vs 
Posted on 12/14/2006 5:43:54 PM PST by MikefromOhio
The college football bowl season is upon us. Some of these games are worth watching, others are pure and simple money grabs. That said, I do like the fact that there are bowl games for all of the conference winners. However, I do NOT understand why the 6th place Big Ten team or the 8th place SEC team has a bowl game to go too. It’s all about the money. Almost all of these games will be on ESPN or ESPN2, but I will highlight the channel that these games are on. This thread will cover all non-National Title games. I’ll put all of the minor bowl games first and separate the BCS games after that. I’ll be doing a separate thread for the BCS National Title game.
vs
Garrett Wolfe and Northern Illinois can regain some of the national respect it had early on this season when it ran the ball on Ohio State and it appeared that Wolfe was going to challenge some of the records that Barry Sanders set. Meanwhile TCU has climbed all the way back up and into the top 25 after a bit of a slump to start out the year. Remember TCU was one of the favorite picks as a small conference school to make it to the BCS. This one appears to be a bit of a clunker.
vs 
BYU could really make a case for it being in the top 20 for NEXT year with a convincing win here. Oregon is again looking for some momentum to carry into the 2007 season. This game may be the best game of the early bowl games. Of course that might not be saying much.
vs 
This game is so obscure that I had trouble finding the right helmet for Troy State. This is a game where the Sun Belt champion, Troy, is getting a reward for winning their conference. That’s fine with me. Rice, however, was a decent Conference USA team, but really this match-up isn’t exactly going to put butts in the seats or eyes on the TV sets across the nation. Troy does provide a bit of a local flavor as they are from Alabama, so expect a bit of a home crowd for them.
vs. 
South Florida has put in an impressive season, with victories over West Virginia and Pittsburgh. East Carolina’s best claim to fame is either the victory over a bad NC State team or maybe the 5 point loss to Navy. For whatever reason, I don’t think that this game will be very watch-able. I will say, however, that if South Florida puts on a good show, there is a very good chance that they will be in the top 25 to start next year.
vs. 
I’m sure sean327 will be thrilled to see his Lobos in a bowl game. However, I am having issues figuring out WHY this game is being played. But since it is, I’m also having issues figuring out WHY New Mexico is a 4 point favorite here. San Jose State took Boise State to the limit. Now during the regular season I was 2-5-1 when picking New Mexico games so maybe sean327 will like this pick.
vs. 
This may be one of the better early bowl game match-ups. These two teams seem to be about even, yet both play hard. Tulsa was supposed to contend for the CUSA championship this year but didn’t get it done. Utah was in a rebuilding mode and I’m sure the extra 3 weeks of practice have been welcomed by the coaches.
vs. 
CFN predicted that this game may be one of the best games to watch this year. I agree. ASU can’t stop anyone on defense and Hawaii is a WAC team – meaning they are prone to giving up points in bunches as well. This should be a fun one to watch on Christmas Eve, especially if both offenses show up. Also watch for Hawaii QB Colt Brennan to launch his 2007 Heisman campaign with a good showing here.
vs. 
One of the stupidest things about the bowl lineup is that a team that did not win their conference outright, as MTSU did NOT do in the Sun Belt, ends up getting into a bigger money bowl game than the actual champion (Troy) did. This opportunity was given to them because the Big Ten did not have enough eligible teams to fill out their bowl lineup with Ohio State and Michigan making the BCS. This game comes down to whether MTSU can slow down the Central Michigan offense. I don’t think that will happen and this game has bad match-up written all over it.
vs. 
FSU has struggled with active and athletic defensive fronts all year long. Guess what they drew in this match-up? The very same defensive front which beat on USC all day of course. Not a good sign for Florida State. Expect a boring game.
vs. 
I can’t imagine Alabama being ready to play this game. It means nothing, chances are they won’t have a coach at this point and they will still have issues throwing the ball. Oklahoma State, on the other hand, can throw on anyone. Sometimes they have issues stopping the other guy from doing the same thing.
vs. 
For Cal, this is about building for next year. For Texas A&M, it’s about building off of the surprising Texas win and proving that they can play with the big boys in a consistent basis. I think A&M will keep it close, but I wonder if they will score enough to hang with the playmakers that Cal can bring to the table.
vs. 
I kind of enjoyed watching Rutgers this year. They came really out of nowhere and really had every opportunity to go undefeated. K-State knocked Texas completely out of National Title contention with a surprisingly explosive win. Rutgers has the defense to stop K-State, but can they throw well enough to get the job done? We will find out. This game is on the NFL Network.
vs. 
This should be a well attended game if nothing else. This game comes down to Clemson’s ability to run the ball. I don’t think Kentucky will be able to stop them. That will mean that Kentucky will have to play mistake free on offense to score enough to keep it close. Kentucky is light-years ahead of where it was last year, but it’s not on that level yet.
vs. 
Remember Missouri? You know, one of the last remaining unbeaten teams as late as the last week of October? Since their first loss on October 14th, Mizzou finished out the year losing 3 of their last 5 games. Oregon State, on the other hand, was about two week short of beating USC in one of the bigger shockers of the year. Little did we all know that Oregon State would finish 3rd in the Pac-10 this year at the time.
vs. 
Houston won the Conference USA and probably should be ranked at this point in time. South Carolina was in position to possibly get a win against Auburn, Arkansas AND Florida. That, along with the Steve Spurrier influence, is why I am picking South Carolina to win easily here.
vs. 
vs. 
vs. 
vs. 
vs. 
vs. 
vs. 
vs. 
vs. 
vs. 
vs. 
vs. 
vs. 
vs. 
vs. 
vs. 
Sounds good - I'll post 'em in a day or two, after I chew over some of these early games with teams I know little about.
I can't figure out the line on the Rose Bowl game. Michigan's going to be eager to make a statement about being left out of the NC game, and I have to figure USC lost a lot of fight after being bounced out of contention with that ugly loss to UCLA. This game has Michigan romp written all over it.
Excellent job, and boy are you right there are some real dog matchups out there this year.
LOL
nah I missed that one :)
There are a couple Canadian Schools that have petitioned the NCAA to be accepted for Football and Basketball primarily.
I don't know if it will be a romp, but you're right, I don't understand the line either.
In fact, that line is DOWN from where it started (USC by 2.5)
Thanks :)
Yeah they had better matchups at the BEGINNING of the year than at the end of it for some of these games.
Thanks for the effort you have put forth all season for this thread.
No problem :)
It's been a way for me to screw around with HTML and stuff....which in turn I've used at work when needed...
Fun stuff...
Yes I'm a nerd :)
The Rose Bowl is really intriguing, BOTH UM & USC feel they have something to prove..gonna be very intense...
ND is gonna get shellacked, BIG TIME....possibly even shut out..they are SOOOOOO overrated..
If as you surmise, USF tracks the top 25 next season, that would be a record of sorts, fastest from starting Div 1A play to getting a top 25 ranking...that may explain why FSU & UM had bad seasons..the recruiting pool for those two schools is hurting. If you took all the Florida residents on Rutgers and USF, and reallocated them to FSU and UM, well..
Rutgers really needs to win their game, to validate their season...
Will forward my picks later..but I hereby fearlessly predict that the SEC teams lose only ONE game....sorry, all you Kentucky fans, but NO WAY they can beat Clemson.....which will further validate UF's claim to deserving the championship slot, which they will then prove even more by beating OSU..Troy Smith will have a LOUSY game..throw 3 pics...and thus cause lots of talk about the Heisman being nothing but a PR stunt..
and of course the BIG question...will TV actually show he OSU band dotting the "I"..or will they be in commercial?
YOu should put a group on ESPN.com for the college football pool.
"We get a rematch of the 2004 Rose Bowl where Michigan was blown out by USC. This time, however, USC is the team with the young QB in the backfield"
USC had a young QB in the backfield in the 2004 Rose Bowl. It was Leinart's first season as a starter.
Sure thing, except for the fact that Henne was YOUNGER at the time....
He was a true Freshman while Leinart was a Sophomore...
I didn't predict the OSU/UF game on purpose.
That will be an entirely different thread...
Anyway, I think USF should be in the top 25 if they win their bowl game.
I also think that the reason Miami and FSU are hurting is because Florida's recruiting under Zook was absolutely awesome AND that the Big XII, the SEC and the Big Ten are sniping their talent at a much bigger rate these days.
I really hope you're wrong on taking Texas Tech in the Insight Bowl. I'm a Univ of Minn alumni.
Just getting to 6-6 was a huge accomplishment. In some respects, winning back Floyd of Roseville WAS our bowl game for this year.
But it is true. Minnesota does have a terrible pass defense and Texas Tech should be able to air it out. OTOH, if the Gopher offense can generate some points, I'd give 'em a chance.
I'm predicting that they'll be in commercial. Gotta please the ones who are paying for your broadcast.
"Sure thing, except for the fact that Henne was YOUNGER at the time........"
Yep, but senior John Navarre quarterbacked for Michigan in that game. Actually played quite well, came out of the box throwing very accurately and impressively, had a nice statistical game. Problem was an offensive line that allowed only 15 sacks all year, allowed NINE to USC in that game. Navarre was beaten up by the time that game ended.
ya know what, I ran my Rose Bowls together.
2004 was for the 2003 season and 2005 (when Michigan was destroyed by Texas) was for the 2004 season..
Still and all, Michigan is the better team. They have a better defensive line than UCLA and UCLA gave USC fits all day.
That's the key right there.
I think Iowa's gonna get stomped...badly.
Wisconsin...I think we have no idea how good or not good that team is. It has been even less tested than most of the top of the Big10. Arkansas is clearly a very good team. This could be a blowout either way, though i'd lean towards Arkansas.
Michigan actually lost very late to Texas that next year in January 2005, very similar game to last year's USC-Texas title game. Last minute field goal I believe. Both were Vince Young comebacks, same kind of thing. I was impressed with Michigan's game that day, Texas couldn't cover their receivers. Vince Young was just too good when it was crunch time.
As for this year's Rose Bowl, we'll see. I think the two teams are well-matched. Not sure I can gauge USC's frame of mind going into this one, probably similar thoughts on the Michigan side. I think ultimately, both teams will put the disappointments of their last games behind and realize this is an important game and come out strong.
I disagree. :)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.