Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl: Houston vs Air Force, Wednesday (Dec 31) 12pm Evan: If you pick Houston, it means you hate America. Pick: Air Force Matt: These two have already played once with Air Force winning by 3. Houston has been pretty dynamic offensively this season, but Air Force looks like the better team. Pick: Air Force Ahad: The school that produced Kevin Kolb gets no love from me. Wouldn’t it just be wrong if one of the Armed Forces doesn’t win the Armed Forces Bowl? Pick: Air Force Mike: Air Force
Sun Bowl: Oregon State vs Pittsburgh, Wednesday (Dec 31) 2pm Evan: Neither Oregon State nor Pittsburgh get a lot of sun. Who can handle the heat? Pick: Oregon St Matt: I am not much of a fan of Pitt, and they compiled their winning record playing in the weak Big East. Oregon State fell just short of the Pac 10 title. I am a fan of OSU and JacQuizz. Pick: Oregon State Ahad: I find myself picking against teams I dislike rather than going with teams I like. I guess that means I have more hate than love. Pitt falls into the hate category. Pick: Oregon State Mike: Pittsburgh finished the season strong and I was leaning toward them after being disappointed with Oregon State’s loss to Oregon with the Rose Bowl on the line. Turns out Oregon is better than I thought. Pick: Oregon State
Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl: Boston College vs Vanderbilt, Wednesday (Dec 31) 3:30pm Evan: Vandy sneaked into this bowl game with a terrible offense. Pick: BC Matt: Vanderbilt has only won one game since their 5-0 start. Boston College should win their 9th bowl game in a row. Pick: Boston College Ahad: BC Mike: Where’d that super Vandy team go? Pick: Boston College
Insight Bowl: Kansas vs Minnesota, Wednesday (Dec 31) 5:30pm Evan: Kansas Matt: Minnesota comes in on a 4 game losing streak and looking pretty bad in losses to Michigan and Iowa. Kansas is coming off an unexpected triumph over Missouri in their regular season finale. Pick: Kansas Ahad: As much as I would like the see the Big 10 rack up a victory, it’s not going to happen in this game. Pick: Kansas Mike: Minnesota last game was a 44-0 loss to Iowa. I have little faith in them. Pick: Kansas
Chick-fil-a Bowl: LSU vs Georgia Tech, Wednesday (Dec 31) 7:30pm Evan: Everyone loves Georgia Tech. I think Les Miles has been using this time to show his team how bad everyone thinks they are. Pick: LSU Matt: I don’t think LSU is THAT bad. I just don’t think they are as good as Georgia Tech. Pick: Georgia Tech Ahad: Georgia Tech’s running game will cause a lot of problems for LSU. How good is that LSU defense going to be with a lame duck coordinator? Pick: G-Tech Mike: A lot of teams I don’t trust today. Two of them in this game. There is talent on this LSU team somewhere, right? Did you know LSU won the BCS National Championship last year. Yea, it was only a year ago. Pick: LSU
Back in 9th and 10th grade we lived in an apartment and I put a pull-up bar in the doorway into the kitchen. I’d just walk by, see it, do a few pull-ups. I was never in better shape. You could also contribute the ‘being in shape’ to playing 2 sports per year in those grades. That number dwindled to 1 (and that track season, it could be argued, should only count as .5 in terms of effort) and then to none my senior year. We moved after my 10th grade year and the pull-up bar was left behind in the apartment.
In comes the Iron Gym. An unexpected gift under the tree. I’m sure I saw the commercial, but I didn’t really pay attention. Its a bit more involved than my old pull-up bar. The old one really was just a rod that we screwed into the door way. The Iron Gym sort of latches onto the door jam. At first I was pretty nervous that the whole thing would come crashing down. More because I have little faith that the house can stand any extra pressure on it. So far, so good, my door is still intact.
Ahad is victorious in this season’s picks. He won by a solid 3 games. Evan will wonder what-if as he finished 4 back after not submitting any picks for Week 15. Evan can hang his hat on winning the group on Ice Cream Helmet. That group includes all games, includes spreads, and wager points. So, while Evan only had 1 more correct pick than Matt and I in the ICH group, thanks to wager points he won by 57. An impressive showing.
Papajohns.com Bowl: North Carolina State vs Rutgers, Monday (Dec 29) 3pm Ahad: Rutgers Evan: This boils down to, who likes pizza more? I say Piscataway. Pick: Rutgers Matt: Both of these teams come in on some pretty good win streaks: NC State has won 4 in a row and Rutgers has won 6 in a row. I like Rutgers to make it 7 in a row. Pick: Rutgers
Valero Alamo Bowl: Missouri vs Northwestern, Monday (Dec 29) 8pm Ahad: Missouri Evan: Chase plays a great game. His girlfriend gets back together with him. Pick: Missouri Matt: I would not be surprised if Northwestern were able to pull this game out. I still like Missouri, though. Pick: Missouri Mike: Northwestern had a good year for Northwestern. 5 wins in the Big 10, how’d they manage that? Missouri just got rolled by the Big 12 South. Still, I don’t think these teams are in the same league. Pick: Missouri
Roady’s Humanitarian Bowl: Maryland vs Nevada, Tuesday (Dec 30) 4:30pm Ahad: Nevada Evan: The Terps won every time I picked against them. I’m gonna see what it looks like on the other side of the fence. Pick: Maryland Mike: Oh no, not Maryland. I hope I have my 1 confidence point game left. Nevada had Boise State at home this year but they are in the same conference, so most of the players have seen the blue turf before. I say that’s an advantage. Pick: Nevada Matt: I don’t know too much about this Nevada team, but they played a tough schedule and beat some decent teams. Maryland has been wildly inconsistent this season. I am gonna go with the more consistent team. Pick: Nevada
Pacific Life Holiday Bowl: Oklahoma State vs Oregon, Tuesday (Dec 30) 8pm Ahad: Ok State Evan: I’m gonna pick Oklahoma State for no other reason than Janke will pick Oregon. Mike: How dare you assume my pick. I won’t let my undetermined affection for the state cloud my picking. At first glance I thought there was a larger margin between these two teams. They both have 3 losses. OK State to Texas, Texas Tech, and Oklahoma. Not much fault there. Oregon to Boise State, USC, and Cal. Still not that close, but closer than I thought. Pick: Oklahoma State Matt: This one ought to be a doozy. First one to 40 wins? Maybe even 50? I am very tempted to pick Oregon after how they rolled over Oregon State. Oklahoma State played in the tougher conference, and I think that gives them the edge here. Pick: Oklahoma State
Texas Bowl: Western Michigan vs Rice, Tuesday (Dec 30) 8pm Ahad: Western Michigan Evan: Central Michigan screwed me over. Pick: Rice Mike: I enjoy Evan taking out his anger with CMU over another directional Michigan school. Umm, Rice has won 6 straight. I like the sound of that. Pick: Rice Matt: Both teams had pretty good records this season. Central Michigan screwed me over as well. I am a big fan of rice the food, so…Pick: Rice
It looks like with Conan’s time on Late Night coming to an end, he’s showing some older clips. Conan learned how to be a Santa and then went to Saks Fifth Avenue to be Santa for a bit. He did his best to find loopholes in the Santa rules.
Meineke Car Care Bowl: West Virginia vs North Carolina, Saturday (Dec 27) 1pm Ahad:West Virginia Evan: Pat White’s last game, he runs wild. Pick: WVU Mike: If Pat White is so good, why did Cincinnati win the Big East? North Carolina had a solid year before struggling the last few weeks. It’s though to base anything on that a month later. Pick: North Carolina Matt: Both of these teams were inconsistent if anything during the 2008 season. It is hard to get a read on either of them. I feel like West Virginia has more upperclassmen leadership to get them ready and through this game. Pick: West Virginia
Champs Sports Bowl: Wisconsin vs Florida State, Saturday (Dec 27) 4:30pm Ahad: My morals will not allow me to pick FSU. Pick: Badgers Evan: Home game for the Noles, it helps that the Badgers suck. Pick: FSU Mike: Morals aside, Wisconsin was a bad Big Ten team. Pick: Florida State Matt: As hard as it is to pick Florida State, I am gonna have to do it. Wisconsin had a bad year, and Florida State is more talented. Pick: Florida State
Emerald Bowl: Miami (FL) vs California, Saturday (Dec 27) 8pm Ahad: Last I heard Marve was suspended for this game. Pick: Cal Evan: Tough call, Miami has underachieved this year. It could be argued they played their best game in a 17 point loss to UF at the beginning of the year. Pick: Cal Mike: This is one of my least favorite bowls. It just doesn’t look right at AT&T Park. Marve suspended for Miami. Longshore starting for Cal. I liked Longshore last year but this year Cal can’t seem to find an answer at QB. The QB issues aside, Miami has more talent. Pick: Miami (FL) Matt: This game is being played in California, so advantage goes to Cal. Miami also has a few key players suspended for the game. Pick: California
Independence Bowl: Northern Illinois vs Louisiana Tech, Sunday (Dec 28) 8:15pm Ahad: Northern Illinois Evan: I remember when northen illinois had a really good running back, who was that guy? Pick: NIU Mike: Garrett Wolfe and Michael Turner both went to NIU. I think Wolfe is who you are thinking of. I like this game because I feel like Louisiana Tech is a perennial cupcake and has made it to a bowl. I don’t like this game because the teams are at or barely over .500, each with 3 conference losses. It’s really a coin flip for me. Pick: Louisiana Tech Matt: Didn’t Brandon Jacobs also attend NIU after transferring from Auburn? Judging from each team’s schedule, Louisiana Tech appeared to have a better resume. Pick: Louisiana Tech
Raiders @ Buccaneers, Sunday 1pm Ahad: All Eagles fans will be rooting for the Raiders to pull off the upset, but I don’t see it happening. Everything points in favor of the Bucs in this one. Not only is the NFC South a juggernaut at home, but the Raiders won last week. When was the last time the Raiders won two weeks in a row? Pick: Buccaneers Evan: I completely agree with Ahad. Pick: Raiders Mike: What about that NFC South home juggernaut last week against the Chargers? Still, I don’t see it happening twice in a row. Pick: Buccaneers Matt: You have to believe the Buccaneers can pull this one out, right? Teams have been able to run on the Bucs the past few weeks, so look for the Raiders to do more of the same. I don’t think it will be enough, though. Jeff Garcia should make just enough plays to get the Buccaneers over the hump. Pick: Buccaneers
Bears @ Texans, Sunday 1pm Ahad: The Bears still have a shot at the playoffs and Texans are running out the clock on the season. The Texans are coming off a bad loss to the Raiders; any loss to the Raiders is a bad loss. Pick: Bears Evan: Texans play the role of spoiler, briefly giving the Eagles fans hope before they flip the channel and see the Bucs stick a game winning field goal. Pick: Texans Mike: Texans may be a .500 team forever. Just not getting over the hump. Although, you could argue that without the hurricane related troubles early in the season, they might have come close to a playoff spot. I don’t count the Raiders loss against them. They had to go to Oakland and the Raiders have been playing better. Pick: Bears Matt: Like Mike said, Houston has been hovering around .500 to finish the season the past few years. They need one more win to get there. Chicago is still playing for a playoff spot and division title. I like Houston at home to end Chicago’s playoff run. Pick: Houston
Dolphins @ Jets, Sunday 4:15pm Ahad: The Division is at stake in this battle. The Dolphins can complete one of the biggest turnarounds in NFL history with a win. I would love to see the Dolphins win this one just because of Chad Pennington. The Jets basically put the blame on him for the team’s recent failures. He is a solid quarterback. It would be amazing to see Pennington come into the Meadowlands and end the Jets season. Pick: Dolphins Evan: I can’t wait for this game. I’m gonna go with Favre in the cold weather. Pick: Jets Mike: Farve in cold weather? This won’t be Pennington’s 1st cold weather game. Also, its going to be fairly warm tomorrow, at least until the sun goes down. The Jets have been struggling and the Dolphins are 8-1 in their last 9. Pick: Dolphins Matt: This should be a good game. It is hard for me to root against either team or either QB. I like them both. I think Pennington has more added incentive to win, and what a turnaround it would be for the Dolphins. You have to like a story like that. The Dolphins are hot, and the Jets are not. Simple as that. Pick: Dolphins
Cowboys @ Eagles, Sunday 4:15pm Ahad: This game really doesn’t need any other build-up to be an intense battle. Both teams are fighting for playoff spots. These teams are very tough to get a read on. They can look really good and really bad in the same game. This could be the last game in the Reid/McNabb era and it could be Wade Phillips’ last game as head coach. I think this game will be just as exciting as the first matchup. With all of the receivers back, Reggie Brown can go back to being a spectator. He is a bum who won’t be back next year. The crowd should be extremely hostile for this game. I look for turnovers and special teams to be the difference. Pick: Eagles Evan: I concur. Eagles. Mike: I’m not sure this is an easy one to pick if it’s meaningless for the Eagles. Had they known the whole week they were out and playing to spoil the Cowboys season, I think its a different story. Of course, it is also the Eagles style to show up when they are just too far out. Pick: Cowboys Matt: Let me just put it this way. If the Cowboys lose, I am going to lose a lot of faith in them further down the road in future seasons. They have tons of talent…let’s see it show up when they absolutely need a win. Granted, they have been struck by an enormous amount of injuries and drama this season, but good teams are supposed to overcome that. Let’s see if they do. In my opinion, the Cowboys need to ride Tashard Choice to victory. Yeah, that’s right, Tashard Choice. If he gets 25-30 touches, they should end up winning the game. Pick: Cowboys
Broncos @ Chargers, Sunday 8:15pm Ahad: The Broncos are on the verge of a huge collapse. Granted if Ed didn’t blow the call in the first meeting, this game is meaningless. The Charges are on a hot streak and keep it going all the way into the playoffs. LT finally has an “LT” caliber game. Pick: San Diego Evan: Ahad has shown to be incredibly intelligent this week. Pick: SD Mike: The Chargers win in Tampa Bay gave me a little confidence in them. I have none in the Broncos. Pick: Chargers Matt: Ah, yes, the Ed Hochuli Bowl. It would be great if he were officiating this one. The Chargers are hot and extremely lucky to be in the position they are. Denver could not get the job done in winning the division. San Diego will thank them for their collapse. They will be a tough out in the playoffs. Pick: San Diego
San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl: Boise State vs TCU, Tuesday (Dec 23) 8pm Matt: This should be a great game. I saw on ESPN that one of the TCU defenders is out for the game, so that may have some impact. I like Boise State to complete their season undefeated. Pick: Boise State Ahad: Boise Evan: Boise State doesn’t lose bowl games. Pick: Broncos Mike: How about some bowl flex scheduling? This game deserves a much better spot. Undefeated Boise State against TCU, who’s losses were to Oklahoma and Utah. Hey TCU, that sort of resume could get you a spot in the Fiesta Bowl. Boise State’s closest game of the year was a 5 point win over Oregon. This looks like a very even matchup. I give the edge to Boise State wanting to prove they should have gotten respect from the BCS. Pick: Boise State
Sheraton Hawaii Bowl: Hawaii vs Notre Dame, Wednesday (Dec 24) 8pm Matt: Can Notre Dame end their bowl losing streak? This is probably one of their best opportunities to do so. Hawaii is essentially at home, and that should give them a big edge. Pick: Hawaii Ahad: I love watching Notre Dame lose. Pick: Hawaii Evan: No one is giving Notre Dame any love. Since we’re not doing confidence points in this forum, I’m going with the Irish Mike: I don’t like teams playing at home for bowl games. At least Hawaii is a nice place to be in December. When Boise State plays at home, it isn’t as much fun. Is anyone looking forward to this matchup? I’m going to do my best to avoid watching any of it. This is a great example of why there are too many bowl games. I’m going to say that since the Irish players plans to be terrible so that they’d get a new coach failed, they will start trying. Pick: Notre Dame
Motor City Bowl: Florida Atlantic vs Central Michigan, Friday (Dec 26) 7:30pm Matt: Don’t know much about either team. I just know Central Michigan took on some tougher competition this season and seem like the better team in this matchup. Pick: Central Michigan Ahad: Central Michigan Evan: I think the Chippewas have the highest percentage of sportsnation picking them than any other bowl team. There must be a reason. Pick: Central Michigan Mike: This game was on later last year. I remember watching it while skiing. This year the Big Ten couldn’t even fill it. So they went with … Florida Atlantic. They must have had a bad pick in the bowl-eligible draft. Central Michigan is pretty good and Florida Atlantic went .500 in unspectacular fashion. Pick: Central Michigan
