South Florida 9-3 (4-3), 3rd Big East
vs
Oregon 8-4 (5-4), 4th Pacific-10

December 31, 2:00pm, CBS

Even though these two teams are on different coasts, they share one thing in common; both at one time during the season were ranked #2 in the BCS. South Florida was the first to do it starting the season 6-0 before losing their next three games. Oregon reached #2, then lost the last three games of the season. The Ducks have not been the same team since losing starting quarterback Dennis Dixon.

It is anyone’s best guess who will play quarterback for the Ducks in the Sun Bowl. After Dixon’s injury, Cody Kempt, Brady Leaf and redshirt freshman Justin Roper have all seen time behind center. Combined the three have thrown for almost 500 yards, only 2 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions. With that ineffectiveness at quarterback, it puts all of the pressure on Jonathan Stewart’s shoulders. In 12 games, Stewart rushed for 1469 yards and 10 touchdowns. Without Dixon in the lineup the Ducks have struggled moving the ball and not turning the ball over. Defensively the Ducks are better against the run than the pass and lead the nation in tackles for loss.

Like Oregon, the Bulls rely on their quarterback to be the catalyst of their offense. Sophomore Matt Grothe leads the Bulls in passing (2473 yards and 13 touchdowns) and rushing (832 yards and 10 touchdowns). He is a tough player for defenses to defend but since he is still young he has shown he will turn the ball over, throwing 12 interceptions on the year. On defense the Bulls are extremely tough, and you don’t have to look any further than defensive end George Selvie. Selvie leads the nation in tackles for a loss and is an excellent pass rusher too. He is able to rush the passer so well because South Florida has a pair of superb cornerbacks that allow the defensive coordinator to play a lot of man and blitz. South Florida’s 19th rank rush defense will be put to the test when the go up against Stewart.

If Dennis Dixon were healthy, this would be a great game and a very tough one to pick. But given the fact that he is out, the other Ducks quarterback have struggled, and South Florida has such a fast, attacking defense; I think the Ducks are doomed in this one. Their defense will need to force Grothe to turn the ball over and hope that Jonathan Stewart can overcome the stacked boxed that he will see against Oregon. Any way you put it, I think that South Florida has the upper hand and will win this game. South Florida 38 Oregon 17

Picking South Florida to Win (75%)
ITB Brian Sakowski, ITB Charlie Swager, Football Frontier, Corn Nation, Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician, Sportsbone TV, Rizzo Sports, MizzouRAH, ITB Ron Juckett, The Enlightened Spartan, Bastard Sons of Pinfall Marks, Kansas It’s Business Time, Pitch Right, MidWest Coast Bias, Pete Boivin, Jason Stiver, Lorena The Dodgerchick, Matt Kieta, Timmy B, Richard Dixon, Dan Schoonover, Brian Isaacson, Logan Jaffe, Brant Chruscial

Picking Oregon to Win (25%)
The LSC Scoop, Rodney Polston, Cyril Tircuit, Sunny Verma, Greg Gowins, Lou Nemec, Mrs Corn Nation, Jeff Brancolini

Georgia Tech 7-5 (4-4), 3rd Atlantic Coast - Coastal
vs
Fresno State 8-4 (6-2), 3rd Western Athletic

December 31 2:00 pm, ESPN2

Georgia Tech will have to wait till after this game for the Paul Johnson era to start, and already many receivers are concerned that he will not need them if Johnson brings the triple option offense with him. Both teams have won the last time they played in this bowl game. Fresno State comes into the game playing in their 8th bowl game in 9 years, winning 3 of their last 4 regular season games but to win against the Yellow Jackets their offense will have to protect their QB because Tech averages 4 sacks per game.

The Bulldog offense is as balanced as you can get it, averaging 202 yards on the ground and through the air. Tom Brandstater had an average year throwing for 2369 yards, 14 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions. On the ground, Fresno State is led by Ryan Mathews and Lonyae Miller, both of which have missed time this year because of injuries. If Fresno State has a weakness on defense, it is against the run. The Bulldogs give up around 180 yards per game on the ground, and that isn’t a good sign when you are going against a back like Tashard Choice.

The Yellow Jackets are in flux, between coaches, but they still boast one of the best defenses in the land. They are 12th against the run, 32nd against the pass, and 11th overall. On an average, Georgia Tech gives up only 19 points per game. Yards and points are a premium against the Yellow Jackets. On offense their strength is running the ball with Tashard Choice. In 11 games, Choice has run for 1310 yards with 10 touchdowns. Taylor Bennett had a coming out party in last year’s bowl game, but cooled off after the loss of Calvin Johnson to the NFL. Bennett threw 3 more interceptions than touchdowns, and must protect the ball if Georgia Tech wants to win.

Smash mouth football is the name of the game when you come and play the 2007 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. I think the Bulldogs are going to be in for a world of hurting and right now it isn’t shaping up too good for the Western Athletic Conference. With Boise State and Nevada losing; Fresno State and Hawaii must pick up the slack. The Bulldogs just do not have the line play to stop the Yellow Jackets and they will have a hard time gaining any yards against their tough defense. Georgia Tech 24 Fresno State 10

Picking Georgia Tech to Win (76%)
ITB Brian Sakowski, Rizzo Sports, Sportsbone TV, MidWest Coast Bias, ITB Ron Juckett, Football Frontier, Bastard Sons of Pinfall Marks, The LSC Scoop, Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician, Greg Gowins, Richard Dixon, Brian Isaacson, Logan Jaffe, Brant Chruscial, Dan Schoonover, Lou Nemec, Mrs Corn Nation, Matt Kieta, Timmy B, Cyril Tircuit, Rodney Polston

Picking Fresno State to Win (34%)
MizzouRAH, Kansas It’s Business Time, Pitch Right, ITB Charlie Swager, The Enlightened Spartan, Corn Nation, Jeff Brancolini, Sunny Verma, Lorena The Dodgerchick, Pete Boivin, Jason Stiver

California 6-6 (3-6), 7th Pacific-10
vs
Air Force 9-3 (6-2), 2nd Mountain West

December 31, 12:30pm, ESPN

At one point in the season the Cal Bears were 5-0 and number 2 in the country. They finished their last 7 games with a 1-6 record, a huge disappointment for a team with a ton of talent and could’ve challenged USC for the Pac 10 title. Air Force had another solid year losing 3 games to BYU, New Mexico, and Navy; all teams that made bowl games. The Falcons finished their season winning 6 of their last 7 games.

Offensively, there might not be a team in the country that can match up with the talent that Cal has. At quarterback Nate Longshore threw for 2544 yards with 15 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. The one game he missed, a loss to Oregon State. Running the ball for the Bears is Justin Forsett, who has also been a bit banged up this season. Forsett ran for over 1400 yards with 13 touchdowns. At wideout, the tandem of DeSean Jackson and Lavelle Hawkins combined for 1500 yards and 10 touchdowns. Jackson is also an explosive force in the return game. I think it would be in Air Force’s best interest to kick away from him. The Bears are ranked in the 50s both against the pass and the run on defense.

Air Force’s rushing offense is second only to Navy. Like their armed forces counterpart, they like to run the ball a lot and Chad Hall and his 1400 plus yards lead the way. Hall is a key part to the receiving game also, as he is the Falcons’ leading receiver. Shaun Carney adds another 500 yards rushing as the quarterback, but he also has a decent arm throwing for 1423 yards with 8 touchdowns. The Falcons are tough against the run giving up a little over 130 yards per game on the ground, and if Longshore makes a wrong read, Carson Bird and his 6 interceptions will make him pay.

If we are looking at this game based on talent alone, it is a no brainer, Cal would win hands down. But the jury is still out on whether or not they have given up on the season. I think one of the main reasons that the Bears went downhill in the second half of the year is because of injuries. Longshore’s ankle was banged up and it hurt him plus Forsett was also play at way less than 100%. Add to that, DeSean Jackson has been battling leg problems all year and you have a recipe for a slide. The month off will help Cal heal and win this bowl game. California 35 Air Force 24

Picking California to Win (62.5%)
ITB Brian Sakowski, Bastard Sons of Pinfall Marks, Football Frontier, The LSC Scoop, Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician, ITB Charlie Swager, Rizzo Sports, ITB Ron Juckett, Kansas It’s Business Time, Sportsbone TV, MizzouRAH, Dan Schoonover, Rodney Polston, Greg Gowins, Lorena The Dodgerchick, Matt Kieta, Timmy B, Brian Isaacson, Logan Jaffe, Richard Dixon

Picking Air Force to Win (37.5%)
The Enlightened Spartan, Corn Nation, Pitch Right, MidWest Coast Bias, Jeff Brancolini, Pete Boivin, Jason Stiver, Cyril Tircuit, Lou Nemec, Mrs Corn Nation, Sunny Verma, Brant Chruscial

Penn State 8-4 (4-4), 5th Big Ten
vs
Texas A&M 7-5 (4-4), 3rd Big 12 - South Division

December 29, 8:00 pm, ESPN

Texas A&M and Penn State both finished the regular season on a totally different note. The Aggies defeated their arch-rival Texas in Austin 38-30. Penn State blew a 17 point lead in the second half to lose to Michigan State 35-31. The Nittany Lions were hoping to contend for the Big Ten title this year, but early losses to Michigan and Illinois nixed that idea. They hope that in Joe Paterno’s 500th game at Penn State they can end the season on a higher note.

The Nittany Lions struggled away from home, losing 3 games. Most of the blame is placed on the shoulders of quarterback Anthony Morelli. Even though he is one of the most prolific passers in Penn State history, the knack of turning the ball over in crucial situations has drawn the ire of many Penn State fans. For the season Morelli has thrown for 2508 yards with 18 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. Running the ball the Nittany Lions have Rodney Kinlaw who took over for Austin Scott. Kinlaw has run for 1186 yards and 10 touchdowns. Redshirt Freshman Evan Royster is also used as a change of pace back. Penn State has three good receivers in Deon Butler, Jordan Norwood, and Derrick Williams. The defense is led by All American linebacker Dan Connor. The defense is 6th in the country against the run and second in sacks per game. They will go up against the teeth of the Aggies offense.

The Aggies rushing offense is 12th in the country and it is led by quarterback Stephen McGee. McGee is an athletic quarterback who excels at running the option. In 12 games this season he has thrown for 2147 yards and 12 touchdowns, while running for 858 yards and 5 touchdowns. When A&M gets close to the goal line they go to their horse in the backfield. 265 pound (plus more) Jorvorskie Lane who has 746 yards and 16 touchdowns. On defense they are ranked 106th against the pass, so if Morelli can make good decisions, he can pick the Aggies apart. But the Aggies are 20th in turnover margin and are led by Marquis Carpenter and his 4 interceptions.

Texas A&M is in flux right now as they are waiting for Mike Sherman to come in to take over the coaching job. They also give up a lot of sacks and are going against the #2 team in the nation in sacks per game. Penn State has not played well defensively down the stretch but come bowl season Tom Bradley always has something up their sleeve. It won’t be the shutout that took place in the 1999 Alamo Bowl, but Penn State will win its 3rd bowl game in as many year. Dan Connor, Anthony Morelli and the rest of the Nittany Lion seniors will go out winners. Penn State 27 Texas A&M 17

Picking Penn State to Win (69%)
ITB Brian Sakowski, The Enlightened Spartan, Bastard Sons of Pinfall Marks, Football Frontier, Corn Nation, Rizzo Sports, Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician, ITB Charlie Swager, Kansas It’s Business Time, Sportsbone TV, MizzouRAH, Jeff Brancolini, Dan Schoonover, Pete Boivin, Rodney Polston, Greg Gowins, Lou Nemec, Sunny Verma, Lorena The Dodgerchick, Matt Kieta, Timmy B, Brian Isaacson

Picking Texas A&M to Win (31%)
The LSC Scoop, ITB Ron Juckett, Pitch Right, MidWest Coast Bias, Jason Stiver, Cyril Tircuit, Mrs Corn Nation, Logan Jaffe, Brant Chruscial, Richard Dixon

Central Florida 10-3 (7-1), 1st Conference USA - East
vs
Mississippi State 7-5 (4-4), 3rd Southeastern - West

December 29, 4:30pm, ESPN

Mississippi State won 3 of their last 4 games, two coming against Alabama and Kentucky, to make their first bowl game in since 2000. Those wins probably saved Sylvester Croom’s job for another year. Their reward, the nation’s leading rusher Kevin Smith and the Central Florida Knights. The Knights beat Tulsa to win the Conference USA crown and have won their last seven games.

The UCF offense is led by the nation’s leading rusher, Junior Kevin Smith. In 13 games, Smith has rushed for over 2400 yards and 29 touchdowns; boasting a 6 yard per carry average. But some how he wasn’t even good enough to make the trip to New York City for the Heisman Ceremony. Smith quiet all potential talks about him going pro, saying that he will return for his senior season at UCF. At quarterback, Kyle Israel has done a good job throwing for over 2000 yards and 15 touchdowns. He has to admit that with teams focusing on Smith, it makes his job a lot easier. On defense the Knights are 37th against the run but below average against the pass. Their return game is dangerous as they average 24 yards per kickoff return and 13 yards per punt return.

Mississippi State has their work cut out for them on defense, they are good against the pass (10th in the nation) but they know to win this game they have to stop Smith. Only one time this year has a team held him below 100 yards in a game. On offense, the Bulldogs are 80th in the country running the ball and 108th throwing the ball. Those are not eye popping numbers by any stretch. At QB Wesley Carroll has done a good job throwing for 1353 yards and 9 touchdowns while in the backfield Anthony Dixon 980 yards rushing and 13 touchdowns.

Hopefully this game, against a BCS school like Mississippi State, can be Kevin Smith’s coming out party. It is a shame that this kid has done so much this year, yet received such little publicity. If he has a good game against the Bulldogs, that could start a wave that could potentially lead to a Heisman campaign next season. I like UCF’s chances in this game. They are solid on offense, not only with Smith running the ball, but with Israel throwing the ball too. Mississippi State does not have the offensive power to keep up with the Knights in this game. Central Florida 28 Mississippi State 14

Picking Central Florida to Win (53%)
ITB Brian Sakowski, Pitch Right, MidWest Coast Bias, Football Frontier, The LSC Scoop, Corn Nation, Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician, Rizzo Sports, Lou Nemec, Lorena The Dodgerchick, Matt Kieta, Brian Isaacson, Jeff Brancolini, Dan Schoonover, Cyril Tircuit, Rodney Polston, Greg Gowins

Picking Mississippi State to Win (47%)
ITB Charlie Swager, ITB Ron Juckett, Kansas It’s Business Time, Sportsbone TV, MizzouRAH, The Enlightened Spartan, Bastard Sons of Pinfall Marks, Mrs Corn Nation, Sunny Verma, Timmy B, Richard Dixon, Brant Chruscial, Logan Jaffe, Pete Boivin, Jason Stiver,

Connecticut 9-3 (5-2), 1st Big East
vs
Wake Forest 8-4 (5-3), 2nd Atlantic Coast - Atlantic

December 29, 1:00 pm, ESPN

In the 2006 season, Wake Forest won the ACC and played in the Orange Bowl against Louisville, so anything less than that had to be a little bit of a let down for Demon Deacon fans. Connecticut was almost the Wake Forest of 2007. The Huskies lost to West Virginia or they would’ve been the surprise team to head to a BCS game this season. These two teams clash in the Meineke Car Care Bowl, and it should be an interesting game to say the least.

The Huskies lost 3 games, all of which to teams that are in bowl games. They knocked of South Florida when the Bulls were ranked #2 in the country. Although two of their wins (Temple & Louisville) have a bit of controversy surrounding them, their season is still an impressive one. Andre Dixon and Donald Brown II lead a rushing offense that amasses 165 yards per game on the ground. At quarterback, Tyler Lorenzen isn’t flashy, but steady as he threw for 2269 yards, 13 touchdowns, and only 5 interceptions. If there is a weakness on the offense, it is the offensive line who has given up 28 sacks, that is second in the Big East. On defense, the Huskies only gave up more than 20 points twice in the entire season and their pass defense is 15th in the country.

Wake Forest is a team that looks to its defense to win games. The Demon Deacons are below average in both their rushing and passing attack. Sophomore Riley Skinner threw for 1900 yards but had 12 interceptions to only 11 touchdowns in his 10 contests. On defense, Wake Forest’s defensive line is strong and fast. They are 16th in the country against the run, but 78th against the pass. In their secondary Alphonso Smith has 8 interceptions and Aaron Curry has 4, and they have combined in 6 touchdowns from those interceptions. For Wake to win, this must be a low scoring affair.

One common opponent between the two has been Virginia, each lost to the Cavs by the same score 17-16. Wake Forest uses the scheme where they don’t take any chances on offense and hopes their defense puts them in position to score some points. They like to capitalize against opponents who make a lot of mistakes but going against a team that is 7th in the country in turnover margin, those mistakes by the Huskies might be few and far between. Connecticut, behind a solid quarterback will win this one. Connecticut 20 Wake Forest 10

Picking Connecticut to Win (44%)
ITB Brian Sakowski, Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician, Rizzo Sports, MizzouRAH, The Enlightened Spartan, Football Frontier, Corn Nation, Jason Stiver, Cyril Tircuit, Lou Nemec, Lorena The Dodgerchick, Richard Dixon, Brian Isaacson, Jeff Brancolini

Picking Wake Forest to Win (56%)
ITB Charlie Swager, ITB Ron Juckett, Pitch Right, MidWest Coast Bias, Kansas It’s Business Time, Sportsbone TV, Bastard Sons of Pinfall Marks, The LSC Scoop, Mrs Corn Nation, Dan Schoonover, Pete Boivin, Rodney Polston, Greg Gowins, Sunny Verma, Matt Kieta, Timmy B, Brant Chruscial, Logan Jaffe

Maryland 6-6 (3-5), 5th Atlantic Coast - Atlantic
vs
Oregon State 8-4 (6-3), 3rd Pacific-10

December 28, 8:30pm, ESPN

Maryland comes into the Emerald Bowl losers of 4 of their last 6 games, but one of their wins came against a very good Boston College team. Oregon State on the other hand comes into this game winning 6 of their last 7 games, including wins over California and Oregon. Their only loss in that time frame was to USC. Under head coach Mike Riley, the Beavers are 3-0 in bowl games and Maryland has also win its last 3 bowl games.

Coach Friedgen is hoping his team steps up like they did against Boston College and Rutgers because they will have to going up against the nation’s #2 rushing defense. The Terps strength is their running game behind Keon Lattimore and Lance Ball. Lattimore and Ball have combined for over 1500 yards and 25 touchdowns. Their QB situation is a little shaky however. Chris Turner won the job over Jordan Steffy in-season and has thrown for 1753 yards with only 5 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. He will need to have a career day since they are going to need to have a balanced attack against the Beavers. On defense, the Terps are 45th against the run and 47th against the pass, a solid defense nonetheless. Erin Henderson leads the defense with 11 tackles per game.

The Beavers also rely on a ground game to control the clock and score on offense. Yvenson Bernard is the leading rusher with over 1000 yards and 12 touchdowns, but James Rodgers has over 400 yards and an impressive 11 yards per carry backing him up. Oregon State has been having trouble hanging onto the ball when they pass. Quarterback Sean Canfield has thrown 14 interceptions to only 8 touchdown passes. On defense the Beavers not only rank 2nd in rush defense, but they rank 3rd in sacks per game with 3.5 and 6th in tackles for losses. In a conference that is know for their offense, the Beavers have put up some impressive defensive numbers.

Looking at these two teams side by side, I would have to give Maryland the slight edge on offense because they have a better rushing game and even though their quarterback is not that effective, he doesn’t turn the ball over as much as Canfield. Defensively Maryland is average while Oregon State is solid against the run and below average against the pass. Given that Maryland can’t throw well and is average on the rushing offense, I’ll give the overall edge to Oregon State. The Beavers will win this game by a FG or two. Oregon State 24 Maryland 18

Picking Maryland to Win (28%)
ITB Ron Juckett, Sportsbone TV, Bastard Sons of Pinfall Marks, Brian Isaacson, Brant Chruscial, Timmy B, Dan Schoonover, Cyril Tircuit, Mrs Corn Nation

Picking Oregon State to Win (72%)
ITB Brian Sakowski, Pitch Right, MizzouRAH, The Enlightened Spartan, Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician, Kansas It’s Business Time, ITB Charlie Swager, The LSC Scoop, Corn Nation, MidWest Coast Bias, Football Frontier, Rizzo Sports, Logan Jaffe, Jeff Brancolini, Lou Nemec, Matt Kieta, Richard Dixon, Pete Boivin, Jason Stiver, Greg Gowins, Rodney Polston, Sunny Verma, Lorena The Dodgerchick

TCU 7-5 (4-4), 5th Mountain West
vs
Houston 8-4 (6-2), 1st Conference USA - West

December 28, 8:00pm, NFL Network

Unless you live in Houston, near TCU, or are lucky enough to have the NFL Network, you will, like me, find out about this game the day after it happened. Houston enters the game after being tied for the C-USA west lead but losing the tiebreaker to Tulsa to play in the conference championship game. TCU was one of my teams that I thought had a chance to bust the BCS when the season started, but a rough start losing 2 of their first 3 games derailed that idea. This game will renew a rivalry that went on when both teams were apart of the Southwest Conference from 1976-1995.

The Cougars have the 4th ranked offense in the nation, averaging over 514 yards per game but are looking to win their first bowl game in their last 8 tries. Also their head coach Art Briles, resigned to take over the Baylor job. Assistant coach Chris Thurmond will serve as interim coach. Conference USA Freshman of the Year, Case Keenum calls the signals for the offense and he relies on Anthony Alridge (1500 yards rushing, 14 TDs) to take some of the pressure off of him. Donnie Avery is a favorite target among the QB’s catching 81 balls for over 1300 yards and 7 touchdowns. On defense, Houston ranks in the 50s for both pass and rushing defense.

While Houston relies more on its offense, TCU is a tough defensive team. The Horned Frogs rank 18th in rushing defense and 17th in scoring defense, only yielding 17 points per game. They are led by three-time All-MWC first-team end Chase Ortiz who has 8 sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss. On offense they have their own freshman quarterback in Andy Dalton who has thrown for 2200 yards 10 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Sophomore Joseph Turner has come on as of late. In his last game he ran for 225 yards and the Horned Frogs have amassed over 625 yards on the ground in their last two games.

TCU is a good team, much better than their record suggest. Four of their five losses cames to teams that are playing in bowl games (BYU, Air Force, Texas, and Utah) and they were in each game against those opponents. Houston on the other hand got blown out by Tulsa and Oregon, but kept it close with East Carolina and Alabama. I like TCU in this one because they have played better competition, their rushing game is coming on as of late, and because of the way they play defense. TCU 33 Houston 17

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

Picking Houston to Win (16%)
Pitch Right, Logan Jaffe, Brant Chruscial, Lorena The Dodgerchick, Mrs Corn Nation,

Boston College 10-3 (6-2), 1st Atlantic Coast - Atlantic
vs
Michigan State 7-5 (3-5), 7th Big Ten

December 28, 5:00pm, ESPN

It was only a few weeks ago that the Boston College Eagles were playing in the ACC Championship, now one loss later they are stuck in the Champs Sports Bowl against a team that did not even win half of its conference games. On the surface this looks like it should be an easy Eagles blowout, but looking at it closer, Michigan State can give Boston College a good game. If you don’t believe me just ask The Enlightened Spartan. The Spartans might have only won 3 games in the Big Ten, but they took Michigan to the wire, lost by 7 to Ohio State, and lost in overtime to both Iowa and Northwestern. A break or two goes their way and they are looking at a 9 or 10 win season.

Before we get too excited, tooting the Spartans’ horn, we have to inform you of the bad news. Five Spartans, including defensive standouts Jonal Saint-Dic and SirDarean Adams are not going to play in the Champs Sports Bowl because of academic or other violations. For Michigan State to win it is pretty simple, they must keep the ball out of Matt Ryan’s hands, and they have the perfect duo to do just that. Their two running backs Javon Ringer and Jehuu Caulcrick have combined for over 2100 yards on the ground and 27 touchdowns. Quarterback Brian Hoyer is steady and has a quality receiver in Devin Thomas to get the passing game clicking. Defensively they must make Ryan hurry his throws and they were 12th in the country getting 3 sacks per game. The Spartans give up around 220 yards per game in the air and 24 points per game.

Boston College twice had its own destiny in its hands. First they lost to Florida State while ranked #2 in the country, then they lost to Virginia Tech in the ACC Title game. Now Matt Ryan must motivate this team to play in a bowl game. Once a Heisman candidate, Ryan has thrown for 4258 yards, 28 touchdowns, and 18 interceptions. The Eagles use short swing passes to Andre Callender as their running game. Callender, along with receivers Rich Gunnell and Brandon Robinson make up over half of the Eagles’ receiving offense. But you cannot just focus on them, because Ryan is known to spread the ball around. The Eagles ranked #1 in the country in rushing defense giving up only 68 yards per game. The Spartans duo will give them one of their best tests this season.

This game has all the makings for a let down for the Eagles and a momentum builder into 2008 for the Michigan State Spartans. The two teams have their strengths in BC’s rushing defense going and the Spartans’ Ringer and Caulcrick going head to head against each other. I expect Boston College to come out a little sluggish, but Michigan State will miss the two guys on defense to put pressure on Matt Ryan. I really like this Spartan team, but I think the fall just short in the game, like many others this season. Matt Ryan is an experienced QB that is calm under pressure. He’ll lead the Eagles to their NCAA leading ninth straight bowl victory. Boston College 28 Michigan State 20

Picking Boston College to Win (87.5%)
ITB Brian Sakowski, Bastard Sons of Pinfall Marks, Corn Nation, Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician, Kansas It’s Business Time, ITB Charlie Swager, Sportsbone TV, MizzouRAH, The LSC Scoop, Football Frontier, Rizzo Sports, Pitch Right, ITB Ron Juckett, MidWest Coast Bias, Sunny Verma. Lorena The Dodgerchick, Jason Stiver, Cyril Tircuit, Pete Boivin, Rodney Polston, Greg Gowins, Jeff Brancolini, Lou Nemec, Matt Kieta, Brian Isaacson, Brant Chruscial, Logan Jaffe, Richard Dixon

Picking Michigan State to Win (12.5%)
The Enlightened Spartan, Mrs Corn Nation, Timmy B, Dan Schoonover

Arizona State 10-2 (7-2), 1st Pacific-10
vs
Texas 9-3 (5-3), 2nd Big 12 - South Division

December 27, 8:00 pm, ESPN

Finally a bowl game with two ranked teams playing against each other. The Holiday Bowl is always one of my most favorite bowls to watch. Arizona State comes into the game losing two of their last four games while Texas has won 5 of their last 6, but dropped their last game against their rival Texas A&M. It was no surprise to any of us that Texas had the kind of year it did, but Arizona State was a bit of a surprise. They got a new coach in Dennis Erickson and was contending for the Pac Ten’s BCS bid, until USC derailed them Thanksgiving week.

Arizona State is led on offense by their quarterback Rudy Carpenter who threw for over 3000 yards and 23 touchdowns. Carpenter was in the middle of a controversy in the 2006 season when he took over at QB, but this year it has been his team and he has excelled. The Sun Devils has been using Keegan Herring to fill in for the injured Ryan Torain in the backfield, but if you have watched them, their strength is passing the ball. On defense they have a tough rushing defense only giving up 100 yards per game on the ground and they will find a stiff test going against Jamaal Charles.

The Longhorns had an up and down season, starting the year good then losing two in a row to Kansas State and Oklahoma, but they can point to some of their downfalls because of key injuries. Their top WR Limas Sweed was lost for most of the season and that has hurt Colt McCoy’s production. his passing numbers are nice as he has thrown for 3100 yards and 21 touchdowns. But his 18 interceptions shows the he is still not making good decisions with the football. Jamaal Charles is the stud in the backfield running for 1458 and 16 touchdowns. The Longhorns are one of the tops in the country in all offensive categories. On defense they have the 10th best rushing defense, but are 109th against the pass.

This one is a tough one for me to call. On one hand I think that the Sun Devils will be able to take advantage of the Longhorns’ weak pass defense, but offensively I think the Longhorns are balanced enough to keep the Sun Devils guessing on D. Also, this will be the best back that Arizona State has faced all season long in Charles, and I believe he will get over 100 yards. Carpenter has thrown only 1 interception in his last 5 games and McCoy has not been making good decisions, and he must going against a secondary that has picked off 17 passes. Turnovers will be the key and I see Texas making one more mistake than allowed. Arizona State 38 Texas 35

Picking Arizona State to Win (50%)
ITB Brian Sakowski, Sportsbone TV, The LSC Scoop, Football Frontier, Corn Nation, The Enlightened Spartan, Pitch Right, Rizzo Sports, Mrs Corn Nation, Lou Nemec, Logan Jaffe, Dan Schoonover, Richard Dixon, Jeff Brancolini, Lorena The Dodgerchick, Cyril Tircuit

Picking Texas to Win (50%)
MizzouRAH, Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician, MidWest Coast Bias, ITB Ron Juckett, Kansas It’s Business Time, ITB Charlie Swager, Bastard Sons of Pinfall Marks, Pete Boivin, Rodney Polston, Greg Gowins, Matt Kieta, Timmy B, Brian Isaacson, Brant Chruscial, Sunny Verma, Jason Stiver