There are two popular schools of thought when it comes to approaching bowl games. The first is that you want to win to end the season on a good note and send the Seniors out the right way. The second is that you want to win to springboard your spot in the next season’s preseason polls. Why not both? I guess it would overload some coaches and players, they like to keep it simple. In traditional fashion of Sunday Headlines, here are the matchups of the second portion of bowls with a headline you might see attached to it and the JIB Picks are bolded:

-12/29 – Valero Alamo Bowl ~ Missouri – Northwestern – “Tigers Pounce Wildcats” Missouri started the season in the top 5 with National Championship aspirations, it ended very badly with back-to-back losses to Kansas and Texas. Chase Daniel will go out on top with a win over Northwestern, who will look at of their zone in warm Texas. Northwestern is used to snow and freezing temperatures.

-12/30 – Roady’s Humanitarian Bowl ~ Nevada – Maryland – “Terrapins Seeing Blue” Nevada will be right at home, playing on the “Smurf Turf,” it has forced them all to go colorblind so they think it’s green. Nevada’s quarterback Colin Kaepernick is the best kept secret of the WAC. Kaepernick ran passed for 2,479 yards with 19 touchdowns and ran for 1,115 yards with 16 touchdowns, Maryland better spy him. 

-12/30 – Texas Bowl ~ Rice – Western Michigan – “Don’t Mess With Rice”  Rice is a pass happy team, Western Michigan ranked 96th in pass defense. Anybody else seeing what I am? The Owls should have no problem dispatching the Broncos and getting their first bowl win in 50+ years. It always helps to play a bowl game in your backyard as well, Rice is in Houston, the site of the Texas Bowl.

-12/30 – Pacific Life Holiday Bowl ~ Oklahoma State – Oregon – “Cowboys Lasso Ducks” Oregon ended it’s season with a nice win over rival Oregon State, but Oklahoma State will pose a larger offensive threat to the Ducks. If this turns into a shootout then the Cowboys will win, the Ducks’ roster isn’t deep enough or good enough to hang with them offensively.   

-12/31 – Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl ~ Air Force – Houston – “Cougars Get Redemption” It’s to vote against an Armed Force in the Armed Forces Bowl, but this one only makes sense. If Houston plays a smidgen of rush defense they will win. Air Force won in their first match-up this year, in which they had 380 rushing yards and didn’t attempt a single pass. 

-12/31 – Sun Bowl ~ Pittsburgh – Oregon State – “Pitt Fails Pop Quizz” Oregon State had the chance to make it to the Rose Bowl and they blew it against their rival Oregon. The difference in that game was their dynamic running back Jacquizz Rodgers was injured. The Beavers will have him back for the bowl game, Pitt will have to look hard to see him behind the offensive line.  

-12/31 – Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl ~ Boston College – Vanderbilt – “BC Scores A+” In a match-up of two schools that are pretty good academically, BC will smother the fire of Vandy’s once promising season. Vandy was in the top 25 for consecutive weeks, but then midterms started and there was a sudden drop off. It was a nice season for Vandy, but will be a better one for BC. 

-12/31 – Insight Bowl ~ Minnesota – Kansas – “Jayhawks Keep Gophers Reeling” Kansas and Minnesota combined lost 8 of their last 10 games coming down the stretch. While the Gophers got thumped at home against Iowa 55-0, the Jayhawks beat Missouri in the Border War. While this game will be a springboard for Kansas, it will be a nosedive for the Gophers. 

-12/31 – Chick-fil-a Bowl ~ Georgia Tech – LSU – “Georgia Tech Has Options” LSU’s defense is quick, but Georgia Tech runs their offense with just as much speed with their dynamic option offense. Many people scoffed at the thought of Paul Johnson’s option offense working at the higher level. I guess he proved them all very wrong, Georgia Tech is buzzing again.  

-01/01 – Outback Bowl ~ Iowa – South Carolina – “Green Runs Wild” Iowa running back Shonn Greene got some attention late in the season after he finished with 1,700+ yards rushing. He got a lot of attention actually, he won the Doak Walker Award. South Carolina has a good defense, but something has got to give and it look like it will be the Gamecocks’ defense. Good news is steaks for everyone after the game!

-01/01 – Capital One Bowl ~ Georgia – Michigan State – “” In a match-up of two great running backs in the Spartans Javon Ringer and the Bulldogs’ Knowshon Moreno, this game will be decided by air. Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford was leagues above Michigan State’s Brian Hoyer, which spells out a win for Georgia. The Bulldogs started as preseason #1 and might start there again with their QB and RB returning.

Tags: NCAA

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