Each week we’ll have about 5-9 games for you to pick straight up. To participate, just join our pool. It’s free to play, and FunOfficePools.com is spam-free as well. The pool is open now to join, and first picks are due by August 28th - so sign up now. The pool will run the whole regular season, concluding on December 6th with, among other games, the conference championship games.

We’ll be giving away some prizes periodically as well as a grand prize to the overall winner.

Pool Type: College Football Pick em.
Pool Name: In The Bleachers Operation Pick Em
Password: bleachers
Selection Name: [Insert Your Name]

Announcing the In The Bleachers Operation Pick’em Game

We are excited to announce a new feature here at In The Bleachers! In conjunction with FunOfficePools, we will be running a college football office pool. Let’s find out who is really the best prognosticator of the pigskin. Each week we’ll have about 8 games for you to pick - we’ll be picking the winners only - no spreads. We’ll be picking games that include the best matchups each week. Last year’s winner Lorena, will be looking to defend her title again.

The prizes I have so far are Ivan Maisel new book “The Maisel Report: College Football’s Most Overrated and Underrated Players, Coaches, Teams, and Traditions” and also the USA Today is sending me three books called The USA TODAY College Football Encyclopedia. I am in talks with a few other sponsors to get some more prizes.

To participate, just join our game . It’s completely free to play, and FunOfficePools.com is spam-free as well. The pool is open now to join, and first picks are due by August 28th - so sign up now. The pool will run the whole regular season, concluding on December 6th with, among other games, the conference championship games.

If you’ve already signed up, click here to go to the FunOfficePools main page and log in.

Pool Type: College Football Pick em.
Pool Name: In The Bleachers Operation Pick Em
Password: bleachers
Selection Name: [Insert Your Name]

Well the stomach flu might have kept me out for two days, but I have finally tallied the results for the 2nd Annual ITB Bowl Bonanza. In the Bloggers category we had to go down to a tiebreaker since both Kansas It’s Business time and ITB Charlie Swager both finished with a 25-7 record. Kansas It’s Business Time said that the total score of the BCS title game would be 33 points while ITB Charlie Swager predicted 45 points, so Charlie wins the tiebreaker and the overall title since, as you will see, he had a better record than the readers.

In the reader category we also had to go to the tiebreaker between Greg Gowins and Pete Boivin who both finished with a 23-9 record. Unfortunately for Greg he didn’t fill out tiebreaker points so Pete wins by default. Thanks to everyone who participated and congratulations to the winners. I will be in contact with you about your prizes.

LSU 11-2 (6-2), 1st Southeastern - West
vs
Ohio State 11-1 (7-1), 1st Big Ten

January 7, 8:00 pm, FOX

For the second time in as many years, the Ohio State Buckeyes are playing in the BCS Championship game. But unlike last year they come into the game as the underdog even though they have only 1 loss. LSU backed into the title game after Missouri and West Virginia lost on the last week of the season. But even so, many think that LSU has been the best team all year based on their difficult schedule. This will be the first time since the inception of the BCS title game, that we will have a repeat winner. LSU and Ohio State both have BCS titles in their resume.

As I said before, LSU played on of the toughest schedules in the nation and they rely on a defense that is built on speed. The Tigers are ranked 10th against the run, 9th against the pass, 3rd in total defense, and 16th in scoring defense, allowing a little over 19 points per game. The main guy of the Tigers’ defense is their All-American defensive lineman Glenn Dorsey. Matt Flynn has had an up and down year but overall a solid one. Flynn has thrown for over 2200 yards, 17 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. He has made some outstanding throws in pressure situations. Jacob Hester has run for 1017 yards and 11 touchdowns. He’s a tough runner who you give the ball to in short yardage situations. Brandon LaFell, Demetrius Byrd, and my favorite Early Doucet are LSU’s top 3 receivers.

Ohio State is another solid team on the defensive front. The Buckeyes are 3rd against the run, 1st against the pass, 1st in total defense, and 1st in scoring defense only giving up a little over 10 points per game. Todd Boeckman is the quarterback, he does nothing flashy but he is consistent quarterback. In 2007, Boeckman has thrown for 2171 yards, 23 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. Running back Chris Wells, has it all as a runner. He can run you over, or beat you to the corner. This year he ran for over 1400 yards and 14 touchdowns. At receiver Brian Robiskie and Brian Hartline have combined for 15 touchdowns and 1500 yards. What impresses me most about Ohio State, is the strength of the offensive line. And they will face their biggest test trying to keep Dorsey out of the backfield.

Out of all the teams that Ohio State could’ve played in the championship game, I think that they match up best against LSU. LSU does not have a flashy offense that runs the spread. For LSU to win, they have to do what Illinois did, keep the ball out of Ohio State’s hands and control the clock. With the strengths of these teams being the defenses, turnovers will play a huge part in this game. I know I’ll get blasted for this, but I really believe Ohio State wins this game. They have been told since the beginning that they don’t belong, and most are crowning LSU as champions. I think the Buckeyes overcome the hostile crowd in Louisiana and win a close one. Ohio State 20 LSU 17

Picking LSU to Win (84%)
ITB Charlie Swager, Football Frontier, The LSC Scoop, Corn Nation, Pitch Right, Kansas It’s Business Time, Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician, Sportsbone TV, Rizzo Sports, MizzouRAH, MidWest Coast Bias, The Enlightened Spartan, Bastard Sons of Pinfall Marks, Greg Gowins, Sunny Verma, Lorena The Dodgerchick, Pete Boivin, Cyril Tircuit, Rodney Polston, Jeff Brancolini, Richard Dixon, Mrs Corn Nation, Brian Isaacson, Logan Jaffe, Matt Kieta, Lou Nemec, Timmy B

Picking Ohio State to Win (16%)
ITB Brian Sakowski, ITB Ron Juckett, Jason Stiver, Brant Chruscial, Dan Schoonover

Bowling Green 8-4 (6-2), 1st Mid-American - East
vs
Tulsa 9-4 (6-2), 1st Conference USA - West

Jan 6, 8pm ESPN

Okay, rough weekend here and I am not able to do my full preview of the GMAC Bowl. To check a good preview out check out the one on Yahoo Sports. The picks of the game are below.

Picking Bowling Green to Win (22%)
Rizzosports, The Enlightened Spartan, Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician, Lorena The Dodgerchick, Rodney Polston, Jeff Brancolini, Lou Nemec

Picking Tulsa to Win (78%)
ITB Brian Sakowski, Sportsbone TV, MizzouRAH, MidWest Coast Bias, Bastard Sons of Pinfall Marks, ITB Ron Juckett, ITB Charlie Swager, Football Frontier, The LSC Scoop, Corn Nation, Pitch Right, Kansas It’s Business Time, Greg Gowins, Sunny Verma, Pete Boivin, Jason Stiver, Cyril Tircuit, Richard Dixon, Mrs Corn Nation, Brian Isaacson, Logan Jaffe, Brant Chruscial, Matt Kieta, Dan Schoonover, Timmy B

Rutgers 7-5 (3-4), 5th Big East
vs
Ball State 7-5 (5-2), 2nd Mid-American - West

January 5, Noon, ESPN2

The International Bowl in Toronto is one of the filler bowls between now and the championship game on Monday. Rutgers comes into the game after losing their last one against Louisville. The Scarlet Knights did not have the magical season, like in 2006, but going to another bowl is only helping the team on the recruiting front. Ball Stater comes into the game riding a two game winning streak, but if you examine their schedule you will see that none of their 7 wins came against teams from BCS Conferences. This will be the their first meeting since their 1989 game, which ended in a tie.

On offense, the Scarlet Knights are led by Junior Ray Rice, who ran for 1732 yards and 20 touchdowns this season. Rice only needs 62 yards to break his career high for yards in a season. To be honest, he should have no problem doing that against a Ball State team that gives up over 192 yards per game on the ground. Rice is the meat of the offense, but quarterback Mike Teel’s play usually tells you if it will be a win or a loss for the Knights. This season has been a bit better for Teel as he threw for 2844 yards with 17 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, down from last year. But not all the blame could be placed on Teel, he has some help now with quality receivers like Kenny Britt and Tiquan Underwood. Both of which had over 1000 yards receiving and a combined 13 touchdowns. On defense, the Knights are 2nd in the country against the pass and 13 in total defense. Gaining yards will be tough for Ball State in this game.

Ball State’s offense relies on their passing game, and they’ll be going up against the strength of the Rutgers defense. Nate Davis is the Cardinals’ quarterback and this year he has thrown for 3376 yards and 27 touchdowns. His two top targets are Dante Love and Darius Hill who have combined for 2100 yards and 18 touchdowns. But unless Ball State can get a running game established in this game, they are going to have a tough time moving the ball on Rutgers. On defense I already mentioned that Ball State is not good against the run, but they are second in the country in turnover margin and have 18 interceptions within their secondary. So they could force Teel to make some bad decisions and capitalized on them.

In five bowl games Ball State is 0-4-1 while Rutgers is going to its third consecutive bowl game after only going to one before that in their existence. We all remember the Cardinals coming one extra point away from beating Nebraska in Lincoln, but we found out later that Nebraska wasn’t very good, while Rutgers has some impressive wins on their resume over South Florida and Navy. I expect Rutgers to win mainly because of their balance and the fact that Ray Rice will have a field day against this porous Ball State run defense. The only question remaining is, will this be Ray Rice’s last game at Rutgers? Rutgers 35 Ball State 17

Picking Rutgers to Win (97%)
ITB Brian Sakowski, Sportsbone TV, Rizzo Sports, MizzouRAH, MidWest Coast Bias, The Enlightened Spartan, Bastard Sons of Pinfall Marks, ITB Charlie Swager, ITB Ron Juckett, Football Frontier, The LSC Scoop, Corn Nation, Pitch Right, Kansas It’s Business Time, Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician, Greg Gowins, Lorena The Dodgerchick, Pete Boivin, Jason Stiver, Cyril Tircuit, Rodney Polston, Jeff Brancolini, Richard Dixon, Mrs Corn Nation, Brian Isaacson, Logan Jaffe, Brant Chruscial, Matt Kieta, Dan Schoonover, Lou Nemec, Timmy B

Picking Ball State to Win (3%)
Sunny Verma,

Kansas 11-1 (7-1), 1st Big 12 - North Division
vs
Virginia Tech 11-2 (7-1), 1st Atlantic Coast - Coastal

January 3, 8pm, FOX

Predicting Hawaii making a BCS game was not that much of a stretch when you consider the talent they had coming back and the schedule, but if you were to have predicted Kansas to be playing in a BCS game, I’d have to call you a genius. Kansas’ only loss this season was their season finale against, Missouri, and since the Jayhawks have been dogged because their schedule was ranked 109th out of 119th in the country, they feel they have a lot to prove against Virgina Tech. The Hokies started out the year a little rough, winning their first game but getting killed by LSU. That loss stuck with them, but they worked their way back up the rankings and lost a heart breaker to Boston College at home. Tech got revenge in the ACC Title game against Boston College, and that is why they are playing in this game. For more on this game check out the three part series over at Kansas It’s Business Time.

The Jayhawks have the 2nd ranked scoring offense in the country (4th in total offense), scoring 44 points per game, and a main reason for that is their quarterback Todd Reesing. Reesing leads the 14th ranked passing offense by throwing for 3259 yards with 32 touchdowns and only 6 interceptions. As a whole, the Jayhawks don’t turn the ball over, boasting the number 1 ranked turnover margin. Brandon McAnderson and Jake Sharp have combined to rush for 1800 yards and 25 touchdowns, but if you watched the Missouri game, you will realize that this offense feeds off of Reesing. His two main receivers are Marcus Henry and Dexton Fields as the two combined to catch 15 touchdowns passes. On defense the Jayhawks are also tough ranking 6th in rushing defense, 14th in total defense, and 4th in scoring defense giving up only 16 points per game.

The Hokies have gone through a bit of a transformation on offense. Sean Glennon has matured throughout the year and has come a long way. He was injured half way through the season which allowed for Freshman Tyrod Taylor to get some reps. Coach Beamer has done a good job keeping both happy, using mainly Glennon, but Taylor will come in for a change of pace and to use his feet to create plays. The two have combined for 2600 yards and 16 touchdowns. Also coming along is their running back Branden Ore. A lot of people in Blacksburg were excited for Ore, but he productivity has not lived up to expectations. Although in his last few games he has regained some of his old flash and power. But enough with the offense, we all know the Hokies are built around defense and a strong special teams unit. The defense is once again one of the best in the country ranking 5th in rushing defense, 28th against the pass, 5th in total defense, and 2nd in scoring defense, allowing a little over 15 points per game. They are hoping that their linebacker Vince Hall, who is a game time decision, will play.

These two teams are very similar on the defensive side of the ball, but I don’t think Kansas has seen a team this season with the size speed combination that Virginia Tech will throw at them tonight. Kansas struggled offensively when they played against Missouri and I think they will encounter much more pressure from the Hokies. The Hokies offense is no juggernaut themselves, so they must protect the ball because Kansas is very good at causing turnovers. Unlike last night, I think this game is going to be a low scoring affair. I give the Hokies the edge on special teams and when their defense is going up against Kansas’ offense. So with that I am taking the Hokies. Virginia Tech 24 Kansas 14

Picking Kansas to Win (22%)
Kansas It’s Business Time, Pitch Right, Rizzo Sports, MizzouRAH, The Enlightened Spartan, Mrs Corn Nation, Jason Stiver

Picking Virginia Tech to Win (78%)
ITB Brian Sakowski, Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician, Sportsbone TV, MidWest Coast Bias, Bastard Sons of Pinfall Marks, ITB Ron Juckett, ITB Charlie Swager, Football Frontier, The LSC Scoop, Corn Nation, Richard Dixon, Brian Isaacson, Logan Jaffe, Brant Chruscial, Matt Kieta, Dan Schoonover, Lou Nemec, Timmy B, Greg Gowins, Sunny Verma, Lorena The Dodgerchick, Pete Boivin, Cyril Tircuit, Rodney Polston, Jeff Brancolini

Including tonight’s game, there are 5 bowl games remaining. Therefore, only a few people are still in the hunt for the Bowl Bonanza championship. The overall leader is in the Bloggers category, but there are a few people right on his tail. Remember a prize is awarded to a winner in each the Blogger and Reader category. The standings are below.

West Virginia 10-2 (5-2), 1st Big East
vs
Oklahoma 11-2 (6-2), 1st Big 12 - South Division

January 2, 8pm, FOX

It has been anything but a fiesta for the West Virginia Mountaineers since late December 1st. First they lose to their rival Pittsburgh, 13-9, in a game in which if they won, they would’ve played for the National Title. Secondly a weeks later their coach bolts and takes the Michigan job. As of now, West Virginia does not have a coach, but Bill Stewart will handle the duties for this game. For more WVU talk, head over to the Fanhouse and read what John Radcliff has to say. Oklahoma is another team that has a gripe of playing in the title game. They beat Missouri twice this season, the second time in the Big 12 title game, to land in the Fiesta Bowl. But for Oklahoma fans and players, they hope they do not see a repeat of the 2007 Fiesta Bowl where they lost to Boise State.

The Sooners are led by their record setting redshirt freshman quarterback Sam Bradford. In 13 games this season, Bradford has thrown for 2879 yards, 34 touchdowns, and only 7 interceptions. He doesn’t do it all alone, he has a rushing offense that averages almost 192 yards per contest. Carrying the ball for the Sooners is the trio of Allen Patrick, DeMarco Murray, and Chris Brown. The three have combined for over 2200 yards and 29 touchdowns. Those players are a main reason why Oklahoma is 3rd in scoring offense, scoring over 43 points per game. On defense, the Sooners 7th ranked rushing defense will be tested by the West Virginia spread offense. Also their defense is 9th in the country in scoring, giving up only 18 points per game.

When you talk about West Virginia, two names come to mind, Pat White and Steve Slaton. This season, it is apparent that this team will go as far as Pat White will take them. In their two losses, White missed significant time during that game because of an injury. White has run for 1185 yards and 14 touchdowns while throwing for 1548 yards and 12 touchdowns. His backfield mate Slaton is not having as good of a year as the 2006 season, but still has 1053 yards rushing and 17 touchdowns. The most interesting stat is that in Slaton’s last 8 games, he has only rushed for over 100 yards twice. The Mountaineers defense is as statically impressive as the Sooners. They rank 4th in total defense and 7th in scoring defense, only giving up 17 points per game. With the type of offenses that these two teams have, I suspect each will give up over their average amounts.

Like USC, I think Oklahoma is playing some of the best football in the country. West Virginia is not. What surprised me most about the Pitt game is how the Mountaineers knew that Pitt was not going to throw, yet they still couldn’t stop the run. When they go out against Oklahoma, they will not have that same luxury. The Sooners can beat you through the air and on the ground. I think we will see a lot of offensive fireworks, but the biggest booms will be from the Boomer Sooners. Oklahoma 31 West Virginia 20

Picking West Virginia to Win (28%)
ITB Charlie Swager, Bastard Sons of Pinfall Marks, Rizzo Sports, MidWest Coast Bias, The LSC Scoop, Logan Jaffe, Lou Nemec, Dan Schoonover, Timmy B

Picking Oklahoma to Win (72%)
ITB Brian Sakowski, Pitch Right, Kansas It’s Business Time, Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician, Sportsbone TV, MizzouRAH, The Enlightened Spartan, ITB Ron Juckett, Football Frontier, Corn Nation, Richard Dixon, Mrs Corn Nation, Brian Isaacson, Brant Chruscial, Matt Kieta, Greg Gowins, Sunny Verma, Lorena The Dodgerchick, Pete Boivin, Jason Stiver, Cyril Tircuit, Rodney Polston, Jeff Brancolini

Hawaii 12-0 (8-0), 1st Western Athletic
vs
Georgia 10-2 (6-2), 1st Southeastern - East

January 1, 8:30pm, FOX

A lot of pressure is on both teams to win in the Sugar Bowl. Hawaii is the only remaining undefeated team left in FBS and they are stuck holding the torch for non-BCS Conference schools. Georgia on the other hand, does not want to suffer the same fate as Pittsburgh and Oklahoma. Those two schools lost in BCS games to non-BCS Schools. As much as people complain, the non-BCS schools are 2-0 in BCS games. Georgia was ranked #3 in the BCS and some on their team feel that they should be playing in the title game, but if you don’t win you conference it is hard to make a claim like that.

As I stated before Hawaii is the only undefeated team left in FBS, and are led by Heisman Trophy finalist Colt Brennan. Brennan didn’t put up the numbers he did in 2006, but they are still impressive. In 10 games, Colt threw for 4174 yards with 38 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. As a whole the team does not run the ball a lot, they spread teams out and allow their athletic receivers to improvise and get open. The Warriors are the 1st ranked scoring offense, averaging over 46 points per game, and are the second ranked passing offense behind Texas Tech. Defensively the Warriors are not bad, and are ranked below 45 in both rush and pass defense. Also they are 9th in sacks and 5th in tackles for a loss. They will be tested because this will be the most talented team they have faced this year.

Georgia is a team that got better as the year went on. At the beginning of the season their quarterback, Matthew Stafford, struggled. But once they developed a running game behind freshman Knowshon Moreno, the passing lanes opened up and Stafford started doing better. In 12 games Stafford has thrown for 2348 yards with 18 touchdowns and 9 interceptions while Moreno has run for 1273 yards and 12 touchdowns. The Bulldogs have a tough defense, ranking 19th in total defense and more importantly 24th in pass defense, yielding a little over 200 yards per game.

It is put up or shut up time for the Warriors. They took a lot of heat all year for playing two FCS teams and not really anyone else. Georgia on the other hand had a stacked SEC schedule where they beat Florida, Auburn, and Kentucky. Hawaii’s best win all year was Boise State and we all saw what happened to them against East Carolina. I think Hawaii will hold their own, and put on a good show but Georgia is out to prove that they belonged in the BCS title game and won’t allow non-BCS schools to go 3-0 in BCS games. Georgia 37 Hawaii 31

Picking Hawaii to Win (16%)
Pitch Right, Dan Schoonover, Lou Nemec, Jason Stiver, Jeff Brancolini

Picking Georgia to Win (84%)
ITB Brian Sakowski, Kansas It’s Business Time, Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician, Sportsbone TV, Rizzo Sports, MizzouRAH, MidWest Coast Bias, The Enlightened Spartan, Bastard Sons of Pinfall Marks, ITB Ron Juckett, ITB Charlie Swager, Football Frontier, The LSC Scoop, Corn Nation, Richard Dixon, Mrs Corn Nation, Brian Isaacson, Logan Jaffe, Brant Chruscial, Matt Kieta, Timmy B, Greg Gowins, Sunny Verma, Lorena The Dodgerchick, Pete Boivin, Cyril Tircuit, Rodney Polston