It's been a while

...and it's time for my bowl preview, albeit one game into the bowl season. Good game between Navy and Utah tonight in San Diego, with the Utes surviving the scrappy Midshipmen, 35-32. Before I go into the actual matchups, here's the BCS games that I predicted/wanted to see:

BCS National Championship: LSU vs. Ohio State
Orange Bowl: Virginia Tech vs. West Virginia
Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma vs. Arizona State
Sugar Bowl: Georgia vs. Hawaii
Rose Bowl: Southern California vs. Missouri

That's a little better... Now it's time for some lists:

Top 5 Non-BCS games:

1. Capital One Bowl - Florida vs. Michigan
2. Cotton Bowl - Arkansas vs. Missouri
3. Holiday Bowl - Arizona State vs. Texas
4. Chick-fil-A Bowl - Clemson vs. Auburn
5. Outback Bowl - Tennessee vs. Wisconsin

Worse 5 Bowl Matchups

1. International Bowl - Rutgers vs. Ball State
   
2. New Mexico Bowl - New Mexico vs. Nevada
3. Motor City Bowl - Purdue vs. Central Michigan
4. Armed Forces Bowl - Air Force vs. California
5. Independence Bowl - Alabama vs. Colorado

BCS Games to Watch For:

1. BCS National Championship - LSU vs. Ohio State: Can the Buckeyes avoid a blowout like last year's 41-14 loss to Florida in the championship? A less spectacular offense will have trouble scoring on the Tiger defense, but Ohio State's D is their strength. LSU coach Les Miles gambled so many times this year, but will a fourth down gamble swing the game into the Buckeyes' favor? The winner becomes the first two-time BCS champion. I think the Tigers pull it out after Miles goes for the win late on fourth down. LSU (-4) 35, Ohio State 28
2. Allstate Sugar Bowl - Hawaii vs. Georgia: Will we have Boise State/Oklahoma part deux? The Warriors have the offensive firepower, but let's be honest, no defense they played this year can hold the Bulldog defense's jock. Georgia also features a solid running game which Hawaii has struggled to contain in the past. It will be another fun game, but even in a season full of upsets, Georgia will restore some order to the college football scene. Georgia (-7.5) 45, Hawaii 42
3. Tostitos Fiesta Bowl - Oklahoma vs. West Virginia: Probably the best team not playing in the national championship, the Sooners look to beat up on a Mountaineer team that went from being four quarters away from New Orleans to losing coach Rich Rodriguez to Michigan after a disappointing loss to Pittsburgh. Pat White has to do his best Vince Young impression, and Steve Slaton has to do his best Steve Slaton impression just to keep this one close. The balanced Oklahoma offensive attack and defense will keep West Virginia at bay. This would be lower, but even the Rose and Orange Bowls are less intriguing. Oklahoma (-6.5) 49, West Virginia 28
4. Rose Bowl - USC vs. Illinois: This game isn't higher than the Orange Bowl just because the Trojans are playing in it; I really don't see much in the VT/Kansas matchup. Also, the the Rose Bowl committee trying to preserve the Pac-10/Big-10 matchup, well what the hell happened in 2004, when Texas played Michigan as Cal watched from the sideline. The Rose Bowl had the first pick that year (USC played in the Orange Bowl for the national championship) and instead of tradition, they picked Texas. Ugh. And in 2002? They had the first pick (Ohio State played in the Fiesta Bowl for the national championship) and again, instead of taking Iowa, who tied for first in the Big Ten, to play Washington State, they took Oklahoma, while the traditional matchup took place in the Orange Bowl. Fuck man. I would have enjoyed a USC/Missouri matchup (it seems like the Rose Bowl likes having the Big 12 as the at large replacement), especially after the Tigers beat the Illini earlier in the year. At least stay consistent with your decisions. A three loss Illinois team over the Big East champion West Virginia? Undefeated WAC champion Hawaii? The hottest team in the land Georgia? Two loss Missouri, who beat Illinois? Geez, no logic at all.
   Back to the game, USC is the biggest favorite of this bowl season at 14 points, but I have this weird feeling that Illinois will show up while the Trojans start sluggish. Then again, coach Pete Carroll coaches his team for this game every year. And Vince Young isn't playing for the Illini, though they do have a similar spread offense and a running QB in Juice Williams. It's always hard to figure out which USC team will come and play; the focused ones running on all cylinders like the one who played Nebraska, Washington State, and Arizona State, or the one that played Stanford, Arizona, and Washington. Here? First to 24 wins. USC (-13.5) 27, Illinois 17
5. FedEx Orange Bowl - Virginia Tech vs. Kansas: A picture is worth a thousand words? Here's mine...
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Kansas played well all year, but who have they played and beat? Central Michigan, I guess, who won the MAC championship. Texas A&M? Please. The Hokies, other than that 48-7 showing against LSU, played well, though their offensive struggles will have even more problems against the Jayhawks' solid defense. Virginia Tech (-3.5) 17, Kansas 13