The first few games of this year's bowl season were marked with some impressive showings (Boise State) and some last-second Cinderellas (Louisiana-Lafayette). More great matchups are on the way, with plenty of battles between excellent offensive and defensive line units. Here's the second half of BSB's bowl picks. The projected winner is in bold:
Meineke Car Care Bowl: Texas A&M Aggies (6-6) vs. Northwestern Wildcats (6-6)
- Kevin Sumlin bolted from Houston to take the more prestigious post at SEC-bound A&M; unfortunately for the Aggies, Sumlin won't be able to help them against a streaky Northwestern team that has won four of their last 5 games. Ryan Tannehill has had an exceptional season at quarterback for TAMU, but it won't be enough to overcome the effects of a soul-crushing last-second loss to archrival Texas at the end of the season.
Sun Bowl: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (8-4) vs. Utah Utes (7-5)
- Paul Johnson's triple option has been incredibly successful this year with over 316 rushing yards per game and nearly 35 points per game. Look for Tevin Washington to have a great day against Utah, who threw away a chance at the Pac-12 championship by losing their last game to Colorado.
Fight Hunger Bowl: Illinois Fighting Illini (6-6) vs. UCLA Bruins (6-7)
- I proclaimed the Fight Hunger Bowl to be this year's "Turd Bowl" on Twitter. First, look at UCLA. In addition to firing Rick Neuheisel, the Bruins filed paperwork with the NCAA to make sure they could play in a bowl before the Pac-12 championship game, essentially anticipating a shellacking from Oregon. Illinois' Ron Zook, on the other hand, was fired after his team complimented a 6-0 start with a 0-6 finish. My choice is UCLA, because at least they have won a game since October 8th.
Liberty Bowl: Cincinnati Bearcats (9-3) vs. Vanderbilt Commodores (6-6)
- This could end up being a battle of excellent backs. Cincinnati boasts an electric running back with nearly 1500 total yards in Isaiah Pead, whereas Vandy's Zac Stacy has covered a similar amount of yardage en route to the Liberty Bowl. The Bearcats are still a sub-BCS team without Brian Kelly, whereas Commodores coach James Franklin's contract was torn up and rewritten after he tripled the team's victory count in each of the last two seasons. Vanderbilt is my choice here.
Chick-fil-A Bowl: Virginia Cavaliers (8-4) vs. Auburn Tigers (7-5)
- This was somewhat of a down year for Auburn after losing Cam Newton, but a 4-4 conference record is always impressive in the SEC. The Tigers had a very turbulent season, which included eight straight weeks of alternating wins and losses. Virginia posted a stronger home stretch barring a final week 38-0 loss at the hands of Virginia Tech. Although they aren't the best team in the Commonwealth, the Cavaliers still allow seven points less than Auburn per game, on average; defense will make the difference here.
TicketCity Bowl: No. 20 Houston Cougars vs. No. 24 Penn State Nittany Lions (9-3)
- TicketCity was the first bowl willing to take the heat in choosing Penn State, but the only heat source in this game is Case Keenum's arm. Despite losing Kevin Sumlin, the Cougars are still 1st in the country for both scoring and passing offense. Penn State still has a long road to full recovery as a program and as a university, which will show against Houston.
Gator Bowl: Ohio State Buckeyes (6-6) vs. Florida Gators (6-6)
- I prefer to call this the "Let's see how many times the broadcasters say Urban Meyer/Tim Tebow in one game" Bowl. Has a nice ring to it, right? All kidding aside, this appears to be an intriguing matchup between 2 recent powerhouses attempting to regain their footing. Florida has lost six of their last eight games after a promising 4-0 start in Will Muschamp's inaugural season, whereas Braxton Miller has rendered Ohio State's quarterback woes without Terrell Pryor short-lived. In my experience, coaching with a demeanor such as Muschamp's can wear on players, especially late in the season. I see Ohio State winning their last pre-Urban Meyer game.
Outback Bowl: No. 12 Michigan State Spartans (10-3) vs. No. 18 Georgia Bulldogs (10-3)
- This year, the Outback Bowl might have the best non-BCS matchup. Michigan State and Georgia have the exact same conference and overall records, as well as two of the top defenses in the nation (9th and 17th, respectively). It's difficult to decide whether an end-of-season close loss to a good team (Michigan State's 42-39 loss to Wisconsin) or a huge loss to a great team (Georgia's 42-10 loss to LSU) affects a team more. Ultimately, I've decided to go with Georgia here because to me, playing in the SEC is the ultimate tiebreaker in big games such as this one.
Capital One Bowl: No. 21 Nebraska Cornhuskers (9-3) vs. No. 10 South Carolina Gamecocks (10-2)
- This is a game I have circled on my calendar, as it's a very even matchup. The Gamecocks had a very impressive season with a close loss to Auburn and a 2-score loss to an explosive Arkansas team; their 10-2 effort earned Steve Spurrier a contract extension through 2015. The Huskers' inaugural Big 10 season was a success aside from spankings at the hands of Wisconsin and Michigan, but they have been using some innovative rushing schemes with Taylor Martinez and Rex Burkhead which should challenge South Carolina's stingy defense. I give this one to the Huskers because Bo Pelini is dangerous when he has time to prepare.
Rose Bowl: No. 9 Wisconsin Badgers (11-2) vs. No. 6 Oregon Ducks (11-2)
- This game features two of the top five overall offenses, and both have a great running game. I've always been a huge believer in Chip Kelly's offense, and I think Oregon will be back in the national championship soon. However, Russell Wilson adds another dimension to the Montee Ball show for Wisconsin. The Badgers also have a significantly better defense than Oregon, and they have time to condition for the Duck's rapid-fire playcalling.
Fiesta Bowl: No. 4 Stanford Cardinal (11-1) vs. No. 3 Oklahoma State Cowboys (11-1)
- This is by far the most exciting game on the schedule with two future NFL quarterbacks leading two of the nation's best offenses. It's also the toughest game to pick. In the end, although Andrew Luck is "pretty much perfect" according to Lane Kiffin, the Weeden-Blackmon combination should put Oklahoma State over the top.
Sugar Bowl: No. 13 Michigan Wolverines (10-2) vs. No. 17 Virginia Tech Hokies (11-2)
- There's a ton of uproar about this game, and I agree with the common sentiment that these teams don't deserve a BCS bowl. That being said, it's still a matchup worth watching. Two top-10 defenses are featured here, as well as one of the most exciting players to watch in Denard Robinson. Tech was demolished twice by Clemson this season, but the Hokies had an exceptional season otherwise and is looking to use this platform to cleanse the taste of Tiger droppings from their mouths. Although I'm impressed with Michigan's running game this season, Beamer ball will win out in the end.
Discover Orange Bowl: No. 23 West Virginia Mountaineers (9-3) vs. No. 14 Clemson Tigers (10-3)
- Geno Smith has had a prolific year quarterbacking the Mountaineers, passing for nearly 4,000 yards and completing 65% of his passes. Clemson has an equally talented QB in Tajh Boyd, but the Tigers suffered a late-season collapse, losing three of their last five games. Overall, though, Clemson beat four of the five top-25 opponents they played this season whereas West Virginia only beat one. Clemson is the more talented team, and they have a bright future.
Cotton Bowl: No. 11 Kansas State Wildcats (10-2) vs. No. 7 Arkansas Razorbacks (10-2)
- Arkansas had an amazing post-Mallett season, with their only losses coming to the two teams who happen to be playing in the national championship. Kansas State isn't such a great team on paper. They have one of the worst passing offenses in the entire country (a paltry 149.8 yards per game). Most of their wins were by one score or less. But they also have the most underrated college football player in Collin Klein. The Wildcats have played underdog before, and they have much more to play for than the Razorbacks.
BBVA Compass Bowl: Southern Methodist Mustangs (7-5) vs. Pittsburgh Panthers (6-6)
- I simply cannot pick Pittsburgh here. They have a great on-field leader in Tino Sunseri, but the team has struggled since running back Ray Graham was injured. Above all, I cannot pick Pitt because of Todd Graham. The man texted his players to let them know he was bolting for Arizona State. I've been in a program where the head coach resigned, and there is a right way to do it. Sending out a mass text is not the right way. The Panthers have since hired Paul Chryst, but Chryst won't have enough time to properly install his schemes; the players also have to get over their extreme bitterness thanks to Graham.
GoDaddy.Com Bowl: Arkansas State Red Wolves (10-2) vs. Northern Illinois Huskies (10-3)
- Both teams have been on impressive hot streaks; NIU has won eight straight and Arkansas St. has won nine straight. The Huskies most notably came back from a 20-point halftime deficit to win the MAC championship. They also boast a talented dual-threat quarterback in Chandler Harnish, who passed for nearly 3,000 yards and ran for over 1,000. I picked against the Sun Belt already and it didn't work out too well, but I think Northern Illinois plays as a team better than the Red Wolves.
BCS Championship: No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide (11-1) vs. No. 1 LSU Tigers (13-0)
- As a former offensive lineman, I like watching shootouts. If their regular-season matchup is any indication, this game will be incredibly boring. I became convinced of LSU's #1 status after they smoked Arkansas and Georgia at the end of the season. LSU will come out ahead, hopefully by scoring more than 9 points.
