For part 1, click here.
Picking bowl games is extremely hard to do. The reason is because you never really know for sure who wants it more. Sure, I attempt to make a good, eductated guess, but who really wants it, who prepared their hearts out and who used the bowl as a vacation, that’s hard to tell. You’d need to scour local papers of where the bowls are played at and local papers for each team to really know. Four to five weeks is a long time to prepare for a game, but the teams don’t always spend all that time preparing. This point really hit home with me in 2002 at the Tangerine Bowl in Orlando. I was there for the Clemson vs Texas Tech game. The game had been hyped up as featuring two great offenses and everyone expected over 100 combined points scored, but Clemson was touted as having the better defense and may get the one or two stops needed defensively to win the game. Shortly after landing, I was browsing through the Orlando paper and I knew that prediction would be wrong. There was an article on how the Clemson players were lounging around the pool and taking life easy in the Florida sun. Tommy Bowden was happy to have been in the game, didn’t care about winning bowl games and had given the players time off from practice to enjoy Orlando. Even took the team to DisneyWorld instead of practice one day. Texas Tech on the other had shut themselves into the hotel watching game tape and spent their time in the Florida sun on the football field. Final score: Texas Tech 55, Clemson 15.
There’s still time for you to get your picks in against me and see how well you know the teams at www.redshirtfootball.com/pickem. Enter the Bowl Challenge pool.
And now, the rest of the bowl picks.
Insight.com Bowl
Minnesota vs Iowa State
Why to watch: Interesting regional matchup (these schools are only 200 miles apart and thus should play more frequently), but lacks a national appeal. Keep your eye on Eric Decker for Minnesota. And after this clip, you can’t help but cheer for Iowa State. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAcKiMy0Gp4
Why not to watch: Neither team is great. Iowa State is ranked 102nd in scoring and Minnesota is ranked 113th in total offense. Ouch. Can you say 10-7.
Who wants it more: Iowa State, who didn’t expect to even be in a bowl this year
Prediction: Iowa State by 3
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Chick-fil-a (Peach) Bowl
Virginia Tech vs Tennessee
Why to watch: Because this game historically is a lively game (though not always close) and a great way to kill some time before the ball drops and we kiss 2009 good-bye.
Why not to watch: If you like to see teams pass the ball, this one isn’t for you. And you have to watch Lane Kiffin and hear the announcers talk more about their cheating, I mean, recruiting.
Who wants it more: Tennessee – happy to return to a bowl
Prediction: Virginia Tech by 10, if they come motivated to play
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Outback Bowl
Northwestern vs Auburn
Why to watch: Both teams, when their offense is working, can put up points and have several big plays. Northwestern QB Mike Kafka is quietly one of the better QBs in the Big 10.
Why not to watch: Northwestern hasn’t won a bowl game since 1948.
Who wants it more: Northwestern
Prediction: Auburn by 7
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Capital One Bowl
Penn State vs LSU
Why to watch: A few bounces of the ball in a different direction or a few plays here and there and both of these teams would be a BCS game. Penn State’s defense is finally fully healthy and Evan Royster and Daryll Clark keep the offense humming.
Why not to watch: Both teams expected more from their seasons and either could mail it in and not play to win.
Who wants it more: The Big 10. Losing this game would be a huge hit status wide as they can ill afford another bad loss to the SEC.
Prediction: Penn State by 10
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Konica Minolta Gator Bowl
Florida State vs West Virginia
Why to watch: It’s Bobby Bowden’s last game. FSU has not played well this year, but given the retirement of the legend they all signed up to play for, the team could play out of their minds.
Why not to watch: WVU is sneaky good and FSU doesn’t have a defense. If this were a regular season game and not a bowl game and Bowden’s last game, WVU wins by 30. Could be an embarassing ending to a great career for Bobby.
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