NCAA College Football 2008 Week 2 Bowl Picks

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Fearless Rick's 2008 College Football Week 2 Bowl Picks

Rick Gagliano | December 26-30, 2008

All times Eastern

Friday, December 26

8:00 pm Motor City Bowl: Florida Atlantic Owls vs. Central Michigan Chippewas (-7, 55) - Since this is something like a home game for Central Michigan, it's appropriate for the Chippewas to be awarded favoritism. Going 8-4 for the season, their only loss by more than 7 points was at Georgia, 56-17, on Sept. 6. The Chips ran off six straight wins before losing their final two Med-American conference games to Ball State and Eastern Michigan, by 7 and 4 points, respectively, so they are quite competitive.

Central Michigan should have its own way with the Owls, who finished 4th in the Sun Belt at 4-3 and 6-6 overall. The owls gave up 402.2 yards per game in 2008 and that ensure plenty of offense, mostly for the Chippewas.

Prediction: Chippewas 38 Owls 21

Saturday, December 27

1:00 pm Meineke Bowl: West Virginia Mountaineers (-1 1/2, 45) vs. North Carolina Tar Heels - Pat White's final game at QB for the Mountaineers ought to be memorable. Both teams fell short in tough conference battles, but are very capable on both sides of the ball. The surprising numbers courtesy of West Va.'s defense (15.9 ppg, 9th nationally) means that White and his speedy offensive counterparts don't have to score 35 points in order to win. While there are plenty of athletes on the Tar Heels' side, they will be hard=-pressed to keep West Virginia in check all day while trying to score themselves.

This should be an exciting game, matching up two solid programs, but the one difference maker on the field is White and he'll go out in style.

Prediction: Mountaineers 24 Tar Heels 17

4:30 pm Champs Sports Bowl: Wisconsin Badgers vs. Florida State Seminoles (-5, 52) - In the NFL this season, 5-to-5 1/2 underdogs have covered about 80% of the time. While this surely isn't the NFL, the same logic applies. The points should come in handy for the Badgers, though they may not even need them. The Seminoles usually have one of the stingiest defenses in the country, and this year allowed 20.8 ppg and nearly 300 yards per game. Those are respectable stats, and good enough to get you to 8-4 when your offense is scoring 32.7 per outing.

A lot of enthusiasm leaked out of Wisconsin when they lost 4 straight to Michigan, Ohio St., Penn State and Iowa, but the team regrouped to win 4 of their last 5, though the competition was not of high quality. Despite the skewed odds, Florida State should win and cover this if they avoid turnovers. Wisconsin doesn't do well throwing the football, and if the 'Noles shut down their backs, it could be all over early.

Prediction: Seminoles 27 Badgers 14

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8:00 pm Emerald Bowl: Miami (FL) Hurricanes vs. California Golden Bears (-8, 50) - The Hurricanes came up big at times but also fell short in their final two road games with losses at Georgia Tech and North Carolina St, finishing up at 7-5 for the season, much like many ACC squads.

Cal had a quiet, though solid season, going 8-4, with a win over Oregon in the PAC-10 and a close, 17-3 loss to USC, the Rose Bowl entrant. The Golden Bears can light it up if their balanced offense clicks early, and the defense has held up well all season long, so nothing suggests that the same won't happen here. There is likely somewhat of a western bias in this line, but Cal has enough gas to win this going away.

Prediction: Golden Bears 38 Hurricanes 20

Sunday, December 28

8:15 pm Independence Bowl: Northern Illinois Huskies vs. Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (--, 47) - No line on this game, the battle will be between the Bulldog offense and the Husky defense. Hmmm... this one's for the dogs, but the Huskies should win it with defense, despite the Bulldogs playing this just 60 miles from campus.

Prediction: Huskies 21 Bulldogs 17

Monday December 29

3:00 pm Papa John's.com Bowl: North Carolina State Wolfpack vs. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (-7, 55 1/2) - Both of these teams started poorly but finished well, though Rutgers is arguably the hotter of the two, having won their final six regular season games after a 1-5 start. The offense has exploded of late, with Mike Teel hooking up with Kenny Britt (1252 yds.) frequently.

The Wolfpack reached bowl status by winning their final four games after a 2-6 start, but the improvement was expected under first-year head coach Tom O'Brien. Still, the Scarlet Knights have to be respected, as they hold large statistical advantages on both sides of the ball.

Prediction: Scarlet Knights 41 Wolfpack 20

8:00 pm Alamo Bowl: Missouri Tigers (-12 1/2, 66) vs. Northwestern Wildcats - Northwestern has a better-than-average defense, but that's probably not going to matter much as the Tigers have been running rings around everyone this season, scoring 42.6 ppg, good for 6th in the nation. Missouri, however, suffers from a considerable lack of tackling ability, as they allowed a boatload of points in their losses, though those were to Kansas, Texas and Oklahoma. Still, they allowed 414.2 ypg over the course of the year. This is a nice Big 10, Big 12 matchup that bears close inspection at a local watering hole or with friends and relatives.

Look for the Wildcats to keep it interesting and just barely cover.

Prediction: Tigers 38 Wildcats 30

Copyright 2008, 2009, Rick Gagliano, Downtown Magazine. All rights reserved. Downtown Magazine is located in the Uinted States of America and is not affiliated with the National Football League or the NCAA. For more information, contact us here. Use of this site is for entertainment purposes only.

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