Colin enter week two of Bowl Season at 3-6-1 ATS. Fireman Mike is sitting at 4-5-1.

Georgia -7 vs. Texas A&M - Independence Bowl

Georgia was one of the most disappointing teams in the country to their fan base. While ‘rebuilding’ should never be a term for a Georgia program that is used to success, this season was exactly that for the Bulldogs. And they were still Bowl eligible. QB Joe Cox, RBs Caleb King and Washaun Ealey tried desperately to fill the void left by first round draft picks Matt Stafford and Knowshon Moreno and did an admirable job. Cox is turnover prone having thrown 14 picks on the year but only two have come in his last four games. The Georgia defense took their lumps during the regular season as well but made the stops necessary to win games against Auburn, Georgia Tech and South Carolina.

The Aggies are led Jerrod Johnson who quietly put together one of the best season for a quarterback in the nation and school history. He threw 28 TDs with only 6 INTs and used a plethora of athletic receivers to spread the ball around through the air. True freshman Christine Micheal ran for 767 yards while splitting carries with Cyrus Gray, who ran for 752 yards. The offense hasn’t been a question for the Aggies this season but their defense has given up 30 or more points eight different times in 2009.
Picks
Colin: Georgia
Fireman Mike: Texas A&M

UCLA -5 vs. Temple - Eagle Bank Bowl

UCLA had another disappointing season mainly due to a 5-game midseason losing streak in which Rick Neuheisal’s team lost to Stanford, Oregon, Cal, Arizona and Oregon State. The Bruins capped the season with a loss to USC to finish 6-6. They are in a very dangerous situation in their Bowl game because they will be favored to win by Vegas and expected to win by their fan base but might not be the best ‘team’ on the field. They certainly have higher profile athletes but that doesn’t always win ball games.

Temple had one of the best seasons in school history, going 9-3 and getting a ton of revenge against teams that trounced them in prior years. Al Golden’s team is led by Bernard Pierce, who missed the Owls’ last two games but still managed to rush for over 1,300 yards. The Owls are a run-oriented squad that relies solely on getting to the edge against slower MAC opponents. It worked throughout the season but they will be hard pressed to repeat their efforts against the Bruins.
Picks
Colin: UCLA
Fireman Mike: UCLA

Miami -4 vs. Wisconsin - Champs Sports Bowl

This Bowl game will decide whether ‘The U’ is back or if what we saw this year was a team on a hot streak that surprised some teams. It might be a little unfair to say but the Hurricanes have the same type of speedy athletes, bone jarring hitters and aggressive play callers as they did when they were dominating. Now it’s just a matter of whether or not they can win the big game. QB Jacory Harris had a breakout season but he turned the ball over too much once the ACC got enough film on him. If the ‘Canes mix things up offensively they should be able to roll to victory.

Wisconsin had a surprisingly solid season and bounced back from a debacle of a year in 2008 that saw the Badgers end with a 42-13 loss to a team from Florida, FSU. In order to avoid the same thing from happening this year, Wisconsin will have to control the ball by running it in between the tackles and staying away from turnovers. If they can do that, they have a chance.
Picks
Colin: Miami
Fireman Mike: Miami

Idaho -1 vs. Bowling Green - Humanitarian Bowls

In a year that saw people get robbed blind for their hard earned money from Wall Street to Main Street, it’s very fitting that a team called the Vandals had one of their best seasons in recent memory. For a program that has averaged about three wins over the past decade, Idaho put together a great season. They strung together 7 wins but got smoked every time they faced any sort of competition.

Bowling Green has the most productive receiver in the country spread out wide, probably someone you’ve never heard of. ‘Fast’ Freddie Barnes caught 138 balls this season for 1,551 yards and 16 TDs. Senior quarterback Tom Sheehan is also one of the most underrated players in the country having combined for over 9,500 yards and 66 TDs over the last three seasons. Standing at 6′4″ he can make every throw and is one of our sleepers in the upcoming NFL Draft.
Picks
Colin: Bowling Green
Fireman Mike: Bowling Green

Nebraska -2.5 vs. Arizona - Holiday Bowl

The Huskers have the most dominant player in the country on the defensive side of the ball in Ndmukong Suh. He proved it in the Big 12 Championship game by sacking Colt McCoy 4.5 times and made a habit of blowing Texas plays up in the backfield. Offensively they are limited but they will make you turn the ball over and score points in other ways. Zac Lee got off to a great start but cooled down as the season wore down and turned the ball over at crucial times. The offense will have to stay conservative and let the defense win the game against Arizona.

Arizona was the most surprising team in the PAC-10 this year. They were in the mix for the conference title until they hit the meat of their schedule and lost consecutive games to Cal and Oregon but also beat ASU and USC. Nick Foles leads a pretty balanced offensive attack that has seen different people step up due to injury and necessity. Foles has thrown for 2,438 yards and 24 TDs against only 8 INTs. Nic Grigsby is their most electric offensive weapon but he hasn’t been able to stay healthy this season. He’s expected to play in this one and will be the ‘X’ factor for the Wildcats.
Picks
Colin: Arizona
Fireman Mike: Nebraska

Houston -5.5 vs. Air Force - Armed Forces Bowl

Houston hasn’t taken it easy on anyone all season long so don’t expect them to show any mercy to Air Force even though they are playing in the Armed Forces Bowl. Case Keenum leads a dynamic offense that puts up yards and points in a hurry. The Cougars are a team - like many others - that were a few plays away from being in the mix for a BCS Bowl bid. They didn’t make the plays whie the good teams did. They have two 1,000 receivers and also have depth at the running back position. If Air Force doesn’t slow the game down, Keenum might end up with over 6,000 yards on the season. He has 5,449 right now.

Air Force had a solid year in 2009. Playing in a tough Mountain West Conference that was arguably the best non-BCS conference of all time, the Falcons won 7 games but didn’t surprise anyone along the way. Their best victory came against Wyoming, a Bowl winner over Fresno State. Air Force will have to run the ball effectively against an athletic Houston defense or this game could get ugly….FAST. Houston has to be careful because teams coming into a Bowl game with nothing to lose have a ton of success.
Picks
Colin: Air Force
Fireman Mike: Houston

Oklahoma -10 vs. Stanford - Sun Bowl

Even though Oklahoma is used to playing in a much bigger game at this time of the year, the Sooners are not in a position to take Stanford lightly. Once they lost QB Sam Bradford for the season things went down hill for the Sooners and they were unable to recover. Bradford’s replacement, Landry Jones has dealt with turnover issues throughout the season but has also shown flashes of brilliance. The Oklahoma defense is going to be the most important unit for the Sooners against Stanford though. If they can contain the Cardinal run game they have the athletes and ability to win this game big.

The perception about Stanford is that they are a one trick pony with RB Tony Gerhart being their only weapon. It simply isn’t true. The Cardinal have a few young quarterbacks and are fully capable of leading a passing game. Coach Jim Harbaugh is going to have his team ready for their biggest game in the past 15 years and we should expect a hard fought, electric ball game.
Picks
Colin: Oklahoma
Fireman Mike: Stanford

Missouri -7.5 vs. Navy - Texas Bowl

Missouri’s Blaine Gabbert is one of the brightest young stars in the nation but lost a lot of talent from last year’s Tiger team. He’s led this Missouri team to eight wins and three of his four losses came to top 25 teams. He has thrown for over 3,300 yards and 20 TDs but his best days are ahead of him. He is helped in the run game by Derrick Washington who is coming off his second 100-yard game against Kansas.

Navy’s football team enjoyed another successful season and they just do not seem to disappoint on a year-to-year basis. QB Ricky Dobbs dominates the rock and runs the option offense to perfection. He has the ability to throw the ball a little bit but that isn’t the Midshipmen’s game. Dobbs has run for over 1,000 yards while fullback Vince Murray is 75 yards away from the 1,000-yard mark himself.
Picks
Colin: Navy
Fireman Mike: Navy

Minnesota -1.5 vs. Iowa State - Insight Bowl

Minnesota had a winning record early in the season but struggled to stay above the .500 mark all year and finished the 2009 campaign at 6-6. WR Eric Decker is an awesome wide receiver on the outside for the Golden Gophers but a foot injury ended his season so Minnesota will have to turn to QB Adam Weber in order to make plays.

Iowa State lost 10 games last season but became Bowl-eligible by getting huge wins at Nebraska and Colorado State. RB Alexander Robinson is their biggest weapon and has rushed for over 1,000 yards this season.
Picks
Colin: Minnesota
Fireman Mike: Iowa State

Virginia Tech -5 vs. Tennessee - Chick-Fil-A Bowl

The Hokies were a big threat to win the ACC and possibly contend for a National Championship this season but an early loss to Alabama put that to rest and a mid-season loss to North Caolina killed their ACC dreams. The still might be the most athletic and whole team in the ACC. True freshman Ryan Williams causes huge problems for defenses, having run for over 1,500 yards and 19 TDs this year. He has the power to run in between the tackles and the explosiveness to break the big play. The Hokies play it close to the vest offensively because QB Tyrod Taylor hasn’t been able to mature as a player the way Frank Beamer and his staff probably wished a few years ago.

Lane Kiffin brings Tennessee to a huge Bowl game in his first year as head coach. It’s not too often that a team has a somewhat down year and gets rewarded by playing a team that is a perennial top 10 program in a Bowl game. The Vols must cease the opportunity and take advantage of their chance to make some noise on the National scene. This is what Kiffin has been waiting for ever since he got to Tennessee but he might be the only one who isn’t surprised that it happened in his first year.
Picks
Colin: Virginia Tech
Fireman Mike: Virginia Tech

Auburn -9 vs. Northwestern - Outback Bowl

Under the watchful eye of offensive coordinator Gul Malzahn, Auburn became a dynamic offense this season. Ben Tate is a big back that can take it to opposing defense and Malzahn uses him as a dangerous weapon as well as a decoy. Defensively the Tigers are susceptible to teams that are identical to them offensively. They have a tough time with a run-pass offense that spreads the ball around equally.

Northwestern’s best asset is their coaching staff. Pat Fitzgerald is a former player who uses his experience to help guide his team emotionally and in game situations. QB Mike Kafka is their main offensive weapon and is probably playing for a late round Draft spot in this game.
Picks
Colin: Northwestern
Fireman Mike: Northwestern

West Virginia -2.5 vs. Florida State - Gator Bowl

West Virginia is led by dynamic running back Noel Devine who finds different ways to beat teams week after week. He accounted for over 1,400 yards rushing and receiving this season while Jarrett Brown was the man delivering the passes. Brown will turn the ball over once in a while but the West Virginia offense runs an attacking style that forces the quarterback to make quick decisions with the ball.

This is Florida State coach Bobby Bowden’s last game in a celebrated career that leaves him behind just Joe Paterno on the all-time win list. FSU’s EJ Manuel is still green but at least has three games under his belt coming into his first Bowl game. The FSU defense will have to step up like it did at points during the regular season in order to win this game.
Picks
Colin: Florida State
Fireman Mike: Florida State

LSU -1.5 vs. Penn State - Capitol One Bowl

LSU is led by their defense. If they can hold the Nittany Lions on the first two downs, they will have an exceptional chance to win this game. They will need a good effort from the defensive side of the ball since Jordan Jefferson simply hasn’t improved the way we thought and LSU coaches wished he would.

Penn State are not the most athletic team on the field for only the second or third time this year. The Nittany Lions pumped their heads up with wins over garbage teams in the early season only to lose in Big Ten play to Ohio State and Iowa. They will need to control the pace of the game with QB Darryl Clark and RB Evan Royster in order to win this ball game.

Picks
Colin: LSU
Fireman Mike: LSU

Oregon -4 vs. Ohio State - Rose Bowl

Oregon’s offense is one of the fastest, most electric groups in the nation and is run to perfection by quarterback Jeremiah Masoli. He has thrown for 2,066 yards and 15 TDs but also kills teams with his feet, rushing for 659 yards which is good for second on the team. LaMichael James stepped in for LaGarrette Blount after that ugly scene earlier in the year and rushed for 1,476 yards and 14 TDs. Oregon scores in bunches and never takes their foot off the gas.

Ohio State is led by quarterback Terrelle Pryor who is playing with a partially torn PCL. Jim Tressel has kept the offense very conservative this season as he has during his entire tenure as a head coach. Although he shows flashes of brilliance, Pryor can’t be trusted to put a team on his back from week to week and win a ball game by himself. The Buckeye defense will have to step up and show why they we considered the best group in the Big Ten this season.
Picks
Colin: Ohio State
Fireman Mike: Oregon

Florida -14 vs. Cincinnati - Sugar Bowl

Florida has to be careful not to fall into a similar trap as Alabama did last season after they lost in the SEC title game and laid an egg against Utah. There is a ton of motivation for the Gators with Tim Tebow’s last college game being at the top of the list. There have also been a lot of disruptions over the past week ever since Urban Meyer announced that he would be taking a sabbatical following the season. It will be interesting to see which Gator team shows up.

Cincinnati has had they share of disturbances as well. Tony Pike and Mardy Gilyard have done their best to show veteran leadership after losing their coach, Brian Kelly, to Notre Dame directly after the regular season. Now they have to deliver on their word that the program is still one of the best in the nation regardless of who is calling the plays. They will have every opportunity to prove themselves in this one.
Picks
Colin: Florida
Fireman Mike: Cincinnati