Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION The Anywhere Machine LegionWorld College Game Week 2009

BTW, with all the bowl games coming up, we'll close out the season with two sets of Bowl picks. Part 1 will include 10 intriguing early minor and mid major bowls. And Part 2 will include 10 others including mid majors, the BCS bowls and the BCS Championship Game.

I don't know most of these, so pure guess on most.


Oregon @ Oregon State - THURSDAY Oregon
Houston @ East Carolina East Carolina
West Virginia @ Rutgers WV
Cincinnati @ Pitt Cinn
Arizona @ USC USC
Florida @ Alabama Florida
Georgia Tech @ Clemson Clemson
Texas @ Nebraska Texas
South Florida @ Connecticut Uconn
Wisconsin @ Hawaii Wisconsin

And here are my picks...

Oregon @ Oregon State - THURSDAY ~ Oregon assures themselves of the Pac 10 championship and a trip to the Rose Bowl with this win.

Houston @ East Carolina ~ East Carolina always plays tough but Houston has a very high powered offense this year. Houston should win the C-USA title here.

West Virginia @ Rutgers ~ Tough pick. West Virginia has had a bit of an off season but they still managed some impressive wins. Rutgers is always tough at home but I think WVU wins.

Cincinnati @ Pitt ~ This should be an excellent Big East Championship battle. In the end I think Cincy prevails and assures a trip to one of the BCS bowl games.

Arizona @ USC ~ Arizona is better than people know but I really don't think USC has a 4 loss season in them. USC pulls it out.

Florida @ Alabama ~ Another tough pick. I would love to see Alabama win and shut the Gators up for a while but I fear that won't happen. I think the Gators manage to pull out a win to go to the BCS Championship Game.

Georgia Tech @ Clemson ~ Ouch! Both teams suffered painful losses last week to their instate rivals so the question becomes who can regain their focus best. I could easily pick either team but I suspect that Clemson might be just a little bit better and will win the ACC Championship.

Texas @ Nebraska ~ Texas should be able to handle Nebraska as long as they are not caught flat footed looking ahead to their shot at the National Championship.

South Florida @ Connecticut ~ UConn and South Florida are two of the best up and coming programs not only in the Big East but nationally. With the win against ND behind them, the Huskies should be in fine form. South Florida took a beating from my Canes last week and may still be saying "what if" instead of focusing on the game. I'll take the Huskies though it could go either way.

Wisconsin @ Hawaii ~ As usually no one hears anything about Hawaii during the year but every year some big name school goes over there and gets taken to the cleaners. Maybe its because of the long travel times...or maybe it's the distraction of being in Hawaii but it happens every year. As tough as Wisconsin is, I think this will be that surprise game that will have everyone talking about Hawaii once again.

Sorry guys I've been MIA, just been so damn busy this time of the year and it's only getting worse. I haven't even watched a game in two weeks. In the meanwhile, I see Lardy has dominated during that time.

Oregon
Houston
WV
Cinci - and then the coach becomes new ND coach next year
USC
Florida - crap, I really want Alabama to win and almost picked them b/c of that. But I think ultimately Florida will pull it off.
Clemson
Texas - I also think it'll be Florida/Texas Championsihp
UCONN - the weather here is supposed to be miserable on Saturday and that should help
Hawaii - their advantage is one of those things I can't stand and I think it'll be the deciding factor here.

Yikes, Vee--Thursday snuck up on me!

Would it be okay if I pick the other nine games (even though the Oregon/Oregon St. game is still very much in doubt midway thru the third)?

If so, here are my picks sans commentary:

Houston
West Virginia
Pitt
USC
Florida
Clemson (though they'll most likely lose since everybody picked 'em this week...come on, guys! )
Texas
Connecticut
Wisconsin

(by the way, I hope Oregon State wins)

Wow! There were some wild and wooly games this weekend. Here are the results.

Week 14 results:
rickshaw1 - 70%
Lard Lad - 40%
Vee - 50%
Cobie - 50%

After fourteen weeks here are the standings:

Lardy 65% (84/129)
rickshaw1 62% (62/100)
Cobie 60% (66/110)
Vee 59% (82/140)

Here are the week 14 BCS standings....

1 Alabama
2 Texas
3 Cincinnati
4 TCU
5 Florida
6 Boise State
7 Oregon
8 Ohio State
9 Georgia Tech
10 Iowa
11 Virginia Tech
12 LSU
13 Penn State
14 Brigham Young
15 Miami (FL)
16 West Virginia
17 Pittsburgh
18 Oregon State
19 Oklahoma State
20 Arizona
21 Stanford
22 Nebraska
23 Utah
24 USC
25 Wisconsin

Here's the first group of bowl games. Lots of intriguing matchups that should be challenging to pick. Please post your choices by the start of the first game @ 4:30 pm on 12/26.

Bowl Games Part 1
Meineke Bowl - Pitt v. North Carolina (Charlotte, NC 12/26/2009)
Music City Bowl - Kentucky v. Clemson (Nashville, TN, 12/27/2009)
Independence Bowl - Texas A&M v. Georgia (Shreveport, LA 12/28/2009)
Champs Sports Bowl - Miami v. Wisconsin (Orlando, FL, 12/29/2009)
Pacific Life Holiday Bowl - Nebraska v. Arizona (San Diego, CA 12/30/2009)
Brut Sun Bowl - Oklahoma v. Stanford (El Paso, TX, 12/31/2009)
Insight Bowl - Iowa State v Minnesota (Tempe, AZ, 12/31/2009)
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl - Tennessee v. Virginia Tech (Atlanta, GA 12/31/2009)
Capitol 1 Citrus Bowl - Penn State v. LSU (Orlando, FL, 1/1/2010)
Gator Bowl - West Virginia v. Florida State (Jacksonville, FL, 1/1/2010)

And here's the second set of Bowl games. These selections will need to be posted by the start of the first game on January 1st (11 am on January 1)

Bowl Games Part 2
Outback Bowl - Northwestern v. Auburn (Tampa, FL 1/1/2010)
Rose Bowl - Ohio State v Oregon (Pasadena, CA 1/1/2010)
Sugar Bowl - Florida v. Cincinnati (New Orleans, LA 1/1/2010)
Cotton Bowl - Oklahoma State v Ole Miss (Arlington, TX 1/2/2010)
Liberty Bowl - Arkansas v. East Carolina (Memphis, TN 1/2/2010)
Papa Johns Bowl - Connecticut v. South Carolina (Birmingham, AL 1/2/2010)
Valero Alamo Bowl - Texas Tech v. Michigan State (San Antonio, TX 1/2/2010)
Fiesta Bowl - Boise State v TCU (Glendale, AZ 1/4/2010)
Orange Bowl - Georgia Tech v Iowa (Miami, FL 1/5/2010)
BCS Championship - Texas v. Alabama (Pasadena, CA 1/7/2010)

Good luck everyone!

Just a reminder, the first set of bowl selections are due by 4:30 pm on 12/26 so get cracking!

My guesses for Bowl Games Part 1

Meineke Bowl - Pitt v. North Carolina (Charlotte, NC 12/26/2009) ~ Pitt was just one last minute point from playing in a BCS bowl. Although UNC has been pretty tough for much of the season and it's almost a home game for them, I'm going with the Pitt Panthers.

Music City Bowl - Kentucky v. Clemson (Nashville, TN, 12/27/2009) ~ Unlike the past couple of years, Kentucky wasn't a great team this year. On the other hand, Clemson almost won the ACC Championship with solid performances all year. I'm taking the Clemson Tigers for the win.

Independence Bowl - Texas A&M v. Georgia (Shreveport, LA 12/28/2009) ~ Every time I've picked Georgia this year they've disappointed me, but I just don't see the Aggies beating the Dawgs. Georgia for the win.

Champs Sports Bowl - Miami v. Wisconsin (Orlando, FL, 12/29/2009) ~ If it weren't for a backroom deal to give Bobby Bowden a spotlight sendoff, Miami would have been playing in the Gator Bowl against West Virginia. Instead the Canes had to settle for a spot in the lesser Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando. While it makes for a much easier trip to the game for me, the Canes should be pissed and roll over Wisconsin. Miami for the win.

Pacific Life Holiday Bowl - Nebraska v. Arizona (San Diego, CA 12/30/2009) ~ Nebraska can be tough at time (but usually only when playing at home) but the Wildcats have been flying under the radar all year in my opinion. Arizona for the win.

Brut Sun Bowl - Oklahoma v. Stanford (El Paso, TX, 12/31/2009) ~ This one is a tough pick. Both teams have had solid seasons with quality wins. With the game in El Paso, I expect the stadium to be filled with howling Sooner fans so I'm going with Oklahoma for the win.

Insight Bowl - Iowa State v Minnesota (Tempe, AZ, 12/31/2009) ~ Another tough call. Having seen the Golden Gophers play at least once, I know they have a pretty tough defense. The Cyclones are known for their high powered offense but I don't think it's been all that high powered this year. I'm going with the Gophers to pull out the win.

Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl - Tennessee v. Virginia Tech (Atlanta, GA 12/31/2009) ~ While this years Hokies may not have been as dominating as they have been in recent years, they're still much better than the Volunteers. VA Tech for the win.

Capital 1 Citrus Bowl - Penn State v. LSU (Orlando, FL, 1/1/2010) ~ This should be a pretty damn good game. Penn State has traditionally done well in the Citrus Bowl and brings tons of fans with them to Orlando. Both teams had good, though not necessarily great years which makes this one of the toughest picks in this group for me. Going to take the Tigers to take down the Nittany Lions and keep my fingers crossed.

Gator Bowl - West Virginia v. Florida State (Jacksonville, FL, 1/1/2010) ~ Florida State doesn't belong here but the stadium will be packed with emotional Seminoles and much will be made of this being Bobby's last game as the FSU head coach. If this were a Hollywood movie, the Seminoles would send Bobby out on a great win for his last game but I don't think West Virginia has gotten that script. I look for the Mountaineers to handle FSU and send former coach Bowden home with a lose as a reminder that he probably should have retired about 2-3 years ago when he was still on top. West Virginia for the win.

No time for commentary, but here's my picks:

Meineke Bowl - Pitt
Music City Bowl - Clemson
Independence Bowl - Georgia
Champs Sports Bowl - Miami
Pacific Life Holiday Bowl - Nebraska
Brut Sun Bowl - Stanford
Insight Bowl - Iowa State
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl - Virginia Tech (toughest pick of this batch for me)
Capitol 1 Citrus Bowl - Penn State
Gator Bowl - West Virginia

Missed the first game...

Clemson
Georgia
Miami
Arizona
Oklahoma
Iowa State
Virginia Tech
Penn State
West Virginia

Sunday's Music City Bowl was a nice coda to the college career of one C.J. Spiller, even though I feel Clemson, like Miami, got jobbed by having to play in such a lesser bowl when backdoor politics gave a crappy FSU team a much more choice slot. (I hope the 'Noles get effin' PUMMELED!!!) C.J. deserved a better spotlight and a trip to the Heisman ceremony, but I'll always remember his contributions to my Clemson team. At least, Clemson's bowl losing streak was snapped, and we took out an SEC team in the process.

Whatever NFL team gets Spiller will be fortunate, indeed!

Lardi, I could not agree more! Clemson deserved a much better bowl that the Music City Bowl. They should have been in line even ahead of my Canes, IMO.

Also, CJ Spiller absolutely should have been in NYC and should have been one of the top contenders for the Heisman. As a matter of fact, he should have been sitting in Tebow's chair. While I'll admit that Tim Tebow is a great QB and has a bright future in the NFL, he certainly did not have a Heisman year and should not have been among those invited.

Clemson and CJ had a great bowl. Congrats to them and all their fans for a great year.

Well, the season ended on a sour note for my Canes. We really looked out of sorts in the Champs Sports Bowl. Jacory played like he was in a fog or uncomfortable all game.

While I would love to have seen them close out the year with a bowl victory and a 10 game winning season, I have to say that I'm pleased with how well we did this year. They exceeded my expectations and got some wins I didn't anticipate. That starting run of 4 games this year could have been a disaster and we could easily have started out at 0-4. Instead we went 3-1 and ended up with a 9 win season.

All in all, I'm pleased and look forward to an even better year next year when all these freshmen & sophomores have one more year under their belts.

Here are my picks for the second set of bowl games. Remember, you need to have them posted before 11 AM tomorrow when the first game starts!

Bowl Games Part 2

Outback Bowl - Northwestern v. Auburn (Tampa, FL 1/1/2010) ~ Northwestern has been building a pretty good football program in Evanston but their not quite ready to take out a tough Auburn squad.

Rose Bowl - Ohio State v Oregon (Pasadena, CA 1/1/2010) ~ Like USC, I'm sick and tired of Ohio State and want to see them taken out. And Oregon has the talent to do it. Oregon for the win.

Sugar Bowl - Florida v. Cincinnati (New Orleans, LA 1/1/2010) I think everyone assumes the Gators will run away with this one, not giving much credit to the Bearcats. Although I think the Gators will prevail, I think they are going to get the scare of their lives from Cincy.

Cotton Bowl - Oklahoma State v Ole Miss (Arlington, TX 1/2/2010) ~ Tough call on the outcome of this game. I think the Rebels and Cowboys are fairly evenly matched. I'm going to take Oklahoma State because they are a bit more explosive and should be able to put more points on the board.

Liberty Bowl - Arkansas v. East Carolina (Memphis, TN 1/2/2010) ~ East Carolina has a decent team but I don't believe they can handle the Razorbacks defensive line nor their running attack. Arkansas for the win.

Papa Johns Bowl - Connecticut v. South Carolina (Birmingham, AL 1/2/2010) ~ Another tough game to call. You can never count out Spurrier but the Huskies have been through the cauldron this year and have come out tougher from it. I think UConn pulls an upset over the Gamecocks.

Valero Alamo Bowl - Texas Tech v. Michigan State (San Antonio, TX 1/2/2010) ~ A week ago I would have picked Texas Tech hands down. Were they facing any other team but the Spartans I think the turmoil would have done them in, but the Spartans have their own problems with many of their team suspended from play. Texas Tech gets the win.

Fiesta Bowl - Boise State v TCU (Glendale, AZ 1/4/2010) ~ This may well be one of the highest scoring games of the year. Both of these teams have explosive offenses and can score points in chunks. I think Boise's sophomore Qb should have been a Heisman contender and his twin brother the receiver ain't bad either. It's a real shame these two teams got paired against each other since i would rather have seen each of them paired against a BCS conference team so the uncertainty about how the WAC and MWC conferences match up against the big boys could have been resolved for good. When all is said and done I think TCU pulls this one out but it could go either way.

Orange Bowl - Georgia Tech v Iowa (Miami, FL 1/5/2010) ~ Georgia Tech should run rampant over Iowa who will have a tough time chasing the Yellowjackets option atack all over the field.

BCS Championship - Texas v. Alabama (Pasadena, CA 1/7/2010) ~ This should be a great game showcasing two legitimate Heisman contenders from this year. Both teams match up well and it could easily come down to McCoy v Ingram. Whoever has the better game will lead his team to victory. Since Ingram won the Heisman, I'm picking Texas to win the Championship. After all this past decade the Heisman curse has been almost as potent as the Sports Illustrated curse.

Too late to pick the Outback Bowl (though it's tied at 21 at the moment!), but as for the rest:

Rose Bowl - Oregon
Sugar Bowl - Florida
Cotton Bowl - Oklahoma State
Liberty Bowl - Arkansas
Papa Johns Bowl - South Carolina
Valero Alamo Bowl - Texas Tech (I think this bowl being in Texas will aid this program in turmoil)
Fiesta Bowl - TCU
Orange Bowl - Georgia Tech
BCS Championship - Alabama