NCAA College Football 2009 Bowl Week 2 Picks

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Fearless Rick's 2009 College Football Bowl Week 2 Picks

Rick Gagliano | December 26-30

All times Eastern

Little Caesars Bowl, Dec. 26, Detroit, Mich., ESPN, 1 p.m., Ohio Bobcats (-3, 49 1/2) vs. Marshall Thundering Herd - Enjoy the post-Christmas leftovers and hangovers with a trio of bowl games, beginning with this match-up of also-rans from the Mid-American conference and Conference USA.

The entrant from the Mid-American, Ohio, looks to have quite the advantage, though the Vegas guys don't seem to agree. The Bobcats went 9-4 (7-1, conference), with losses to UConn, Tennessee, Kent State and Central Michigan, that last one for the conference championship, holding the powerhouse Chippewas to just 20 points in a 20-10 defeat. Otherwise, they blew through the opposition with a balanced run-pass attack and a defense capable of stepping up, especially in the red zone. Marshall was 6-6, finishing in the middle of the conference. Losers of three of their last four, the Thundering Herd were last seen being stampeded at UTAP, 52-21.

PREDICTION: Bobcats 34 Thundering Herd 24

Meineke Car Care Bowl, Dec. 26, Charlotte, N.C., ESPN, 4 p.m., North Carolina Tar Heels vs. Pittsburgh Panthers (-3, 44 1/2) - The Panthers came within 11 points of an undefeated season, losing their final two games to West Virginia, 16-13 and Cincinnati, in a wild 45-44 contest that sent the Bearcats to the BCS. The only other loss suffered by Pitt was a sloppy 38-31 beat at NC State, so the Panthers get a chance to make amends against another ACC foe from the same state.

North Carolina had its ups and downs during the season, and were favored by many pre-season to win the conference title. After a rough 4-3 start, they won four straight, but dropped their season-ender to those same NC State Wildcats, 28-27. Both teams have defenses which can run and hit, but Pitt has an edge in the running game with the elusive Dion Lewis, who rushed for 1640 yards on 297 carries. If the Tar Heels can't contain him - and nobody has yet - that opens up the passing game for underrated Bill Stull, who could have a future at the next level. Pitt's defense should be able to force a turnover or two from QB TJ Yates, who threw 14 picks and was sacked 21 times. The Heels will have plenty of support from a partisan fan base, but lack of protection will be their undoing.

PREDICTION: Panthers 34 Tar Heels 21

Emerald Bowl, Dec. 26, San Francisco, ESPN, 8:30 p.m., Boston College Eagles vs. USC Trojans (-7 1/2, 44 1/2) - Really, can the Trojans sink any lower than the Emerald Bowl? Do the winners get nuts? USC has completely unraveled at times during the season. They have a freshman QB, an undisciplined defense and an 8-4 record, the same as BC. While the Eagles didn't exactly distinguish themselves during their ACC campaign, that conference was as unpredictable as the PAC-10, with teams springing upsets with regularity.

When BC got beat, it was usually by big numbers. In their losses to North Carolina, Virginia Tech and Clemson, their average losing margin was 23 points. They did, however, show a propensity to get up for big games, their biggest, a 20-16 loss at Notre Dame, in which they held the Irish offense down for most of the 4 quarters.

This one comes down to preparation and desire, and there's a very good chance that the Trojans will be flat while the Eagles, inspired. The line has dropped 1 1/2 points on this game since the open, a good sign that BC will upset. Defense is BC's secret weapon.

PREDICTION: Eagles 24 Trojans 20

Music City Bowl, Dec. 27, Nashville, Tenn., ESPN, 8:15 p.m., Kentucky Wildcats vs. Clemson Tigers (-7, 52 1/2) - This could be one of the biggest mismatches of the entire bowl season. Clemson has turned into an offensive juggernaut as the season progressed, and this game will be yet another opportunity for C.J. Spiller to display his awesome talent. Despite losing their final two games - the last of which was a 39-34 thriller for the ACC Championship to Georgia Tech - the Tigers ran off six straight wins prior to that, scoring 40 or more 4 times and 34 and 38 in the other two wins.

Kentucky will try to hold up the pride of the SEC, which is usually the case, but Clemson has something special going on, and it's unlikely the Wildcats will be able to contain the Tiger offense or keep up in the scoring department. They will get QB Mike Hartline back for this game. The QB has been out since October with an injured knee, though his mobility is questionable.

PREDICTION: Tigers 42 Wildcats 27

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Independence Bowl, Dec. 28, Shreveport, La., ESPN, 5 p.m., Texas A&M Aggies vs. Georgia Bulldogs (-7, 64) - This could turn into a real barn-burner. Both teams have little in the way of defense - A&M allowed 32.7 points per game; Georgia, 26.4 - but plenty of firepower on offense. The Aggies, who put up 39 points in a losing effort to Texas when last on the field, will be led by Jerrod Johnson, who threw for 28 TDs and just 6 interceptions. How the Bulldogs plan to slow him down is a question the coaching staff has been attempting to answer for weeks. Johnson has a strong, accurate arm, and he'll no doubt slice up the Georgia secondary, but the Bulldogs will counter with Joe Cox, who's been up and down all season, and a bevy of hard-hitting backs.

Georgia probably received favoritism from the line-makers because they represent the SEC, even though the Aggies look like the superior team. Get ready for an upset that will fuel the SEC-Big 12 rivalry into the national championship game.

PREDICTION: Aggies 41 Bulldogs 36

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EagleBank Bowl, Dec. 29, Washington D.C., ESPN, 4:30 p.m., UCLA Bruins (-5, 45) vs. Temple Owls - For a sub-strata bowl game, this one has certainly garnered its share of attention, mostly due to the fact that its Temple's first bowl appearance in 30 years. The Owls went 9-3, finishing second in the Mid-American confernce East division with a 7-1 record. After an 0-2 start, the Owls won 9 straight before bowing to Ohio, 35-17 in their season finale. They have a nice balance of offense and defense, and run effectively from the spread.

UCLA had an undistinguished season, finishing 6-6, with five straight conference losses in the middle and a season-ending 28-7 thumping at the hands of their main rival, USC, who finished mid-pack themselves. The Bruins have two distinct problems: they don't score enough and they allow too many points, which usually leads to defeats. While the Bruins go to bowl games just about every year, they don't usually impress, and the Owls will be well-prepared and highly charged. The tip-off is the 4 1/2 - 5 1/2 line. Even Vegas can't figure out this one. Temple's worth a shot, if only from the small conference vs. big angle. The Owls certainly have motivation in their corner.

PREDICTION: Owls 27 Bruins 21

Champs Sports Bowl, Dec. 29, Orlando, Fla., ESPN, 8 p.m., Miami Hurricanes (-3, 56) vs. Wisconsin Badgers - They still play pretty good football down in Miami, nearly 30 years since they burst onto the national stage, but their success has been limited of late. With a 9-3 record already in the books, the Hurricanes can cap off a successful season and begin building for next year. The only game in which they were blown out was a rain-drenched, 31-7 blasting at Virginia Tech. The other losses - to Clemson and North Carolina - were closer, and the 'Canes will be looking for big plays from their talented offense.

Wisconsin enters the fray with a similar 9-3 record and just one blowout loss, a 31-13 beating at Ohio State that they simply threw away. They dominated the Buckeyes in the stats department, but turned the ball over twice on interceptions returned for TDs and also gave up another on a kickoff return. Other than that, this team is as capable as any in the nation, losing only to Iowa, 20-10 and Northwestern, 33-31. They don't exactly stop everyone, but nobody can hold down their offense, espeically their bruising back, John Clay.

Wisconsin has heft, Maimi has speed. last year the Badgers were outrun by Florida State, 42-13 in this same bowl. The Badgers are a better team this year and should have grown from that experience. They can control both sides of the line and that usually spells victory.

PREDICTION: Badgers 31 Hurricanes 24

Humanitarian Bowl, Dec. 30, Boise, Idaho, ESPN, 4:30 p.m., Idaho Vandals (-1, 68 1/2) vs. Bowling Green Falcons - As the line indicates, one could flip a coin to determine which team will come out on top, so I did, and it came up Bowling Green. But since I like the idea of calling your team Vandals, I'm going with Idaho.

What, you think I know everything? At least I know that sometimes being lucky is just as good as being smart. This, one of 34 bowl games, qualifies on the luck quotient.

PREDICTION: Vandals 36 Falcons 23

Holiday Bowl, Dec. 30, San Diego, Calif., ESPN, 8 p.m., Arizona Wildcats (-1, 40 1/2) vs. Nebraska Cornhuskers - Arizona had a solid season in the PAC-10. They were in contention for the conference title right up until the end, and, despite consecutive losses to Cal and Oregon, finished on a positive note with wins over Arizona State and USC.

The Cornhuskers came within one second of beating Texas and sending the BCS into high-anxiety mode in their 13-12 loss in the Big 12 championship. The Cornhuskers are as good a defensive team as you'll find in the nation, but they lack consistency on offense and really don't have any big play potential. Their big plays come from the defense, especially from tackle Ndamukong Suh, a Heisman finalist. Nebraska was only blown out once, a 31-10 loss to Texas Tech. Besides that and the Texas beat, their other two losses were at Virginia Tech, 16-15, and Iowa State, 9-7, when they committed 8 turnovers.

Arizona head coach Mike Stoops and Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini will face each other here. The two grew up together in Youngstown, Ohio and are steeped in football tradition, but Pelini has Suh and the #2 scoring defense in the country, behind Alabama, at 11.2 ppg. They may hold Arizona to fewer than that. The additional time may help the Nebraska offense get some semblance of an attack formulated. There's nothing Stoops and his defense can do about Suh except pray he misses the plane.

PREDICTION: Cornhuskers 23 Wildcats 10

All times Eastern

Copyright 2009, 2010, 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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