'Tis the Bowl Season: Non-BCS Games

If I was going to do any bowl previews, I figured I would just focus on the BCS contests.

But after the first Saturday without any college football in three months, I was bored, and decided to preview every bowl. All freaking 34 of them.

I'll be back with slightly more extensive BCS previews late in the week.

EAGLE BANK BOWL: Wake Forest vs. Navy (12/20, 11 AM, ESPN, Washington DC)
Wake Forest has already suffered a heartbreaking defeat to Navy in 2008, falling 24-17 at home in late September. The Deacons were hounded by six turnovers, including four interceptions by QB Riley Skinner, and it allowed the Naval Academy to pick up their first win over a ranked opponent since 1985.

I don’t think Jim Grobe expected to lose five games at the onset of the season, let alone one to the Middies, so look for his team to come out with a strong effort against a defense that has pitched two shutouts in a row and triple-option offense that is always a challenge to defend.

NEW MEXICO BOWL: Colorado State vs. Fresno State (12/20, 2:30 PM, ESPN)
It wouldn’t be bowl season without the traditional former WAC school now in the Mountain West vs. a current WAC institution meeting. Actually, the Rams and Bulldogs have met five times since the monstrous 16-team WAC split at the end of the 1998 season, with Colorado State winning the last two.

Pat Hill’s team had high expectations at the outset of the year, but never really lived up to their perceived potential. Colorado State, meanwhile, hasn’t seemed to miss a beat after the firing of long-time coach Sonny Lubick last year.

ST. PETERSBURG BOWL: Memphis vs. South Florida (12/20, 4:30 PM, ESPN 2)
Along with the Eagle Bank Bowl in the capital, the St. Petersburg Bowl gets added to the ever growing list of postseason games this year. At some point it’s gotta stop!

Like many teams this bowl season, South Florida will be playing a game in their backyard, although I’m sure they’d rather play this game at Raymond James Stadium than inside the dump known as Tropicana Field.

In retrospect, I regret picking USF to win the Big East in 2008, but look for them to finish strongly against a Memphis team that will be clearly outmatched.

LAS VEGAS BOWL: BYU vs. Arizona (12/20, 8 PM, ESPN)
Does anyone else find it ironic that this will be the fourth year in a row that BYU, the most pious of schools, travels to Sin City for their bowl game? Maybe event organizers figure they won’t have to worry about Cougar players getting into trouble, which would be an issue for many major programs.

As for Arizona, they are playing in their first bowl game in a decade almost to the exact date. They defeated Nebraska 23-20 in the ’98 Holiday Bowl to finish a program-record 12-1.

NEW ORLEANS BOWL: Southern Mississippi vs. Troy (12/21, 8:15 PM, ESPN)
If there is one positive about this game, I would say it has to be it gives the Sun Belt a fair shot at winning a bowl game on a national stage against a mid-pack Conference USA team.

Let’s face it, the league doesn’t have a whole lot of street cred around major college football, although recent wins over Alabama and Maryland have helped somewhat.

Troy was clearly the league’s best team in 2008, and stands a strong chance of giving the Sun Belt its third straight victory in this contest.

POINSETTIA BOWL: Boise State vs. TCU (12/23, 8 PM, ESPN)
For a while there, the talk was of a matchup of undefeated mid-majors during bowl season between Boise State and Ball State. Well, I think we ended up with a much better contest with this one.

How often can you get excited about a pre-Christmas bowl game? As a result, enjoy it. It will be a truly epic battle between the prolific Boise State offense and a TCU defense which ranks up there with USC in many categories.

I believe they are only allowing 215 yards and 11 points per game, while Boise State racks up over 450 yards of offense. Something will have to give.

HAWAII BOWL: Hawaii vs. Notre Dame (12/24, 8 PM, ESPN)
Notre Dame should be punished for their 6-6 season, where they lost to Syracuse and didn’t get a first down against USC for nearly three quarters. Being sent to Hawaii in the dead of winter isn’t punishment, unless your name is Charlie Weis.

That guy will be sweating bullets in the humidity, although based on his job performance, he’s been sweating bullets for about two months.

In all seriousness, the Irish need to come out and take care of business as the better team to temporarily alleviate some of the pressure building on the program to return to prominence.

MOTOR CITY BOWL: Florida Atlantic vs. Central Michigan (12/26, 7:30 PM, ESPN)
It has to be a striking endorsement as a mid-major to be sent to Detroit for a bowl game, but hey, FAU can at least brag that they were the only one of the three 6-6 Sun Belt teams to get a call to come bowling.

As for the Chippewas, they have to suffer through the Michigan winter even after this game is over. At least for both squads, Ford Field is enclosed.

As you can probably tell, I really don’t have anything interesting to say about this game or have a reason to watch it besides seeing Schellenberger’s awesome suit collection.

MEINEKE CAR CARE BOWL: West Virginia vs. North Carolina (12/27, 1 PM, ESPN)
Here are a couple of programs who have gone in opposite directions over the past year. Butch Davis’ first year in Chapel Hill included rebuilding a downtrodden program, but in year two, he had them in contention in the wide open ACC.

West Virginia, meanwhile, has regressed from upsetting Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl to visiting a bowl in Charlotte that should at least draw a lot of hometown fans. The key to this game will be Pat White.

If UNC keeps him under control, they have a great chance to win a close, low-scoring battle. White has struggled at times in 2008, but is due for a breakout performance.

CHAMPS SPORTS BOWL: Wisconsin vs. Florida State (12/27, 4:30 PM, ESPN)
Wisconsin was truly a disappointment in 2008. Many people had them contending with Ohio State for the conference crown back in the preseason.

But after losing their first four conference games (including an absolute heartbreaker to Michigan) and nearly falling to 1-AA Cal Poly, they find themselves in a mid-tier bowl game against an FSU squad that might feel as if they were snubbed by some of the ACC’s more prestigious bowl tie-ins.

Too bad Barry Alvarez doesn’t coach the Badgers any longer, because the Alvarez-Bowden showdown would be a pleasure to watch. But this should still be a great game.

EMERALD BOWL: Miami (FL) vs. California (12/27, 8 PM, ESPN)
This will essentially be a home game for the Bears, with their campus just a stone’s throw from downtown San Francisco, where this game will be played.

The Canes, meanwhile, have to travel across the country, although considering the fact teams usually spend a week or so at the site of their bowl, the time change should not be much of an issue.

Both teams play solid defense, but Miami will be especially challenged by a Cal unit that averaged 33 points a game during the regular season. This game will come down to turnovers: Cal creates them at an alarming rate, and Miami gives them up at an alarming rate.

INDEPENDENCE BOWL: Northern Illinois vs. Louisiana Tech (12/28, 8:15 PM, ESPN)
Here are a couple of programs that snuck under the radar on their way to bowl eligibility. This will be a game played in Louisiana Tech’s backyard, so they will have that to their advantage.

Meanwhile, Jerry Kill took over the NIU program in 2008, and survived the tough MAC West to get to six wins. This matchup has to be a disappointment for the Independence Bowl committee.

For so many years, this bowl contest featured some of the top programs in college football, but with the influx of new games in more appealing locales, Shreveport has fallen out of favor. Just look at this “showdown.”

PAPAJOHNS.COM BOWL: North Carolina State vs. Rutgers (12/29, 3 PM, ESPN)
Tom O’Brien did wonders at Boston College in the late 90s and early part of this decade, and after a difficult year and a half at NC State, it appears as if he is also having a major impact in Raleigh.

The Wolfpack followed a 5-7 campaign a year ago with a 2-6 start in 2008, but have won four in a row to become bowl eligible.

Rutgers also came out of the gates slowly, with the popular preseason Big East champion pick overcoming a horrendous 1-5 start (that only win coming over Morgan State) before recovering to win their final six. Someone’s strong second half of the season will be spoiled here.

ALAMO BOWL: Missouri vs. Northwestern (12/29, 8 PM, ESPN)
Mizzou has to be somewhat disappointed that a season which started with such high hopes is ending in San Antonio, but the Big 12 had four great teams this year and Gator Bowl organizers apparently felt Nebraska was worthy of a New Year’s Day game.

Still, the Alamo Bowl is nothing to sneeze at, and it will give Chase Daniel one more chance to showcase himself before moving to the NFL.

Northwestern sort of came out of nowhere in the Big 10 this year, which is a testament to the solid job Pat Fitzgerald has been doing in building this program into a consistent winner.

HUMANITARIAN BOWL: Maryland vs. Nevada (12/30, 4:30 PM, ESPN)
I was reading on Deadspin last week that the number of tickets sold by both institutions for this game was hovering below 20. Not 20,000. Twenty.

I don’t blame people for not wanting to go to Boise when they could go somewhere that is warm during the holidays. The bowl organizers better hope that the Boise State fans don’t enjoy San Diego so much during the Poinsettia Bowl that they decide to move out there and miss this game, otherwise, it’ll make the MAC Championship Game from a couple weeks ago look like a freaking sellout.

TEXAS BOWL: Western Michigan vs. Rice (12/30, 8 PM, NFL Network)
After going 45 years without a bowl appearance, Rice will be playing in their second postseason game in three years. Two years ago, Troy soundly defeated the Owls in New Orleans, and it will be up to David Bailiff’s squad to end a bowl losing streak that extends back to 1954.

Western Michigan had an extremely strong season in the MAC West, with their only losses coming to division powers Central Michigan and Ball State, as well as a non-conference defeat to some team called the Cornhuskers. I’m sure you’ve heard of them.

HOLIDAY BOWL: Oklahoma State vs. Oregon (12/30, 8 PM, ESPN)
The Holiday Bowl has given us some exciting, high-scoring affairs over the years, and this Pac 10-Big 12 tilt should be no different. Both leagues are known more for offense than defense, so it is only fitting that the seventh- and eighth-highest scoring teams in the land will be meeting in San Diego.

This one may come down to the defense that steps up and makes a big play in the closing minutes, and based on what I’ve seen thus far, neither unit has been spectacular. But OK State has been going up against the likes of Graham Harrell, Sam Bradford, and Colt McCoy, while Oregon has played a creampuff-heavy Pac 10 slate.

ARMED FORCES BOWL: Houston vs. Air Force (12/31, 12 PM, ESPN)
It’s not too often you see a couple of teams who met in the regular season facing off in a bowl, but that is exactly what this contest offers. In a game moved to Dallas from Houston because of Hurricane Ike, Air Force beat Houston 31-28 on Sept. 28.

I think we can expect another close game this time around between Troy Calhoun’s run-first offense and Kevin Sumlin’s pass-first philosophy. The names Calhoun and Sumlin may be new to most college football fans, but keep an eye on these gentlemen in the years to come.

SUN BOWL: Oregon State vs. Pittsburgh (12/31, 2 PM, CBS)
You have to ponder if Oregon State won’t be motivated and/or will still be reeling coming into this game after a triple whammy in the Civil War. They lost the Pac 10 crown and the accompanying Rose Bowl berth, gave up 65 points, and last but certainly not least, lost to their hated in-state rival.

It took four years, but Dave Wannstedt has finally managed to lead Pitt to a bowl game. You could make the argument that the Panthers were the second-best team in the Big East this season, as they took league champion Cincinnati down to the wire on the road in the game that decided the league’s BCS berth.

MUSIC CITY BOWL: Boston College vs. Vanderbilt (12/31, 3:30 PM, ESPN)
Our long national nightmare is over: Vandy has made a bowl game. Not to rain on their parade or anything, but the Commodores still need to actually pull out a win to finish with a winning record for the first time since 1982.

Both BC and Vanderbilt are strong defensive teams, so I don’t expect a whole lot of scoring in this contest, but if you ask me, the Eagles are clearly the better team. If Bobby Johnson’s team does have anything in their favor, it has to be the fact that this is essentially a home game for the Commodores in Nashville.

INSIGHT BOWL: Kansas vs. Minnesota (12/31, 5:30 PM, NFL Network)
When Kansas went to the Orange Bowl a year ago, there was a hilarious picture taken of Mark Mangino standing with the Orange Bowl mascot, Obie. That one worked on so many levels.

Unfortunately, I don’t think there is anything funny about a fat man and computers, so Mangino won’t be the butt of jokes again this year.

Tim Brewster turned around Minnesota in a hurry, as the Gophers went from one win in his inaugural season to seven this year. They stumbled down the stretch losing their final four games, but I think they’ll be ready to finish the year out on a strong note.

CHICK-FIL-A BOWL: Georgia Tech vs. LSU (12/31, 7:30 PM, ESPN)
This has become one of my favorite bowls on the schedule, although I am sure if you actually have a life, missing this contest due to the New Year’s Eve festivities is constantly an issue.

LSU’s defense, which led the way to a championship in 2007, was a problem against many of the best SEC offenses in 2008, and I will be interested to see how they defend Paul Johnson’s triple option.

In a year where the ACC has been vilified due to its perceived mediocrity, the SEC’s own weaknesses have been overlooked. Maybe the ACC can get some redemption and win this one.

OUTBACK BOWL: South Carolina vs. Iowa (1/1, 11 AM, ESPN)
It used to be you could look forward to waking up to great matchups in the Outback Bowl and Cotton Bowl at 11 AM on New Year’s Day. The Cotton Bowl has been moved to Jan. 2 this year, and this game, at first glance, doesn’t appear to be one of the more intriguing Jan. 1 contests.

But I urge you to not hit the snooze button. Wake up in time for this one, because Iowa RB Shonn Greene quietly led the country in rushing yards, and averaged over 6 yards a carry. On the other side of the ball, South Carolina features a strong run defense that held opponents to just a shade under 3.6 yards a carry.

GATOR BOWL: Nebraska vs. Clemson (1/1, 1 PM, CBS)
Let me just rant here a moment as a bitter Florida State fan: this is what is wrong with the bowl system, aside from the fact it creates an absolute mess when determining a national champion.

The best teams do not necessarily get the most prestigious assignments, as proven by this matchup. Nebraska could have easily been supplanted by Missouri or Oklahoma State in this game, while there were probably five other teams more deserving than Clemson from the ACC.

I expect Nebraska, which nearly beat Texas Tech in Lubbock, to slow down the numerous offensive threats offered by the Tigers, and showcase their own offensive strength.

CAPITAL ONE BOWL: Georgia vs. Michigan State (1/1, 1 PM, ABC)
If you ask me, this is one of the more intriguing of the non-BCS games. Some storylines to follow in this one include the matchup of two of the nation’s best running backs in Knowshown Moreno and Javon Ringer, Matthew Stafford potentially playing in his final collegiate game, and the SEC vs. Big 10 debate.

While Ohio State was throttled by SEC teams in the past two national championships, the Big 10 has held their own in other bowl matchups against the SEC in recent seasons.

At the end of the day, I think the Dawgs will have too many weapons and too much speed for the Spartans.

COTTON BOWL: Ole Miss vs. Texas Tech (1/2, 2 PM, FOX)
Mike Leach seemed a little frustrated that Graham Harrell didn’t get invited to New York for the Heisman presentation, didn’t he? Now that the jobs at Tennessee, Auburn, and Washington have been filled, essentially keeping Leach in Lubbock for the time being, he will have plenty of time to develop a game plan that will take out his frustration on the Ole Miss defense.

This will be the Rebels’ first bowl appearance since Eli Manning’s senior season. They have been one of the nation’s biggest surprises under first year coach Houston Nutt, and have the offensive firepower themselves to at least make a game of it.

LIBERTY BOWL: Kentucky vs. East Carolina (1/2, 5 PM, ESPN)
ECU has already defeated both an ACC and a Big East powerhouse on the way to their first league title of any kind in over 30 years (and obviously their first as a member of the youthful Conference USA).

Can they add an SEC opponent to the list? I don’t see why not.

Kentucky is mainly bowl eligible thanks to a cupcake non-conference schedule and wins over arguably the worst two teams in the conference, Arkansas and Mississippi State.

A year after having Andre Woodson at his disposal, Rich Brooks has struggled to find steady quarterback play, and the entire Kentucky offense has been an issue as a result.

INTERNATIONAL BOWL: Buffalo vs. Connecticut (1/3, 12 PM, ESPN 2)
As I mentioned a couple weeks ago in the preview of the MAC Championship Game, this will be Buffalo’s first ever bowl appearance, exactly a half century since segregation in the south prevented them from playing in the Tangerine Bowl.

This game will be a little closer to home in Toronto, and they will get to face off against a familiar foe in UConn.

The Huskies and Bulls have met 16 times in the past, including 10 meetings since 1995. During that time, both programs have made the transition from FCS to FBS, and the move appears to be paying off.

GMAC BOWL: Ball State vs. Tulsa (1/6, 8 PM, ESPN)
Brady Hoke has done a great job building the Ball State program, as witnessed by a 12-1 regular season that accomplished everything except winning the MAC. But at the end of the day, sunshine and money hold more prominence over loyalty, as Hoke appears destined for San Diego State to take over that struggling program.

It will be interesting to see how the Cardinals’ players respond to the adversity of potentially not having their head coach for the school’s first bowl game in a dozen seasons.

They will certainly have their hands full with a Tulsa offense was second in scoring only to their in-state rivals from Norman.