Friday, December 26, 2008

BOWL PREDICTIONS: PART III

More bowl predictions. All these games are on Saturday, except the Independence Bowl, which is on Sunday.

Meineke Car Care Bowl
Charlotte, NC
West Virginia vs. North Carolina

Essentially a home game for UNC. Both teams come into this game 8-4, but WVU has explosiveness on offense in Pat White. I think he leads the Mountaineers to victory in his last game. WVU 27, UNC 17


Champs Sports Bowl
Orlando, FL
Wisconsin vs. Florida State

Weird to see neither of these teams ranked. The Badgers had a losing record in the Big Ten, which is sad. They also lost to Michigan, which is suicidal sad. They needed overtime to beat 1-AA Cal-Poly. FSU isn't a powerhouse, but 3 of their 4 losses were to ranked teams (Florida, BC, Georgia Tech). They even beat #19 Virginia Tech. The Seminoles can lose half their team to suspension/arrest and still pull this one out. FSU 38, Wisconsin 21.


Emerald Bowl
San Francisco, CA
Miami (FL) vs. California

Cal beat #17 Oregon and #18 Michigan State this season, and was 7-0 at home. This game is right in their backyard, 9 miles from campus. Miami beat Virginia Tech, but lost to every other decent ACC team. They were 3-3 on the road, with wins against Duke, Virginia, and Texas A&M. The Golden Bears win one for the Pac-10 in this matchup, 41-21.


Independence Bowl
Shreveport, LA
Northern Illinois vs. Louisiana Tech

Tech may have lost 14-7 to Army, but NIU's biggest win was over Bowling Green. Plus the game is very close to Tech, so I'll give them the edge. 30-28. More points scored than viewers.