2011 Bowl Predictions: Which BCS Bowl Games Will Fail to Live Up to Hype?

The meat of the bowl season has yet to arrive, but that doesn’t stop the hype machine.

The officials who actually like this bowl system have been using the past two weeks to try and sell a bunch of bowl games that really don’t matter.

While the LSU vs. Alabama national championship game will be a bloodbath, and the Fiesta Bowl between Oklahoma State and Stanford may yield 100 points, not every matchup is created equal.  

Here are three bowl games that are getting far more hype than they should. 

TicketCity Bowl: Houston (12-1) vs. Penn State (9-3)

The buildup surrounding this bowl game has nothing to do with anything on the field. The Nittany Lions got screwed out of a bigger bowl game because of the ongoing Jerry Sandusky saga and are more than likely ready for their incredibly difficult season to end. It’s highly unlikely PSU comes out with much emotion.

Ditto for a Houston team that completely blew its shot at a BCS bowl in the Conference USA championship on the final day of the season. Case Keenum picked a bad time to play his worst game of the season and has likely shifted his focus on the NFL during this huge layoff.

Expect the energy and the focus in this game to be brutal on both sides. 

Cotton Bowl: Kansas State (10-2) vs. Arkansas (10-2)

The Razorbacks are clearly the superior team in this high-profile bowl game. They average over 100 yards of total offense more than the Wildcats. The Razorbacks outscored their opponents by an average of 37-to-22. This was while playing in the hardest conference and division in football—the SEC West.

Kansas State outscored its opponents by an average score of 33-to-27 in the Big 12.

That’s quite a big difference. I think the Razorbacks offense is going to feast on the 71st-ranked Wildcats defense.

This is going to be a blowout. 

Sugar Bowl: Michigan Wolverines (10-2) vs. Virginia Tech (11-2)

The Wolverines have no business whatsoever being in this game. I think everybody is going to find out as much within the first five minutes.

The Hokies are here because they have a disciplined and well-coached defense. Frank Beamer is the longest-tenured coach in college football for a reason.

I expect them to stay in their lanes and make sure Wolverines QB Denard Robinson beats them with his arm. That will lead to a lot of short and incomplete passes.

Yawn.

Logan Thomas may be a sophomore, but he can expose a Wolverines team that gave up 34 points to a horrific Ohio State offense at the end of the season.

In a game of two teams that shouldn’t be in BCS bowls, Va. Tech will use its huge experience advantage to make this game a blowout early.