1. BCS Championship Game: Alabama v. Texas. Duh.

 

 

2. Sugar Bowl: Florida v. Cincinnati. This is still a Gator site. Plus it tests 2 of my theories for picking bowls: always pick a team to lose a let-down game, and always pick against the team whose coach is gone.


 

 

3. Rose Bowl: Ohio State v. Oregon. I just like seeing the Buckeyes destroyed. And I like Chip Kelly and the LaBackfield.

 

 

4. Fiesta Bowl: TCU v. Boise State. They’ve come a long way… up 3 spaces from watching this same bowl last year. This game’s on a Monday, which means I’d rather watch my wife’s rec league volleyball team than a rematch.

 

 

5. Orange Bowl: Georgia Tech v. Iowa. If Stanzi is back, I actually like this game. Josh Nesbitt made my harem of man crushes late in the season… Will double-digit completions be featured?


 

 

6. Cotton Bowl: Oklahoma State v. Mississippi. Houston Nutt is widely unpredictable, and the Cowboys are able to play offense against teams not coached by Bob Stoops.

 

 

7. Capital One Bowl: LSU v. Penn State. Two teams with enough of a history not to watch, but I can’t find one specific thing I want to watch. Does that make sense?


 

 

8. Chick-Fil-A Bowl: Virginia Tech v. Tennessee. Will Bud Foster earn his raise? Or were the rumors enough to distract the Hokies? What can Monte Kiffin do with more hours to prepare these kids? How many times will the word “hostess” be mentioned?

 

 

9. Sun Bowl: Oklahoma v. Stanford. I have had this as high as 6th. The reasons Oklahoma was a preseason favorite went beyond Jermaine Gresham and Sam Bradford. So I want to see what they are setting themselves up for in 2010. Andrew Luck may not play, and Jim Harbaugh’s name comes up in every high-profile coaching search. And it’s still in El Paso, and the SEC still matters more. So I’m settling on 9th.

 

 

10. Meineke Car Care Bowl: North Carolina v. Pitt. I expect this one to be the most controversial inclusion. But the truth is that I am more curious for the outcome of this one than the other, more obvious, games I passed up for this tenth spot. This game could have a major impact on how these two programs- seen as ‘on the rise’- are projected in their conference races next season. Would you be shocked if either or both were in BCS bowls in a year?

 

 

Honorable Mention: Miami v. Wisconsin (In the end, I’m not sure this game will tell us whether either team is finally ‘for real’); Arizona v. Nebraska (I’m not watching an entire meaningless bowl game to see exactly one interesting player- and a defensive tackle at that); Navy v. Missouri (Now if the most interesting player is Ricky Dobbs, and you get the Quantum Leap guy and some offensive firepower involved…); West Virginia v. FSU (The Bowden Bowl will get more attention that it deserves. And I’ll be in Jacksonville for New Year’s. Ugh); Utah v. California (We know Utah is a legit program by now. Those storylines are exhausted. But a win also wouldn’t tell us anything about Cal being a Rose Bowl contender).

 

 

Two final bowl matchups I want to mention:

 

 

1. South Carolina v. UConn: The game itself isn’t all that interesting, and shouldn’t be close, if the Gamecocks are finally serious about football. Double this thought if Randy Edsall lands a real job. So why mention this game?

 

To see if the Gamecocks are ready to take football seriously. If Steve Spurrier ever wins the SEC East again, it’ll be in 2010. Georgia and Tennessee will take a step back (and play in Columbia). Florida will as well (relax Gator fans, we’ll still be very good, and we just won the division by 4 games). He’s finally got a QB in Stephen Garcia. The Gamecock’s West opponents are tough, but getting Arkansas at home and Alabama (coming off a matchup with your Florida Gators) at home, after a bye week makes it a little better. Anyway, the SEC East will likely be decided when SOS visits Gainesville. And if South Carolina takes this bowl game seriously, what will happen when they are finally real contenders in 2010?

 

 

2. The Bush League Sports Bowl: Notre Dame v. Louisiana-Monroe. Okay, so I made this bowl up. We’re drafting the invitations now, because there are 3 bowl-eligible 6-6 teams staying at home, and we just can’t have that. This game will be played at Starke High School in Starke, FL. I’m told we don’t have a key to the field, but we can jump the fence. The payouts given to the teams will include an 11-pack of Natural Light, 4 items from the McDonald’s Dollar Menu, and a Slim Jim.