The First 10 Bowl Games You'll See, Know the Winners Now!

The later you play, the bigger the bowl. That may not always be the case, but no matter what you believe, here are the first 10 bowl games you'll see with the possible matchups and winners:

Bowl One—EagleBank Congressional Bowl—Washington, D.C.—12-20-08—11:00am

7-5 Wake Forest vs. 8-6 Navy—Telecast on ESPN

Navy comes in with one more win, but Wake has played a tougher schedule. This could be a very close game, but I give the edge to Wake Forest and their ability to have more defensive stops than navy. Larry's Pick—Wake Forest close

Bowl Two—New Mexico Bowl—Albuquerque, N.M.—12-20-08—2:30 pm

6-6 Colorado State vs. 7-5 Fresno State—Telecast ESPN

Colorado State was lucky to make the cut, and Fresno State may have expected a little better this year. Fresno is a more solid team and should take out Colorado State by the third quarter. Larry's Pick—Fresno State by 7

Bowl Three—The MagicJack—St. Petersburg Bowl—St. Pete, Fl.—12-20-08—4:30 pm

7-5 South Florida vs. 6-6 Memphis—Telecast ESPN2

South Florida was hoping at the first of the year to be in a much higher bowl. Memphis is glad to just be here. I'm glad they're so happy, and I hope they enjoy all the bowl game parties and festivities because they won't enjoy the game. South Florida ends this year with an exclamation mark. Larry's Pick—South Florida by three scores

Bowl Four—The Pioneer Bowl—Las Vegas, Nv.—12-20-08—8:00pm

10-2 BYU vs. 7-5 Arizona—Telecast ESPN

BYU would be wise not to overlook this 7-5 team. BYU spent the first half of the season hoping to be a BCS buster until a 10-2 TCU and an undefeated Utah busted that dream. The sad thing is BYU was blown out in both those games. Vegas has BYU an early three-point favorite, but this is my first upset pick. Larry's Pick—Arizona by 4

Bowl Five—The R+L Carriers Bowl—New Orleans, La.—12-21-08—8:15pm

6-6 Southern Miss vs. 8-4 Troy—Telecast ESPN

Troy is only a three-point favorite with Vegas, and I wonder what they're smoking. This ain't Jeff Bower's Southern Miss anymore, and Troy is the little engine that could. If you're a sporting man, this is the one to bet the house on. Larry's pick—Troy BIG!

Bowl Six—Poinsettia Bowl—San Diego, Ca.—12-23-08—8:00pm

12-0 Boise State vs. 10-2 TCU—Telecast ESPN

Boise State is upset having to play a December Bowl, but this is a great TCU team that is the best matchup so far this year. Vegas sees it as a "pick 'em", but I say we understand what the voters in the polls knew all year long and why Boise State was never shown the love they wanted. Larry's Pick—TCU by 9

Bowl Seven—Hawaii Bowl—Honolulu, Hi.—12-24-2008—8:00pm

6-6 Notre Dame vs. 7-6 Hawaii—Telecast ESPN

The least deserving team in the entire bowl schedule, Notre Dame, fights past tradition and actually takes the invite to a loser's bowl. Much has been made over how many years it's been since they've won a bowl game. Hawaii is not a good team. They've been blown out more that a dragster's exhaust pipes, but hey, they're playing Notre Dame. Larry Pick—Hawaii

Bowl Eight—The Motor City Bowl—Detroit, Mi.—12-26-08—8:00pm

8-4 Central Michigan vs. 6-6 Florida Atlantic—Telecast ESPN

You don't give Howard Schnellenberger a month to prepare for a game and expect him to lose. Central Michigan has a better record, FAU has a better coach. That makes the difference in this game. Larry's Pick—FAU by 7

Bowl Nine—The Meineke Car Care Bowl—Charlotte, N.C.—12-27-08—1:00 pm

8-4 North Carolina vs. 8-4 West Virginia—Telecast ESPN

Two 8-4 teams in well-matched bowl means this will be one worth watching. I've learned the hard way over the years never to bet against these mountain men in bowl games, and I think they pull another one out while Coach Rod watches and dreams about what would be if he had stayed.  Larry's pick—WVU by 4

Bowl Ten—The Champs Sports Bowl—Orlando, Fl.—12-27-08—4:30pm

8-4 Florida State vs. 7-5 Wisconsin

These boys from Wisconsin have a nasty habit of beating up on Southern teams in bowl games, but this hasn't been a year that they will want to remember.  Bobby Bowden's boys have finally settled on a QB and Mickey Andrews will have the defense ready.  Las Vegas says Wisconsin by six.  Are they crazy?  This is a home game for the Seminoles and the fans will make the difference.  Larry's Pick—FSU by 3

And there you have it. The first 10 games you'll see this bowl season. Most of these will be better matchups than the BCS bowl games, where I think only the big one, Florida vs. Oklahoma could be close throughout. 

So go now and stock up on popcorn, chips and your favorite cold, refreshing adult beverages, and get ready for the grand finale of college football 2008 edition.  It has been an interesting year, and I'm sure there are more turns to come in the next set of bowl games. 

The next 10 bowl games and picks are coming up soon. Stay tuned, same address, same author.