Alabama vs. LSU Rematch: Countdown to the BCS National Championship

Bowls played: 33          Bowls left:  1

LAST BOWL GAME BEFORE THE BCS NCG: GoDaddy Bowl on 1/8/2012 at 9 PM

BCS National Championship Game: January 9, 2012

My bowl record so far: 21-9, not good, but I'll take it as a Featured Columnist for an SEC team

(I'm 6-1 in the SEC bowl games, as Georgia dropped a 16-point halftime lead over Michigan State.)

As Alabama approaches the zero-hour for the chance to play for National Championship No. 14, I've been watching the bowl games to bide my time.

I'm a huge Alabama fan, and can't wait for Jan. 9 to come around.

Other than that, I am very interested in good football.

Bowl season kicked off Saturday with a very lopsided New Mexico Bowl, and this is a slide show I will update after every bowl game leading up to the BCS national championship game.

If you're mildly curious as to the scores of other bowls, bookmark this article.

At the beginning of this intro, in bold print, will be the current number of bowls left before the big game.

If you're interested in that information, bookmark this article, and come check on it periodically.

(Final scores will be in the slide titles, so you don't have to scroll to get the information you are looking for.)

34—New Mexico Bowl: Temple 37, Wyoming 15

Temple established the rushing game early, and dismantled Wyoming completely.

Temple successfully proved that they should not have been snubbed from the 2010 bowl season.

The score was actually much worse than the final leads you to believe, as Wyoming's first touchdown was immediately answered by Temple with a 61-yard TD pass with under 30 seconds remaining in the first half.

The last drive of the game was Wyoming's TD and two-point conversion.

Temple is on the rise, and looks to make many, many more bowl appearances as time goes on.

The Big East may be knocking on their door to ask for a return.

I say to Temple, "Be careful." Being invited back into the Big East is a testament to how well the school has turned around.

The question is: is the Big East a conference that's already circling the drain?

Temple, I look forward to seeing you in bowls...just not the "flushy" kind.

33—Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Ohio 24, Utah State 23

Ohio's QB (Tettleton) scored on a one-yard run into the end zone to tie the game at 23.

The made PAT gave Ohio the lead with time left for one or two plays after kickoff for Utah State.

That completed a comeback four quarters in the making. Ohio provided what could end up the most exciting non-BCS bowl this year.

There is MUCH more football to be played, though, so I can't say that's a definite yet.

Utah State made a valiant effort at lateraling the ball off to each other to attempt the glorious victory, but the last lateral was caught by Ohio to secure the one-point victory.

This bowl victory marks the first bowl victory in Ohio's history.

32—New Orleans Bowl: Louisiana-Lafayette 32, San Diego State 30

Louisiana-Lafayette was playing in their first postseason game in 41 years, and they showed up like they wanted to make memories.

UL-Lafayette was preseason-ranked 120/120 in the FBS, and (obviously) last in the Sun Belt Conference.

They are yet another proof (along with Florida and Oklahoma) that the preseason rankings don't mean anything...at all.

The Ragin' Cajuns came out making a statement with their play, putting San Diego State down by 16 in the third quarter.

The "Comeback Aztecs" had something to say about that, taking the lead 30-29 with 35 seconds to go in the game.

Lafayette pulled up to kick a 55-yard FG to win the game, when the Aztecs committed an "illegal spitting" penalty for 5 yards. (No, that is not a joke.)

The Cajuns' kicker, Brett Baer hit a game-winning career-long 50-yard field goal as time expired to bring the 2011 Cajuns the bowl win.

31—Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl: Marshall 20, FIU 10

Kickoff is set for 8:00 PM on Tuesday, December 20, 2011 on ESPN.

FIU brings an 8-4 season into the postseason against Marshall's 6-6 record.

In passing yards, points for, rushing yards and points against, the Golden Panthers outrank the Thundering Herd in all four categories.

Stats get thrown out the window when we enter bowl season, but Marshall has an uphill battle ahead of them on Tuesday.

Straight-up pick: FIU beats Marshall

I was wrong. At the beginning of the fourth quarter, the score was tied at 10.

Marshall blocked an FIU punt and recovered. They were stuffed and kicked the go-ahead FG.

On a fourth-and-five on their next drive, they went for it and scored a TD.

I lead off the bowl season with an incorrect pick, although special teams was the difference.

Marshall's Thundering Herd proved to be the difference in the fourth quarter.

Defense did make the difference, but it was not the FIU defense as I had thought.

McDanal's bowl record so far: 0-1

30—Poinsettia Bowl: TCU 31, Louisiana Tech 24

Kickoff is set for 8:00 PM on Wednesday, December 21, 2011 on ESPN.

This bowl pits the number one from the MWC against the number one from the MAC.

This will be an interesting game, as most bowls usually are.

These defenses are closely matched, and it will be up to one of them to prove that they are the better of the two.

TCU has the better rushing attack by far, and that could very well be the key to this game.

If TCU establishes the run, it will be a long night for the Bulldogs.

Straight-up pick: TCU beats the Bulldogs.

TCU established the run game and that made the difference.

The go-ahead TD in the fourth quarter was off a blitz package from the defense.

Pachall changed the play when he saw blitz; his receiver, Dawson, did the rest by beating the safety.

Didn't look much harder than backyard football on that play. That's what these guys do.

They make it look easy. :)

McDanal's bowl record so far: 1-1

29—Las Vegas Bowl: Boise State 56, Arizona State 24

Kickoff is set for 8:00 PM on Thursday, December 22, 2011 on ESPN.

The Broncos boast an 11-1 record hailing from the MWC. They will face 6-6 Arizona State coming out of the Pac-12.

This is a game of quarterbacking and defense.

The Sun Devils took down USC earlier in the year. USC took down the Oregon Ducks and almost stifled the Stanford Cardinal.

With that quality of a win, it would be easy to pick Arizona State over the Broncos.

My straight-up pick, however is: Boise State.

Boise State continues to show up in the national picture, and they know a loss here to a mediocre Pac-12 team would derail their shot at a title next year.

I believe they will play accordingly, and take down the Sun Devils.

They certainly did. There was no back-and-forth to write about.

"Veni, vidi, vici." (I came, I saw, I conquered.)

McDanal's bowl record so far: 2-1

28—Hawaii Bowl: Southern Mississippi 24, Nevada 17

Southern Miss takes down Nevada after a ridiculously flat first three quarters.

Southern Miss (11-2) is the Conference USA Champion after dismantling Houston; Nevada is second in the WAC with a 7-5 record.

Statistically, Nevada is outmatched in this particular game, but have a decided advantage in the rushing game.

If Nevada can open up the Golden Eagles' defense and establish the run early, they can pull the upset here.

Straight-up pick: Southern Miss. I don't think they'll let their guard down after the C-USA Championship romp over Houston.

Nevada came out ready to play this game, and Southern Miss came out flat.

A couple of scores in the waning minutes of the first half gave the Golden Eagles the lead entering halftime, but Nevada knotted it up in the third quarter.

Late in the game, USM seemed to find some semblance of a rhythm and took the game in the fourth quarter.

McDanal's bowl record so far: 3-1

27—Independence Bowl: Missouri 41, North Carolina 24

Kickoff is set for 5:00 PM on Monday, December 26, 2011 on ESPN2.

I have the Live Blog for this game, so if you are interested in the game but not interested enough to watch, the link is here.

Missouri is a welcome addition to the SEC East as an answer to Texas A&M's coming to the West.

While UNC has a slight advantage in the passing game, Mizzou has a huge advantage in the rushing attack.

Score-board-ally speaking, these defenses are even.

Missouri should take advantage of the rush to wear the UNC defense down and pull away in the second half if not sooner.

If they do that, they will make a permanent SEC mark on UNC.

I'm interested to see if Mizzou bears the mark of an SEC team already. No doubt they will in time, but I'm looking for the classic "SEC" brand in this game.

Straight-up pick: Missouri.

Missouri came out and played SEC ball, down to answering UNC's first score with 31 points before UNC tallied up a FG to end the first half.

McDanal's bowl record so far: 4-1

26—Little Caesar's Bowl: Purdue 37, Western Michigan 32

Kickoff is set for 4:30 PM on Tuesday, December 27, 2011 on ESPN.

Purdue and Western Michigan are both third-place in their respective divisions.

This is essentially an even Big-Ten vs. MAC showdown.

Western Michigan is going to come out with guns blazing, attempting to spread Purdue so thin that their defense becomes ineffective.

Purdue knows that's going to happen, and will prepare accordingly.

Not all the bowls can go the way the stats say they should.

I believe the Broncos can outgun the Boilermakers, and against my natural tendency will not pick the Big-Ten to come out of this one with a "W."

Straight-up pick: Western Michigan.

Word of the game, "Protection." Turnovers ended up killing the Broncos' offense, especially at the end of the game.

Purdue recovered two on-side kicks in the first half, and that made all the difference in the world.

McDanal's bowl record so far:4-2

25—Belk Bowl: NC State 31, Louisville 24

Kickoff is set for 8:00 PM on Tuesday, December 27, 2011 on ESPN.

NC State has come out and won some noticeable games this year, the most recent over Clemson and Maryland.

NC State and Louisville are quite evenly matched. I would love to have known I would be an FC by now, as I would have credentials to attend this game as a member of the press.

Sadly, I will be watching from home about two hours north of the game.

In any event, I see NC State pulling out yet another comeback in this one.

Louisville will come out and take the lead early and keep it for a couple of quarters.

NC State will make a comeback a-la the Maryland game, and put Louisville away late in the second half.

Straight-up pick: NC State.

NC State didn't have to make a comeback, but they did have to hold one off. Louisville came within 7, and had the ball in the waning minutes of the game.

They threw an interception on 4th-and-23, and NC State knelt out the clock to end it.

McDanal's bowl record so far: 5-2

24—Military Bowl: Toledo 42, Air Force 41

Kickoff is set for 4:30 PM on Wednesday, December 28, 2011 on ESPN.

Normally, I would dog on the Air Force since I come from a family of Navy and Marine veterans.

Today is a normal day.

Toledo beat Temple and Air Force lost to Wyoming.

This is much later in the year, of course, but Temple just mopped the field with Wyoming in the New Mexico Bowl.

The Rockets have a much better-balanced attack, and that should prove to be too much for the Falcons to handle.

Straight-up pick: Toledo

Air Force missed an opportunity at the end of the game. They went for two to seal the game in regulation and didn't get it.

I applaud the guts to try to win the game as opposed to simply trying not to lose it, but Toledo got the "W." (Not by as much as I thought they would, though.)

McDanal's bowl record so far: 6-2.

23—Holiday Bowl: Texas 21, California 10

Kickoff is set for 8:00 PM on Wednesday, December 28, 2011 on ESPN.

California's pass vs. Texas' rush.

I think the edge has to go to Cal statistically, but Texas is playing with the recent Baylor rout as motivation to become relevant.

With all Texas has gone through this year, the time off between their last game and this one could prove to make the difference.

Straight-up pick: Texas.

Cal drew first blood, but Texas responded, and it was almost all Texas for the rest of the bowl.

McDanal's bowl record so far: 7-2. (I'm not dead yet...I'm getting better, lol)

22—Champs Sports Bowl: Florida State 18, Notre Dame 14

Kickoff is set for 5:30 PM on Thursday, December 29, 2011 on ESPN.

The Fighting Irish have a worthy opponent in FSU.

FSU is ranked fourth in the nation in defense as far as the scoreboard goes.

With a tough game in store for both teams, I'm giving the nod to Florida State.

With fairly even rankings in passing, rushing and points scored, I believe FSU's defense is the difference in this game.

That said, there is only one common regular-season opponent: Wake Forest.

Notre Dame beat the Deacons and FSU lost to them.

Straight-up pick: Florida State.

The beginning of this game had me very concerned, as one more incorrect pick puts me in a very precarious position for my picking percentage. I'd like to enter 2012 with the possibility of picking better than 90 percent.

Florida State rallied in the last quarter to seal a victory that looked for much of the game to be out of reach.

McDanal's bowl record so far: 8-2

21—Alamo Bowl: Baylor 67, Washington 56

Kickoff is set for 9:00 PM on Thursday, December 29, 2011 on ESPN.

This one is going to be short and sweet.

Baylor has Robert Griffin III, the current Heisman winner.

Baylor owns almost every statistical advantage, and they have RGIII.

Straight-up pick: Baylor

WOW! That game was ridiculous! When the dust settled, a combined 123 point were scored. That fell two points shy of the FBS bowl record of 125.

Baylor and Washington did combine to put more yards on the record than any bowl before them.

Long story short, Baylor came back to outscore the opposition 67-56. RG III proved the Heisman committee right in choosing him as their 2011 inductee by his clutch performance in the waning minutes of the Alamo Bowl.

I owe him a "thank you" for possibly saving my pick record as well. One more wrong, and my shot at 90-plus percent is gone for this year's bowl season.

McDanal's bowl record so far: 9-2.

20—Armed Forces Bowl: Brigham Young 24, Tulsa 21

Kickoff is set for Noon on Friday, December 30, 2011 on ESPN.

Tulsa has lost only to teams ranked in the top 25 so far this year.

I don't see that changing, and BYU isn't in the top 25.

BYU has lost to two teams not ranked and one ranked team.

Tulsa will be another unranked team that gets the better of the Cougars.

Straight-up pick: Tulsa.

Seemingly in a Karmic turn of events, BYU came from a four-point deficit to score a TD with 11 seconds left in the game. I say Karmic, because I got the games last night correct due to similar circumstances.

McDanal's bowl record so far: 9-3

19—Pinstripe Bowl: Rutgers 27, Iowa State 17

Kickoff is set for 3:20 PM on Friday, December 30, 2011 on ESPN.

Rutgers will favor the pass, and Iowa State will favor the run.

I think Rutgers defense will come out and show everyone that the Oklahoma State win was a fluke for the Cyclones.

A wonderful fluke for Alabama fans, but a fluke nonetheless.

Straight-up pick: Rutgers.

Rutger did exactly what I predicted, and the game was never really close. Iowa State lost by two touchdowns and proved to the nation that the OSU win was, indeed, a fluke.

McDanal's bowl record so far: 10-3

18—Music City Bowl: Wake Forest vs. Mississippi State

Kickoff is set for 6:40 PM on Friday, December 30, 2011 on ESPN.

Mississippi State has a formidable defense, and has been underrated due to being in the SEC West this year.

Mississippi State has not lost a single out-of-conference game this year, and I don't see the Demon Deacons changing that this year.

It's a shame that Miss State is in the SEC West. At one point the top three teams in the nation were all from that division.

Straight-up pick: Mississippi State.

Mississippi State and Wake Forest both came out playing rusty. It never truly went away throughout the entire game, but Vick Ballard played like he didn't have any rust.

A couple of breakout TD runs led the Bulldogs to the six-point victory.

McDanal's bowl record so far: 11-3

17—Insight Bowl: Oklahoma 31, Iowa 14

Kickoff is set for 10:00 PM on Friday, December 30, 2011 on ESPN.

I don't know why the Hawkeyes were chosen for this event.

Oklahoma was overrated at the beginning of the season, but not THIS overrated.

Even "Choklahoma" can't justify losing this one.

Straight-up pick: Oklahoma.

Oklahoma proved that the Iowa team wasn't on par with them by outscoring them 21-0 through three quarters. Iowa got a little something going in the fourth quarter, but Oklahoma answered their scores with just enough points to keep the game in the two-possession range.

On a brighter note, the SKYCAM fell onto the field with less than three minutes left. It didn't hurt anyone, but caused a delay. We got to see a whole bunch of "Mr. Angry Technician" as he retrieved the extremely expensive paperweight from the middle of the field.

McDanal's bowl record so far: 12-3

16—Meineke Car Care Bowl: Texas A&M 33, Northwestern 22

Kickoff is set for Noon on Saturday, December 31, 2011 on ESPN.

Texas A&M joins the SEC next year along with Missouri.

Texas A&M features a well-balanced attack that will keep the Wildcats on their heels all game long.

I don't see A&M being behind in the first half.

A&M is known for their ability to drop the second half, though, so no guarantees here.

Overall, I think A&M wins, though it may not be pretty to watch.

Straight-up pick: Texas A&M

Wasn't too pretty to watch until the fourth quarter. Northwestern closed the gap to eight points, and it looked as if they would possibly send it into overtime. A&M answered with a field goal, and put the game out of reach barring a major turnover by the Aggies.

Thanks to Texas A&M:

McDanal's bowl record so far: 13-3

15—Sun Bowl: Utah 30, Georgia Tech 27

Kickoff is set for 2:00 on Saturday, December 31, 2011 on CBS.

Georgia Tech has come away with some good wins this season.

I think this will be another situation where the option offense simply runs all over the opposition.

The Yellow Jackets will run all over the Utes.

As a 'Bama fan, that makes me smile a little bit.

Straight-up pick: Georgia Tech.

Halfway through the fourth quarter, Georgia Tech led 24-10. After that, it was all Utah with two TD's to tie the game in regulation.

Georgia Tech made a field goal in OT, and Utah got a TD to win it by three.

McDanal's bowl record so far: 13-4

14—Liberty Bowl: Cincinatti 31, Vanderbilt 24

Kickoff is set for 3:30 PM on Saturday, December 31, 2011 on ABC.

Vanderbilt is a program on the rise, and has surprised us all by becoming bowl-eligible this year.

Franklin is doing some wonderful things with the Commodores.

I don't think they're ready to beat Cincy this year, but next year should be a much different story.

As an avid SEC fan, it pains me to say this:

Straight-up pick: Cincinatti.

Vanderbilt came out and proved that they were ready to be in the postseason for a while. Ultimately, they were not quite ready for Cincinatti. That may be a completely different story next year.

McDanal's bowl record so far: 14-4

13—Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl: Illinois 20, UCLA 14

Kickoff is set for 3:30 on Saturday, December 31 on ESPN.

UCLA is coming off two very tough games that no one expected them to win.

Illinois is coming off a losing streak that no one expected.

UCLA has just put up a decent showing against Oregon by posting 31 points.

Statistics say that the Fighting Illini should have their way with the Bruins.

I think this is an upset waiting to happen.

Straight-up pick: UCLA

This was a rough day for my picking record; with four bowls down, I'm already 2-2 on the day.

Illinois was a complete surprise, even after seeing Oregon embarrass UCLA. However, the Illini came out and just owned UCLA. UCLA was up by four entering halftime, but Illinois proved to make the better second-half adjustments. They outscored UCLA 17-7 in the second half to bring home the bowl victory.

McDanal's bowl record so far: 14-5

12—Chick-Fil-a Bowl: Auburn 43, Virginia 24

Kickoff is set for 7:30 PM on Saturday, December 31, 2011 on ESPN.

Auburn is coming into bowl season rather unexpectedly.

With the losses of Cam Newton and Nick Fairley, no one really expected Auburn to win anything important until the 2012-2013 season.

The Tigers proved us all wrong and earned a bowl berth anyway.

Auburn's stats are skewed by having to play Alabama, LSU, Arkansas and Georgia.

That's a brutal schedule this year.

I don't see the Tigers coming all this way this season just to lose to Virginia.

Straight-up pick: Auburn.

Auburn dominated Virginia after the first quarter. Virginia scored first, and Auburn answered to tie it up in the first quarter. After that, Auburn outscored Virginia in every one of the remaining quarters to bring home a decisive victory.

McDanal's bowl record so far: 15-5 (At least I'm perfect in picking SEC games.)

11—TicketCity Bowl: Houston 30, Penn State 14

Kickoff is set for Noon on Monday, January 2, 2012 on ESPNU.

Penn State would normally be my pick in a battle of conference championship runners-up.

However, the manner in which the Lions fell to the Badgers suggests otherwise.

Houston will show up with something to prove...

...and a quarterback to prove it with in Keenum.

Straight-up pick: Houston.

Houston pretty much did what I thought. They came out and just overall played better football than the Nittany Lions.

McDanal's bowl record so far: 16-5

10—Outback Bowl: Michigan State 33, Georgia 30 (3OT)

Kickoff is set for 1:00 PM on Monday, January 2, 2012 on ABC.

Georgia held the number-one LSU Tigers to zero first downs in the first half of the SEC Championship Game this year.

That accomplishment says it all to me.

Georgia has spent the entire season proving that their first two losses were out-of-character.

I'm just sorry Michigan State has to go against two SEC teams in a row in bowls.

Georgia will not be denied the bowl-win feather in its cap this year.

Don't look for many dropped passes in the end zone to help the Spartans out this time.

The game tape from LSU will be memorized by now, and the receivers will be ready this time around with almost a month to prepare.

Straight-up pick: Georgia.

Well, Georgia did what Georgia does in big games like the SEC Championship Game. They came out in the first half and showed Michigan State how rough the game was going to be, and then just decided that halftime was when they would stop playing football.

The Bulldogs blew a 16-0 halftime lead to let the Spartans into triple overtime to score the game-winning field goal.

McDanal's bowl record so far: 16-6

9—Capital One Bowl: South Carolina 30, Nebraska 13

Kickoff is set for 1:00 PM on Monday, January 2, 2012 on ESPN.

This is yet another bowl that features a team hailing from the SEC.

I know that I will be TiVo-ing two of the three games that start at 1 PM on January 2.

I'll be fighting hard not to know anything about the other two games, but it will be an exercise in futility.

South Carolina's defense is a monster, with many players departing after this bowl game.

Rest assured that they will be out to make a memorable last game at the expense of the Cornhuskers.

If they show up and play like they did against Clemson, this game will be over in the third quarter.

Straight-up pick: South Carolina.

South Carolina came out and did much better than I thought they would. I knew they just needed some time to get used to their new quarterback after Garcia's expulsion. I thought it would take longer than just a month to put together a show like this, but apparently not.

McDanal's bowl record so far: 17-6

8—Gator Bowl: Florida 24, Ohio State 17

Kickoff is set for 1:00 PM on Monday, January 2 on ESPN2.

I'm not so thrilled about having to switch among three games on this date, but the SEC being in three games on January 2 is something I'm definitely thrilled about.

I love it when the SEC shows up big during bowl season.

I don't know where to begin when predicting this game.

Ohio State has had a horrible season by their standards, and Florida hasn't been the same since 'Bama knocked out their starting QB.

I think I have to give the nod to Florida, who should be well-healed and well-practiced for this game.

Injury and youth have plagued the Gators this year. A month of practice and time off should take care of both those issues.

Straight-up pick: Florida.

Florida certainly proved that they were merely lacking experience and practice after a disappointing 2011 season. They ended the season on a high note with a defeat of the storied Ohio State program. For Ohio State fans, the return of Urban Meyer to his alma mater cannot come soon enough.

McDanal's bowl record so far: 18-6

7—Rose Bowl: Oregon 45, Wisconsin 38

Kickoff is set for 5:00 PM on Monday, January 2, 2012 on ESPN.

Oregon has had a great year. If it weren't for the season-opening loss to LSU, they would likely be playing in the BCS National Championship for a second year in a row.

Wisconsin had a couple of Hail Mary's go the oppositions' way in the middle of the season. (Both confirmed on the video review.)

If not for those two plays, Wisconsin is undefeated and playing LSU in the title game as well.

Both these teams are a breath away from a national championship, and they will come out playing that way.

I give the nod to Oregon. I can't see a team that beat Stanford losing to the Badgers.

Straight-up pick: Oregon.

Oregon won a very entertaining game, which is in keeping with this bowl season. I have yet to see a game that wasn't a great one to watch as a fan. Wisconsin came out and kept the lead (or a tie game) all the way through the first half.

The second half was Wisconsin's downfall, but not at all by much.

McDanal's bowl record so far: 19-6

6—Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma State 41, Stanford 38 (OT)

Kickoff is set for 8:30 PM on Monday, January 2, 2012 on ESPN.

This is a game I will be staying up to watch, regardless of how long the start is delayed waiting for the Rose Bowl to end.

Oklahoma State is one Iowa State game away from a national championship.

Stanford is one quack away from being the Pac-12 Champion and playing LSU for the same title.

Oklahoma State and Stanford will have a battle royale for who got shafted the hardest.

These two teams take the field with huge chips on their shoulders. How fitting that they would be placed in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl.

Stanford's defense will be the deciding factor in this game.

Straight-up pick: Stanford.

Another swing and a miss by McDanal. Stanford came out and proved that they simply didn't have an answer for Justin Blackmon. The only time the game looked good for Stanford was when Blackmon wasn't on the other end of Weeden's passes.

When the game went into overtime, Stanford placed the game in the hands of the rushing attack. I don't know if that was a David Shaw decision, or if Andrew Luck just went for the run game himself. In tough games, you put the ball in the hands of your playmakers.

For OSU, it was Blackmon, and he got them into OT. For Stanford, that playmaker is Luck, and he was conspicuously absent from the OT period.

McDanal's bowl record so far: 19-7

5—Sugar Bowl: Michigan 23, Virginia Tech 20 (OT)

Kickoff is set for 8:30 PM on Tuesday, January 4, 2012 on ESPN.

Michigan vs. Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl...hmmm.

I have a LOT to write about this game, but most of it is going in my "Perfect Playoff System" article.

This article kindly handcuffs me into simply discussing the game. (Yay!)

Michigan has advantages over Virginia Tech in many areas.

The only advantage Virginia Tech has is the passing game.

Michigan's defense should take care of that.

Michigan should run all over a team that lost to Clemson twice...in blowouts.

Straight-up pick: Michigan.

In what turned out to be a much closer game than I thought, Va. Tech took Michigan all the way into OT. I saw a LOT more OT in this postseason than I expected, and I enjoyed every minute of it. (Yes, even when it made my pick wrong, I still loved watching it happen.)

Michigan pulled out a tough win that should put them into the 2012 preseason top 10.

McDanal's bowl record so far: 20-7

4—Orange Bowl: West Virginia 70, Clemson 33 (No, Not a Basketball Game)

Kickoff is set for 8:30 PM on Wednesday, January 4, 2012 on ESPN.

Clemson has had an amazing year, and is in the Orange Bowl for the first time since their 1981 National Championship season.

This game is one of the most statistically matched bowl games of the year.

It will be a tough game, and most likely not be decided until the fourth quarter.

Clemson's balanced offense will give the Mountaineers a lot of trouble.

The West Virginia one-sided offense will be easily suppressed.

Look for Clemson to win this one in a big way late in the game...or drop the game entirely by the third quarter.

Straight-up pick: Clemson.

Clemson and West Virginia was supposed to be a game, and it was...in the first quarter. After that, it's pretty much a highlight reel for the Big East and West Virginia.

I don't even know what to say here. West Virginia broke almost every record there was available to break offensively, and Clemson...well...Clemson was on the field. This game was just plain over at halftime with a score of 49-20 in favor of the Mountaineers.

Congratulations to West Virginia for breaking an off-the-field record, as well: making me wrong by more points than I have ever been wrong before. :)

McDanal's bowl record so far: 20-8, at least this still only counts as one wrong

3—Cotton Bowl: Arkansas 29, Kansas State 16

Kickoff is set for 8:00 PM on Friday, January 6, 2012 on FOX.

The only edge Kansas State brings into this game is rushing yards per game, where they average 55.6 more yards per game than Arkansas.

I know, "The Big 12 is better than the SEC this year." I've been hearing it from Big 12 fans all year.

Well, this game will show you that the SEC wasn't overrated when it occupied the top three spots in the BCS Rankings late in the regular season.

Look for Arkansas to make a huge statement for the SEC in this game.

"Big 12, you never had me, you never had your championship," a-la Fast and the Furious.

Straight-up pick: Arkansas, third in the SEC West, and third in the nation as far as this 'Bama fan is concerned.

Arkansas just outplayed Kansas State. I expected this game to be higher-scoring than it was, and I expected points from both teams. It was a great game, and Kansas State was never out of the game at all.

It was a very good game, and I'm not really looking forward to the next two bowls. I'm a fan of watching all the conferences compete, I just like it in the normal order. (Lowest ranked teams to highest ranked teams.)

On the bright side, at least I have college football to watch, right?

McDanal's bowl record so far: 21-8

2—BBVA Compass Bowl: SMU 28, Pittsburgh 6

Kickoff is set for 1:00 PM on Saturday, January 7, 2012 on ESPN.

This is one of two non-BCS bowls squished into the middle of the "real" bowls in order to garner more TV ratings.

Hence, the Pitt vs. SMU game becomes virtually relevant.

Long story short: in a battle of very evenly-matched teams, I give the nod to Pitt. SMU has a better passing game, but I don't think it will be enough.

All-in-all on paper it looks to be a very entertaining game, and I will more than likely watch it from beginning to end.

Straight-up pick: Pittsburgh.

SMU came out and just overran Pitt for the entire game. It was pretty ugly for Pitt, in all honesty. The best thing about this game for me was the fact that Clemson already dropped a huge loss to West Virginia, so the SMU game wasn't my WORST pick on the postseason. That's a pretty low highlight for me.

Of course, in the grand scheme of the SEC, it's not too bad a bowl season for me so far, as I've only gotten one game wrong that included an SEC team.

McDanal's bowl record so far: 21-9. (6-1 picking SEC bowls.)

1—Go Daddy Bowl: Northern Illinois 38, Arkansas State 20

Kickoff is set for 9:00 PM on Sunday, January 8, 2012 on ESPN.

The GoDaddy Bowl is the other "virtually relevant" bowl stuck in between the Cotton Bowl and the BCS title game.

This one should be a shootout, but I don't think Northern Illinois is ready for the Arkansas State defense.

On paper, this should be a basketball game with a final score around 60-50.

I think Arkansas State steps up defensively and the Red Wolves' offense slices up the 90th-ranked Huskies defense and wins in a blowout.

Straight-up pick: Arkansas State.

Or...Northern Illinois re-assert's the state's dominance over their opponents in bowl season. I got both the Illinois teams' bowls wrong, along with quite a few others.

My home is in the SEC, and this bowl season has taught me that I have much still to learn.

McDanal's bowl record so far: 21-10 (5-1 in the SEC) (Thanks, Georgia.)

The only game left is the "big one."

Liftoff—BCS National Championship Game: Alabama 21, LSU 0

Countdown is over!

The moment we 'Bama fans have been hoping for since November 5th is here!

I don't need to bore you with stats here, as we at B/R have been writing about this game for months.

Long story short, the only place LSU belongs above Alabama is in their heads.

'Bama owned almost everything during the last game except for the scoreboard, and it's not like LSU was ever ahead until OT.

(The Tide had more first downs, spent more time in LSU territory, and had more total yards of offense. LSU had the ball for less than 30 minutes of the game.)

LSU has outperformed 'Bama week-in and week-out, or so the pundits would have you believe. ('Bama has an almost identical margin of victory over common opponents, and the Florida situation was definitely a gift to LSU.)

They beat MANY (overrated) top-10 teams on their way to this national championship.

They earned it, except for that one game against those red people who outright wiped the field with them. ('Bama had no issue crossing the 50 in that game. It was almost a "gimme" to get into LSU territory.)

BUT WAIT!!! LSU won that game in OT by three whole points, so clearly they're better than those other guys!!!

Not so fast, Tigers. You left doubt on the field in November, and fate has seen that one last game will be played between these two amazing defenses.

The game that will leave no doubt.

Alabama will roll into New Orleans ("neutral" territory), and play like the monsters they are to remove all doubt.

I do not predict a split national championship. I see no co-champion. (Regardless of victor.)

Straight-up pick: ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE!

Reauxll Tide Reauxll!!!

McDanal's 2011-2012 postseason bowl record: 22-10 with a 6-1 record in the SEC. (8-1 if you count the two new kids.)