The Picker: Lots of talk to digest before bundle of bowl games kick off
BY The Picker
Thursday, December 27, 2012
12/27/12 at 6:22 AM
Here is some bowl talk before about a million picks.
Question: Are minor bowls good for recruiting?
Answer: Yes. For foes. Can you imagine what Stoops is saying about Texas: Join the Longhorns and see San Antonio.
Q: Could hundred-dollar bills be in the bowl swag bags?
A: Same as.
Who is to say the players can't turn the high-dollar electronics into something more negotiable.
Bowl swag provides football players with an unfair advantage over regular students.
So?
Q: What does playing in a New Year's Day bowl mean?
A: About the same as being bowl eligible means.
Virtually nothing.
Northwestern plays Mississippi State on New Year's Day.
Wisconsin, a five-loss team, plays on New Year's Day.
Q: Who benefits most from the bowls?
Television and the bowl presidents, who make hundreds of thousands of dollars in salary for being a once-a-year party planner.
Bowls have somehow achieved tax-exempt status as charitable operations, wake up IRS.
Q: What are the only bowls worth watching?
A: Kansas State-Oregon, OU-Aggies, Notre Dame-Alabama, and the Independence Bowl, simply for the latter's gumption.
PICKS
Editor's note: Bowl lines are those used in the Outbowl The Picker Contest.
Thursday
Military Bowl, San Jose State (-8) versus Bowling Green: Pass the hot chocolate and the plane ticket out of nippy DC.
SJS by 10.
Belk Bowl, Cincinnati (-10) versus Duke: What's a Belk? It's a store.
Cincy by 13.
Holiday Bowl, Baylor (-1) versus UCLA: Finally a bowl team we recognize, and here it is almost New Year's.
How does Baylor keep its coach?
UCLA by 3.
Friday
Independence Bowl, Louisiana-Monroe (-6) versus Ohio: The true Granddaddy of the bowls, as it has seen every variety of dog and sponsor and weather condition on the books.
A winter weekend in Shreveport, this is a man's game.
Monroe by 3.
Russell Athletic Bowl, Rutgers (-1) versus Virginia Tech: Mickey Mouse bowl (goes in Orlando).
Rutgers by 4.
Meineke Car Care Bowl, Texas Tech (-13) versus Minnesota: Pass the cardboard cut-outs for fans.
Tech by 15.
Saturday
Armed Forces Bowl, Rice (-1) versus Air Force: Pass the Gamblers Anonymous phone number.
Air Force by 4.
Fight Hunger Bowl, Arizona State (-10) versus Navy: Another former TU coach (Graham at A-State) drops down to a minor league exhibition.
State by 8.
Pinstripe Bowl, West Virginia (-4) versus Syracuse: Should offer a glimpse of what a Super Bowl would be like, outside in New York: Nuts.
WV by 3.
Alamo Bowl, Oregon State (-2) versus Texas: You're doing a great job Mack, keep it up. Signed, Your Big 12 Foes.
Oregon State by 7.
Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl, TCU (-1) at Michigan State: All seven Big Ten bowl teams are underdogs.
State could be the only winner, by 4.
Sunday
Dallas at Washington (-3): Romo is sitting on six turnovers, maybe seven.
The Ryan coaching family continues to spread failure across the land.
The Redskin rookie quarterback didn't even make it through a single season in one piece, but could take the Cowboy defense on one leg.
Washington by 4.
St. Louis at Seattle (-10): What's up with St. Louis playing loud music and celebrating while missing the playoffs last week?
This week it gets to party down to a losing record.
Seattle by 9.
Green Bay (-3 1/2) at Minnesota: De-icing, heading indoors, a negative for Bay.
Minnie by 2.
Monday
Music City Bowl, Vandy (-6) versus North Carolina State: Pitchy.
Vandy by 7.
Sun Bowl, USC (-4 1/2) versus Georgia Tech: El Paso on New Year's Eve.
Medic!
USC by 4.
Liberty Bowl, Tulsa (-3) versus Iowa State: How the conference winner winds up here is anybody's guess.
Quadruple-figure crowd expected.
Come on weather, please be nice.
TU by 5.
Chick-fil-A Bowl, LSU (-4) versus Clemson: Loopy Les wouldn't recognize a good quarterback if it bit him on the hat bill.
Like Stoops at OU, he wins exactly enough to deflect any heat.
LSU by 3.
New Year's Day
Heart of Dallas Bowl, Oklahoma State (-18) versus Purdue: It can't be said that it's impossible to give away tickets to this one.
T. Boone is giving away $25,000 worth.
This 7-5 Cowboy team is not what T. Boone thought he was buying.
Gundy leads the league in listening to job offers.
Biggest spread of the bowl season.
OSU by 17.
Gator Bowl, Mississippi State (-2) versus Northwestern: Something of a book-learning edge to the Big Ten school.
Northwestern by 3.
Cap One Bowl, Georgia (-8) versus Nebraska: The Cornhusker quarterback hasn't gotten a drop better since he started firing passes into the stands many long years ago.
Hothead coach Pelini appears to be constantly on the verge of passing out with rage.
Not embarrassing the state is Nebraska's goal here.
Georgia by 6.
Outback Bowl, South Carolina (-4) versus Michigan: The Mich quarterback auditioned for the NFL this year, failed, and brought the team down with him.
SC by 3.
Rose Bowl, Stanford (-6) versus Wisconsin: Possibly the worst Rose ever with five-loss Wisky.
You think this is bad, read on.
Stanford by 9.
Orange Bowl, Florida State (-14) versus Northern Illinois: Media hero and self-promoting guru and practical goof Phil Steele predicted Florida State and OU to play for the title.
You think this is bad, read on.
State by 24.
Wednesday
Sugar Bowl, Florida (-14) versus Louisville: Is apt to put Bourbon Street to sleep.
Florida by 20.
Original Print Headline: Lots of talk to digest before bowls kick off
Associated Images:
Mike Gundy leads OSU into the Heart of Dallas Bowl on Jan. 1 against Purdue. MICHAEL WYKE / Tulsa World
|
