NCAA College Football 2006 Bowl Games December 29-30

NCAA College Football Bowl Games Dec. 29-30

NCAA College Football Bowl Picks 12/29 - 12/30/06

Rick Gagliano | 12/21/06

Dec. 29, 1 pm
Music City Bowl, Nashville, TN, ACC vs. SEC, ESPN
Clemson (-10, 58) vs. Kentucky - Don't be surprised if the Wildcats put a hurt on Clemson here. Kentucky got their act together late in the season with consecutive wins over Mississippi State, Georgia, Vanderbilt and Louisiana-Monroe and finished the season 7-5.

The Tigers, meanwhile, stumbled badly down the stretch, losing back-to-back games to Virginia Tech and Maryland, then a 6-point win over North Carolina before surrendering - at home - to archrival South Carolina 31-28 to close out the season.

In a season which saw Wake Forest win the ACC championship, the question of conference strength really comes into play. Clemson did beat Wake, and Georgia Tech and Florida State, but what does that really say? And what about Kentucky's one-sided losses to Louisville (59-28), Florida (26-7) and LSU (49-0)? Well, Florida and Louisville won their conferences and LSU is largely regarded as the best non-conference champion in the country.

This looks like a real sucker play. If the Wildcats can execute offensively early on, they'll at least hang close, but my thinking is that the Tigers gave up on the season long ago and are just barely going to show up.

Prediction: Wildcats 35 Tigers 30

Dec. 29, 2 pm
Vitalis Sun Bowl, El Paso, TX, CBS
Oregon St. (-3.5, 52) vs. Missouri - Here are a couple of teams that made major strides this season and should be respected next year. The Beavers are best remembered for putting down USC in mid-season, but they also ended the season with a 35-32 win over Hawaii on the island - no mean feat.

Missouri began the season with a nice 6-0 start, but finished 2-4 as the rigors of the Big 12 season took its toll. The Mizzou can play, but the Beavers really get after it. They won 7 of their last 8 after a 2-3 start and were playing great down the stretch. The sole loss during their late-season run was to defensive stalwart UCLA and that also is no shame.

This could go either way, but I'll shade towards the Beavers, who are the 2nd or 3rd best team in the PAC-10, while Missouri may rank only 5th or 6th in the Big 12 and the conference difference isn't quite that pronounced.

Prediction: Beavers 28 Tigers 21

Dec. 29, 4:30 pm
AutoZone Liberty Bowl, Memphis, TN, C-USA vs. SEC, ESPN
Houston vs. South Carolina (-6.5, 55.5) - Houston won the Conference-USA title with a 34-20 win over Southern Miss. on 12/1 and were just 8 points from a perfect season. Those 8 points were spread across three consecutive losses - 14-13 to Miami; 28-31 to Louisiana-Lafayette and 27-31 at Southern Miss. The Cougars finished 9-3 and 7-1 in conference but played no ranked teams. Their most impressive wins were over Oklahoma State and Tulsa.

The 7-5 Gamecocks struggled though one of the roughest schedules in the country, and were beaten by Florida, Auburn, Arkansas, Tennessee and Georgia - all ranked teams. They won the rest of their games, including the finale at Clemson. They're probably the best team Houston will play this season, and with the game in Tennessee, the crowd could be partisan, favoring the Carolinians. Besides, Spurrier loves bowl games, so he will have his team ready, but something tells me the Cougars will not go easily.

Prediction: Gamecocks 24 Cougars 21

Dec. 29, 7:30 pm
Insight Bowl, Tempe, AZ, Big 12 vs. Big 10, NFL Network
Texas Tech (-6.5, 66.5) vs. Minnesota - The Golden Gopher are aptly named because they usually have to dig out of holes created by their generous defense which allows a whopping 416.9 yards per game. Texas Tech players must be drooling over that stat. The Red Raiders also outgun Minnesota by more than 70 yards per game.

Rout for Tech.

Prediction: Red Raiders 45 Golden Gophers 24

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Dec. 29, 8 pm
Champs Sports Bowl, Orlando, FL, Big Ten vs. ACC, ESPN
Purdue vs. Maryland (even, 52.5) - Maryland had a solid season at 8-4, but 5 of their wins were by a total of 11 points, including two games - over Clemson and Miami - by one. They also finished the season taking it on the chin against Boston College, 38-16, and Wake Forest, 38-24.

Purdue was somewhat dismissed by everyone after consecutive losses to Notre Dame and Iowa, but they managed to win the games they were supposed to and ended at 8-5. Four of those losses were to ranked teams, the other was at Hawaii. The Boilermakers played a tougher schedule and appear to have the upper hand, especially on offense.

Prediction: Boilermakers 30 Terrapins 27

Dec. 30, 1 pm
Meineke Car Care Bowl, Charlotte, NC, ESPN
Navy vs. Boston College (-6, 47) - Navy will be without two of their best offensive players: QB Brian Hampton and Fullback Adam Ballard, who broke a leg in the Army-Navy clash a month ago. The BC Eagles will be missing coach Tom O'Brien, who took a coaching job at North Carolina State. Even without their head coach, BC looks head-and-shoulders better than the undermanned Midshipmen. The Eagles only have to contain Navy's option running game - the best in the nation - and put up points with their offense. The Navy defense doesn't offer much resistance and this could become a lopsided affair if BC clicks early.

Prediction: Eagles 35 Midshipmen 17

Dec. 30, 4:30 pm
Alamo Bowl, San Antonio, TX, Big Ten vs. Big 12, ESPN
Iowa vs. Texas (-11, 53.5) - Look, Iowa sucks. Texas, on the other hand, struggled through injuries and a very rough Big 12 schedule and they still finished the season 10-3. The Longhorns are just one season removed from a national championship and have a slew of quality players. Plus, they are playing almost at home and the fans will be behind them.

Prediction: Longhorns 34 Hawkeyes 14

Dec. 30, 8 pm
Chick-fil-A Bowl, Atlanta, GA, SEC vs. ACC, ESPN
Georgia vs. Virginia Tech (-2.5, 38) - For the Hokies, this was a disappointing season. First, Marcus Vick was kicked off the team, then they lost consecutive conference games to Georgia Tech and Boston College. Still, they managed to finish 10-2, but out of the BCS and even the ACC championship. The defense is the heart of this squad, having allowed only 10 TDs all season. If the offense can get off the dime, they'll be tough to beat.

The Georgia Bulldogs were a complete enigma this season. They went 8-4 with losses to Florida and Tennessee, but also to Vanderbilt and Kentucky. Then they finished the season with wins over Auburn and Georgia Tech. When they're right, they can play with anyone. The question is, which team will show up for this tilt?

With the game in Atlanta, the crowd will be backing the Bulldogs, who lost here last season to West Virginia. Look for a low-scoring contest with the game hinging on the kicking game, which, if that's the case, the Hokies' Brandon Pace will seal the deal. He tied Oklahoma's Garrett Hartley by hitting 17 of 18 this season.

Prediction: Hokies 16 Bulldogs 13

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