Entering Week 3 of our Bowl Bets, Colin and Fireman Mike each have a record of 12-11-2 for the Bowl Season.

USF -7 vs. Northern Illinois - International Bowl

South Florida quarterback BJ Daniels was not expecting to be in this situation today. At the beginning of the year Daniels was in position to back up star quarterback and senior Matt Grothe, owner of multiple school records and everybody’s favorite quarterback in the Big East. After Grothe sustained a torn ACL early in the season it was apparent that the Bulls needed Daniels to step up in a bad way. He did not disappoint. The freshman is every bit Grothe’s equal and is probably a better all-around athlete. He leads the Bulls in rushing with 798 yards to go along with 1766 yards through the air.

Northern Illinois became Bowl eligible in early November and haven’t won a game since, losing to Ohio and Central Michigan on their way to a 7-5 finish. Junior RB Chad Spann leads a good NIU rushing attack and finds ways to reach the end zone even -19 TDs- without putting up huge yardage numbers -945 yards- but will be counted on to do both because second leading rusher Me’co Brown did not make the trip to Toronto.
Picks
Colin: South Florida
Fireman Mike: South Florida

South Carolina -3.5 vs. UConn - Papa John’s Bowl

Steve Spurrier’s high tempo offense hasn’t exactly caught the world on the fire in Columbia but his defense has been as steady as some of the best in the SEC since his arrival. Led by senior linebacker Eric Norwood, the Gamecocks won five of their first six games before three of four and becoming Bowl eligible somewhere in between there. The Gamecocks aren’t as solid on the offensive end but they can control a ball game.

UConn has had their share of ups and downs. Their ups consist of a bunch of close losses and big wins over very good teams and the downs consist of the death of one of their best players and teammate, Jasper Howard. Randy Edsall has done such a good job in Storrs that he was allegedly up for the job at Notre Dame.
Picks
Colin: UConn
Fireman Mike: UConn

Mississippi -3 vs. Oklahoma St - Cotton Bowl

This is going to be one of the best games in the Bowl season and the teams are so equal that it doesn’t even make sense to break down where they came from and what happened to them this season. Each has a decent quarterback that can lead them to victory or hurt them in a loss. Mississippi has the edge defensively.
Picks
Colin: Mississippi
Fireman Mike: Mississippi

Arkansas -7.5 vs. East Carolina - Liberty Bowl

Arkansas is led by QB Ryan Mallet who was the number one passer in the SEC this season. Mallet broke school records for passing yards and passing touchdowns this season on his way to one of the best seasons by an SEC quarterback in recent memory. The Razorbacks don’t run the ball particularly well but they don’t need to because of their big play passing ability.

Skip Holtz’s East Carolina team is built around defense and the Pirates live by a unit that surrenders about 22 points per game. Veteran senior quarterback Patrick Pinkney leads a pretty balanced offensive attack that also includes 1,000-yard rusher Dominique Lindsay.
Picks
Colin: East Carolina
Fireman Mike: East Carolina

Texas Tech -8.5 vs. Michigan State - Alamo Bowl

Mike Leach led his Red Raiders to an 8-4 record in 2009 but wasn’t able to fight accusations from Adam James about the way Leach handled his head injury to stick around long enough to watch Texas Tech play their first game in 2010. Even with a shuffle at the quarterback position all season long, the Red Raiders still run a rapid fire offense that puts points on the board quickly.

Michigan State hasn’t seen an offense like this in the Big Ten, unless you count the poor man’s version of it that Purdue runs. QB Kirk Cousins fought for and took the reins at quarterback this season and did an admirable job. The Spartans defense did quite step up the way they were expected to and what was a sleeper pick as the preseason Big Ten champ turned into a plain sleepy team.
Picks
Colin: Texas Tech
Fireman Mike: Texas Tech

TCU -7 vs. Boise State - Fiesta Bowl

TCU comes into this game with one of the strongest non-BCS units in the history of college football. We’re used to seeing spread offenses from outside the BCS put a ton of points on the board and stay in the game by airing it out. But it is rare for a non-BCS defense to be so dominant and it is somewhat of a shame that we aren’t going to be able to see what the Horned Frogs could have done against a high powered BCS offense. Still, with the exception of Florida, TCU might be facing the best team left in the nation. Andy Dalton gives this TCU team good balance with the ability to put points on the board offensively and taking advantage of his defense’s turnovers.

Boise State coach Chris Peterson has been in this position before and the last time the Broncos made a run to the Fiesta, they just so happened to co-star in one of the best college football games of all time against Oklahoma. Sophomore QB Kellen Moore is one of the best quarterbacks in the country and he will probably earn a spot on our All American team with a strong performance against TCU. A lot has been made about Colt McCoy’s new record of 45 wins as a starting quarterback and how his record may never be broken. Apparently, the pundits have not looked too in-depth when analyzing his record because Moor is already at 25 wins as a sophomore and will knock down McCoy’s door at some point during his senior year.
Picks
Colin: TCU
Fireman Mike: Boise State

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Georgia Tech -6 vs. Iowa - Orange Bowl

Georgia Tech capped another very good season under Paul Johnson with an ACC title and a number of NFL prospects on their roster. DE Derrick Morgan ranks as one of the best players in the nation and is a near lock to enter the Draft. He’ll be celebrating his 21st birthday a day early during Tech’s BCS game while RB Jonathon Dwyer will try to give scouts more reasons to consider him a first round, franchise-type back that can carry the load. Johnson’s offense is damn near impossible to stop but with a month to prepare the Hawkeyes will have the best chance of any team yet this year.

Kirk Ferentz looked like he was on the downside of a brilliant career at Iowa just two years ago but a couple great recruiting classes headlined by lockdown cornerbacks, offensive line anchors and talented linebackers gave the Hawkeyes a legitimate shot to win the big Ten title this year. As they flew to the top of the rankings, those recruits became prospects and the Hawkeyes grew as a team. If they can get decent quarterback play Iowa has a great shot to win another Bowl game for the Big Ten.
Picks
Colin: Iowa
Fireman Mike: Iowa

Alabama -6 vs. Texas - BCS Championship Game

Alabama rode Rolando McClain’s leadership and Gerald McCoy dominance throughout the entire season while they steamrolled through the SEC like a locomotive. When people questioned their offense they answered with a Heisman Trophy-winning running back in Mark Ingram, arguably the second best back on their roster. Nick Saban has put together a roster full of athlete in short time in Tuscaloosa and he’s looking for the highest reward imaginable in college football, a National Championship, which would be his second personally.

Mack Brown’s Texas team has done things a different way. In a ‘Ho-Hum’ sort of attitude, they trounced the Big 12 gunslingers and came out as the baddest boys on the block. Colt McCoy is the leader of an offense that can make big plays and put up big numbers but don’t be surprised when freshman running back Tre’ Newton becomes a man on the nation’s biggest scene tonight. It might not be a plethora of yards but the youngster is due.

Picks
Colin: Alabama
Fireman Mike: Texas