Bowl Picks, Part 3

Last set: 7-7 (yikes!)
Bowl picks to date: 10-9 (ouch!)
Overall: 192-103

January brings us more bowls, including the vaunted BCS. Here’s hoping these picks are better than the last set.

AT&T Cotton Bowl at Dallas, Missouri vs. Arkansas: Mizzou was hosed by the BCS. Arkansas got a better bowl as a result of their season-ending upset win over LSU. Since then, Arkansas has entered into a coaching transition, having pawned Houston Nutt off on Ole Miss, and stealing Bobby Petrino from the Atlanta Falcons. Reggie Herring is coaching the bowl game for the Hogs, in preparation for his new gig as defensive coordinator at Texas A&M. Is that confusing? I thought so. Pick: Missouri

Outback Bowl at Tampa, Tennessee vs. Wisconsin: Tennessee won the SEC East, thanks in part to a win over Georgia in October. This was a slow year in the Big Ten. Nonetheless, there are a lot of cheeseheads in Tampa this week. Go with the SEC in this one. Pick: Tennessee

Capital One Bowl at Orlando, Michigan vs. Florida: Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow leads the mighty Gators against the best of a bunch of Big Ten also-rans in Michigan. Michigan is playing their last game under retiring coach Lloyd Carr. Speed kills. Florida has speed. Pick: Florida

Konica Minolta Gator Bowl at Jacksonville, Texas Tech vs. Virginia: UVa has won a bunch of close games this year to land themselves in a New Year’s Day bowl. They haven’t seen anything close to Tech’s offense, however. Tech will sling it around in this one. Pick: Red Raiders

International Bowl at Toronto, Rutgers vs. Ball State: This will be played on Saturday. Ball State was the third MAC team eligible for a bowl game. Rutgers has had a disappointing season. Who would have ever thought a disappointing season would still end in a bowl game for Rutgers? Pick: Scarlet Knights

GMAC Bowl at Mobile, AL, Tulsa vs. Bowling Green: Bowling Green has a lot of tickets to sell to this thing, so they are trying to market tickets to Ohio State fans in nearby New Orleans for the BCS national championship game. On the field, Tulsa should be able to handle the Falcons. Pick: Tulsa

BCS
Rose Bowl at Pasadena, CA, USC vs. Illinois: The biggest farce of a matchup in all of bowldom this season. Illinois is a nice team, but they’re no USC. The Illini was the only Big Ten team outside Ohio State that qualified for a BCS bowl. Therefore, the Rose Bowl took them, because the Rose Bowl and the Big Ten are engaged in an evil plot to control college football. Maybe not evil, but pretty close to it. USC is healthy once again, and looks ready to beat anyone who chooses to mess with them. Trojans win the Sugar Bowl pre-game show. Pick: USC

Sugar Bowl at New Orleans, Georgia vs. Hawaii: OU vs. Boise State, Part II. The upstart underdog from the WAC meets the hottest team in the SEC. Going out on a limb here, but I’m picking the team from the islands. Pick: Hawaii

Fiesta Bowl at Glendale, AZ, Oklahoma vs. West Virginia: Two teams that had a chance to play in the BCS championship game, but lost some inexplicable games among the way. OU sent a player home (Demarcus Granger) for shoplifting, while WVU has been in the midst of a contentious coaching search after Rich Rodriguez bolted for Meatchicken. I’m a homer. This blog always picks the Sooners. Pick: OU

Orange Bowl at Miami, Virginia Tech vs. Kansas: KU has had a great year. Problem is, they only played one good team all year, and lost to Missouri. This big bowl thing is new to them. Tech bounced back from a 41-point whipping by LSU and a gag job against Boston College to win the ACC. Tech represents the ACC well in this one. Pick: Virginia Tech

BCS National Championship Game at New Orleans, Ohio State vs. LSU: Ohio State is the beneficiary of a weak Big Ten, getting through the regular season with only one loss. LSU is the best of a bunch of two-loss teams. Both of the Tigers’ losses were in multiple overtime. Throw in the virtual homefield in the Superdome, and it will be hard for the Buckeyes to get out alive. Plus, it’s the SEC vs. the Big Ten. Pick: LSU