Ville 38 Miami 21

Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl: Michigan vs Kansas State: And yet another Michigan season that didn't go according to plan. The Wolverines entered 2013 in the top 15, and things looked up after a big win against Notre Dame in the Big House, Then a quadruple overtime loss against Penn State sent Michigan into a funk that resulted in losing 4 of their last 5. Kansas State was the polar opposite. After a 2-4 start which included a loss to an FCS school, the Wildcats turned things around and won 5 of their last 6 to lock up a bowl bid. Of the Wildcats four losses, three of them came to top 20 opponents. Frankly, one team is heating up and the other is slumping. Kansas State is the logical choice here.    K-State 24 Michigan 20

Armed Forces Bowl: Middle Tennessee vs Navy: I don't expect many of you to tune into this one either. I'll be breif. I'm taking the Naval Academy in the Armed Forces Bowl to burn the MT defense out with the triple option.    Navy 27 MT 17

Music City Bowl: Ole Miss vs. Georgia Tech In any SEC/non-SEC match up, it's hard to pick against the SEC. This is no exception. While the triple option will be enough to keep the Rebels on their toes, Ole Miss is still better on both sides of the ball. The Rebels will benefit from their tough competition and improving recruiting classes and pick up a bowl win.    Ole Miss 31 GT 20

Alamo Bowl: #10 Oregon vs Texas: Oregon can't possibly be happy with this. When November began it seemed very likely the Ducks would be Pasadena bound, then Stanford happened, then Ariona happened worse, and here we are now. Texas was also somewhat of a disappointment, they entered 2013 as the most experienced team in the nation and a preseason top 15 team and many predicted they'd win the Big 12. The resignation of Mack Brown is also not helpful to their preparation against Oregon. The Ducks high powered offense will be too much for Texas to keep up with or prevent.     Oregon 45 Texas 20

Holiday Bowl: #14 Arizona State vs Texas Tech: The Pac-12 gets the shaft once again. Arizona State was a win away from a Rose Bowl appearance, yet somehow they find themselves playing a team that's hasn't won since October 19th. Texas Tech excited some people with their 7-0 start, but those 7 teams had a combined record of...well they'd probably prefer I keep it a secret honestly. Arizona State will win and pick up it's first 11 win season since 1996.     AzSt 41 TT 23

V100 Bowl: Arizona vs. Boston College: Boston College is a good pick here. Arizona State is an average member of a conference that simply doesn't know how to play defense. Boston College is home to the eighth man in history to rush for over 2,000 yards in a season. The Wildcats won't have an answer for the power football of Andre Williams and the BC run game and Steve Addazio caps off a successful first year at BC with a bowl victory.      BC 31 Arizona 17

Sun Bowl: Virginia Tech vs #17 UCLA: After not being bowl eligible for the first time in years in 2012, VT has returned to the promised land in 2013. They'll face UCLA on New Year's Eve, who seems to be returning to National prestige under the direction of Jim Mora Jr. The Bruins had a successful 9-3 year, with all 3 losses coming to top 14 opponents. VT was slightly more streaky, losing to BC and Maryland down the stretch. A consistent team is a much safer bet than an inconsistent one, and frankly I think even on a bad day UCLA has the better team.    UCLA 38 VT 24

Liberty Bowl: Rice vs Mississippi State: It's been a Cinderella type year for Rice, winning their first ever Conference USA championship and first outright conference championship since way back in 1957. Mississippi State is also grateful to be here, who became eligible after knocking off arch-rival Ole Miss on Thanksgiving day. Despite a 6-6 record, I still see the Bulldogs as the favorite here. It's very rare I elect to take a mid-major over an SEC school, although this one I came close. Actually you know what I'm gonna do it, Happy New Year's Rice.     Rice 28 Miss St 27

Chick-Fil-A Bowl: #24 Duke vs #21 Texas A&M: Texas A&M has aspirations of playing in Atlanta in the beginning of the year...but this isn't what they had in mind. On the contrary, Duke couldn't be happier. This is the biggest bowl game they've played in since playing in the 1958 Orange Bowl, and it's only the 2nd time since 1994 Duke has even been bowl eligible. Furthermore Duke hasn't won a bowl game since the 1961 Cotton Bowl, so it goes without saying that history isn't in the Blue Devil's favor. I don't think Duke will get run out of the building like they did against FSU in Charlotte, Texas A&M's defense has had difficulty holding everyone this year. Only once all year did the Aggies hold a team to under 24 points...that was UTEP. Duke will score, but Johnny Football and A&M will outgun them in what may be his last game.    TAMU 44 Duke 31

Gator Bowl: Nebraska vs #22 Georgia: Does this look familiar? It should, this is the same match up as seen in last year's Capital One Bowl. Last year the Bulldogs prevailed 45-31, but that Bulldog defense lost 10 of it's 11 defensive starters in 2013 as well as the majority of its offense to either seniority or injury. In fact Georgia will be without Aaron Murray on New Year's, who tore his ACL on the second to last week of the regular season. They'll turn to Junior Hutson Mason, who did carry them to a comeback, double-OT win against their in-state rival Georgia Tech in the last game of the season. Expect another close game, but this time Nebraska has the upper hand with Taylor Martinez and Bo Pelini's experience guiding them over the youth of UGA.     Nebraska 38 UGA 24

Heart of Dallas Bowl: UNLV vs North Texas: This game shouldn't get too much attention. Not only is the match up unappealing but time-wise it competes with the Gator, Outback, and Capital One Bowls. Fun fact though, UNLV's presidents is leaving to take the same position at North Texas...so that adds some kind of storyline right? Part of me wants to pick Northern Texas, they did hang with the healthy Georgia team for 3 quarters early in the year, but I think this time I'll take a sip of the Mountain West water everyone seems to be drinking.     UNLV 31 NT 24

Outback Bowl: Iowa vs #16 LSU: Last time these two teams met in a Bowl Game, Iowa won the game off a 56 yard Hail Mary thrown by Tate Drew to defeat Nick Saban in his last ever game as the head coach of LSU. Since then, LSU has had more to smile about than Iowa, including this year. This Tigers defense was different than the LSU squads of years' past however. The 2013 team beat people with it's high powered offense, as opposed to the great LSU defenses that wreaked havoc during the rest of the 2000s. Zach Mettenberger, Jeremy Hill, Jarvis Landry, and Odell Beckham are all NFL material, and that's not to say this defense isn't good either. LSU has the more well rounded team here as the Big 10 is not yet ready to walk with the SEC elite.     LSU 34 Iowa 16

Capital One Bowl: #19 Wisconsin vs #9 South Carolina: New Year's day presents a Big 10/SEC double-header this year as Wisconsin and South Carolina will meet in the Capital One Bowl. The Badgers made the most of what was thought to be a rebuilding year after losing Brett Belima and Montee Ball. Under the new leadership of Gary Anderson, the Badgers finished 9-3, one of those 3 being a debatable loss to Arizona State off a poorly officiated final 15 seconds. Meanwhile in Columbia, the Gamecocks have still yet to reach a BCS bowl game in the Steve Spurrier era despite their 3rd straight season of finishing in the AP top 10. When healthy though South Carolina had all the tools of an elite team, but injuries to Connor Shaw, Jadeveon Clowney, Shon Carson, and others were enough to once again keep the Gamecocks out of national title discussion and even an SEC East title. The Gamecocks have grown through the tough times though and young players have risen to the occasion when called upon, a month to get healthy and regroup before their bowl game will really strengthen them.     SC 31 Wisc 23

Rose Bowl: #5 Stanford vs #4 Michigan State: If you enjoy old-school, smashmouth football, then don't miss this. For Stanford it's their second straight Rose Bowl appearance, so much for things going down hill after Andrew Luck. For Michigan State it's the first time back in 26 years. This will be the 100th anniversary of college football's most historic bowl game and what better way to celebrate college football's greatest treasure than with two teams who love to run and defend. Stanford was ever so close to a national title appearance, kept out only by road losses to USC and Utah both on the game's final play. Michigan State didn't gain their national acclaim until upsetting Ohio State in the Big Ten title game, and a 4 point loss in South Bend was the only barrier between Sparty and perfection. Expect a low scoring affair in Pasadena, but Stanford has had the upper hand in big games over the past few years.      Stanford 17 Mich. State 14

Fiesta Bowl: #15 UCF vs #6 Baylor: Make no mistake, it was no fluke that UCF ended up here. The program has improved more than any since 2004 when George O'Leary took over for the Knights. If not for a 3 point loss to South Carolina, it may even be UCF taking on the Noles in Pasadena, a game they led 10-0 at halftime. Central Florida then proceeded to knock off heavy conference favorite Louisville and the remainder of its AAC competition to receive a BCS bid. Blake Bortles is also quietly one of the best quarterbacks in all of college football. In an era where the game has been reliant on athletic, dual-threat quarterbacks, Bortles did things the old-fashioned way...hanging in the pocket and making throws like an NFL quarterback would. Their opponent, Baylor, was also one of the pleasant surprises of 2013. Baylor's offense got everyone's attention quickly, scoring 59 or more points in 7 of their 12 games and finishing the year as the top scoring offense in college football. For that reason though Baylor never really felt a need to defend anyone, and it came back to bite them in the butt when they took a 49-17 pounding from Oklahoma State in November when Bryce Petty and Lache Seastrunk couldn't provide the Heisman worthy performances they had given Baylor every other week of the season. But the Bears only seem to pride themselves on one side of the ball, whereas UCF plays both ways. Factor in the chip on UCF's shoulder to make a statement at the national level, and I like the Knights to pull a big upset here.      UCF 34 Baylor 31

Sugar Bowl: #3 Alabama vs #11 Oklahoma: Oklahoma's season ending victory over Oklahoma State proved to be worth more than most Sooner fans would have imagined, a BCS bid and a date with the 2-time defending national champs. While any other team would be perfectly content to be playing in a Sugar Bowl, meet the Crimson Tide, who consider anything short of a national title to be a failure. Nick Saban is simply the best at what he does though, and he won't treat this game differently than any other. Alabama has a history of following up losses with sheer domination, and I expect it will get rather ugly in Nola when the Tide rolls in.      Bame 38 Oklahoma 10

Cotton Bowl: #13 Oklahoma State vs #8 Missouri: The week of the season's conclusion, it looked like Oklahoma State would become the Big 12 Champs and be playing in either the Sugar or the Fiesta Bowl. Rare circumstances occured and here we are. Meanwhile Mizzou shocked the SEC and the college football world this year, and was likely one win away from a ticket to Pasadena. Two years ago these teams were Big 12 foes, now they meet as members of different conferences. And frankly, Missouri's SEC experience does give them a bit of an upperhand as the SEC is experiencing an uprising and Big 12 is experiencing a descent. This game will verify that.     Mizzou 27 OkSt 21

Orange Bowl: #12 Clemson vs #7 Ohio State: This is all about Tajh vs Braxton, and boy is that appetizing. The Orange Bowl is alive once again, now that they aren't obligated to invite Big East or AAC members. Ohio State's loss to Michigan State kept them out of Pasadena, or even the Rose Bowl, but this game is a nice consolation prize.For Boyd and Clemson it's one last chance to prove they can win big games, as FSU and South Carolina have been the annual kryptonite to the Tigers title hopes. We know Clemson is capable, they beat LSU in last year's Chick-Fil-A bowl and began the year by beating a healthy top 5 Georgia Bulldog team. Meanwhile, Ohio State's game against Michigan State was their first game that really meant something since 2011. So the issue here seems to be whether to pick the team that loses big games or the team that doesn't play in them. I feel like Clemson's experience is finally going to pay off here. Clemson faced two of the nation's best defenses and the Buckeyes have yet to face a real defense outside of Michigan State. The team in Orange wins the Orange Bowl.     Clemson 31 Ohio State 28

Compass Bowl: Vanderbilt vs. Houston: The Commodores are no longer the laughing stock of the SEC (sorry Kentucky). In fact, Vandy enjoys one of its most successful seasons to date, finishing 8-4 and beating UF and Georgia in the same season for the first time in school history. After all that, Vandy still can't get a better invite than the Compass Bowl. Houston also had a good year in its inaugural season as an AAC member, but lost 3 of its final 4 and couldn't beat the conference's best competition. A win would give Vanderbilt only its second 9-win season since 1915, a tremendous accomplishment for the program. Vanderbilt's exposure to tough opponents and more dynamic offenses and defenses should give them the upper hand this time.    Vandy 27 Houston 17

GoDaddy Bowl: Arkansas State vs Ball State: Seriously, why do they schedule these games between the BCS bowls and the National Title? Isn't the idea to build up? The only credibility these teams have is finishing in the upper tier of their conferences, outside that there really isn't much spectacular to say about them. These teams actually have a combined bowl record of 1-8 (Arkansas State has the 1) so a bowl victory here will be a nice belated Christmas gift to one of these teams. I'm a giver, and I think its about time Ball State picked up its first ever bowl victory.    Ball State 28 Ark St 24

BCS National Title: #2 Auburn vs #1 Florida State: Entering the final month of the season, all the title hype was revolved around the fantasy match up of Oregon's offense against Alabama's defense. But after 2 Oregon losses and a 109 yard missed field goal kick return, it will be the Noles and Tigers meeting in Pasadena. Auburn has picked apart everyone this year with their run game, but FSU's defense swarms to the ball like no other Auburn has seen. Auburn's defense will have the difficulty of slowing down Heisman trophy winner Jameis Winston and the explosive FSU offense that is filled with so many weapons in both the run and pass game. Both luck and history seem to favor Auburn, who won it's last 2 regular season games off improbable finishes. The SEC is looking for an 8th straight national championship, the state of Alabama is searching for its 5th in a row. But when I look at it on paper, I think FSU is better on both sides of the ball. They won every game by at least two touchdowns and haven't trailed in a game since September. In 7 games, their opponent did not reach double-digits on the scoreboard. The Noles never scored less than 37, and only once allowed more than 17, but the Noles will always be criticized by glorified SEC fans for the weak level of their competition. I'm also not sure if Auburn's luck will follow them away from Jordan-Hare stadium, although they didn't need it in Atlanta. If the FSU run defense can force Auburn into 3rd and long situations and force Nick Marshall to throw the ball more times than he's comfortable with then I really like FSU's chances and I believe in their playmakers a bit more than Auburn's.     FSU 38 Auburn 17