Weekly Picks

FLORIDA -3 vs. Oklahoma (BCS Championship)

I am shocked that this spread is as low as it is. All signs point to a comfortable win for the Gators.

The SEC is 4-0 in BCS championship games. Oklahoma has lost its last 4 BCS bowls (they are 1-2 in championship games).

Florida is the dominant team this season and they showed in their last BCS appearance what Meyer can do with a month to get ready for the big game.

The Sooners seem like frontrunners to me. As long as they are enjoying early success then they continue to pile it on. The one time an opponent met them blow for blow, OU wilted and Bradford threw the big INT in their loss to Texas.

Florida gets Percy Harvin back and just seems like a more complete team. OU has been pretty bad on defense, so I give UF a better chance of actually making some plays on that side of the ball.

Gators win going away by 2+ TDs.

UTAH +10 vs. Alabama (Sugar Bowl)

This is a really overlooked matchup of a couple teams that went undefeated in the regular season and bring a combined 24-1 record into the game.

It’s hard to imagine an SEC team being upset about going to the Sugar Bowl and I don’t expect a letdown from ‘Bama, but the fact is that they are not an offensive juggernaut by any means.

Utah is a tough team that has a really strong D and senior leadership at QB.

I like Utah to keep it close all game in a defensive struggle and for Alabama to pull it out in the end by less than a touchdown.

OLE MISS +5 vs. Texas Tech (Cotton Bowl)

Ole Miss is very underrated at #25. They beat Florida, barely lost to Alabama, and crushed LSU in Baton Rouge to earn their ticket to this game. Ole Miss will be very fired up to continue their momentum in Houston Nutt’s first season.

To my thinking, Texas Tech is due for a letdown here. They were ranked #1 going into their last game before getting humiliated by Oklahoma.

In a normal season the Red Raiders would be excited about the Cotton Bowl but I doubt it this year when they were thinking BCS. Another possible issue for Texas Tech is that QB Harrell had surgery on his hand during the bowl break.

The SEC has done well in the Cotton Bowl lately, winning 4 of the last 5. Look for Ole Miss to win this straight up.

NEVADA -1.5 vs. Maryland (Humanitarian Bowl)

Maryland is not happy at all about being shipped to Boise. They were thinking ACC championship late in the season but somehow fell all the way to the ACC’s # 9 bowl. There have been rumors floating around that Maryland has sold about 16 tickets to this game. Probably more have been sold, but less than what the folks in Boise are hoping for I’m sure.

Maryland has a win streak going against top-25 teams but has not fared so well vs. lesser competition. The Terps were 1-4 away from home this year including a 10-point loss to Middle Tennessee and a shutout 30-point loss at Virginia.

If you haven’t seen Nevada, get ready to be amazed by the Pistol offense and run/pass QB Colin Kaepernick. Nevada will have the home crowd’s support as the WAC representative and is accustomed to the “Smurf Turf” as they play at Boise every other year.

NORTH CAROLINA STATE +7 vs. Rutgers (Papa John’s Bowl)

Both of these teams are hot, ending their seasons on big winning streaks to make a bowl. I’m not sure why Vegas is giving a touchdown edge to Rutgers, NC State finished very strong handling UNC and Miami in their last two games.

NC State coach Tom O’Brien has won 7 straight bowl games (with BC from 2000 to 2006) so take the Pack and the points.