Last week, Caleb started the Bowl Prediction series with the BCS Bowl Games.  This week, Caleb and I will be going through every conference, predicting the bowl games using my prediction skills and his uncanny knowledge of the BCS.

We start with the ACC and Big Ten.  Throughout the week we'll also cover the Big 12, Big East, Pac-10, SEC, MWC, and the WAC.

Here's how the games will go:

Little Caesars Pizza Bowl (No. 1-2 MAC v No. 7 Big Ten) - Dec. 26, Detroit, MI

The Buckeyes from Ohio State didn’t have the luxury of handling their little brother Ohio this season, but it would have been much closer than most analysts would have predicted. 

The Golden Gophers are 6-6 and inevitably the seventh best team in the Big Ten.  Minnesota has wins against Northwestern, Purdue, and Michigan State in shootout fashion.  The Golden Gophers also survived Syracuse, Air Force, and the Jackrabbits from South Dakota State by a combined 13 points.

The Bobcats from Ohio have opened up every week and head to the MAC Championship this week against Central Michigan, who appeared in the Top 30 on numerous occasions this season.  Ohio played a pesky Connecticut team tough, and gave Tennessee all they could handle. 

In a bit of a shocker, Minnesota holds off the Bobcats in a 23-21 victory.

 

Champs Sports Bowl (No. 4 ACC v No. 5 Big Ten) - Dec. 29, Orlando, FL

Miami (FL) had a very difficult season, but they played extremely tough, finishing 9-3, fourth in the ACC.  Wisconsin will have to play Hawaii this week on the road, before making their trip to Orlando.

Although the ‘Canes’ defense has been just shy of lackluster at times, they’ve been able to pull through, with their potent offense.  For Wisconsin, it’s been the same story. 

Five of their victories this season have come from eight points or less.  Both teams are clearly about the offense.  The defense will have their struggles in this one.  Travel will play a huge role in this game.  The Badgers will hang around, but they won’t be able to hold on. 

Swagga wins, 37-24.

 

Insight Bowl (No. 6 Big Ten v No. 6 Big XII) - Dec. 31, Tempe, AZ

Facing off in the Insight Bowl will be the Spartans from Michigan State and the Tigers from Missouri.  Despite a seemingly lop-sided matchup due to the record difference, this game should be very competitive. 

Missouri hasn’t played well on defense, but they’ve done just enough to pull out eight victories this season.  The Tigers were blown apart against Okey State, ripped by Texas at their Homecoming, upset against Baylor, and lost to Nebraska in 4th quarter comeback, allowing 27 unanswered points. 

But Mizzou played tough last week, earning a spot in this game by beating Kansas in a huge rivalry, and in thriller fashion, 41-39.

After opening the season with Montana State, the Spartans lost three straight games to Central Michigan, Notre Dame, and Wisconsin – all eight points or less.  Michigan State was resilient, winning their next three games against Northwestern, Illinois, and big brother Michigan in overtime.

But they couldn’t keep the trend going, losing to the Hawkeyes in the final seconds, before losing to Minnesota in another shootout.  “Sparty” won two of their last games, destroying Western Michigan, escaping the Boilermakers in a thriller, but lost to the Nittany Lions from 28 straight points from Penn State in the second half.  

Michigan State will play their hearts out, but will come up just short. 

In thrilling fashion, Missouri gets the win, 37-32.

Outback Bowl (No. 3 Big Ten v No. 3-4 SEC) - Jan. 1, Tampa, FL

Another thriller is the expectation for the Outback Bowl between a couple of Top 30 teams – Mississippi and Northwestern.

Northwestern is on a three-game winning streak and they got another big win last week against the Badgers from Wisconsin. 

But the Wildcats didn’t start the season off so pretty, having a 4-3 record in the middle of October, with losses to Syracuse, Minnesota, and Michigan State.  They also had to survive Eastern Michigan by a field goal in Week 2. 

The Rebels from Mississippi clearly failed to live up to the preseason ranking – No. 8 in the AP Poll and No. 6 in the Sports Illustrated Top 20. 

But the Rebels have played extremely tough as of late.  Ole Miss ripped apart Tennessee 42-17 in what was supposed to very competitive game (Tennessee was favored, at least by the media), put together their signature win of the season in a thriller against LSU, but lost in the final week in the Egg Bowl to rival Mississippi State.

But both of these teams have a ton of potential and should be proud of the way they played on field week in and week out. 

In thrilling fashion, the Rebels get the victory, 27-24.

 

Capital One Bowl (No. 2 Big Ten v No. 2 SEC) - Jan. 1, Orlando, FL

The Capital One Bowl will be a classic matchup between two premeir clubs from the SEC and the Big Ten.

The winner of the SEC Championship will play in the BCS National Championship.  This means the loser will play in the Sugar Bowl, which would make LSU the No. 2 team in the SEC. 

Ohio State will play in the Rose Bowl, and Iowa will be an At-Large team that will play in the Orange Bowl, which puts Penn State in the No. 2 spot in the Big Ten.

LSU has played extremely tough this season, but they are overrated, much like the Nittany Lions. 

LSU was actually ranked ahead of Mississippi, after the Rebels won head-to-head, with identical records in not only overall, but in Conference play as well.  Penn State actually moved ahead of Iowa this week in Coaches Poll….after both teams had a bye week? 

Despite overrated status, these teams are highly competitive on both sides of the ball.  They’ve arguable won every game they should have and match up very well with each other.

The headline for the Bayou Bengals is a thrilling season.  The trend started all the way back in Week 1, when they had to rally against the persistent Washington Huskies on the road. 

In Week 4, LSU survived another thriller against Mississippi State on the last play of the game.  A week later, LSU won another thriller against Georgia, that’s when the Sec officials started making their lackluster calls. 

And after a loss to the top team in the country and two dominate wins over Tulane and Auburn, LSU ventured another thriller, this time losing to the No. 2 Tide in a 4th quarter comeback. 

After an eight-point victory against LA Tech, LSU went down in thrilling fashion to the Mississippi Rebels, 27-25.  But LSU was resilient, proving they learned their lesson about time management, beating Arkansas in overtime, 33-30.  It was their sixth thriller of the season.

Penn State’s signature win of the season was against…Northwestern?  The Nittany Lions allow less than 12 points a game.   But they’ve only been handed cupcakes this season, except for Iowa and Ohio State – their two blemishes.  I’ve spoken all season about the lousy cupcake competition, and people are finally starting to listen.

But this game is far from one-sided.  In a last-second field goal, LSU wins once again in thrilling fashion, 19-17.

 

Orange Bowl (ACC Champ v At-Large) - Jan. 5, Miami, FL

The winner of the ACC Championship this week between Clemson and Georgia Tech will have an automatic bid in the Orange Bowl.  Even though Boise State and Iowa would make for a very good matchup between polar opposites, I have a different perspective on how things will unfold.... 

I have faith in the Cornhuskers to pull the upset over Texas this weekend.  TCU, then, will play for the Title.  This puts Iowa in another location.

Last week, I knew Okey State couldn’t handle the pressure in Norman, as they were blown apart by Oklahoma, 27-0.  In addition, I picked Pitt to go down to West Virginia, and the Panthers were dropped as well.  There is no doubt in my mind that Iowa makes a BCS Bowl, but it won’t be the Fiesta Bowl.

The Hawkeyes will have another chance to prove the Big Ten’s competitive nature against Georgia Tech, the winner of the ACC Championship.

Georgia Tech has made the old new again, bringing the option pass back to life every week.  The pass-heavy team puts up 35 points every week.  While Iowa's strengths lie on the other side of the football. 

High Power Offense v Strong, Elusive Defense = a game that everyone can enjoy that always comes down to the wire.

Although the Hawkeyes have had their way at cupcake competition, they’re still a very solid football team that has put up ten wins this season, one way or another. 

But the resilience form the Yellow Jackets will be too strong.  You know even after a yellow jacket is dead, it’s stinger can still hurt you. 

In thrilling fashion, Georgia Tech gets the win, 30-24. 

 

Rose Bowl (Big Ten Champ v Pac-10 Champ) – Jan. 1, Pasadena, CA

The winner of the Civil War on Thursday Night will play the Buckeyes in the Rose Bowl. This will likely be Oregon.  The Ducks are undefeated at home this season and a very dynamic team to say the least.  But the Dam Workers will put up a tough fight, as expected.

Oregon has put up 44 points in their last two games against their bitter rivals from Arizona.  The Ducks average 15 points of margin of victory this season, 24 points at home, and 33 points at home from their last four games.

The Buckeyes have beaten nearly every opponent to a pulp this season.  But there have been a few exceptions.  One was against Navy in the opening week, having to return a two-point attempt from Navy for two points, escaping 31-27.  The next week Ohio State failed in a high stakes game at home against USC, 18-15. 

The reason the Ducks are ranked ahead Ohio State is the fact that OSU’s blemishes were to Purdue and USC – teams that Oregon defeated.  I love the fact that this game is being played in Pasadena, because USC fans can’t stand the sight of either team. 

This game could be a defensive slugfest, but Quack Attack has an explosive offense, and the Buckeyes tend to have a ton of points on the scoreboard at the end of the day.  Like Caleb stated, this game will be about the offense and when it’s all said and done the offensive powerhouses will make their presence known. 

Ducks win in shootout fashion, 41-35.

 

The Alamo Bowl was not selected, due to the amount of bowl-eligible teams in the Big Ten.  Therefore, there will be a replacement.  The game will be selected later in the week, when we pick the BIG XII.

A special thanks goes out to Caleb M., who was a huge part of the making of this article in addtion to the upcoming articles regarding the Bowl Games.

Let me know what you think!  Who would you have in the Bowls? 

Here are the ACC Predictions by Caleb M.: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/300198-acc-bowl-predictions-can-georgia-tech-still-make-it-to-the-orange-bowl