Pick 'Ems: Bowl Edition 1

Picking all the bowl games. Which is torture, because the first few weeks are composed almost entirely of games pitting two teams of which I know little and care less.

The Game: Wyoming v Fresno State
The Line: Bulldogs by 13
I’ll Take: Bulldogs by more
The Rationale: I’ve heard more about Fresno State. And Wyoming has a new coach. And they were worse off than UT, if you can imagine that.

The Game: UCF v Rutgers
The Line: Scarlet Knights by 4
I’ll Take: Scarlet Knights my more
The Rationale: Rutgers is complaining about exams and UCF having more time off or some such. Still, they’ve got the better program, and it’s hard to beat someone by just four.

The Game: Southern Miss v Middle Tennessee
The Line: Eagles by 6
I’ll Take: Eagles by more
The Rationale: I really want to root for my home state, but I didn’t even know the Raiders were in a bowl until I read this article about how, like, six of their current players have ever been to a bowl. Plus, isn’t Southern Miss really good in their conference?

The Game: Oregon State v BYU
The Line: Beavers by 2.5
I’ll Take: Beavers by more
The Rationale: I actually had to type two separate predictions. After all this talk about BYU being the second coming, Oregon State is favored? I was surprised. But then I reflected. Oregon State is in a real conference that’s doing well this year and certain personal policies dictating how I root for teams would preclude me from choosing the Cougars in good conscience. Don’t let me down, or you’re going on my List.

The Game: Utah v California
The Line: Bears by 2.5
I’ll Take: Bears by more
The Rationale: I think this is actually the same game as the previous pick, just with better mascots.

The Game: Marshall v Ohio
The Line: Bearcats by 4
I’ll Take: Bearcats by more
The Rationale: Isn’t Ohio at the top of their conference? And ever since I learned about the “We Are Marshall” story, everything about the Thundering Herd makes me uncomfortable.

The Game: Nevada v Southern Methodist
The Line: Wolfpack by 13
I’ll Take: Wolfpack by more
The Rationale: I shouldn’t, since it took about eight seconds for me to remember Nevada’s mascot. But I’m way out of my depth here, so I’m just going with Vegas.

The Game: Pittsburgh v North Carolina
The Line: Panthers by 2
I’ll Take: Tarheels in the upset
The Rationale: I really kinda wanted to pick Pitt, but standard policy is to pull for the southern team whenever possible (unless it’s an SEC team. Then you pull for them no matter what). Since the spread is so small, it’s possible to pick UNC. Also, I don’t have a single upset yet.

The Game: Boston College v USC
The Line: Trojans by 7
I’ll Take:Eagles in the upset
The Rationale: Sure, it’s popular to believe that USC has a win coming, or their disappointing season is motivation to be awesome in the bowl. But honestly, how pumped is mighty USC going to be about going to a December bowl?

The Game: Kentucky v Clemson
The Line: Tigers by 7.5
I’ll Take: Wildcats in the upset
The Rationale: Do these people not remember a few weeks ago when the Tigers were completely declawed by South Carolina? Kentucky is better than South Carolina. Also, I’ll be there to cheer them on in person

The Game: Texas A&M v Georgia
The Line: Bulldogs by 4
I’ll Take: Bulldogs by more
The Rationale: The SEC will trump the Big XII more than once this season.

The Game: UCLA v Temple
The Line: Bruins by 4
I’ll Take: Bruins by more
The Rationale: By even typing out the team names I’m giving this game more attention than it deserves.

The Game: Miami v Wisconsin
The Line: Hurricanes by 4.5
I’ll Take: Hurricanes by more
The Rationale: The Big 10 is a pretty bad conference most years, but especially this one.

If I don’t update for a few days, it’s not out of neglect. I’ll be spending some time in the mountains with spotty wireless, then it’s Christmas, then I’ll be on the road to my first of two bowl games. Happy holidays and see you soon.