2009 Bowl Preview

NEW MEXICO BOWL

Fresno State 27 Wyoming 17

Fresno State always puts forth a good effort in games that are on national television.

ST. PETERSBURG BOWL

Rutgers 34 Central Florida 13

Rutgers is a strong team playing in quite possibly the worst bowl game, such a situation could lead to a let down, though their talent alone should overwhelm UCF.

NEW ORLEANS BOWL

Southern Miss 24 Middle Tenn 17

Can someone explain to me how the Sun Belt Conference is in the Football Bowl Subdivision of Division 1, is it to just to provide early season patsies for the big boys.

MAACO BOWL

Oregon State 24 BYU 13

Oregon State had a nine point lead in the 3rd Quarter against Oregon with a trip to the Rose Bowl on the line. BYU is a solid team, but the Beavers are stronger and should get the win.

POINSETTIA BOWL

Utah 27 California 17

With Cal’s top offensive weapon Jahvid Best out with a concussion they will be hard pressed to win this one.

HAWAII BOWL

SMU 27 Nevada 20

SMU returns to a bowl game for the first time since receiving the death penalty over 20 years ago. It’s also a return for June Jones to his old Hawaii haunts, its too good of story for the Mustangs not to win.

LITTLE CAESARS PIZZA BOWL

Ohio 37 Marshall 10

Ohio makes the short trip up to Detroit, for a bowl game they should be able to dominate against 6-6 Marshall.

MEINEKE CAR CARE BOWL

North Carolina 24 Pittsburgh 20

Pitt may be a strong team that was one point away from the BCS, but the letdown factor and facing a Tar Heel tea with a home state edge will result in more disappointment.

EMERALD BOWL

USC 45 Boston College 10

USC usually playing in the Rose Bowl lost four games this season in the Pac 10 and are forced to settle for the Emerald Bowl where they will launch themselves into next season by taking out their frustration on BC.

MUSIC CITY BOWL

Clemson 31 Kentucky 17

This bowl game will quickly become the C.J. Spiller show, as the Clemson Running Back tries to impress pro scouts.

INDEPENDENCE BOWL

Georgia 30 Texas A&M 24

It may have been a down year for the Bulldogs, but they are considerably better than Texas A&M.

EAGLEBANK BOWL

Temple 24 UCLA 20

It’s been a longtime since Temple has played in a bowl, but they knew they had a bowl date from the end of the season. UCLA had to wait and see if Army won to see their bowl fate, that can’t be easy for the Bruins who will have a tough time winning this one.

CHAMPS SPORTS BOWL

Miami 34 Wisconsin 24

The Hurricanes took a big stride this year, and could be a strong BCS contender next season. Look for them to use this game to help them earn top 10 preseason ranking in the preseason.

HUMANITARIAN BOWL

Idaho 34 Bowling Green 13

The Vandals make their bowl debut and don’t have to leave the Gem State, even though it may be in rival Boise State’s blue field they should have the home state edge.

HOLIDAY BOWL

Nebraska 13 Arizona 9

Points will be at premium in this one, as the Cornhuskers led by Heisman finalist Ndamukong Suh have one of the top defenses in the nation.

ARMED FORCES BOWL

Houston 48 Air Force 17

Case Keenum should have no problem putting up big numbers in this one, as Houston’s offense was among the best in nation.

SUN BOWL

Stanford 31 Oklahoma 20

It’s been a year to forget with the Sooners, whose season was derailed by injuries to key players like Sam Bradford. The best player in the game will be Stanford’s Toby Gerhart who will look to make a big statement.

TEXAS BOWL

Missouri 27 Navy 24

Missouri is a solid team that is used to dialing up their skill level, and they should be able to

INSIGHT BOWL

Minnesota 27 Iowa State 17

This is an awful game featuring two 6-6 teams, can’t imagine allot of interest in this one as the more talented Gophers get the win.

Chick-fil-A BOWL

Virginia Tech 27 Tennessee 10

Virginia Tech had just a few slip ups at bad times otherwise they would be playing in a BCS Bowl. They may be the best team in the ACC otherwise and it will show in this one.

OUTBACK BOWL

Auburn 24 Northwestern 21

Auburn gave top ranked Alabama all they could handle this season, Northwestern is strong, but the Tigers are bit more talented.

CAPITAL ONE BOWL

Penn State 24 LSU 13

Give Joe Paterno time to prepare, and Penn State has a strong chance to win, that explains there long history of bowl success, and will enable them to win.

GATOR BOWL

West Virginia 31 Florida State 10

It would be a nice ending if Bobby Bowden went off in the sunset with a win, but happy endings are often quite rare, and almost hard to expect.

ROSE BOWL

Oregon 34 Ohio State 13

The Ducks after losing the opener to Boise State, where among the best teams in the nation led by a strong offense, an offense that Ohio State will have a tough time matching.

SUGAR BOWL

Florida 31 Cincinnati 10

The Gators could still be the best team in the nation despite their lone loss to Alabama. If there was a playoff it would be hard to bet against them, while Cincy with the loss of Coach Brian Kelly is burdened by distractions.

INTERNATIONAL BOWL

South Florida 34 No. Illinois 16

South Florida is considerably more talented then Northern Illinois and should be able to rule the day in Canada.

COTTON BOWL

Oklahoma State 28 Mississippi 20

Ole Miss is not a pushover, but the Cowboys of Okie State, where close to being a BCS contender in the Big XII this season.

PAPAJOHNS.com BOWL

UConn 27 South Carolina 17

After all the trial and tribulations the Huskies have gone through a bowl win over a strong South Carolina team would be a nice way to wrap it up.

LIBERTY BOWL

East Carolina 27 Arkansas 13

East Carolina is one of those non BCS teams that often get overlooked, but every year they seem to qualify for a bowl and put up a strong effort in the bowl.

ALAMO BOWL

Texas Tech 41 Michigan State 31

Texas Tech always seems to put up big points when they get their chance to play in a bowl game or on national TV, while Michigan State posted a 6-6 record in a mediocre Big Ten this year.

FIESTA BOWL

TCU 27 Boise State 24

Last season these two non BCS stalwarts met, with TCU ending Boise State’s dreams of a perfect season in the Poinsettia Bowl with a 17-16 win. Now with both unbeaten on the BCS spotlight it will be Horned Frogs who rule the day again.

ORANGE BOWL

Georgia Tech 27 Iowa 10

It may have been easy to overlook Georgia Tech, with the ACC being down all year, but they are a worthy BCS team, and should be able to easily handle Iowa in the Orange Bowl.

GMAC BOWL

Central Michigan 45 Troy 24

With QB Dan LeFevour and his 27 Touchdown pass on the season, it is clear that Central Michigan has the horses to bring down Troy.

BCS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

Alabama 34 Texas 17

The National Championship was decided on December 5th, when the Tide rolled over Florida. Alabama and Florida were the best two teams in the nation all season, and are still the best two teams. Bama won the game, and will win the BCS Title, in a game that may seem anti-climatic. That same day Texas won its way into BCS Championship by beating Nebraska, but they were exposed badly in the one point win, as Colt McCoy struggled against the Huskers defense, before the Longhorns eeked out the win with a game winning field goal. Alabama also has a strong defense too, but unlike Nebraska they have playmakers on offense led by Heisman Winner Mark Ingram.