Football Future-see 2011: Bowl Edition

RECORD

Week One............5-2

Week Two............3-2

Week Three..........5-0

Week Four............4-1

Week Five............4-1

Week Six.............5-0

Week Seven........5-0

Week Eight..........3-2

Week Nine...........2-3

Week Ten............5-0

Week Eleven.......2-3

Week Twelve......3-2

Week Thirteen....6-1

Week Fourteen...4-1

Bowl Week.........6-3

Overall..............62-21

Champs Sports Bowl (Dec. 29)____CORRECT

Notre Dame vs Florida State

This will be an interesting game, if you like unranked teams that started the season with high hopes and then crashed and burned. FSU wins a close on on a late field goal.

FINAL SCORE: Florida State 24, Notre Dame 21

Hyundai Sun Bowl____CORRECT

Utah vs Georgia Tech

Georgia Tech does not win bowl games. They just don't.

FINAL SCORE: Utah 31, Georgia Tech 17

Capital One Bowl____CORRECT

20 Nebraska vs 9 South Carolina

Nebraska gets a crack at an SEC team. South Carolina, if healthy, is darn scary. Gamecocks by six.

FINAL SCORE: South Carolina 27, Nebraska 21

Outback Bowl____INCORRECT

17 Michigan State vs 16 Georgia

Georgia and Michigan State meet again. The Dawgs had a decent season after an 0-2 start. Aaron Murray will have a good day against Sparty and the Dawgs will leave with a close victory.

FINAL SCORE: Georgia 26, Michigan State 24

Rose Bowl Game present by Vizio____INCORRECT

10 Wisconsin vs 5 Oregon

Wisconsin lost to TCU in last year's Rose Bowl, so they'll be looking to avenge that loss. Oregon lost last year's title game. Wiconsin gets slightly better QB play and leaves Pasadena with a close win.

FINAL SCORE: Wisconsin 24, Oregon 21

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl____CORRECT

4 Stanford vs 3 Oklahoma State

The argument could be made that both of these teams deserved better fates, especially Okie State. The Cowboys have a better resume than Alabama, yet 'Bama is playing for the National Title. Oklahoma State rolls over a Stanford team that can't handle high powered offenses.

FINAL SCORE: Oklahoma State 35, Stanford 24

Allstate Sugar Bowl____CORRECT

13 Michigan vs 11 Virginia Tech

Why are these two teams in BCS games when Kansas State is not? Or Boise State? There are two good, top-10 teams passed over for this pitiful rematch. Michigan rolls.

FINAL SCORE: Michigan 31, Virginia Tech 21

Discover Orange Bowl____INCORRECT

23 West Virginia vs 15 Clemson

Clemson is a mystery. They played some terrible ball, and then beat Virginia Tech twice. I think Clemson wins, but I don't think they'll feel god about it.

FINAL SCORE: Clemson 23, West Virginia 20

AT&T Cotton Bowl____CORRECT

8 Kansas State vs 6 Arkansas

Another two teams that it could be argued deserved better fates. Kansas State should've been in the Sugar Bowl, but it's no use pondering what might've been. All K-State can do now is run into the buzzsaw that is Arkansas.

FINAL SCORE: Arkansas 34, Kansas State 31

Allstate BCS National Championship Game

1 LSU vs 2 Alabama

How is a team that did not win it's own division, nor even play for it's conference championship, playing for the National Title? Or here's a better question: how am I picking a team that did not win it's own division, nor even play for it's conference championship, to win the National Title?

FINAL SCORE: Alabama 17, LSU 16

Football Future-see 2011: Bowl Projections

The championship games have been played and many of the BCS bowls already know who will be playing there, thanks to the antiquated system of conference affiliations. So here are my takes on who will play in what bowl game. Remember, I'm an SEC fan at heart, so in addition to the BCS games, I'm also predicting several of the bowls with SEC tie-ins.

National Championship Game: Oklahoma State vs. LSU

I feel like Oklahoma State made a statement against Oklahoma, settling the discussion about a rematch in my mind. I think the voters will see sense and move Oklahoma State, who has a better statistical record into the title game ahead of the Tide. LSU obviously locked themselves in. Props to Georgia for playing perhaps the best single half any team has played all year against LSU, but the Tigers have depth that no other team in the conference could match.

Rose Bowl: Wisconsin vs. Oregon

Oregon took apart UCLA and Wisconsin didn't so much win the Big Ten title game as have Michigan State hand them the victory. This game has a lot of potential, as both are high powered offenses.

Fiesta Bowl: Stanford vs. Kansas State

I'm putting Kansas State in the Fiesta Bowl because I think they are a more attractive second choice out of the Big XII. Stanford gets in as an at-large from the PAC-12.

Sugar Bowl: Alabama vs. Michigan

A match-up of old time programs, two of the all time greats, made possible by Houston self-destructing against Southern Miss in the Conference USA title game. Michigan gets into the Sugar Bowl ahead of potential at-large TCU.

Orange Bowl: Clemson vs. West Virginia

Who is Clemson? Really, does anybody know? Clemson goes out and loses 3 of 4, and looks bad, nay terrible, at times, and then they go and lay a championship game beating on Virginia Tech. West Virginia escaped the pile-up atop the Big East, and if the legal proceeding go according to plan, they'll actually escape the Big East altogether.

Capital One Bowl: Arkansas vs. Michigan State

Sparty cost themselves the Big Ten title, and as a result will get to face off against a powerful Arkansas team in the Capital One Bowl. The Cap One has first selection of non-BCS SEC teams, and I have to think that a 10-2 Arkansas team is currently more attractive than SEC-Championship runner-up Georgia.

Outback Bowl: Nebraska vs. South Carolina

Nebraska lands in the Outback Bowl against 10-2 South Carolina. You might be asking, since I'm such a Georgia fan, where did the 10-3 Dawgs go. Just wait. But the Gamecocks, riddled by injuries all season, will show up ready to play against the Cornhuskers. Should be an interesting match-up.

Chick-fil-A Bowl: Auburn vs. Virginia Tech

The Hokies came out flat against Clemson in the ACC Title Game, and as a result I think they'll fall into the Chick-fil-A bowl against a Jekyll-and-Hyde Auburn team that still seems to be searching for an identity in the post-Cam-Newton world.

Cotton Bowl: Oklahoma vs. Georgia

Here are the Dawgs. Georgia started the season 0-2, then reeled off 10 straight wins before encountering the buzzsaw known as LSU. The team will go for a bowl victory against a stumbling Oklahoma team that just suffered one of their worst losses in recent memory.

Random Notes:

1. I can't stand watching SEC football on CBS. From the perspective of this Georgia fan, I really want to know what UGA did to Verne Lundquist to make him hate the Dawgs so much. He and Gary Danielson were acting like we shouldn't even be playing an SEC Championship Game, and that we should just hand trophies to LSU simply because they are LSU. At one point in the third quarter, while Georgia led 10-7, Danielson referred to the "young Bulldogs" making a move, and "Champion" LSU responding. I know LSU won, but don't go crowning the team until the clock hits 0:00. Especially when you're supposed to be an impartial announcer.

2. How about that first half from the Dawgs? They held LSU to 12 total yards of offense, and didn't allow the Bayou Bengals to gain a first down until about 5 minutes into the third quarter. And I think Georgia caught everyone off guard with that onside kick after their opening drive field goal. I'm proud of my Dawgs.

3. I went 56-18 on my picks this year, a winning percentage of 0.757. The biggest leap for me this year was the perfect week. I went four years without one, and then had four this season. Of course, I'm now under investigation for Performance Enhancers, but hey, it was a contract year...