New Mexico Bowl: Temple Owls (8-4) vs.Wyoming Cowboys (8-4)
- The Cowboys boast an impressive strength of schedule, with losses only coming to (then #9) Nebraska, Utah State, #16 TCU, and (then #7) Boise State. However, Temple's rushing attack ranks #7 in the nation with 256.7 yards per game on the ground. The Owls are also third in the nation in scoring defense with a stingy 13.8 points per game allowed. If defense wins championships, it can certainly win you the New Mexico Bowl.
Idaho Potato Bowl: Ohio Bobcats (9-4) vs. Utah State Aggies (7-5)
- After a rocky 2-5 start, Utah State has finished impressively strong. Robert Turbin has led a ground game that ranks sixth in the nation, as the Aggies have compiled 277.5 rushing yards per game. What I like most about this team is Head Coach Gary Andersen, who has his players on board after making good on his promise that he would get a Utah State tattoo if the Aggies made it to a bowl this season.
New Orleans Bowl: San Diego State Aztecs (8-4) vs. Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns (8-4)
- San Diego State is looking towards a bright future in the Big East, whereas Louisiana-Lafayette's season ended on a sour two-loss note as they remain stuck in the Sun Belt. San Diego State notched their first postseason win since 1969 last year, beating Navy in the Poinsetta Bowl. On the other hand, this is LA-Lafayette's first FBS postseason game.
Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl: Florida International Golden Panthers (8-4) vs.Marshall Thundering Herd (6-6)
- In picking this bowl, I first had to get over the fact that it has one of the most ridiculous names of all time. After that, I didn't decide who was more impressive so much as which team was less unimpressive. In this case, Florida International is the better choice. They have a pretty solid defense (16th in the nation), which should make Marshall Freshman QB Rakeem Cato's day relatively miserable.
Poinsettia Bowl: No. 16 Texas Christian Horned Frogs (10-2) vs. Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (8-4)
- La. Tech finished out their season well by beating some relatively solid WAC teams, but TCU is still (to a somewhat lesser extent) the TCU powerhouse from days of yore. The question is how the Horned Frogs will respond to being placed in a lower bowl after winning the Rose Bowl last year. Without their overtime loss to SMU early in the season, they end up with a significantly higher ranking. Regardless, Coach Gary Patterson should be able to cajole his team into beating a lesser La. Tech squad.
MAACO Bowl: Arizona State Sun Devils (6-6) vs. No. 8 Boise State Broncos (11-1)
- This one isn't very fair. Arizona State is in between coaches, so the only conceivable motivation for most of the underclassman players is to play well so that Todd Graham will have them as a starter at the beginning of spring ball. Boise State might struggle with motivation heading into such a meaningless game, considering that they could have been in the national championship this year were it not for another spectacular kicking failure. That being said, the Broncos are #8 in the nation for a reason, and that reason has passed for over 3500 yards this year. Kellen Moore and co. should have no problem dispatching Arizona State.
Hawaii Bowl: Nevada Wolf Pack (7-5) vs. No. 22 Southern Miss Golden Eagles (11-2)
- I'm a huge fan of Nevada's pistol offense (I played for 2 years on a team that ran it), but I'm an even bigger fan of the way Southern Miss dismantled Houston in the C-USA championship game. Nevada is not the same without Colin Kaepernick, whereas Southern Miss has an excellent quarterback in Austin Davis. And although Southern Miss coach Larry Fedora is leaving for North Carolina, the Golden Eagles still have plenty of talent to win this game.
Independence Bowl: North Carolina Tar Heels (7-5) vs. Missouri Tigers (7-5)
- North Carolina struggled through a turbulent season embroiled with NCAA investigations and the firing of Butch Davis. Everett Withers has done an admirable job as the interim coach, but his temporary Tar Heels will have an uphill battle against the SEC-bound Tigers.
Little Caesars Bowl: Western Michigan Broncos (7-5) vs. Purdue Boilermakers (6-6)
- I decided to go with Western Michigan here because of Alex Carder's impressive season at quarterback. He passed for just under 3500 yards, leading a team scoring effort that finished the season ranked 18th in the country. This offense looks like too much for Purdue to handle, as the Boilermakers have suffered several humiliating blowouts this season.
Belk Bowl: Louisville Cardinals (7-5) vs. North Carolina State Wolfpack (7-5)
- Louisville overcame a brutal 2-4 start to become bowl-eligible and clinch a share of the Big East Title, which resulted in a contract extension for coach Charlie Strong. I like to see program stability when picking bowls, because it indicates a positive atmosphere where players feel like they are building something special. Although I was impressed with N.C. State's thrashing of Clemson in November, I think Louisville has more to win here.
Military Bowl: Toledo Rockets (8-4) vs. Air Force Falcons (7-5)
- Although Toledo has lived up to its nickname with a rocket-like 42.3 points scored per game, their potent offense will be forced to sit on the bench more than they would like. Air Force has become downright clinical at the triple option, which is designed to eat clock and yards to combat teams with Toledo's firepower. Air Force is second in the country in rushing yards with an astounding 320.3 yards per game, and it's mostly dues to Tim Jefferson Jr.'s ability to run the offense. Look for the Falcons to keep Toledo's explosive receiver Eric Page on the sideline while wearing down the Rockets' defense.
Holiday Bowl: California Golden Bears (7-5) vs. Texas Longhorns (7-5)
- This game might be the most even matchup of all the non-BCS bowls, and as a result I'm going with Texas simply because of the Mack Brown factor. The man has coached in 18 bowl games in his career and won the majority of them, so he should be able to pull out yet another Holiday Bowl win in what has been a down year for the Longhorns.
Champs Sports Bowl: No. 25 Florida State Seminoles (8-4) vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (8-4)
- Notre Dame won an impressive eight games in Brian Kelly's second season, but the team is unsure of its future quarterback situation after benching Tommy Rees in an end-of-season 28-14 loss to Stanford. Rees will start against a Florida State team that failed to live up to high-ranking hype at the season's start. Overall, Florida State edges out in my mind because playing in Orlando is essentially home-court advantage for the 'Noles.
Alamo Bowl: Washington Huskies (7-5) vs. No. 15 Baylor Bears (9-3)
- RGIII and the Bears essentially play on home turf against a Huskies team whose fan base doesn't travel too well. 'Nuff said.
Armed Forces Bowl: Brigham Young Cougars (9-3) vs. Tulsa Golden Hurricane (8-4)
- Although I'm somewhat disappointed that no service academies are playing in the Armed Forces Bowl, the matchup is still intriguing. BYU comes off a predictably solid season, losing only to Texas, Utah, and TCU with no statistical superstars. Tulsa is my choice, though; I was very impressed with G.J. Kinne and his Golden Hurricane teammates' strong early showing against Houston. Tulsa was down only three points at halftime to the Cougars before Case Keenum's offense went off for 35 second-half points. Tulsa appears to be on the rise, which I consider an advantage in lower-level bowls.
Pinstripe Bowl: Iowa State Cyclones (6-6) vs. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (8-4)
- If I've learned anything the last three years going to school in Iowa, I've learned that when the Cyclones beat the Hawkeyes it will be a good year. Iowa State's season was nothing less than a dogfight, but they also ended up going David on Oklahoma State; they also played Oklahoma and Kansas State quite close. Rutgers has a good defense and a venue advantage playing in New York, but after what I've seen this year from the 'Clones I just cannot pick against them.
Music City Bowl: Mississippi State Bulldogs (6-6) vs. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (6-6)
- After Wake Forest started the season 4-2, they seemed to be a possible darkhorse for the ACC Champions. Until they went 2-4 in the last six games, that is. Mississippi State only won two SEC games this year, but it's still the SEC. They also played most of their losses close, boasting the 19th-ranked defense in the nation. This matchup is somewhat of a push, and strength of conference tips the scale in the Bulldogs' favor.
Insight Bowl: Iowa Hawkeyes (7-5) vs.No. 19 Oklahoma Sooners (9-3)
- The Insight Bowl was notable this year as one of the bowls to publicly pass on Penn State, instead opting for this season's former #1, Oklahoma. Oklahoma's 19-spot freefall is exactly why I chose to pick against them. After their last-second loss to Baylor (their second of the year), the Sooners essentially gave up on their BCS dreams and accepted a 44-10 whipping at the hands of Oklahoma State. Iowa, on the other hand, has been consistently middle-of-the-road; they haven't seen a national championship slip from their fingers like Oklahoma, so they have much more to play for.
Stay tuned for Part 2 of Blindside Blog's Bowl Picks, where Todd Graham is once again labeled a sleazeball.
