Michigan-Florida

the Capital One Bowl Tuesday, January 1st, 1:00pm Orlando, Florida
Michigan (8-4)_____Big 10____235.72				Florida (9-3)_____SEC____377.83
Week	Opponent	oPts	Res, Score	Week	Opponent	oPts	Res, Score
8	@ Illinois	331.14	W, 27-17	3	Tennessee	349.37	W, 59-20
4	Penn State	238.54	W, 14-9	8	@ Kentucky	208.61	W, 45-37
10	@ Michigan State	196.40	W, 28-24	13	Florida State	200.76	W, 45-12
7	Purdue	126.73	W, 48-21	11	@ South Carolina	163.22	W, 51-31
5	@ Northwestern	30.45	W, 28-16	2	Troy	134.45	W, 59-31
6	Eastern Michigan	-130.06	W, 33-22	10	Vanderbilt	81.36	W, 49-22
3	Notre Dame	-135.92	W, 38-0	12	Florida Atlantic	42.86	W, 59-20
9	Minnesota	-195.44	W, 34-10	1	Western Kentucky	11.29	W, 49-3
12	Ohio State	403.68	L, 3-14	4	@ Mississippi	-39.22	W, 30-24
2	Oregon	251.78	L, 7-39	6	@ Louisiana State	460.13	L, 24-28
11	@ Wisconsin	234.68	L, 21-37	9	Georgia	412.72	L, 30-42
1	Appalachian State	-	L, 32-34	5	Auburn	294.68	L, 17-20

Definite edge to the Gators for playing in the SEC. Their non-conference schedule was a joke, but at least they didn't lose their non-conference games like the Wolverines did.

The Wolverines did rebound from a rough start to the season, but the Gators climbed at the end of the year too. They're about even here.

The Line: Michigan +11

The Story: Lloyd Carr's last game should give the Wolverines some extra fight, and I'm sure they have improved against the mobile QB, but they won't be able to stop Tebow.

The Call: Florida by 15

The Result: Michigan 41-35 = Damn, the Wolverines came to play. That's the way people expected them to play all year, and they might have had they been healthy the whole season. Florida had their shots, and Tebow still went for 4 TD's, but they just didn't have the intensity today. Great way for Carr to go out.

Virginia-Texas Tech

the Gator Bowl Tuesday, January 1st, 12:00pm Jacksonville, Florida
Virginia (9-3)_____ACC____254.75				Texas Tech (8-4)_____Big 12____195.22
Week	Opponent	oPts	Res, Score	Week	Opponent	oPts	Res, Score
10	Wake Forest	245.34	W, 17-16	12	Oklahoma	409.00	W, 34-27
7	Connecticut	232.43	W, 17-16	7	Texas A&M	130.38	W, 35-7
4	Georgia Tech	154.13	W, 28-23	2	Texas-El Paso	-110.58	W, 45-31
8	@ Maryland	134.68	W, 18-17	10	@ Baylor	-139.20	W, 38-7
5	Pittsburgh	76.94	W, 44-14	6	Iowa State	-155.31	W, 42-17
11	@ Miami (Florida)	46.59	W, 48-0	3	@ Rice	-221.20	W, 59-24
3	@ North Carolina	7.58	W, 22-20	1	@ Southern Methodist	-292.91	W, 49-9
6	@ Middle Tennessee State	-67.64	W, 23-21	5	Northwestern State	-	W, 75-7
2	Duke	-205.27	W, 24-13	8	@ Missouri	331.01	L, 10-41
13	Virginia Tech	439.86	L, 21-33	11	@ Texas	275.96	L, 43-59
9	@ North Carolina State	34.24	L, 24-29	4	@ Oklahoma State	112.55	L, 45-49
1	@ Wyoming	-10.46	L, 3-23	9	Colorado	93.37	L, 26-31

Huge difference in the strength of teams played. The Cavs faced and beat 7 teams in the blue, while the Red Raiders only beat 2. The worst loss of the bunch is Virginia's opening week loss at Wyoming.

Virginia gets the edge here too, putting together another fine season.

The Line: Virginia +6

The Story: Will the Cavaliers be able to stop the Red Raiders' high-octane offense? This will be the best offense they've faced this year. But if the game's close, they definitely have the advantage. I like their chances.

The Call: Virginia by 3

The Result: Texas Tech 31-28 = What a tough way for the Cavaliers to lose, giving up 17 points in the final 4 minutes. It was still a good season for them, but it's a tough way to go out. The Red Raiders are returning a lot of solid players next year and should be a force in the Big 12.

Missouri-Arkansas

the Cotton Bowl Tuesday, January 1st, 11:30am Dallas, Texas
Missouri (11-2)_____Big 12____331.01				Arkansas (8-4)_____SEC____294.5
Week	Opponent	oPts	Res, Score	Week	Opponent	oPts	Res, Score
1	Illinois	331.14	W, 40-34	13	@ Louisiana State	460.13	W, 50-48
13	Kansas	322.17	W, 36-28	12	Mississippi State	191.93	W, 45-31
8	Texas Tech	195.22	W, 41-10	10	South Carolina	163.22	W, 48-36
11	Texas A&M	130.38	W, 40-26	1	Troy	134.45	W, 46-26
10	@ Colorado	93.37	W, 55-10	8	@ Mississippi	-39.22	W, 44-8
12	@ Kansas State	43.11	W, 49-32	5	North Texas	-309.82	W, 66-7
6	Nebraska	29.14	W, 41-6	9	Florida International	-322.15	W, 58-10
2	@ Mississippi	-39.22	W, 38-25	6	Tennessee-Chattanooga	-	W, 34-15
3	Western Michigan	-65.04	W, 52-24	11	@ Tennessee	349.37	L, 13-34
9	Iowa State	-155.31	W, 42-28	7	Auburn	294.68	L, 7-9
4	Illinois State	-	W, 38-17	4	Kentucky	208.61	L, 29-42
7	@ Oklahoma	409.00	L, 31-41	3	@ Alabama	183.77	L, 38-41
14	Oklahoma	409.00	L, 17-38

Solid schedules for both. Edge to Missouri because they only lost to one team all year and had two great wins over BCS bowl teams.

The Tigers get the edge here too, if only because they've played better most weeks - the Hogs have just been too erratic.

The Line: Arkansas +3.5

The Story: It's all about the D - will the Hogs be able to stop the Tigers' spread attack? Will the Tigers be able to stop McFadden & Jones? Whichever D can contain will win.

The Call: Missouri by 7

The Result: Missouri 38-7 = The Razorbacks couldn't get anything going on the ground except for when they put the ball on it, while the Tigers just ran wild. Great overall season for Missouri.

Wisconsin-Tennessee

the Outback Bowl Tuesday, January 1st, 11:00am Tampa, Florida
Wisconsin (9-3)_____Big 10____234.68				Tennessee (9-4)_____SEC____349.37
Week	Opponent	oPts	Res, Score	Week	Opponent	oPts	Res, Score
11	Michigan	235.72	W, 37-21	6	Georgia	412.72	W, 35-14
5	Michigan State	196.40	W, 37-34	11	Arkansas	294.50	W, 34-13
9	Indiana	133.65	W, 33-3	13	@ Kentucky	208.61	W, 52-50
4	Iowa	72.08	W, 17-13	7	@ Mississippi State	191.93	W, 33-21
1	Washington State	31.17	W, 42-21	9	South Carolina	163.22	W, 27-24
2	@ Nevada-Las Vegas	-178.30	W, 20-13	12	Vanderbilt	81.36	W, 25-24
12	@ Minnesota	-195.44	W, 41-34	2	Southern Mississippi	53.31	W, 39-19
8	Northern Illinois	-277.36	W, 44-3	4	Arkansas State	-63.38	W, 48-27
3	Citadel	-	W, 45-31	10	Louisiana-Lafayette	-210.36	W, 59-7
10	@ Ohio State	403.68	L, 17-38	14	Louisiana State	460.13	L, 14-21
6	@ Illinois	331.14	L, 26-31	3	@ Florida	377.83	L, 20-59
7	@ Penn State	238.54	L, 7-38	8	@ Alabama	183.77	L, 17-41
				1	@ California	87.95	L, 31-45

The Badgers & Vols are pretty evenly matched here. A few solid wins, no real bad losses. If there's an edge, it's to Tennessee.

Tennessee gets the edge in progress too, having been on a solid streak until they barely lost to LSU in the SEC Championship.

The Line: Wisconsin +1.5

The Story: The first of the Big 10 vs SEC matchups - should be a good game.

The Call: Tennessee by 7

The Result: Tennessee 21-17 = The Badgers showed a lot of toughness, bouncing back time and again, but in the end the Vols were just too solid.

Clemson-Auburn

the Chick-Fil-A Bowl Monday, December 31st, 7:30pm Atlanta, Georgia
Clemson (9-3)______ACC_____293.25				Auburn (8-4)_____SEC____294.68
Week	Opponent	oPts	Res, Score	Week	Opponent	oPts	Res, Score
11	Wake Forest	245.34	W, 44-10	5	@ Florida	377.83	W, 20-17
1	Florida State	200.76	W, 24-18	7	@ Arkansas	294.50	W, 9-7
13	@ South Carolina	163.22	W, 23-21	13	Alabama	183.77	W, 17-10
9	@ Maryland	134.68	W, 30-17	6	Vanderbilt	81.36	W, 35-7
8	Central Michigan	67.05	W, 70-14	1	Kansas State	43.11	W, 23-13
4	@ North Carolina State	34.24	W, 42-20	9	Mississippi	-39.22	W, 17-3
2	Louisiana-Monroe	-29.37	W, 49-26	4	New Mexico State	-156.16	W, 55-20
10	@ Duke	-205.27	W, 47-10	10	Tennessee Tech	-	W, 35-3
3	Furman	-	W, 38-10	8	@ Louisiana State	460.13	L, 24-30
6	Virginia Tech	439.86	L, 23-41	11	@ Georgia	412.72	L, 20-45
12	Boston College	313.79	L, 17-20	2	South Florida	316.42	L, 23-26
5	@ Georgia Tech	154.13	L, 3-13	3	Mississippi State	191.93	L, 14-19

Some solid, if not great wins for both of these teams. No bad losses at all.

Again, similar paths of progress.

The Line: Auburn +2.5

The Story: All my money's on Tommy to win this one. He's been through a lot these last few years, all the rumors of changing schools, those tough losses to mediocre teams. I think he'll come through in this game and really prove that he's the best fit for his school right now.

The Call: Auburn by 10

The Result: Great slugfest between two solid teams. The SEC is winning some close ones...

Indiana-Oklahoma State

the Insight Bowl Monday, December 31st, 5:30pm Tempe, Arizona
Indiana (7-5)______Big 10_____133.65				Oklahoma State (6-6)_____Big 12____112.55
Week	Opponent	oPts	Res, Score	Week	Opponent	oPts	Res, Score
12	Purdue	126.73	W, 27-24	4	Texas Tech	195.22	W, 49-45
5	@ Iowa	72.08	W, 38-20	8	Kansas State	43.11	W, 41-39
10	Ball State	70.73	W, 38-20	2	Florida Atlantic	42.86	W, 42-6
2	@ Western Michigan	-65.04	W, 37-27	7	@ Nebraska	29.14	W, 45-14
3	Akron	-140.28	W, 41-24	12	@ Baylor	-139.20	W, 45-14
6	Minnesota	-195.44	W, 40-20	5	Sam Houston State	-	W, 39-3
1	Indiana State	-	W, 55-7	1	@ Georgia	412.72	L, 14-35
4	Illinois	331.14	L, 14-27	13	@ Oklahoma	409.00	L, 17-49
8	Penn State	238.54	L, 31-36	11	Kansas	322.17	L, 28-43
9	@ Wisconsin	234.68	L, 3-33	10	Texas	275.96	L, 35-38
7	@ Michigan State	196.40	L, 27-52	3	@ Troy	134.45	L, 23-41
11	@ Northwestern	30.45	L, 28-31	6	@ Texas A&M	130.38	L, 23-24

Similar schedules for these two too. It's a solid matchup of middle-of-the-roaders who are just happy to be at a bowl.

The Cowboys have worked their way back up from a tough start, while the Hoosiers have been up and down all year.

The Line: Indiana +5

The Story: The Coaches - you know that Indiana is going to be pumped for this one, playing it for Hep, while Gundy certainly knows how to start a fire, sometimes under his team.

The Call: Oklahoma State by 7

The Result: Oklahoma State 49-33 = The Cowboys had this one in the bag pretty early. Things aren't going so well for the Big 10...

Florida State-Kentucky

the Music City Bowl Monday, December 31st, 4:00pm Nashville, Tennessee
Florida State (7-5)_____ACC____200.76				Kentucky (7-5)_____SEC____208.61
Week	Opponent	oPts	Res, Score	Week	Opponent	oPts	Res, Score
10	@ Boston College	313.79	W, 27-17	7	Louisiana State	460.13	W, 43-37
5	Alabama	183.77	W, 21-14	4	@ Arkansas	294.50	W, 42-29
12	Maryland	134.68	W, 24-16	3	Louisville	106.21	W, 40-34
3	@ Colorado	93.37	W, 16-6	11	@ Vanderbilt	81.36	W, 27-20
6	North Carolina State	34.24	W, 27-10	5	Florida Atlantic	42.86	W, 45-17
9	Duke	-205.27	W, 25-6	2	Kent	-226.51	W, 56-20
2	Alabama-Birmingham	-232.53	W, 34-24	1	Eastern Kentucky	-	W, 50-10
11	@ Virginia Tech	439.86	L, 21-40	12	@ Georgia	412.72	L, 13-24
13	@ Florida	377.83	L, 12-45	8	Florida	377.83	L, 37-45
1	@ Clemson	293.25	L, 18-24	13	Tennessee	349.37	L, 50-52
7	@ Wake Forest	245.34	L, 21-24	9	Mississippi State	191.93	L, 14-31
8	Miami (Florida)	46.59	L, 29-37	6	@ South Carolina	163.22	L, 23-38

Very similar schedules, these two. A couple big victories over BC and LSU, some wins over bottom-dwellers, no real bad losses.

Their progress comes together at the end - two very evenly matched teams.

The Line: Florida State +9

The Story: +9? I guess that must be because the Seminoles are leaving half their team at home, huh? Yeah. Ridiculous.

The Call: Kentucky by 17

The Result: Kentucky 35-28 = Not the prettiest of games from either team, but it's a good cap to a solid year by Kentucky.

USF-Oregon

the Sun Bowl Monday, December 31st, 2:00pm El Paso, Texas
South Florida (9-3)_____Big East____316.42				Oregon (8-4)_____Pac 10____251.78
Week	Opponent	oPts	Res, Score	Week	Opponent	oPts	Res, Score
5	West Virginia	364.93	W, 21-13	9	Southern California	321.57	W, 24-17
2	@ Auburn	294.68	W, 26-23	10	@ Arizona State	241.74	W, 35-23
7	Central Florida	266.42	W, 64-12	2	@ Michigan	235.72	W, 39-7
12	Louisville	106.21	W, 55-17	3	Fresno State	151.92	W, 52-21
13	@ Pittsburgh	76.94	W, 48-37	1	Houston	111.86	W, 48-27
6	@ Florida Atlantic	42.86	W, 35-23	7	Washington State	31.17	W, 53-7
4	North Carolina	7.58	W, 37-10	8	@ Washington	-9.10	W, 55-34
11	@ Syracuse	-156.53	W, 41-10	4	@ Stanford	-46.40	W, 55-31
1	Elon	-	W, 28-13	14	Oregon State	209.72	L, 31-38
10	Cincinnati	298.97	L, 33-38	13	@ UCLA	117.96	L, 0-16
9	@ Connecticut	232.43	L, 15-22	5	California	87.95	L, 24-31
8	@ Rutgers	146.23	L, 27-30	12	@ Arizona	69.56	L, 24-34

Credit to both of these schools for playing two tough schedules - only 2 teams each that were in the red. Some major victories here for both too - West Virginia, Auburn, USC, Michigan. Even though they've lost some of their luster, these two were powerful this year.

Both of these teams had major ups and downs, but the Bulls are the only ones on their way up.

The Line: Oregon +6

The Story: It was a shame that the Ducks lost Dennis Dixon, and they'll put up a fight, but the Bulls might as well be playing regon.

The Call: South Florida by 10

The Result: Oregon 56-21 = Another Pac 10 team proving me wrong. The Ducks looked dominant not only on offense but also on defense. That's just what they needed going into the offseason.

Colorado-Alabama

the Independence Bowl Sunday, December 30th, 8:00pm Shreveport, Louisiana
Colorado (6-6)______Big 12_____93.37				Alabama (6-6)______SEC_____183.77
Week	Opponent	oPts	Res, Score	Week	Opponent	oPts	Res, Score
5	Oklahoma	409.00	W, 27-24	8	Tennessee	349.37	W, 41-17
9	@ Texas Tech	195.22	W, 31-26	3	Arkansas	294.50	W, 41-38
13	Nebraska	29.14	W, 65-51	6	Houston	111.86	W, 30-24
4	Miami (Ohio)	-62.84	W, 42-0	2	@ Vanderbilt	81.36	W, 24-10
1	Colorado State	-109.69	W, 31-28	7	@ Mississippi	-39.22	W, 27-24
6	@ Baylor	-139.20	W, 43-23	1	Western Carolina	-	W, 52-6
10	Missouri	331.01	L, 10-55	10	Louisiana State	460.13	L, 34-41
8	Kansas	322.17	L, 14-19	4	Georgia	412.72	L, 23-26
2	Arizona State	241.74	L, 14-33	13	@ Auburn	294.68	L, 10-17
3	Florida State	200.76	L, 6-16	5	Florida State	200.76	L, 14-21
7	@ Kansas State	43.11	L, 20-47	11	@ Mississippi State	191.93	L, 12-17
11	@ Iowa State	-155.31	L, 28-31	12	Louisiana-Monroe	-29.37	L, 14-21

This matchup looks good in name recognition, but it's been a real down year for both these teams. Well, Colorado improved on their 2-10 season from last year. I guess that's something. Losses to Iowa State and Louisiana-Monroe, respectively, are pathetic.

Don't let that even red line in the last few weeks of the season fool you - the Crimson Tide dropped their last 4 games of the season. (The reason they didn't drop more is because the teams they played earlier in the season kept winning and the SEC as a whole won games.)

Intangibles: Saban. Back in Louisiana. This should be good.

The Line: Colorado +3.5

The Story: Can the Buffs pull together the magic that helped them beat Oklahoma? Or will Bama set up a solid start to next season?

The Call: Alabama by 7

The Result: Alabama 30-24 = Right on the money.

Penn State-Texas A&M

the Alamo Bowl Saturday, December 29th, 8:00pm San Antonia, Texas
Penn State (8-4)______Big 10_____238.54				Texas A&M (7-5)______Big 12_____130.38
Week	Opponent	oPts	Res, Score	Week	Opponent	oPts	Res, Score
7	Wisconsin	234.68	W, 38-7	13	Texas	275.96	W, 38-30
8	@ Indiana	133.65	W, 36-31	2	Fresno State	151.92	W, 47-45
10	Purdue	126.73	W, 26-19	6	Oklahoma State	112.55	W, 24-23
6	Iowa	72.08	W, 27-7	8	@ Nebraska	29.14	W, 36-14
3	Buffalo	-89.68	W, 45-24	3	Louisiana-Monroe	-29.37	W, 54-14
2	Notre Dame	-135.92	W, 31-10	5	Baylor	-139.20	W, 34-10
11	@ Temple	-154.46	W, 31-0	1	Montana State	-	W, 38-7
1	Florida International	-322.15	W, 59-0	10	@ Oklahoma	409.00	L, 14-42
9	Ohio State	403.68	L, 17-37	11	@ Missouri	331.01	L, 26-40
5	@ Illinois	331.14	L, 20-27	9	Kansas	322.17	L, 11-19
4	@ Michigan	235.72	L, 9-14	7	@ Texas Tech	195.22	L, 7-35
12	@ Michigan State	196.40	L, 31-35	4	@ Miami (Florida)	46.59	L, 17-34

Pretty similar records. The Aggies loss to Miami is the only blemish.

Both teams have had an up and down year, but the Nittany Lions are finishing on top.

Intangibles: Texas A&M is interim'd, but losing Fran might not be a bad thing. Has a weight been lifted? Which A&M team will show up?

The Line: Texas A&M +5.5

The Story: JoPa's 500th game. That's quite a few.

The Call: Penn State by 10

The Result: Penn State 24-17 = The Big 10 is holding their own so far this bowl season.

Connecticut-Wake Forest

the Meineke Car Care Bowl Saturday, December 29th, 1:00pm Charlotte, North Carolina
Connecticut (9-3)_____Big East____232.43				Wake Forest (8-4)______ACC_____245.34
Week	Opponent	oPts	Res, Score	Week	Opponent	oPts	Res, Score
9	South Florida	316.42	W, 22-15	7	Florida State	200.76	W, 24-21
10	Rutgers	146.23	W, 38-19	4	Maryland	134.68	W, 31-24
8	Louisville	106.21	W, 21-17	8	@ Navy	111.26	W, 44-24
4	@ Pittsburgh	76.94	W, 34-14	13	@ Vanderbilt	81.36	W, 31-17
5	Akron	-140.28	W, 44-10	12	North Carolina State	34.24	W, 38-18
3	Temple	-154.46	W, 22-17	9	North Carolina	7.58	W, 37-10
12	Syracuse	-156.53	W, 30-7	3	Army	-176.10	W, 21-10
1	@ Duke	-205.27	W, 45-14	6	@ Duke	-205.27	W, 41-36
2	Maine	-	W, 38-0	1	@ Boston College	313.79	L, 28-38
13	@ West Virginia	364.93	L, 21-66	11	@ Clemson	293.25	L, 10-44
11	@ Cincinnati	298.97	L, 3-27	10	@ Virginia	254.75	L, 16-17
7	@ Virginia	254.75	L, 16-17	2	Nebraska	29.14	L, 17-20

The Huskies & Demon Deacons are pretty evenly matched with their schedules. Wake might have a slight edge in having beaten tougher competition, but Connecticut's 3 losses were to teams at the top of the rankings.

Wake struggled at the beginning of the season, Connecticut at the end. Advantage Wake.

Intangibles: The game is in Charlotte, less than 2 hours from Wake Forest.

The Line: Connecticut +2

The Story: This has been a great season for the Huskies, and though it's not as good as last season's BCS appearance for Wake, 8-4 is nothing to frown at. Who will get the boost heading into next season?

The Call: Wake Forest by 6

The Result: Wake Forest 24-10 = Nice adjustment in the second half by the Demon Deacons - solid game overall.