Took a hit from the last predictions. This thing is anything but easy, you can sift through every statistic and piece of insider info you want, but sometimes a coin flip is just as effective. As it stands through 14 games, the Courtesy Wave is 7-7. Which is better than a lot of experts at SI and ESPN. Below are the next 8 bowl games for today and tomorrow, sit back and enjoy as the days are now filled with college football.
Thursday, December 30th
ARMED FORCES BOWL - Southern Methodist (7-6) vs Army (6-6) 11a in Dallas
Tune in for: Army in a bowl game for the first time in 14 years. Taking a break from Iraq & Afghanistan for a little gridiron action. Also check out the Mustangs 1,000 yard combo WR's Aldrick Robinson (8th) and Cole Beasley (23rd), as well as running back Zach Line and his 1,391 yards (11th), and not to mention Kyle Padron's 3,500 passing yards (11th). This Mustang offense is primed to score.
Shortest Drive: SMU - Located in Dallas in normally would be a short drive anyways, but since TCU (the host stadium) is renovated their park, SMU will host the Armed Forces Bowl this year and the next. Meaning its a home game for the Mustangs. Which doesn't immediately mean game over (see Hawaii), but is none-the-less a HUGE advantage for SMU.
Local Connections: Army - Robert Speidel CB, So. out of Saint Paul.
Courtesy Pick: Army does one thing really good, run the ball, fitting for our country's ground defense arm. At 256 yards/game that's good for 10th in the country. That's about all the good things I can say about Army football. They are dead last in passing at just 82 yards a game. They have beaten no one of significance, with their "best" victory on the road against Kent State (5-7). SMU can't shake its stick much more than Army, but they do hold 2 wins against bowl teams Tulsa & East Carolina. Playing at home with that offense, it'll be a tough day for our nation's defender's on the ground.
SOUTHERN METHODIST 27-14
PINSTRIPE BOWL - Syracuse (7-5) vs Kansas State (7-5) 2:20p in New York City
Tune in for: Football at Yankee Stadium. It's been done before, but worth checking out, if not for the novelty, than for 2 top tier backs in Kansas State's Daniel Thomas, 1,495 yards (10th) and Syracuse's Delone Carter, 1,035 yards (37th).
Shortest Drive: Syracuse. Now K-State is located in Manhattan, but not the big Apple one. Too bad, they would just have a short cab ride north. The Orange will take a 4 hour bus ride south to the Bronx and hope to enjoy a little home state cookin.
Local Connections: Kansas State - Ben Kall FB, So. out of Rochester.
Courtesy Pick: For the Wildcats, aside from a win over C-USA's UCF (10-3), Kansas State has no other wins of note, finishing 2-4 including a squeaker of a win against lowly North Texas (49-41). Syracuse can't say much more finishing 1-3, with a close win against a bad Rutgers team. Kansas State had a much tougher schedule, but one thing Syracuse did well was win on the road, never an easy task, going 5-1 away from Syracuse.
SYRACUSE 21-17
MUSIC CITY BOWL - North Carolina (7-5) vs Tennessee (6-6) 5:40p in Nashville
Tune in for: The game that should've been played earlier this season, but Tennessee paid North Carolina NOT to play them. Also tune in to catch two teams that not only border each other's states, but also carry pastel uniform colors orange and powder blue.
Shortest Drive: Tennessee - Vols fans will have a short 3 hour trip west on I-40. UNC will be coming via I-40 as well, but at 8 hours, more than double Tennessee's bus ride.
Local Connections: None
Courtesy Pick: Tennessee was 2-6 on November 5th, all but out of any bowl game before finishing with a 4 game win streak. A nice effort, but only 1 of those wins came against a bowl team and that was at home vs Kentucky (6-6). North Carolina won't have the home state advantage, but 4 of their 7 wins came on the road, including at a 24th ranked Florida State on November 6th.
NORTH CAROLINA 27-24
HOLIDAY BOWL - #18 Nebraska (10-3) vs Washington (6-6) 9p in San Diego
Tune in for: Huskies vs Huskers....A potential beatdown or an inspired revenge game. This is the 2nd meeting between the 2 teams this year. The first game, at Washington September 18th turned into a Huskie nightmare losing 56-21. Also try to keep your eyes on Nebraska's QB/RB rushing tandem of Roy Helu Jr. and Taylor Martinez who are averaging 6.8 and 6.4 yards per attempt respectively.
Shortest Drive: Washington, but consider the ozone first. If you're looking to travel by car, it'll be a 21 hour jaunt from Seattle. Slightly better than the 24 hour endeavor from Lincoln, NE.
Local Connections: Nebraska - Tobi Okuyemi DE, FR out of Maple Grove.
Courtesy Pick: You might be wondering how a 6-6 team gets matched up with a 10-3 foe. But if you look at Washington's schedule you'll see why. The Huskies played the 2nd toughest schedule in the country this year, their 6 losses coming to teams combined with a 53-21 record including top 5 teams Stanford & Oregon. But Nebraska is a formidable foe. Nebraska's 3 losses come via Texas, Texas A&M, and Oklahoma, all by 7 points or less. A top 10 rushing offense and top 10 overall defense should provide enough to get past the Huskies twice this year.
NEBRASKA 32-22
Friday, December 31st
MEINEKE CAR CARE BOWL - South Florida (7-5) vs Clemson (6-6) 11a in Charlotte
Tune in for: The best pass rusher in the nation, Clemson DE Da'Quan Bowers, who leads the nation is sacks with 15.5 and is naturally tops in yards lossed with -112. Bowers leads a top 10 defense which is why Clemson stays in games since they have nothing to write home about on their offense.
Shortest Drive: Clemson. Just a quick 2 hour drive to Charlotte for Tigers fans, should give an edge, that is, unless 6-6 doesn't warrant a road trip.
Local Connections: Clemson - Bryce McNeal FR, WR out of Breck in Minneapolis. McNeal has played in 11 games and is used sparingly as a wideout, with 19 receptions, he's 6th on the team.
Courtesy Pick: Clemson is marred by inconsistency. They played a tough schedule and we're not able to pull out the big win they desperately needed. A win against then #25 NC State at home 14-13 on Nov. 6th was the biggest of the season. Needless to say, their defense only carries them so far. The Bulls of South Florida have played a little more consistently, that is to say that they've played close games and won a few too finishing 4-2 on the season. However, they have no wins against top 25 teams and their signature victories come over 7 win teams, Louisville & Miami. The Bulls lack a big offensive weapon, which should play into Bowers and the Tigers hands.
CLEMSON 24-23
SUN BOWL - Notre Dame (7-5) vs Miami (7-5) 1p in El Paso
Tune in for: Historical matchup of the Bowl season. These programs are two of the most decorated in all of college football. Combined these teams hold 30 National Championships (consensus and retroactive). Nostalgia aside, these two teams represent the underachieving division. Loads of talent garnered by the name on the jersey, but lack of direction and leadership keep these teams from higher glory.
Shortest Drive: Notre Dame. But neither team will be taking the bus. In fact, this is the only bowl game where both teams have more than a 24 hour trip by car. Notre Dame comes in at 26, Miami at 31. Might want to check flights first. I wouldn't leave Miami for El Paso, but Indiana in the winter could use an El Paso break (just don't cross over the border).
Local Connections: These teams have taken 2 of the best players to come out of Minnesota High School Football. Notre Dame - Michael Floyd WR, Jr Cretin Derham Hall. Floyd spurned the Gophers and headed to South Bend, where he's become the next Larry Fitzgerald, an NFL star in waiting. His numbers aren't staggering, but his size and athletic ability have scouts drooling, enough so that he's considering skipping his senior season for the cash. Miami - Seantrel Henderson. Not only was Henderson the MN player of the year in 2009, he was the USA Today player of the year and consensus #1 player in the nation. He's been compared to as a combination of Jonathon Ogden and Orland Pace. I can see why the Gophers couldn't get him.
Courtesy Pick: Of the Hurricanes 5 losses, 4 came to bowl teams, including Ohio State, Florida State, and Virginia Tech. They also have a 4-2 record away from home. The Fighting Irish have won 3 in a row to salvage a lost season, all against teams with .500 or better records (Utah, Army, & USC). The Hurricanes are also in the middle of a coaching change, whereas Notre Dame might be figuring things out.
NOTRE DAME 27-21
LIBERTY BOWL - #25 Central Florida (10-3) vs Georgia (6-6) 2:30p in Memphis
Tune in for: A battle. Take the records out of the picture, Georgia's strength of schedule this year was 35th, compared to UCF's 108th. Switch schedules and Georgia could easily be 10-3 or better. But here they are and they'll make the best of it. The Bulldogs are in a bowl game, but if they lose it'll be the first time in 14 years that Georgia would have a losing record. Also take note on Jeffrey Godfrey, UCF's QB who can run it in just as much as pass it. Godfrey has at least 2 touchdowns a game rushing or passing in 6 of the last 7.
Shortest Drive: Georgia. A 7 hour trip west is much more doable than the 14 hour jaunt from Orlando.
Local Connections: None
Courtesy Pick: A quick glance at UCF's schedule and its easy to see one thing, nothing. They have no wins of note, and have only 1 win on the season versus a team with a winning record and that's 7-6 Southern Methodist (who could lose and finish at .500). Georgia, however, has finished the season nicely after starting 1-4. Their 2 losses in the last 5, an OT loss to Florida at a neutral site and a loss on the road against National Championship contender Auburn. Put the records aside, and look at the guts, it's not always a cut and dry story.
GEORGIA 34-27
CHICK-FIL-A BOWL - #20 South Carolina (9-4) vs #23 Florida State (9-4)
6:30p Atlanta
Tune in for: Steve Spurrier taking on Florida State in a flashback to his Florida days. Spurrier has super wideout Alshon Jeffrey and his 1,387 yards at his disposal too (good for 4th in the nation). Not to mention Marcus Lattimore's 1,198 yards rushing (22nd). A good old fashioned southern brawl is worth tuning in for regardless.
Shortest Drive: South Carolina. Slight edge to the gamecocks who have a 4 hour trip, just a 1 hour difference from Florida State's 5 hour ride.
Local Connections: None
Courtesy Pick: South Carolina is one of the few teams ever to face two #1 ranked teams in the same season. Beating Alabama on Oct. 9th 35-21 and getting crushed by Auburn 56-17 in their last game (Dec. 4th). The Gamecocks have had a tough schedule and rose to the occasion several times, picking up 7 of their 9 wins against bowl teams. Florida State is hoping the 3rd time's a charm in beating a Carolina team. The Seminoles lost consecutive games to North Carolina and North Carolina State before picking up 3 wins (all against bowl teams) in their last 4. This figures to be a battle and a tough call to make.
SOUTH CAROLINA 32-31
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