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 NCAA Scout
Bowl Previews and Predictions
by James Izzard
7/12/2007
Once again the college football regular season draws to a close, however we’re not quite done yet: we still have 36 Bowl Games to look forward to, and in this article I’ll give my predictions on who the winners and losers will be in the holiday season.
The Poinsettia Bowl
Utah v Navy
Navy have one of the most interesting offences to watch in the game; with half backs, slot backs and a running QB there should be an emphasis on the ground game. Utah is one of the most inconsistent teams in NCAA, but if the real Utah shows i.e. the team who demolished UCLA this could be a decent matchup.
Pick Utah
New Orleans Bowl
Florida Atlantic v Memphis
Florida Atlantic have been a nice surprise this season with Rusty Smith leading them to some good victories and a lot of points, however Martin Hankins can also put up points, and with talent like Duke Calhoun at Receiver, Memphis should win this one.
Pick – Memphis
 Papa John’s.com Bowl
Southern Miss v Cincinnati
Papa John.Com – what a stupid name for a bowl! Cincinnati is another Big East team that has performed above expectations, and should be too strong for Brett Favre’s alumni here. Pick – Cincinnati
New Mexico Bowl
Nevada v New Mexico
Colin Kaepernick and the Nevada ‘Pistol’ offence will play the Lobos in their own backyard. New Mexico are a strong team with the storied Marcus Smith at wide receiver, while Nevada are another inconsistent team. With the game being in New Mexico, the Wolfpack may struggle to keep it close.
Pick New Mexico
Las Vegas Bowl
BYU v UCLA
This is a case of the non-BCS team trying to prove a point against a down UCLA who are currently coachless. If UCLA have a chip on their shoulder the result may be different than I expect, but the powerful BYU offence could be too strong for the Bruins regardless.
Pick – BYU
Hawaii Bowl
Boise State v East Carolina
This game has the potential to be a points fest. East Carolina have performed very well through periods of this season, including keeping it close against Virginia Tech, however Boise State still have much of the firepower that saw them win the Fiesta Bowl last year. Look out for star sophomore wide receiver Jeremy Childs.
Pick Boise State
 Motor City Bowl
Purdue v Central Michigan
Dan LeFevour and Central Michigan have won their conference in style the last two years. LeFevour is a good QB with a number of handy weapons. The Boilermakers have some stars themselves with Curtis Painter, Dorian Bryant and tight end Dustin Keller but I think the non BCS can prevail here.
Pick Central Michigan
Holiday Bowl
Arizona State v Texas
The last few Holiday Bowls have all been good games, shootouts mainly. This one looks set to follow in that trend.
Pick Arizona State
 Champs Sports Bowl
Boston College v Michigan State
Matt Ryan’s last game before he enters the big league, a real chance to showcase his skills one final time on a national level.
Pick Boston College
Texas Bowl
TCU v Houston
TCU have disappointed, many had them predicted to go to a major bowl at the start of the season. However Houston are coachless and TCU have a couple of NFL prospects that have the perfect opportunity to showcase their talents. This game is on NFL Network so that’s a good start.
Pick – TCU
Emerald Bowl
Maryland v Oregon State
Maryland have typified what the ACC is about this year: the potential is there but to watch they have been very dull. Oregon State would win this one if it wasn’t for the injuries to star players such as Yvenson Bernard, in truth it’s probably the one bowl game to avoid.
Pick – Maryland
Meineke Bowl
Connecticut v Wake Forest
Uconn have had a fine season. Playing in a Meinke bowl is a bit of a downgrade for the 2006 Orange Bowl runners up, and Wake Forest are probably a better team, but I see UConn being more motivated.
Pick – Connecticut
 Liberty Bowl
UCF v Mississippi State
Kevin Smith has emerged as one of my favourite players this season and his record breaking season will have gone unnoticed by most, the kid has NFL talent, this is his chance to prove it against an SEC opponent. Smith aside I feel Miss State will have to much speed in general for UCF.
Pick Mississippi State
Alamo Bowl
Penn State v Texas A&M;
Two underachievers here. Mike Sherman won’t be here as the Texans will still be playing, and this bowl could arguably be won by the team that cares just that little bit more.
Pick – Texas A&M;
Independence Bowl
Alabama v Colorado
The Tide have been rolling albeit slowly to some big wins and they ran LSU close, however a couple of poor losses have left the Tuscaloosa faithful with mixed feelings. The highlight of the Colorado season was ruining Oklahoma’s chance to be National Champions. This game should be close.
Pick Alabama
Armed Forces Bowl
California v Air Force
On paper this looks like a blowout in favour of the Pac-10 team, however Cal have imploded and the team that beat the likes of Tennessee now could struggle against the small conference Military team! Expect this one to be closer than the pre game spread.
Pick – California
Humanitarian Bowl
Georgia Tech v Fresno State
Another ACC team doing the best to tarnish the conference reputation for good, Fresno State ran Hawaii close and beat New Mexico State convincingly, however Georgia Tech should have too much defensively for them here.
Pick Georgia Tech
Sun Bowl
South Florida v Oregon
If Dennis Dixon stays healthy Oregon would be heading to the National Championship game. He didn’t so they are in the Sun Bowl instead, the interesting matchup is Jonathan Stewart versus the excellent South Florida run D that held Pat White and the mountaineers run game in check. I think they can do the same here. Plus they are not playing ‘gutted’ like the Ducks are.
Pick South Florida
Music City Bowl
Kentucky v Florida State
Andre Woodson has been fantastic this year, expect that to continue against a good but not excellent Florida State team.
Pick – Kentucky
 Insight Bowl
Indiana v Oklahoma State
The over/under on this game should be about 100 with two very high powered offences facing off. Kellen Lewis looks to be one of the best dual threat QBs in the nation, and if Adarius Bowman can go for OSU this one could be fun to watch.
Pick Oklahoma State
Chick-Fil-A Bowl
Clemson v Auburn
Clemson have held on to their coach so now I expect them to say thank you by beating an Auburn team who typically don’t show up in non BCS bowls. Clemson have won 5 of their last 6 and I think they can win here too.
Pick – Clemson
 Outback Bowl
Tennessee v Wisconsin
Wisconsin’s running game with the likes of PJ Hill could power their way through the weak Tennessee defence. If Tennessee show up they could win this one at a canter, however Wisconsin destroyed Auburn in the Capital One bowl a couple of years ago in similar circumstances, and I think they can beat the Volunteers too.
Pick – Wisconsin
Cotton Bowl
Missouri v Arkansas
Missouri must be feeling robbed They don’t get too many chances to play in the Cotton Bowl though so I still think they will show up motivated. Arkansas are coachless but they do have some running back or other who is, apparently, quite good.
Pick – Arkansas
 Capitol One Bowl
Michigan v Florida
I suspect this matchup may feature the 2007 Heisman Winner, and it has the potential to be an interesting game as Chad Henne attempts to go out on a high. I suspect Florida have too much speed for the Wolverines.
Pick – Florida
Gator Bowl
Texas Tech v Virginia
Another game which should produce a lot of points, Virginia have performed above expectations this season. Same as usual for the Red Raiders winning well in non-conference games then imploding against average Big XII teams. The win against Bradford-less Oklahoma should give them a lot of confidence and a victory here may stop the speculation about Leech’s job status.
Pick Texas Tech
 Rose Bowl
Illinois v USC
A fun looking bowl, USC arguably are the best team on current form in the nation, and Illinois have been a positive story this season. Juice Williams has stepped up and he will hope to repeat his Ohio State performance against Southern Cal. It wont be easy though, as USC have speed and talent in abundance on both sides of the ball, and I like Pac-10 over the Big-10 at present.
Pick – USC
Sugar Bowl
Hawaii v Georgia
Hawaii get the BCS bowl they thoroughly deserve, and Colt Brennan has broken about 40 NCAA records in the process. I hope June Jones shows more class in the forthcoming weeks though after his outburst against Tim Tebow. I think Hawaii have the talent on one side of the ball to keep up with the Bulldogs, the question is whether their D can step up.
Pick – Georgia
Fiesta Bowl
West Virginia v Oklahoma
West Virginia will never win a national championship it seems, a golden opportunity wasted. To make matters worse they head to the Fiesta Bowl to play Oklahoma who will probably feel aggrieved themselves not to be playing in New Orleans. With Sam Bradford healthy Oklahoma should have too much talent for West Virginia here.
Pick – Oklahoma
 Orange Bowl
Kansas v Virginia Tech
Tell me again why Kansas are here instead of Missouri? Credit where credit’s due though: Mangino and his coaching staff have done wonders this season with Kansas, and they will look to finish the year on a high. However Va. Tech are beginning to roll and that D could be too much for Reesing and Co.
Pick Virginia Tech
International Bowl
Ball State v Rutgers
Strange that I have just made my picks on some great BCS bowls then I have this one to review! Rutgers were found out this season but are still going through the rosiest period in their history. They play against Ball State and one of the best tight ends in the nation.
Pick – Rutgers
GMAC Bowl
Tulsa v Bowling Green
Could be the Bowl Season of shootouts, and we have another one here as Paul Smith and Tulsa are fun to watch. Still, Tyler Sheehan and Bowling Green could turn out to be too powerful.
Pick Bowling Green
BCS Championship
LSU v Ohio State
And so here we are, one game left to predict, and it’s the national championship. LSU have the speed and the credibility of the tough schedule, however Ohio State are perhaps being written off too early. Juice Williams aside, they have beaten everything that has been put in front of them convincingly. They arguably have the best offensive line in the nation and Chris Wells is a stud. Ohio State have answered some critics saying this would need to be a rebuilding year. LSU should win, but I think it will be a lot closer than people expect.
Pick – LSU
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