Toilet Bowls

Well the regular season is over and it's time for a bunch of average teams to have almost a month off before playing in a meaningless game in places most of their fans either don't want to or can't afford to go too.  Yep, it's bowl season.

I'll address the BCS games in another post. Right now I'll be focusing on the games with weird sponsors that no one really cares about.

Since there's no rhyme or reason to most of the bowl games I'll go chronologically instead of the normal Top 25....

Saturday, Dec 15 

Gildan New Mexico Bowl - Nevada v. Arizona - Ok, so I missed a couple bowl game predictions.  Sorry, I was busy doing uh... whatever it is one does when there is no college football on TV.  In this case I think i was Chirstmas shopping.  But I digress.  This actually turned out to be a good game to watch.  Arizona was down 13 with under 2 minutes remaining and came back to win, scoring both TD's with under a minute left to win 49-48.  Defense?  Ain't nobody got time for dat...

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl - Toledo v. #22 Utah State - Great bowl win for the Aggies, who haven't achieved such a win in 19 years.  To celebrate, HC Gary Andersen took the Wisconsin job after issuing this statement on December 3...

"I plan to remain the head footbal coach at Utah State University," Andersen stated.  "the interest I have received is a compliment to the quality young me in this program. Their hard work and dedication has built a culture that will enable us to continue to be successful at a very high level moving forward." 

"I love Cache Valley, this university and these young men, and I am humbled and excited to continue to be the coach here.  The leadership of President (Stan) Albrecht and Mr. Barnes, as well as the support from the fans and community, are big reasons why this is the right place for myself and my family at this time," Andersen said. 

And as of this week, the right place for he and his family is Madison, WI.

Thursday, Dec 20 

San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl - BYU v. San Diego State - The Aztecs are on a 7 game winning streak coming into their bowl game. The Aztecs like to run the ball, ranking 15th in the nation at 229 yards per game. Their D is not bad, it's not great, but it's not bad.  Kind of like purgatory.

On the flip side, the Fightin' Mormons win with Defense, mostly because their offense kinda sucks.  The Cougars D only gives up 14.7 points per game, good enough for 5th in the nation.  So the question is, Ddo the BYU football players ever get sick of hearing this on campus?

So which wins out, the Aztecs running game or the Cougars D?  I'm going with the Aztecs, but only because they have more in common with the Mayans than the Mormons do.  24 - 13 BYU.

PS - This game has already been played and BYU won 23-6.

Friday, Dec 21 

Beef O' Brady's Bowl St. Petersburg - Ball State v. UCF - The weather forecast for this game looks terrible...

Assuming we survive the apocalypse, which is not a given, and assuming you have nothing better to do on a Friday night than watch a crappy bowl game, or worse, read a crappy blog about a crappy bowl game, then you'll be stuck watching a MAC team that plays lousy defense, and a Conference USA team that has a crappy offense.  If not for Tulsa, UCF would be 11-2 on the season and would have easily won the Conference USA Championship.  Instead, the Knights find themselves facing a MAC opponent in their home state.  If the Mayans could have predicted there'd be a crappy bowl game called the Beef O'Brady Bowl, I'd be much more inclined to not worry about paying my student loans or mortgage this month.  Instead, we'll just have to make do with the Knights beating the Cardinals 35 - 27.

Saturday Dec. 22

Congratulations!  You survived the (non)apocalypse!  As Elton John would say, You're Still Standing!!!  Since the apocalypse didn't happen, this video can't be a sign of it, but it surely is ... umm... uh... well just watch it and judge for yourself... 

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl - East Carolina v. LA-Lafayette - The RAGIN' Cajuns get an in state bowl game as a reward for going 8-4 in the Sun Belt. The best game the Cajuns played this year was their 27-20 loss to Florida in The Swamp.  They don't do anything particularly well or bad.  On the other side, the Pirates are really bad on D and at running the ball.  But that's ok, because their offense based on Mike Leach's spread passing offense form his day at TX Tech.  Leach was such a believer in his offensive philosophy, he had these signs up in the locker room...

Look for a shootout with the difference being the running ability of Cajuns QB Terrance Broadway.  37-34 LA-Lafayette


MAACO Las Vegas Bowl - #19 Boise State v. Washington - It's been an up and down year for the Huskies.  After a solid win against then #7 Oregon State, UW was on a four game winning streak heading into the Apple Cup against their in state rivals Wazzu.  Wazzu had only 2 wins on the season and had lost 8 in a row, including a loss to the dumpster fire that is the Colorado football program.

So what did the Huskies do?  Lost the Apple Cup 31-28 in OT.  And with that season ending loss, they end up in a better bowl game than some other teams ahead of them.  They get to spend time in Vegas and play a ranked team, not a bad way to end your season after going 7-5.  On the other hand, a Boise program that's constantly trying to earn national respect even though they seemingly reach double digit wins every season, gets to play in the same game.  One man's trash bowl game is another's treasure.

Boise has only 2 losses on the season, but that's two too many for the Broncos to be playing in a top tier bowl game this year.  The Broncos D has kept them in every game this year while their offense has sputtered at times.  Boise will play solid D.  UW may still be pissed they lost to Wazzu, but the question is, do they channel that anger or just give up on the season?  I say the latter.  39 - 17 Boise.

Sunday, Dec 23 

Happy Festivus everyone!!

Monday, Dec 24 

Sheraton Hawaii Bowl - SMU v. Fresno State - SMU, or SMOOO as nobody calls it, is one of a dozen 6-6 teams playing in a bowl game this year.  That's right, a DOZEN 6-6 teams for your viewing pleasure, and that doesn't include a GA Tech team that has a losing record.  The NCAA, rewarding mediocrity...

Then again, since going 1-11 in his first season at the helm in 2008, HC June Jones has not had a losing season at SMU, which is pretty remarkable considering the Mustangs had only one winning season since suffering the death penalty in 1987 before Jones arrived on campus.  SMU's offense is the run n' shoot, an offense that might be considered an ancestor of the modern day spread offense. As expected of a 6-6 team, SMU's offense and defense are both average. On the other side of the field Fresno State HC Tim DeRuyter is known as a defensive guru, and he's put his stamp on the Bulldogs D. They are ranked 27th in the nation giving up 22.3 points per game.  Combine that with a potent passing attack and Fresno should have a great time in the islands.  But afterwards, they have to go back to Fresno, ans as everyone knows...

42-20 Fresno State.

Wednesday, Dec 26 

Little Caesar's Bowl - Western KY v. Central Michigan - The Hilltoppers became a full FBS member in 2009 and three years later they're heading to their first bowl game.  WKU started the season 6-2 but dropped 3 of their last 4 and then lost HC Willie Taggart when he agreed to take over as HC at South Florida.  So did the Hilltoppers turn to?  None other than disgraced former Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino, whom we last saw recovering from a motorcycle accident that lead to his firing.
The Chippewas made it to a bowl game by winning 4 of their last 5 games. CMU has an awful defense, and a slightly less worse offense.  But how a team played in September and October has no bearing on how a team will play in a bowl game in December.  The Chippewas are looking to end the season with a winning record, while the Hilltoppers want to win their first bowl game as an FBS member.  44-33 Central Michigan.

Thursday, Dec 27 

Military Bowl presented by Northrop Grumman - San Jose State v. Bowling Green - Another team who lost their HC before their bowl.  San Jose State will face Bowling Green with DC Kent Baer at the helm. The Spartans have hired Ron Caragher from UC - San Diego, hoping he can replicate the success of the guy he replaced at UCSD, Jim Harbaugh.  Former HC Mike MacIntyre left for the Colorado job, which is kind of sad that despite going 10-2 and being ranked, the San Jose State job is still below a 1-11 Colorado job on the coaching ladder.  The Spartans will throw the ball around and play solid D. After starting 1-3, Bowling Green won 7 of the last 8 games, including a 6 game winning streak. The Falcons have a highly ranked D, giving up only 15.8 points per game which is good enough for 9th in the nation.  Whether that is a result of a MAC schedule or actually playing good defense is up for debate.  The Falcons offense is worse than average.  45-17 San Jose State.

Belk Bowl - Cincinnati v. Duke - The Blue Devils got off to a 6-2 start this year, which is a good thing they did, because they are riding a 4 game losing streak heading into the bowl game.  But for Duke, 6-6 and a bowl game is something they haven't done since 1994.  You know it's Duke football when this is the best thing they have to post in their stadium...

And this is what they put out as PR...

Yeah.... I'm just going to move on from that...

Despite playing in a conference that's could cease to exist at any second, Cincy landed a big name HC in Tommy Tuberville, who left TX Tech for the Big Least, and left his recruits with the dinner bill.  Which begs the question, how awful is Lubbock of Cincinnati is a more desirable place to live!? Maybe gigantic dust storms that cause it to rain mud have something to do with it...

As far as the game... Duke's D sucks.  Cincy's D is pretty good.  48 - 24 Bearcats.

Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl - Baylor v. #17 UCLA -As dynamic as the Bears offense has been this year, their D has been equally as bad.  The gap between their 5th ranked offense and 117th ranked defense is something Rich Rodriguez would be damn proud of.  But apparently chicks dig offense, and so do Baylor University Regents, who approved a new $250 Millllllllion dollar on campus stadium...

It will be a huge upgrade from their current digs...

UCLA would have had a much better season if it weren't for those meddling kids...

... from Stanford.

The Bruins lost to the Cardinal twice within a week to finish 9-4.  Instead of the Rose Bowl in their home stadium, they get to drive down "The 5" to play the Holiday Bowl in San Diego.  The Bruins run a balance offense with star RB Johnathan Franklin and QB Brett Hundely leading the way.  Their D is average, which is still much better than Baylor's D.  This game will come down to who has the ball last as there should be a ton of points scored by both teams.  56 - 49 Bruins.

Friday, Dec 28 

AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl - Ohio v. LA-Monroe - HC Frank Solich had the Bobcats in top form as they cruised to a 7-0 start, but then the wheels came off as Ohio lost 4 of their last 5 games.  Their offense is led by 1500 yard rusher Beau Blankenship and QB Tyler Tettleton.  The Bobcats D is merely average.  The Warhawks are all about throwing the ball.  As goes QB Kolton Browning, so goes the Warhawks offense.  He is their leading passer and rusher this season. LA-Monroe proved it could hang with the big boys this year, knocking off Arkansas and hanging with Baylor and Auburn before losing to both.  This should be a fun game to watch as both teams have some play makers on offense.  This game would have been even more fun to watch had LA Tech not botched their bowl bid.  Apparently the Bulldogs look down upon their in state rivals enough to look for another bowl game instead of playing LA-Monroe.  And when the musical chairs of bowl game stopped playing, the Bulldogs had screwed themselves out of a bowl game and will spend the holidays at home despite a 9-3 record and having the top ranked offense in the country.  As such, their HC Sonny Dykes bolted for Cal.  Nice job LA Tech!

37 - 30 Bobcats.

Russell Athletic Bowl - Rutgers v. VA Tech - The Hokies have lost to every decent team they've played this year and have been maddeningly inconsistent. Their usually staunch D took a step back this year, and their offense has struggled. QB Logan Thomas was touted as one of the best in the country back in August but has been average at best and has looked downright horrendous at times. An OT win against a bad Boston College squad and a 17-14 nail biter against in state rival Virginia saved the Hokies from missing a bowl game.  Rutgers and first year HC Kyle Flood started out 7-0 and were looking to earn their first Big East title and BCS bid.  But the best news to come out of East Brunswick in... well probably forever, was that Rutgers will be joining the Big Ten in 2014.  Talk about hitting the conference lottery jackpot! That's like going from this...

to this...

The Scarlet Knights should fit right in with the Big Ten.  Their D is ranked 5th in the nation giving up only 14.3 points per game, while their offense is ranked 96th at 22.4 points per game.

Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas - Minnesota v. TX Tech - It's kind of amazing HC Jerry Kill is able to recruit kids to Minnesota given their climate in Southern Canada...

but despite the inherit disadvantages, Minnesota actually wins games.  That said, it's only 6 games, and their offense is one of the worst in the nation, but since they play in the Big Ten, that's not really a surprise.  TX Tech just hired their former QB Kliff Kingsbury as their new HC.  Kingsbury is a Mike Leach disciple and will continue his tradition of foregoing running the ball to air it out as often as possible.  At 33 years old, Kingsbury becomes the second youngest HC at the FBS level.  Tech was having a good season until a last season swoon that saw them lose 4 of their last 5 games.  And they had to go to OT to beat a terrible Kansas squad or they would've finished 0-5.  The once solid Red Raiders collapsed as the season progressed and ended up ranked 93rd in the nation...

Can the Big Ten have a shot at actually winning a bowl game!?  27-24 Golden Gophers.

Saturday, Dec 29 

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl - Rice v. Air Force - Somewhat ironically the Air Force are primarily a rushing team, throwing only when absolutely necessary and running the ball as often as possible. The Falcons are second in the nation at 328.8 rushing yards per game.  Unfortunately this isn't fantasy football and all those yards don't count as points.  Air Force is 70th in the nation putting up just over 28 point per contest.  Oh, and their D stinks too.  Rice, another 6-6 team, is even worse on D, ranking 90th.  This is kind of a ho-hum game on a day filled with ho-hum games.  31-28 Air Force.

New Ear Pinstripe Bowl - Syracuse v. West Virginia - Only in West Virgnina does the team mascot get cited for not wearing orange while hunting for bear.  We shouldn't judge though, I've heard Black Bear roasting on an open couch fire is a delicious holiday delicacy in Morgantown. On the field, WVU avoids defense like pizza avoids this guy...

The Mountaineers took "epic collapse" to another level this season, starting out 5-0 and then dropping 5 in a row as their D literally did not show up for games.  Yes, they physically had players on the field while the other teams had the ball, but no, those players were not playing defense in the sense that they were attempting to stop the other team from scoring.  Their main purpose seemed to be to get the ball back to the WVU offense as quicly as possible.  And more often than not the fastest way to do that was to let the other team score. Fortunately their season was salvaged with two wins to close out the year.  'Cuse got better as the season went on, winning 5 of their last 6 and finding a pretty good passing game behind QB Ryan Nassib.  The Orange D is still somewhat suspect, but clearly not as bad as WVU.  As with any WVU game, the question is whether the other team can slow down WVU's offense enough.  We know WVU won't stop anyone on D so 'Cuse should be able to move the ball, but 'Cuse will have trouble containing QB Geno Smith and WR's Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey.  49 - 41 West Virginia.  Light 'em up!  Wait, what's that?  Couch burning is no longer encouraged at WVU?  It's a sign of the apocalypse!

Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl - Navy v. Arizona State - The last time we saw Navy on the field, Army was driving and within 14 yards of taking home the Commander in Chief trophy for the first time since 1996.  Then the Black Knights fumbled on a hand off that the Midshipmen pounced on to seal the victory and an 8-4 record.  Like the other service academies, Navy is run oriented using a triple option offense that was all the rage 30 years ago yet still effective today. Navy does play decent defense as well. ASU HC Todd Graham is known for his spread offense, but the Sun Devils have a balanced O this year. Their D is slightly better than average and they put up over 36 points per game.  Also...

So if it's so easy to get into ASU and they are known for their parties and women, why isn't ASU a dominant football powerhouse?  Good question. As for this bowl game, Navy will put up a fight, but will come up short. And don't forget!  Yvan Eht Nioj!

38 - 20 Arizona State.

Valero Alamo Bowl - #23 Texas v. #13 Oregon State - Finally!  A decent bowl game with two ranked teams! Oregon State ranks a somewhat surprising 101st in rushing offense is season, but their 15th ranked passing O makes up for their lack of production on the ground. Their D is also solid, giving up on 22.8 points per game. Texas is good but not great, which in Austin is simply not good enough.  HC Mack Brown is on the hot seat, and rightfully so.  With all the built in advantages for the Texas program their fan base expects them to be competing for national titles, which they haven't done since QB Colt McCoy left town.  The 'Horns offense struggled this year, but more surprisingly, the Texas D was downright horrible at times, ending up ranked 73rd in the nation.  The Beavers should be able to put up some points and reach double digit wins.  34 - 24 Oregon State.

Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl - TCU v. Michigan State - Is there anything more appetizing than a bowl of wings on a Sunday while watching football?

And as appealing as wings are, is there anything less appetizing than a fat man eating wings?

After reaching the high water mark of their program last year, Sparty fell back to reality this year finishing 6-6.  They still played solid D all year, ranking 10th in the nation by giving up only 16.3 points per game, but their offense was atrocious.  TCU was only slightly better in their first year in the Big XII, losing to some teams they shouldn't have but getting a big win against arch rival Texas.  TCU should be able to handle a .500 Big Ten team.  41-17 TCU.

Monday, Dec 31 

Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl - NC State v. Vanderbilt - Vandy finished an impressive 8-4.  What's even more impressive is Vandy started 2-4 before finishing the year on a 6 game wining streak. The Commodores O is lead by QB Jordan Rodgers, RB Zac Stacy and WR Jordan Matthews, all of whom are playmakers. But the what Vandy has done really well this year is play defense.  They're ranked 15th in the nation giving up only 18.3 points per game, and that's with playing an SEC schedule.  NC State went 7-5 in the regular season, with a big win against then #3 FSU, and some bad losses to boot.  7-5 is not good enough though, as HC Tom O'Brien was fired.  The Wolfpack then went out and got one of the hottest coaches out there in Dave Doeren.  Doeren guided Northern Illinois to a BCS game this year, the MAC's first.  Now he'll take over an NC State squad that's desperate to win the ACC and compete with the in state rivals Tar Heels as well as ACC foe Clemson.  Vandy is looking at a 9 win season if they can slow down the Wolfpack passing attack.  27-20 Commodores.

Hyundai Sun Bowl - USC v. GA Tech - From preseason #1 to 7-5 and a date with a 6-7 team in the Sun Bowl.  Amazing how little HC Lane Kiffin can do with so much.

QB Matt Barkley's stock has taken a hit as well.  After being considered a possible top ten pick in last year's NFL draft, Barkley is now looked at as a low 1st rounder instead.  Reminds me of another USC QB that would have gone #1 but came back for another year, ended up going #10 and partied his way to permanent 3rd string duty in the NFL.

At least Leinart had a good time.  I hope Barkley is too.

GA Tech runs a triple option and runs it well.  They ranked 4th in the nation with 312.5 yards per game and 35th in the nation at 34.5 points per game.  That's not too shabby, but going to a bowl game with a losing record?

42-27 Trojans.

AutoZone Liberty Bowl - Iowa State v. Tulsa - This bowl game is a rematch of each teams first game of the year, which Iowa State won 38-23. They Cyclones are another average team.  They play decent defense and their offense is mediocre at best.  But they did get a nice win against then #15 TCU. Ames is not an easy place to win at and HC Paul Rhoads has done a good job in a tough place.  Tulsa won Conference USA this year, beating UCF 33-27 in OT.  After their opening loss to the Cyclones, the Golden Hurricane reeled off 7 straight wins.  These are not the same two teams that met back on September 1.  If you're looking to put some money on this game, talk to former Tulsa AD Ross Parmley, who was fired earlier this month for his involvement with a federal gambling probe. This game will be close, but the Cyclones should be able to score enough to put away Tulsa again.  35-28 Cyclones.

Chick-fil-A Bowl - #8 LSU v. #14 Clemson - A 10 win LSU team, whose only two losses were to top 5 teams, is relegated to the Chick-fil-A Bowl.  The best part about watching LSU is clearly figuring out what kind of crazy shit HC Les Miles will do that will leave you saying, "How the hell did they still win the game!?"

LSU seems to have had problems at QB since JaMarcus Russell was behind center.  This year was no different as the Tigers passing offense was well below average, ranking 92nd in the nation. The Tigers are all about defense, and apparently corn dogs...

LSU boasts one of the best in the nation surrendering only 16.9 points per game.

Like LSU, Clemson also finished 10-2, losing only to FSU and South Carolina.  Unlike LSU, Clemson has a dynamic offense lead by QB Tajh Boyd and WR.s Sammy Watkins and DeAndre Hopkins.  The Tigers O ranks 6th in the nation at 42.3 points per game. Clemson's D isn't nearly as good as LSU's, so this game should be strength v. strength when Clemson's offense and LSU's D is on the field. Look for turnovers to play a big part in this game.  The team that wins that battle wins the game. 34-27 LSU.

That's all for now!  I'll have my predictions for the 2013 bowl games up before the new year!  In the meantime...