College Football Bowl Picks 2012: Sneaky Matchups That Will Go Down to Wire

Predicting the outcomes of collegiate bowl games is very difficult, as it's a tall task to pick out the sneaky matchups from the straightforward ones. 

Bowl games are exciting because they tend to pit two unfamiliar teams against each other. Clashes between teams with different football ideologies are interesting to behold, because it's difficult to anticipate how inter-conference matchups will unfold. 

For example, contests between the SEC and Pac-12 tend to showcase hard hitting Southern teams against the high-octane attacks from schools on the West Coast. 

When previewing bowl games, sometimes too much of an emphasis is placed on an expected advantage. This leads to inflated point spreads and creates unrealistic expectations.

Sun Bowl: Georgia Tech vs USC

One of the country's most explosive passing attacks will face off against a dominating ground assault as the USC Trojans and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets are set to face off in the Sun Bowl. 

The Trojans entered this season with National Championship aspirations, so to be playing in the Sun Bowl is nothing short of a crushing disappointment. 

The Yellow Jackets are fortunate to even be in a bowl game, as they are 6-7 despite playing in the lackluster ACC Coastal division. 

According to Vegas.com, the Hilton has USC favored by 10 points over Georgia Tech.

While USC should be favored in the game, they should not be laying double-digit points to the Yellow Jackets. Georgia Tech will focus on controlling the ball, because Matt Barkley cannot torch them through the air when he is standing on the sideline. 

This game is going to be much closer than most people are anticipating, as USC has nothing to gain and could come out lethargic and unmotivated. 

Orange Bowl: Northern Illinois vs Florida State

This is the David versus Goliath matchup this year, as the 15th-ranked Northern Illinois Huskies face off against the ACC Champion Florida State Seminoles in the Orange Bowl. 

Northern Illinois crashed the BCS for the first time in their history but are now presented with another daunting task. 

FSU's athletic defense is ranked second in yards allowed and seventh in scoring, which easily makes them the toughest unit that Huskies quarterback Jordan Lynch has faced in his collegiate career. 

The Seminoles defense has been hit with injuries, as stud defensive end Tank Carradine will miss the game due to a torn ACL. His absence should make matters slightly easier for Lynch, although FSU has plenty of young players that are eager to make the most of this opportunity. 

According to Vegas.com, the MGM Casino has the Seminoles favored by 13.5 points. While FSU has more talent than Northern Illinois, it's difficult to trust the Seminoles to cover that spread due to their inconsistent offense. 

This game will be closer than the point spread, as the Huskies will leave everything on the field to prove that they deserved their BCS bowl berth. 

BCS National Championship Game: Alabama vs Notre Dame

This is the game everyone is waiting for, as it is a dream matchup between two longstanding college football powerhouses. 

Notre Dame and Alabama both have elite defenses, so this game will be won by the team that executes better on offense. 

Even though the Fighting Irish are the undefeated No. 1 team in country, Vegas favors the Crimson Tide by 9.5 points. 

Alabama has earned the respect of everyone due to their staying power under Nick Saban. That being said, the current point spread is too high.

Alabama lost to Texas A&M at home, and squeaked out two close victories over LSU and Georgia. While each member of that trio had a good season, those close encounters should have discouraged the line from opening at such a high number in Bama's favor.

Notre Dame will keep this game close by playing good defense and by limiting turnovers, as the title game should go down to the wire.