Bonne ennui.

Unless you're at least serviceable with French, the above play on words will mean basically nothing to you, but the gist of it is that this may be one of the least interesting bowl seasons in recent memory.  6-5 teams abound, there is a pronounced shortage of jaw-dropping matchups, and the BCS might feature the worst team in its history.  At least it'll be unpredictable... I guess...

North Texas (7-4) vs. Southern Miss (6-5)
New Orleans, LA
December 14

    If there's only one thing I don't understand about this bowl season, it's this: why is the New Orleans Bowl being played a full week before any other game and almost two weeks before the majority of them?  A better question might be why the Sun Belt gets a league tie-in when its champion - which has been North Texas all four years now - is so notoriously shitty.  If you knew absolutely nothing about football and decided to pick games based on which team had the better record, UNT would be your pick here, and yet their record couldn't be more misleading - they went 7-0 in conference and 0-4 out of it, including shellackings at the hands of three Big 12 teams (Texas and Colorado, but also noted powerhouse Baylor).  Yeah, those games were all on the road, but how about the 20-13 home loss to I-AA Florida Atlantic?  Their conference schedule, in impossibly convenient fashion, saw them skip only one team: second place Troy State (playing 16 days later, in a hilarity of scheduling).  This team has beaten no one.
    Of course, USM doesn't have a whole lot to its credit.  It did go into Nebraska and win to start the season, held Cal close to end the season, and beat bowl team UAB.  It also lost five of seven to end the year including a 52-24 home loss to Cincinnati.
    Pick: When in doubt, go with the bigger conference.  Southern Miss it is.
    Result: Southern Miss 31, North Texas 10, and it wasn't even that close.

Record through 1 game: 1-0

Syracuse (6-5) vs. Georgia Tech (6-5)
Orlando, FL
December 21

    This is just the first matchup of 6-5 teams, but sadly, it's far from the last.  Syracuse was actually in the mix to make the BCS as the Big East's representative near the end of the season, which is scary.  No team was more impossible to predict down the stretch - in their final three games the Orangemen upset Pitt, turned around and lost to Temple, then rebounded to beat BC in Chestnut Hill (denying the Eagles the BCS bid).  In other words, nobody knows what team will show up, which is probably going to be carved on Paul Pasqualoni's tombstone.
    Of Georgia Tech's five losses, four came to ranked teams and the fifth was to North Carolina, who beat their share of solid teams this year.  They don't really have any standout wins, but keeping Georgia close in the last game of the year wasn't unimpressive.
    Pick: Georgia Tech.
    Result: Georgia Tech 51, Syracuse 14.  Just an absolute stomping by the Yellow Jackets; clearly it was the Syracuse team that fell to Temple that showed up in this one.  Can you imagine if that team had gone off and played Utah?  Woof.

Record through 2 games: 2-0

Memphis (8-3) vs. Bowling Green (8-3)
Mobile, AL
December 22

    This matchup is actually somewhat interesting.  Both teams had outstanding players who flew under the national radar in mediocre conferences.  BGSU quarterback Omar Jacobs threw for 3600 yards and 36 touchdowns (to just three picks), while Memphis running back DeAngelo Williams had better than 1800 yards and 21 TDs on the ground.  Memphis' season would have been great - going to Oxford and beating Ole Miss, even if it was a down year for the Rebels, was impressive, and two losses at UAB and home to Louisville in a shootout were forgivable - if not for the inexplicable 49-10 loss at Cincinnati.  No wonder the Bearcats danced on the Louisville logo - they were somehow able to pound every other C-USA contender.
    Bowling Green's season was a similar story - all three losses were on the road (one to Oklahoma), and they beat a weak major-conference opponent, in this case a 70-16 thumping of Temple.  (Yes, 2-9 Temple - they are in the Big East, if not for long.  And they did somehow beat Syracuse, apparently, though ESPN's lack of a box score leads me to question whether or not this game actually happened.)
    Pick: Memphis.
    Result: Bowling Green 52, Memphis 35.  Neither team had much defense, but Memphis just had less.  Jacobs had a huge game - 26/44, 365 yards, 5 TDs - while Williams' game wasn't bad (120 yards, 1 TD) but was actually dwarfed by the day of BGSU back P.J. Pope (151 yards, 2 TDs).  To be fair to Williams, though, Memphis was playing from behind for the entire second half, which was all Bowling Green after they led 35-28 at halftime.

Record through 3 games: 2-1

Cincinnati (6-5) vs. Marshall (6-5)
Fort Worth, TX
December 23

    Just ugly.  Few teams were as up and down as Cincinnati this year - they'd give up 48 points at 2-9 Army, then turn around and beat Memphis 49-10.  They'd reel off four straight wins, including a pasting of Southern Miss at Southern Miss, and then go into Louisville and lose by nine touchdowns to end the year.  Marshall is similarly hard to figure - their first two games of the season were a home loss to Troy State and a loss at Ohio State where it took a field goal at the gun for the Buckeyes to win.
    So who wins this one?  I have no idea, and to be honest I may care less about this game than any of the bowls - two teams from mid-major conferences and yet neither could do better than 6-5?  Woof.  Last year this bowl got to see Boise State vs. TCU shoot it out.  How the mighty have fallen.
    Pick: Marshall has won five straight bowl games, so I guess it might as well be them.
    Result: Cincinnati 32, Marshall 14.  Maybe Marshall could have won had their offense shown up - they only scored 7 points on that side of the ball.

Record through 4 games: 2-2

UCLA (6-5) vs. Wyoming (6-5)
Las Vegas, NV
December 23

    This one isn't much better.  UCLA's season was nothing if not undistinguished - only losing to USC by five probably ranks as the highlight.  Wyoming is a mid-major who was pounded by good major team Texas A&M and barely survived a home shootout with bad major team Ole Miss.  The rule holds.
    Pick: UCLA.
    Result: Wyoming 24, UCLA 21.  The Bruins seemed to have the game before disappearing in the fourth quarter, allowing Wyoming to score with just over a minute left.

Record through 5 games: 2-3

UAB (7-4) vs. Hawaii (7-5)
Honolulu, HI
December 24

    Alternate name: the "Hawaii manages to finish above .500 and stays home to play a mediocre Conference USA team" Bowl.  This is Hawaii's third straight appearance - no! - but they're just 1-1 so far including last year's brawl-tainted win over Houston.  UAB has never been to a bowl before.  Hawaii only lost one home game this year (though it was to Florida Atlantic - maybe those guys are a little more impressive than we thought?).  Hard to pick the team that's just happy to be there over the team that's getting a home game.
    Pick: Hawaii.
    Result: Hawaii 59, UAB 40.  Timmy Chang said "We were just defending our home," but defense had nothing to do with 822 yards of passing between Chang and UAB's Darrell Hackney (who actually out-threw Chang, the NCAA's all-time leader with more than 17,000 yards, 417-405) and nearly 100 total points.  In the end, UAB's defense was just that much worse.

Record through 6 games: 3-3

Fresno State (8-3) vs. Virginia (8-3)
Boise, ID
December 27

    The former Humanitarian Bowl has played host to an ACC/WAC matchup two of the last three years.  The results?  Georgia Tech over Tulsa by 42 and Clemson over Louisiana Tech by 25.  Considering that Virginia is a ranked team, I wouldn't be surprised to see this turn out the same (it was games like the '01 Humanitarian Bowl that shaped my philosophy of picking with the bigger conference in games like this).  How did the #18 team in the country end up in Boise, anyway?
    Pick: Virginia.
    Result: Fresno State 37, Virginia 34 (OT).  The Cavs had no answer for Paul Pinegar all day, as he threw five TDs, but they really let him go at exactly the wrong times - Pinegar threw a 3-yard TD on fourth down with 19 seconds left to tie the game, then tossed a 25-yarder on the first play of Fresno State's OT possession to win the game (after UVA had settled for a field goal previously).

Record through 7 games: 3-4

Toledo (9-3) vs. Connecticut (7-4)
Detroit, MI
December 27

    The MAC champion has won this game five of seven times, including Toledo in 2001 - but Toledo got pounded by Boston College in the 2002 game.  Connecticut, in only its first Big East season in football, is not at BC levels yet.  Toledo's experience and offense should do the trick.
    Pick: Toledo.
    Result: Connecticut 39, Toledo 10.  Somehow I missed that Bruce Gradkowski, the Toledo quarterback, broke his hand in the MAC title game, though the Toledo defense gave up so many points that it might not have mattered.  I guess this is what I get for going against my own rule of picking with the bigger conference, even if UConn was in its first year in the Big East.

Record through 8 games: 3-5

Iowa State (6-5) vs. Miami-Ohio (8-4)
Shreveport, LA
December 28

    Iowa State's 6-5 record is a little more deceiving than most, as three of the losses were to teams that were either ranked at the time or are ranked now.  The other two were tough divisional losses (19-14 at Colorado, and 17-14 vs. Missouri on November 27 that cost Iowa State the Big 12 title game and a better bowl).  So, the six wins aren't that impressive - at Kansas State is probably the class of the bunch - but those losses are mostly forgivable.  ISU was in Shreveport three years ago and lost to Alabama by a point... bears mentioning.
    Last year, in their first bowl since 1986, Miami beat Louisville by three TDs in the GMAC Bowl.  But to be fair, they had Ben Roethlisberger then.  While they've been pretty successful without him, it's hard to know what to expect in big games (Toledo was able to take the RedHawks down in the MAC title game).
    Pick: Iowa State.
    Result: Iowa State 17, Miami (Ohio) 13.  Yeah, the score is about as dull as the matchup was.

Record through 9 games: 4-5

Notre Dame (6-5) vs. Oregon State (6-5)
Phoenix, AZ
December 28

    Ah, for the good old days when Notre Dame boycotted any bowl that wasn't at least the Gator... er, sorry, did I say that out loud?  For all my previous touting of Cincinnati and Syracuse, there couldn't have been a harder team to figure out this year than Notre Dame, probably the only team in the nation capable of losing to two Big East teams at home to bookend a road upset of Tennessee.  It's kind of funny to think that Ty Willingham's job probably rested on the legs of Ryan Ohliger (whose extra point gave BC a 24-23 win) and Josh Cummings (whose field goal just before the gun gave Pitt a 41-38 win), but if ND wins those games, goes 8-3, and quite possibly ends up in the Gator, Willingham is probably still there.
    Oregon State had not too bad a season, very quietly.  They went 1-2 in the non-conference schedule, barely losing to LSU and going down to undefeated Boise State before beating bowl team New Mexico.  They were 5-3 in the Pac Ten, basically beating only teams worse than them and losing only to teams better.  They only lost to USC by 8 and actually led that game 13-0 - in other words, they played them a lot closer than Notre Dame did.  (Although who didn't.)
    Pick: Oregon State, mostly because they actually have a coach.
    Result: Oregon State 38, Notre Dame 21.  Ding ding ding.  The Irish have, rather quietly, not won a bowl game since 1993.   They also haven't even hung around very often lately, and this year was no exception.

Record through 10 games: 5-5

UTEP (8-3) vs. Colorado (7-5)
Houston, TX
December 29

    Mike Price did quite a job in his first year at UTEP, but he still did it against WAC teams.  When they played a major conference team, UTEP lost 41-9 to Arizona State.  Colorado's season looks mediocre but it's easy to forget that four of their losses were to ranked teams.  Colorado hasn't won a bowl game since 1999, but UTEP hasn't won one since 1967.
    Pick: Colorado.
    Result: Colorado 33, UTEP 28.  The Miners certainly gave CU fits, leading 14-3 after one and 21-13 at the half, but in the end the bigger-conference rule prevailed, ever so slightly.

Record through 11 games: 6-5

Ohio State (7-4) vs. Oklahoma State (7-4)
San Antonio, TX
December 29

    Despite going 7-4, Ohio State probably had one of their worst seasons in recent memory.  Their 4-4 record in the Big Ten featured the upset of Michigan but was more noteworthy for its losses than its other wins, and the Buckeyes struggled through an okay but not incredible nonconference schedule.  Oklahoma State's four losses all came to division rivals, and it played in what, this year, might have been the toughest division in football, the Big 12 South.  It took Eli Manning to beat the Cowboys in a 31-28 shootout in last year's Cotton Bowl; Ohio State doesn't have the offense to hang around.
    Pick: Oklahoma State.
    Result: Ohio State 33, Oklahoma State 7.  Um... just kidding?

Record through 12 games: 6-6

Boston College (8-3) vs. North Carolina (6-5)
Charlotte, NC
December 30

    Poor Boston College.  One loss sends them from the Fiesta Bowl to Charlotte.  Still, lose 43-17 at home to Syracuse and you deserve whatever you get.  The rest of BC's season is dotted mostly with too-close wins over mediocre teams and a couple of upset wins (primarily the one over West Virginia that put the Eagles in the BCS driver's seat temporarily).
    North Carolina's resume includes all five losses coming to ranked teams, a three-touchdown win over bowl team Georgia Tech, and a big upset of then-#3 Miami on October 30.  It's worth noting, though, that only one of those five losses was competitive (a 27-24 loss to Virginia Tech).  UNC did seem to get better as the year went along, though - of the last six games, four were wins (including the Miami game) and one was the close VT loss.  North Carolina and BC are both working on bowl streaks: UNC is 5-0 since a loss to Texas in the 1994 Sun Bowl, while BC is 4-0 since a loss to Colorado in the 1999 Insight Bowl.
    Pick: North Carolina, mostly because of Paul Peterson's broken right hand.
    Result: Boston College 37, North Carolina 24.  Peterson was 24-of-33 for 236 yards and two TDs, so I'm guessing he felt okay.   The real difference in this game was the fourth quarter - it's hard to win when you're getting outscored 16-0 in the final frame, UNC.

Record through 13 games: 6-7

Navy (9-2) vs. New Mexico (7-4)
San Francisco, CA
December 30

    This bowl's logo is one of my favorites, but the matchup isn't.  New Mexico is 0-3 in bowl games played since the Kennedy administration, and got whipped by Oregon State in last year's Las Vegas Bowl.  Navy's 9-2 season included no impressive wins (maybe at Air Force) and the 42-10 loss at 5-6 Tulane is ugly.  New Mexico at least managed to knock off Texas Tech and won at BYU and Colorado State - but lost at Air Force where, as noted, Navy won.  Navy's 38-14 loss to Texas Tech in the 2003 Houston Bowl means both teams were drilled in last year's postseason - well, now they meet.  Ugh.
    Pick: Can I just pick the over/under on number of TV viewers instead?  I say 155,000.  And I guess New Mexico.
    Result: Navy 34, New Mexico 19.  This was a game for quarterbacks doing it all - UNM's Kole McKamey threw for 207 yards and rushed for 138 more, while Navy's Aaron Polanco threw for 101 yards and a score, rushed for 136 yards and three scores, and even caught two balls for 23 yards.  Advantage Polanco; Navy wins.

Record through 14 games: 6-8

California (10-1) vs. Texas Tech (7-4)
San Diego, CA
December 30

    On paper this isn't close.  On the field I don't think it'll be much different.  Cal has Aaron Rodgers (2300 yards, 23 TDs, 161.2 rating) and J.J. Arrington (1845 rushing yards, 14 TDs).  Texas Tech has its latest "insert 4,000-yard passer here" in Sonny Cumbie, who had 29 passing TDs but also 18 picks.  Tech, for all its high-flying ways, simply can't take on tough defenses and they don't have much of one themselves.  Cal's only loss was to USC on the road; Tech lost at New Mexico.  Cal proved it could score in last year's Insight Bowl shootout with Virginia Tech as well as various games this year - 35 points seems like a cinch, and that'll be all it takes Cal to win, even in an always crazy Holiday Bowl (the game hasn't been decided by more than a TD since 1997).
    Pick: California.
    Result: Texas Tech 45, California 31.  35 points weren't a cinch, but 31 still might have done it had Cal's D shown up.  Instead, Sonny Cumbie was 39-of-60 for an outrageous 520 yards and three touchdowns, while Cal's offense sputtered for just about all of the second and third quarters.  This team was better than Texas, huh?

Record through 15 games: 6-9

Northern Illinois (8-3) vs. Troy State (7-4)
San Jose, CA
December 30

    Yeah, this one's truly a classic.  What says classic to me?  Is it Notre Dame?  Michigan?  No, it's postseason stalwarts Northern Illinois (last and only bowl: 1983) and Troy State (last and only bowl: 1948).  The Rose Bowl matches up Big Ten and Pac Ten (well, it used to); this one matches up... Mid-American and Sun Belt!  Be still, my beating heart.
    Troy State actually has more impressive wins than NIU, with victories over Marshall and Missouri (not yet outed as a flaming bust) to open the season.  They also only lost by four at LSU, leading 20-17 with less than four minutes to go before the Tigers pulled out the win.  NIU beat Bowling Green and kept it close at Maryland and Iowa State, so they're not total slouches.
    The Huskies have an impressive rusher in Garrett Wolfe, who ran for 1572 yards and 17 TDs despite being smaller than I am.  Troy is also more dependent on a rusher, in their case DeWhitt Betterson, who ran for 1136 yards and 9 TDs.  NIU's offense impresses me more looking at the stats, so I'll go with them.
    Pick: Northern Illinois.
    Result: Northern Illinois 34, Troy State 21.  Well, at least I got this one right.

Record through 16 games: 7-9

Minnesota (6-5) vs. Alabama (6-5)
Nashville, TN
December 31

    Minnesota won this game just two years ago, the first time the Big Ten was tied to it.  Alabama hasn't been to a bowl since the 2001 Independence - I still remember that when they won that game I, who had picked Iowa State, was already eliminated from the Bowl Challenge (it was only the ninth game on the slate).  Bastards.
    It's quite possible that no team fell more on its face after a promising start than the Gophers, who went 5-0 before blowing a game at Michigan that led to losses in five of their last six - a 45-0 win over awful Illinois on October 23 ended up being the only thing between Nashville and the couch.
    Alabama lost three of its last four, but unlike Minnesota (who couldn't even beat Indiana), the three losses were all to ranked teams - Tennessee, LSU, and Auburn.  What's more, two were on the road and only one was by more than a touchdown.   Considering its volatile quarterback situation, the Tide certainly overachieved, but give me an overachiever over an underachiever any day.
    Pick: Alabama.
    Result: Minnesota 20, Alabama 16.  Talk about two styles colliding - Minnesota had two 100-yard rushers in the game, while Alabama's top rusher had 17 yards.  Not too exciting a game, all told - the fourth quarter's only scoring was an Alabama safety.

Record through 17 games: 7-10

Purdue (7-4) vs. Arizona State (8-3)
El Paso, TX
December 31

    This game would be a tougher pick if Andrew Walter were still playing, but he's out and Arizona State's chances might be out with him.  Purdue's up-and-down season featured a 5-0 start followed by four straight losses that sank Kyle Orton's Heisman campaign, but the Boilers regained form in their last two games, including a 24-17 defeat of Ohio State.  ASU was great offensively except when they faced tough D, scoring a combined seven points in their games against Cal and USC, but lost to 3-8 Arizona to end the year and lost their star QB in the same game - Walter had been good for 3150 yards and 30 TDs before going down.
    Purdue has better D, a better QB (even if Walter were playing, Orton is at least more efficient), and a bigger rushing threat; it would take a surprisingly good defensive day by the Sun Devils to take this one.
    Pick: Purdue.
    Result: Arizona State 27, Purdue 23.  Who needs Andrew Walter when backup Sam Keller - who played in just five games this season and attempted a total of 26 passes during the year - can throw for 369 yards?  Nice work, Purdue's defense.

Record through 18 games: 7-11

Boise State (11-0) vs. Louisville (10-1)
Memphis, TN
December 31

    If you watch only one bowl game all season, this should be it.  USC?  Oklahoma?  Feh.  Why not check out this battle of high-flying offenses?  Stefan LeFors of Louisville threw for 2400 yards and 18 TDs to just two picks, while Jared Zabransky of Boise State threw for 2700 yards and 15 TDs (though with 11 picks).  LeFors led the nation in QB rating at 185.39; the teams were 1-2 in the nation in points, Louisville averaging an obscene 50.3 ppg, Boise State 49.7.
    So what was Louisville's one loss?  A 41-38 defeat at Miami.  We might as well be watching two undefeated teams.  Louisville hasn't scored fewer than 55 points since October 22; Boise State since October 23.  The key here will be defense; while Louisville won its last two games by a combined 125-14 score, the Broncos tend to give up more points.  They also played a weaker schedule overall.  And in total, it probably won't hurt that Louisville should be able to get more fans to Memphis.
    Pick: Louisville.
    Result: Louisville 44, Boise State 40.  It was indeed an offensive shootout - like so many other picks I made this year, Louisville's supposedly much better defense never really showed up.  In this case, though, the Cardinals had enough to win anyway.

Record through 19 games: 8-11

Miami (8-3) vs. Florida (7-4)
Atlanta, GA
December 31

    ...again.  Usually bowl organizers tend to shy away from matching the same teams over and over again, but I guess these two draw quite a crowd.  They met in the 2000 Sugar Bowl and also played during the season in 2003.  Miami won both those meetings, and the Hurricanes look to be a better team this year as well.  Florida will likely be in at least minor disarray with Ron Zook gone but Urban Meyer not yet arrived; Miami might be disappointed that they missed out on the BCS by losing to Virginia Tech, though.  Both teams stumbled where they shouldn't have - Miami against Clemson and UNC, Florida against Mississippi State - so it's hard to say who's more capable of a letdown.  I'll take the team that hasn't lost the series' past two meetings and has a coach, though.
    Pick: Miami.
    Result: Miami 27, Florida 10.  Think the Gators are looking forward to Urban Meyer?

Record through 20 games: 9-11

Wisconsin (9-2) vs. Georgia (9-2)
Tampa, FL
January 1

    Wisconsin started 9-0 before losing their last two games by a combined 79-21 score, so it's hard to say whether we'll see a rejuvenated team in the Outback or one that just wants to get things over with.  These two teams should make this game a defensive struggle - a close game of any kind favors the Bulldogs, whose passing game is superior to that of the Badgers.  Wisconsin is never putting up points in a hurry, so they have to be careful not to fall behind.  Either way, Georgia seems a better bet to pull it out.
    Pick: Georgia.
    Result: Georgia 24, Wisconsin 21.  The Badgers closed the gap near the end of the game, scoring the only 8 points of the fourth quarter, but Anthony Davis had a mediocre outing (21 carries for 79 yards) and the offense as a whole was middling, putting up only 13 points (the last touchdown was an INT return).  Georgia didn't set the world on fire but did enough.

Record through 21 games: 10-11

Texas A&M (7-4) vs. Tennessee (9-3)
Dallas, TX
January 1

    It seems like everyone in the Big 12 South ends up with a misleading record.  Three of A&M's losses were to BCS schools - Oklahoma, Texas, and Utah.  The fourth was at Baylor, a classic example of looking ahead.  A&M gave Utah one of its more competitive games despite playing in Salt Lake to open the year, and gave Oklahoma a scare.
    Tennessee's record is also a tad misleading, perhaps, since two of their losses were to undefeated Auburn, and they also went into Athens and knocked off then-#3 Georgia.  UT's defense has been suspect at times this season, however, and Texas A&M is certainly a team that could take advantage of such issues - though to be fair, A&M's defense hasn't always been the Wrecking Crew ideal either.
    Pick: Texas A&M.
    Result: Tennessee 38, Texas A&M 7.  Well, yikes.  This was an "up" game for UT, I guess.

Record through 22 games: 10-12

West Virginia (8-3) vs. Florida State (8-3)
Jacksonville, FL
January 1

    West Virginia was 8-1 and cruising towards the BCS when they suddenly dropped their last two games.  Florida State lost to two of the three best teams on its schedule, but at least they didn't lose to all three like the Mountaineers did.  In all, neither team was as impressive this season as those records might indicate.  Florida State struggled offensively for the second half of the year; West Virginia was never able to score points against anyone better than Syracuse.  The FSU QB situation is ugly - Wyatt Sexton and Chris Rix combined for 10 TDs and 13 INTs this season - while Rasheed Marshall is a Vick-like threat for WVU.
    This is one of those games where both teams ended up underachieving so badly that you don't think either one is capable of winning.  Unfortunately, someone has to.
    Pick: Florida State, mostly because they're so much closer to home.
    Result: Florida State 30, West Virginia 18.  Not a great game for either team... yet FSU scores 30 points?  Okay.

Record through 23 games: 11-12

Iowa (9-2) vs. LSU (9-2)
Orlando, FL
January 1

    Iowa got its two losses out of the way early and then became one of the hottest teams in the nation, winning its last seven including blowouts of Ohio State and Wisconsin.  LSU also ended on a roll, winning its last six, including a win at Florida - but four of those six were at home.  The SEC has won this game the last three times out.
    Iowa has basically no rushing game, which is not likely to help its cause, though it hasn't seemed to need one in the Big Ten.  LSU's two-headed QB situation may or may not cause some intrigue, but if one of them is playing well, LSU will be tough.  Both defenses are great - remember Iowa's 6-4 win over Penn State? - but give LSU the edge because it has a more two-dimensional offense.  That, combined with the game's much greater proximity to the Bayou, should help the Tigers take it.
    Pick: LSU.
    Result: Iowa 30, LSU 25.  Picking against the Big Ten really didn't serve me that well, did it?

Record through 24 games: 11-13

Michigan (9-2) vs. Texas (10-1)
Pasadena, CA
January 1

    Just the matchup everyone wanted!  Representing the Big Ten, Michigan!  And representing the Pac Ten, Texas!  Er, hang on a second.
    Well, we have to deal with the fact that Texas is in this game.  So the question is, can Michigan beat them?  This may be Texas' best season yet, losing only a 12-0 decision to Oklahoma, and showing that they could score a lot of points when called upon, such as in the Oklahoma State comeback.  The Kansas game was a bit sketchy, but here we are.  Texas' running game is the biggest threat, with Cedric Benson (1764 yards, 19 TDs) as well as QB Vince Young (887 yards, 10 TDs), who isn't quite as good throwing the ball (1669 yards, 11 TDs, 10 INTs).
    So if Michigan's run defense is up to the task, it could be a long day for Texas - but is it?  Previous-to-that nobody Troy Smith ran for 145 yards on the Wolverines in the Ohio State loss, Noah Herron went for 156 in the Northwestern game, DeAndra Cobb ran all over for 205 and two scores for Michigan State... you see where this is going.  Basically, any team with a significant rushing attack has had a back go for 100+ on Michigan this season.  When you have not only a running back (and Benson only failed to break 140 in one game all year) but a quarterback capable of doing that, look out.
    Ah, but what about Michigan?  Could this be a shootout?  Well, Adrian Peterson ran for 225 yards in his game against Texas, so why not Mike Hart?  Of course, Texas had just one other game in which they allowed 100 yards (on the nose, to Oklahoma State's Vernand Morency), and they held Bobby Purify of Colorado, a 1000-yard rusher, to 13 yards on 12 carries...
    Well, Michigan could win.  But they'll have to really toughen up that run defense.  I'm not putting my money on it at this point in time.
    Pick: Texas.
    Result: Texas 38, Michigan 37.  Yow.  It took everything Texas had to make me right.  But I was right about the rushing... only it wasn't even Benson, it was Young, who ran for 192 and four touchdowns (and threw for 180 more and another score).

Record through 25 games: 12-13

Utah (11-0) vs. Pittsburgh (8-3)
Tempe, AZ
January 1

    The lock of the bowl season.  Pitt has looked good enough down the stretch, winning six of their last seven, but their biggest win all year was against an already-floundering West Virginia team.  Pass.
    Pick: Utah.
    Result: Utah 35, Pittsburgh 7.  Was there really any doubt?

Record through 26 games: 13-13

Auburn (12-0) vs. Virginia Tech (10-2)
New Orleans, LA
January 3

    This isn't nearly a lock.  Tech hasn't lost since September 25, which in momentum terms makes them as good as undefeated.  Their conquests along the way haven't been mind-blowing - a season-ending 16-10 win at Miami is the marquee win, while a 55-6 pasting of disappointment Maryland ranks as the most impressive.  Auburn ran the table in the SEC, never an easy thing, and beat a good Tennesee team twice, along with a convincing defeat of Georgia on November 13.
    Auburn has a better offensive attack by the numbers, but Bryan Randall has been improving all year and has thrown just one interception in his last seven games.  Can Tech's defense keep the tandem of Cadillac Williams and Ronnie Brown, who have combined for almost 2000 yards, in check?  If they can, can Jason Campbell respond to the pressure?  Will Auburn have something to prove or will this be a letdown game?
    Pick: Auburn.
    Result: Auburn 16, Virginia Tech 13.  The Hokies scored all their points in the fourth quarter and gave Auburn quite a scare, but in the end the Tigers had enough.  They won't sniff a share of the title, though.

Record through 27 games: 14-13

USC (12-0) vs. Oklahoma (12-0)
Miami, FL
January 4

    The big question here is how these teams will handle styles they haven't necessarily seen before.  Few teams out west run like Oklahoma is liable to - in their one game against a major rushing threat, USC allowed 112 yards to Cal's J.J. Arrington but won the game.  Meanwhile, Oklahoma has faced few if any teams as balanced as USC.  Neither team will have faced as stout a defense.  By the BCS standards, this does indeed deserve to be the title game - I think Auburn should have a shot, of course, but under the current system this is the matchup you want.
    So who wins this one?  I tend to pick who I want to win - so that's USC.  Certainly they can.
    Pick: USC, 27-24.
    Result: USC 55, Oklahoma 19.  Um... wow.  To say that Oklahoma didn't show up would be an understatement.  Except for their first drive of the game - on which they scored their only non-garbage-time touchdown - the Sooners looked pretty much horrible, and made every mistake possible on both offense and defense.  Should Auburn have been here?  Well, you have to think they wouldn't have given up 55, at any rate - really, OU's defense was shaky all season, but only USC had the defense to expose it.

Record through 28 games: 15-13