Bowl Games 2010: Macho Rhino College Football Bowl Selections, December 26-28

I rebounded after a poor start to the bowl season to get my record to 4-3, and I’m ready to make a charge through bowl week now with a string of winners.  Bowl games now start coming at us daily this week, so it’s a great time to be a college football fan.

December 26

Little Caesars Bowl, Florida International (6-6) vs. Toledo (8-4)

This is FIU’s first bowl game in its nine-year football history.  They rallied, winning four of five to end the year, to get bowl eligible.  Toledo is getting back to a bowl for the first time in five years, finishing second in the MAC’s West Division.  I think this is a close back-and-forth game, but FIU will make a play late to get a big win for their program.

My Pick: Florida International 28, Toledo 27

December 27

AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl, Georgia Tech (6-6) vs. Air Force (8-4)

Tech lost Josh Nesbitt late in the year and will be playing without him.  That really hurt their option game.  Both of these teams play the same style of triple option, so they should be very familiar with what the other team will do, and it’ll simply come down to execution.  I think Paul Johnson’s familiarity with Air Force from his days at Navy will make the difference.

My Pick: Georgia Tech 30, Air Force 28

December 28

Champs Sports Bowl, West Virginia (9-3) vs. NC State (8-4)

West Virginia was in contention for the Big East Championship and a BCS bowl but fell short and now plays a good Wolfpack team.  West Virginia has one of the nation’s best defenses, but that’s against a weak Big East.  Russell Wilson had a great year for N.C. State and should be ready to take on that Mountaineer D.  This should be a great game to watch.  

My Pick: West Virginia 30, NC State 24

Insight Bowl, Missouri (10-2) vs. Iowa (7-5)

A big game for both conferences.  The Big XII and Big Ten collide in a few bowl games, and they're big for conference reputation.  This is a great matchup in Tempe, despite the off-field incidents for Iowa between the end of the season and the bowl game.  Missouri comes in with a good pass rush that will be coming after Iowa’s Ricky Stanzi.  Adrian Clayborn will lead the Hawkeyes defense against the spread attack of the Tigers.  I think this game comes down to coaching, and Kirk Ferentz is an excellent coach and will have his team ready for this bowl game.

My Pick: Iowa 31, Missouri 27

Check back on December 29 for picks on the final bowl games of 2010!