College Bowl Picks, Part 1, continued

Bowls to Date: 2-0 Season: 188-84

I have some time to review a few more of the early bowls. These bowls primarily exist to fill some hotel rooms and to provide programming for ESPN. However, they’re a big deal to the coaches and players. I’d rather have a playoff, but the system is what it is. So, here it goes:

R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl at New Orleans: Troy vs. Rice. The Owls are in their first bowl game since 1961. First-year Rice coach Todd Graham has performed a miracle down on South Main, taking his team from one win last season to seven this year. At this rate, he will be able to take a higher-profile job in the next few years, if he wants one. The Men of Troy, Alabama, are champions of the Sun Belt Conference, and have been competitive in games against higher-profile competition. Troy has played in more big games, and I give them an edge. Pick: Troy
Papajohns.com Bowl at Birmingham: South Florida vs. East Carolina. The inaugural game in Birmingham, former host of the Hall of Fame Bowl and the All-American Bowl. I like Pizza Hut pizza better. East Carolina is bouncing back nicely, but the Bulls should win this one. Pick: South Florida
New Mexico Bowl at Albuquerque: New Mexico vs. San Jose State. Another new bowl. I like Albuquerque, but do they deserve a bowl? If you can come up with the money, you, too can host a bowl in your city. As for the game, New Mexico won their normal six games this year, and became eligible to play in a bowl on their home field. San Jose State is one of the better under-the-radar turnaround stories of the year. Dick Tomey took one of the worst coaching jobs in America (decaying stadium, low budget, astronomical cost of living for staff) and built a winner. They have won eight games, and came the closest to knocking off unbeaten Boise State. Pick: SJSU
Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl at Fort Worth: Utah vs. Tulsa. I love Fort Worth. I lived there for fourteen years. With that being said, I’m not sure if it’s a good idea to have a bowl there. But, if Shreveport and Birmingham can have bowls, then by golly, Fort Worth can have one, too. Now, it would be a coup if they could move it to the new Cowboys stadium in Arlington in four years. It is a nice touch to name the bowl in honor of our armed forces, as new title sponsor Bell Helicopter has done. As for the game, Utah peaked when they beat TCU in September. Tulsa went into a tailspin at the end of the year, but they are in their third bowl in four years under coach Steve Kragthorpe. Pick: Tulsa
Sheraton Hawaii Bowl at Honolulu: Arizona State vs. Hawaii. Arizona State is playing under a lame-duck coach, having fired Dirk Koetter in November. Hawaii is led by record-setting QB Colt Brennan. The Warriors score a ton of points. Hawaii is a nice trip. The problem is, a team like Arizona State has to play a good team when they get there. Pick: Hawaii
Motor City Bowl at Detroit: Middle Tennessee vs. Central Michigan. Middle Tennessee got thumped by Oklahoma, Louisville, and South Carolina, but beat seven other teams to qualify for a bowl. Central Michigan won the MAC title, then lost head coach Brian Kelly to Cincinnati. This is the first time a team from Michigan has played in this bowl. This is also the first time the Blue Raiders have appeared in a Division 1-A bowl game. Pick: Central Michigan
Emerald Bowl at San Francisco: Florida State vs. UCLA. This lower-level bowl got two big names for their game, as reeling Florida State goes to the West Coast to face UCLA. Florida State is 6-6, and is here thanks to the 12th game allowed this year by the NCAA. Otherwise, they would be 5-6. The last time we saw UCLA, they were dancing on the floor of the Rose Bowl after knocking USC out of the national championship game. Florida State has a better name, but UCLA has a better team. Pick: Bruins
SunPower Independence Bowl at Shreveport: Oklahoma State vs. Alabama. Both teams come into this game at 6-6. Alabama fired coach Mike Shula, and has spent the last month being turned down by various coaches. OSU beat three creampuffs in their non-conference schedule, won three conference games, and got to a bowl. It’s really hard to figure Alabama out. My gut says OSU, but my head says Bama. Pick: Tide
Texas Bowl at Houston: Rutgers vs. Kansas State. After an epic double-overtime loss at West Virginia, Rutgers stumbles onto the South Loop, when they had a chance to be on South Beach. K-State got a big win late in the season against Texas. If this were a regular season game, Rutgers would win by two touchdowns. This is a bowl game, though, and anything can happen. Rutgers should still win. Pick: Rutgers,SUNJ.
Pacific Life Holiday Bowl at San Diego: Texas A&M vs. California: Earth to Desmond Howard: Texas is not playing in this bowl game. Texas A&M is. The Ags parlayed their upset of Texas into a trip to sunny San Diego. Cal is an enigma, as they lit up the scoreboard earlier in the year, but struggled against teams like Tennessee and USC. This is the ultimate clash of cultures, as Berkeley is the traditional home of the anti-war movement, and gave six percent of their votes to George W. Bush. Texas A&M is home of the Corps of Cadets, and is the home of the George Bush library. Off the field: A&M. On the field: A&M.