It's bowl season! Picks are in!

San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl, Dec. 20
Utah (-8.5) vs. Navy (+/- 66)
Navy will be in disarray with head coach Paul Johnson going to Georgia Tech, so I expect this to be a low scoring game. The spread is a little too high so Navy should cover but Utah will win.
Pick: and the under


R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl, Dec. 21
Florida Atlantic (-2.5) vs. Memphis (+/-66.5)
Pick: and the over


Papajohns.com Bowl, Dec. 22
Cincinnati (-11) vs. Southern Miss (+/-56)
Pick: and the over


New Mexico Bowl, Dec. 22
New Mexico (-3) vs. Nevada (+/- 59.5)
It's not smart to go against the team that the bowl is named after, but I like the upset here.
Pick: and the over


Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl, Dec. 22
BYU (-6) vs. UCLA (+/- 47.5)
UCLA beat BYU in the second week of the season, but I don't see that happening again. BYU has improved a lot since then.
Pick: and the over


Sheraton Hawaii Bowl, Dec. 23
Boise St. (-11) vs. East Carolina (+/- 70)
Pick: and the over


Motor City Bowl, Dec. 26
Purdue (-9) vs. Central Michigan (+/- 72)
Pick: and the under


Pacific Life Holiday Bowl, Dec. 27
Texas (-1.5) vs. Arizona State (+/- 61.5)
Apparently the odds makers aren't as stupid as I thought they would be. I love Texas here and everybody is on the Sun Devil bandwagon this season. Not the odds makers and not me!
Pick: and the over


Champs Sports Bowl, Dec. 28
Boston College (-3.5) vs. Michigan State (+/- 57)
Pick: and the over


Texas Bowl, Dec. 28 (ON NFL NETWORK!!)
TCU (-4) vs. Houston (+/- 60.5)
I wanted to pick Houston in this game, but then their head coach bolted for Baylor. You won't see me picking any teams this bowl season who lost their head coach.
Pick: and the over


Emerald Bowl, Dec. 28
Oregon St. (-4.5) vs. Maryland (+/- 49)
I'm usually a big proponent of the ACC and an avid Pac-10 hater, but I gotta give some love to to the Beavers since the entire crowd will be on their side. Terrapin fans travel cross country for basketball. Not football. Plus, look at that beaver in the logo!
Pick: and the over


Meineke Car Care Bowl, Dec. 29
Wake Forest (-3) vs. UConn (+/- 49.5)
I'm giving enough love to the Big East this bowl season. This is virtually a home game for the Demon Deacons, so if UConn wants to shut me up and win this game, I dare them to.
Pick: and the under


Autozone Liberty Bowl, Dec. 29
UCF (-3) vs. Miss. St. (+/- 59)
This game will feature a whole lot of running, UCF has the nation's top rusher and Miss. St. has been less than impressive this year. Look for UCF to control the clock in a low scoring game.
Pick: and the under


Valero Alamo Bowl, Dec. 29
Penn St. (-5) vs. Texas A&M (+/- 51.5)
This game has a great chance for an upset. Penn State has a great defense and A&M has an inconsistent offense. I look for the Aggies to cover in a low scoring game and MAYBE squeak out a W.
Pick: and the under


PetroSun Independence Bowl, Dec. 30
Alabama (-3.5) vs. Colorado (+/- 51.5)
I'd be pretty dumb to bet against the SEC in this mismatch...errr...I mean "matchup." What's scary is that Nick Saban has so much time to prepare. Colorado may not score 10 points in this game so I'd stay away from the over/under.
Pick: and the over


Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl, Dec. 31
California (-4) vs. Air Force (+/- 54)
There is something wrong with the over/under here because Cal is notorious for bowl games with final scores adding up to about 300. They haven't had a bowl game total under 55 points since 2002, with their '03 bowl game against Virginia tech tallying 101 points (W 52-49). Air Force can put up some points, too. I expect this one to feature about 75 or 80 points. Put all the money you don't have on the over in this game and thank me later. However, Cal has lost 6 of 7 and Air Force hasn't been bowl eligible in five years. Don't expect Cal to really show up to this game, and expect Air Force to be pumped and ready.
Pick: and the over


Roady's Humanitarian Bowl, Dec. 31
Georgia Tech (-4) vs. Fresno St. (+/- 54.5)
Another "WHAT?!!" game. This is a the poor man's Hawaii/Georgia...wait, I'm not picking Hawaii, so let's call it the poor man's Boise St./Oklahoma of last year. Georgia Tech doesn't have their head coach. That should be enough for Fresno St. to take this one. I don't know why they're a four-point underdog. Oh well.
Pick: and the over


Sun Bowl, Dec. 31
South Florida (-6.5) vs. Oregon (+/- 53)
I hate to do this, because I asked my friend from the lovely state of Oregon advice on the OU/OSU games and I'm going against her "Oregon State sucks and Oregon rules" advice. But without Dennis Dixon, I don't think it's a real match. Oregon will still put up points but not enough to win and not enough to cover.
Pick: and the over


Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl, Dec. 31
Kentucky (-4) vs. Florida St. (+/- 56.5)
What's the most eloquent way to put this? Florida State's offense...SUCKS, but Kentucky's defense is...NON-EXISTENT. Kentucky's offense is potent enough to put up about 45 and their defense is bad enough to give up a few touchdowns to the 'Noles. Up to 20 FSU players are gonna be suspended, so Kentucky fans, getcha popcorn ready.
Pick: and the over.


Insight Bowl, Dec. 31
Oklahoma St. (-4.5) vs. Indiana (+/- 69)
Really? A Big 10 team against a Big 12 team? Oh.
Pick: and the under


Chick-Fil-A Bowl, Dec. 31
Clemson (-2) vs. Auburn (+/- 48.5)
Again, I don't know what the oddsmakers are thinking here. Sorry, but ACC teams just don't beat the SEC high-rollers. Auburn had a weak non-conference schedule, but only lost one of those games, a fluke three-point loss in the second week to USF. Defense and rushing rule this game. Final score will be about 20-10.
Pick: and the UNDER!!!


Outback Bowl, Jan. 1
Tennessee (-3.5) vs. Wisconsin (+/- 60)
This is gonna be an interesting game. Not a great game, an interesting one. Gotta love the under, and maybe, just maybe, a one-point win for either team? I don't like Wisconsin against any consistent team, so I'm not picking them to win, I'm taking it to be a very close game. Maybe 23-21ish.
Pick: and the under


Cotton Bowl, Jan. 1
Missouri (-3.5) vs. Arkansas (+/- 70)
This is another tough one to pick. I was hoping the spread would be higher so I could take Arkansas to cover, but without their head coach, I'm not sure if the McFactor is enough to cover or win. Not having Mr. Nutt definitely takes the Razorbacks out of the elite echelon of the SEC, so I'm allowed to pick a Big 12 team to beat them. Plus, remember that time Missouri got screwed out of a BCS bowl? The players' reactions dictate how this game goes. I think they come out to prove a point.
Pick: and the over


Capital One Bowl, Jan. 1
Florida (-10) vs. Michigan (+/- 60)
If the spread goes up to 30 let me know so I can change my pick. Mike Hart is healthy, meaning the Wolverines might score enough points to send this one over 60.
Pick: and the over


Konica Minolta Gator Bowl, Jan. 1
Texas Tech (-5.5) vs. Virginia (+/- 60)
I'm glad my team isn't playing in the "Konica Minolta" bowl. I don't even know what a Konica Minolta is. Sponsorship is getting ridiculous. Oh, right, the game. Chris Long can register 20 sacks, but the Red Raiders will still complete their other 35 pass attempts. No ACC team ever sees a passing attack like this. UVA's secondary is gonna have its hands full.
Pick: and the over


The Rose Bowl, Jan. 1
USC (-13.5) vs. Illinois (+/- 50.5)
I know I already used this one for another New Years Day game, but if the spread goes up by a few touchdowns, let me know. Actually, even if it goes up to 70 I'll still pick USC. Ok, I might be exaggerating a bit there, but you get my point. It's a virtual home game for the Trojans. Illinois couldn't have been picked to face a tougher team while trying to prove they deserved to be in a BCS bowl.
Pick: and the over



Allstate Sugar Bowl, Jan. 1
Georgia (-9) vs. Hawaii (+/-69.5)
The more I look at this, the more I second-guess myself. So I'm gonna stop thinking about that dreamy Colt Brennan and his monster core of receivers before it leads me to make a bold decision that will probably actually come true since the higher the score gets, the better the chance Hawaii has of covering the spread. SEC, SEC, SEC. Ok, all better now.
Pick: and the ooooover


Tooooooostitooooooooos Fieeeeeeeestaaaaaaaa Booooooooowl, Jan. 2
Oklahoma (-6.5) vs. West Virginia (+/- 64)
By far the most fun bowl name to say with a Spanish accent, with that Konica Minolta thing coming in second place. Oklahoma's defense against WVU's offensive weapons of Pat White and Steve Slaton should be fun to watch. The Sooners have a great run defense so White may have to rely on his arm. A one-dimensional Mountaineer offense could lead to a bunch of turnovers. The Mountaineers' inability to control the Sooners' running backs will dictate this game. Oh yeah, and WVU doesn't have a head coach. I want to make a joke about students burning couches in Morgantown, but they do it win or lose. Oh well.
Pick: and the over


"The greatest game this bowl season"
FedEx Orange Bowl, Jan. 3
Virginia Tech (-3.5) vs. Kansas (+/- 53.5)
Kansas averages 44.3 points per game. The over/under is 53.5. Does that tell you something? It tells me the experienced oddsmakers in Vegas either don't buy into the Kansas offense, or they're more influenced by Virginia Tech's defense. Or maybe both. VT has a good secondary, Kansas will need to establish a solid run game to open up routes for their receivers. I won't predict a game-of-the-year performance from the Hokie defense by picking the under because I respect Kansas. But I gotta show some love to the Hokies.
Pick: and the over


International Bowl, Jan. 5
Rutgers (-10) vs. Ball St. (+/- 60)
Why is this game being played on the 5th? This is a Dec. 20 matchup right here. I'll take an order of Teel with some Rice on the side, thanks. They should have an over/under for total turnovers in this game. I'll make it +/- 5 and take the over.
Pick: and the under


GMAC Bowl, Jan. 6
Tulsa (-5) vs. Bowling Green (+/- 75)
Now this is what I'm talking about. Another Dec. 20 game being played in January, but this one will be fun. No, I won't watch it, but I'll definitely check out the box score as both QB's throw for 450 yards and 5 touchdowns apiece. If the over were 90, I'd still take it without hesitation.
Pick: and the OVER!!!


Allstate BCS National Championship Game, Jan. 7
LSU (-5) vs. Ohio State (+/- 50)
What hasn't been said about this game? Here's my take. It's Beanie Wells (a poor man's McFadden) vs. a healthy Glenn Dorsey. It's basically a home game for the Tigers, and their spread offense should keep OSU's defense confused and on the field. LSU's defensive coordinator is staying to coach this game, but his mind will be elsewhere, but I still think Glenn Dorsey's actions will speak louder than any defensive coordinator's.
Pick: and the under