Sunday Morning Update -- Oregon State falls, big mess in Big 12

Unable to make a single defensive stop in the entire game, Oregon State lost to Oregon and lost its hold on the Pac-10 title and a Rose Bowl Game presented by Citi bid. Now, if USC beats UCLA next weekend, USC will be Pac-10 champ and go to the Rose Bowl Game presented by Citi. According to this morning's updated projections, Oregon State would slide all the way to the Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl. It's possible they could go to the Brut Sun Bowl instead, but that bowl seems to be pretty far down the road with California as its Pac-10 entry, so the Beavers might be out of luck.

The Beavers' loss also opens up a BCS at-large spot (assuming USC takes care of business next week). Our current projections have that spot going to Ohio State, which would face Alabama in the Allstate Sugar Bowl. But the spot could also go to 12-0 Boise State, as outlined somewhat clumsily in yesterday morning's update.

As for the Big 12, we'll wait and see, because the BCS standings (announced tonight) will determine the champion of the Big 12 South. We're projecting it to be Oklahoma, and we're projecting the Sooners to beat Missouri next week in the Big 12 championship and earn a spot in the FedEx BCS National Championship Game. (We're also projecting Florida to beat Alabama in the SEC championship and be Oklahoma's opponent in that game.)

But we'll see. Texas could stay ahead of the Sooners in the BCS. (They did beat them, after all.), or the Sooners could lose to Missouri, which could allow Texas a shot to play for the national title even though they didn't get to play for their own conference title. A lot could still change depending on who wins the actual games.

Meanwhile, the projections are updated based on yesterday's action, and a week from now we'll know a hell of a lot more.

Whither 12-0 Boise State?

The only reason the Boise State-Fresno State game was ever 10-10 was because Boise decided to start its backup QB (a senior) on senior day and the poor kid threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown on the first series. They then put in their real starting QB and went on to win 61-10 and finish their regular season 12-0.

For this, we have Boise State projected to play in the...San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl?

Tough stuff. After all, what more could they have done? But the BCS math isn't working out for them.

Since the ACC, Pac 10 and Big East will all apparently have champions that are ranked outside the BCS top 10, Boise State (which is ranked ninth) is going to have a tough time snagging an at-large berth. The BCS takes the champions of its six conferences (those three plus the Big 10, SEC and Big 12), plus the highest-ranked champion of another conference (in this case, No. 7 Utah), then fills in the final three at-large spots as it sees fit. At this point, those three at-large spots look certain to go to USC, the loser of the SEC title game (Alabama or Florida) and whichever team (Oklahoma or Texas) gets hosed out of a shot at the Big 12 title game.

That leaves the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl to fight it out with the Roady's Humanitarian Bowl for the right to put a 12-0 Boise State team in its game.

Now, there are some things that could, technically, still happen. They include:

-Oregon could beat Oregon State tonight. That would make USC the champion of the Pac 10 and drop Oregon State out of the BCS picture, opening up another at-large spot. But if that happened, would the BCS really pick Boise State over Ohio State? Given the records and the rankings, you can certainly make the case that they should. But WOULD they?

-Oklahoma State could beat Oklahoma tonight. That'd be a second loss for Oklahoma, a team many consider the best in the country, and would send Texas Tech to the Big 12 title game against Missouri, meaning one of those teams would earn a BCS berth and either Oklahoma or Texas would be left out. That doesn't really open up a spot, though, since the spot would go to a Big 12 champion team not currently in the BCS picture.

-Notre Dame could beat USC today. Yeah. And monkeys might fly out of my butt... But anyway, if that happened, USC would have two losses (one of which would be totally horrendous and inexplicable) and might lose its right to an at-large spot.

Tough stuff, sure. But it could be worse. They could be 11-0 Ball State, which is ranked 15th and has no shot whatsoever to crash the BCS party. This is the kind of thing that makes you think they do need a playoff. But if they had a playoff, what would this site be for?

Other nifty aspects of today's schedule include:

-Auburn at Alabama. The Tide can lose and still play in the SEC title game next week, but jeez. If they lose this week AND next week, they could lose their claim on an at-large spot. Would be a brutal fall for a team that's looked indestructible all year, but think about this: Auburn has won this game six years in a row.

-Maryland at Boston College. If BC wins, they're in the ACC title game. If they lose, Florida State is in the ACC title game. BC is starting a its 14th-string quarterback, but they're a team built on its running game and defense. All Dominique Davis has to do is not screw anything up, and they believe the rest will take care of itself.

-Baylor at Texas Tech. Stung from last week's thrashing in Oklahoma, Texas Tech is likely to try to score 100 points against the Bears in an effort to hang onto a shot at the BCS field.

Notre Dame to Brut Sun Bowl?

Many thanks to Steve Politi for this breaking news update. It appears, as long as they lose to USC this weekend (and really, how could they not?), that Notre Dame will get an invitation to the Brut Sun Bowl.

We had originally projected West Virginia to the Brut Sun Bowl and Notre Dame to the Texas Bowl, so we're going to shift some Big East projections around. We're moving Pitt to the Texas Bowl and West Virginia to the Meineke Car Care Bowl. Of course, those assignments could depend on the result of the Pitt-West Virginia game this weekend.

But anyway, looks like that ND-Cal matchup is set for El Paso on New Year's Eve. Even though ND is 6-6. Pathetic.

UPDATE: Politi now tells me he believes the above report to be false -- that a Big East team will get into the Brut Sun Bowl ahead of Notre Dame. He bases this on the reporting by a very respected writer at The Star-Ledger of Newark, N.J. -- a fine publication whose baseball coverage will be significantly worse on Jan. 1, 2009 but which is to be trusted on an issue such as Big East football.

Anyway, we'll leave the projections alone for now and maybe put West Virginia back in this bowl later in the week when things get a little clearer.

Projection and other updates -- Nov. 25

As you can see along the right side, we've started to establish some of the complex bonuses. Click on a bonus, and it will tell you which games are needed to qualify for it. Click on a game, and it will tell you for which bonuses it is required.

Also, I've updated some bowl projections based on last weekend's results. Some of the more significant changes (be they significant to the world at large or to individuals who might be reading this site) include:

-I've switched Oklahoma and Texas, moving the Sooners into the FedEx BCS National Championship Game and Texas into the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. This is because I think Oklahoma will beat Oklahoma State and vault over the Longhorns into one of the top two spots in the BCS. Of course, results of actual games will determine these matchups, so this is just my effort to pick the remainder of the Big 12 and SEC schedules.

-Nevada and Florida Atlantic, both 5-6, are out of the projected bowl field for now, replaced (though not directly) with Arkansas and San Jose State. We have the Razorbacks playing Western Michigan in the Independence Bowl and we have SJ State playing Clemson in the Emerald Bowl (local tie-in there).

-Rob Biro's Northwestern Wildcats have been moved from the Valero Alamo Bowl to the Champs Sports Bowl. Currently, they project to face Miami there, though we're working on a way to change that projection to Georgia Tech, so as to have both of Rob's alma maters in the same bowl game.

-South Florida, having defeated UConn on Sunday night to guarantee bowl eligibility, is now slotted into the St. Petersburg Bowl, because they're right freaking there! UConn has been moved to an International Bowl matchup with Buffalo. All-time classic.

-We're now projecting Florida State and South Carolina in the Chick-fil A Bowl -- a Bobby Bowden/Steve Spurrier matchup for all those of you who remember their big intrastate rivalry games in the 90s. Also, the Chick-fil A Bowl is scheduled for a Sunday, which I think is hilarious. Can they serve the sandwiches at the game?

Once again, these are mere projections, and many are likely to be wrong. But as we establish and test the site, it gives us something with which to work.

Please check back periodically for updates. There are many more bonuses to come. And of course, after Dec. 7, we'll have the actual matchups -- no more projections.

Thanks for your time, and Merry Thanksgiving.

Welcome

Ladies and Gentlemen (though mainly gentlemen, I would suspect), it is my pleasure to welcome you to the Second Annual Graziano Brothers College Bowl Point Spread Bonanza.

As the title indicates, my brothers and I did this last year. It's a massive college football bowl pool in which we pick every single bowl game (there are, believe it or not, 34 of them now) against the point spread. Each bowl is assigned a point value, with points increasing as the calendar moves along and the games get more significant.

In addition, as you will see on this site in the coming weeks, there is a staggering number of potential bonus points. You will designate one of your picks as a "LOCK" and another as a "SUPER-LOCK" and will get bonus points if you get those games correct.

We also group games together for additional bonus points. For instance, last year there was a "Bobby Bowden's Belly Bonus" -- a 10-point bonus for anybody who correctly picked all five of the bowl games played in the state of Florida. There was also a "Homer Simpson Bonus" for anybody who correctly picked all six of the bowl games whose sponsors had something to do with food.

We are currently working through the bonus structure, and of course we won't know for a couple of weeks what all the matchups are, let alone the spreads. But if you're interested, please contact me at grazdanny@yahoo.com, and I will make sure you are alerted when it's time to pick games.

The first bowl game is the EagleBank Bowl in Washington, D.C. at 11 am Eastern Time on Saturday, Dec. 20. All picks will be due by kickoff of that game. Meantime, enjoy the periodic updates on this site, click the links on the right to check out dates, times and projected matchups for each bowl, and please feel free to weigh in with any suggestions regarding potential bonuses.

And of course, please feel free to refer your friends and family to this site. The more the merrier, after all...

Thanks,

Dan G.

Purism Bonus

This awards a 9-point bonus to anyone who correctly picks all five of the bowl games that do not have a corporate sponsor in their names. To achieve this bonus, you must correctly pick the following six games:

New Mexico Bowl

Motor City Bowl

Independence Bowl

Texas Bowl

International Bowl

Climate Control Bonus

This awards an 11-point bonus to anyone who correctly picks all of the bowl games that are played indoors. This is a minimum of seven games and could, possibly, be eight or nine. The Texas Bowl and the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl are played in stadiums with retractable roofs. If those roofs are closed for the games, then the games will count toward the bonus. If they are not, they won't. In order to achieve this bonus, you must correctly pick the following seven games...

St. Petersburg Bowl

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl

Motor City Bowl

Valero Alamo Bowl

Chick-fil A Bowl

Allstate Sugar Bowl

International Bowl

...and POSSIBLY one or both of the following two:

Texas Bowl

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl

Damp Basement Bonus

This awards a 12-point bonus for anyone who correctly picks the seven games played in cities that are at or below sea level. To achieve this bonus, you must correctly pick the following seven games:

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl

San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl

Sheraton Hawaii Bowl

Pacific Life Holiday Bowl

Konica Minolta Gator Bowl

Allstate Sugar Bowl

GMAC Bowl

Dreams of Sunday Bonus

This awards a 3-point bonus to anyone who correctly picks both of the bowl games that are broadcast on the NFL Network. To achieve this bonus, you must correctly pick the following two games:

Texas Bowl

Insight Bowl

ESPN Broadcast Overflow Bonus

This awards a 3-point bonus to anyone who correctly picks the results of both bowl games that had to be shifted to ESPN2 because ESPN has so damn many bowl games. To achieve this bonus, you must correctly pick the following two games:

St. Petersburg Bowl

International Bowl

Hank Paulson Bailout Bonus

This awards 7 bonus points to anyone who correctly picks all four bowl games whose sponsors are banks or financial institutions -- whether those banks exist or not by the time the bowl is played. To achieve this bonus, you must correctly pick the following four games:

EagleBank Bowl

San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl

Capital One Bowl

Rose Bowl Game presented by Citi

Homer Simpson Bonus

This awards a 10-point bonus to anyone who correctly picks the six bowl games whose sponsors are somehow food-related. To achieve this bonus, you must correctly pick the following six games:

Emerald Bowl

Papajohns.com Bowl

Roady's Humanitarian Bowl

Chick-fil A Bowl

Outback Bowl

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl

CC Sabathia's Wallet Bonus

This awards a 9-point bonus for anyone who correctly picks all five of the bowl games that are played at stadiums that are home to Major League Baseball teams. To achieve this bonus, you must correctly pick the following five games:

St. Petersburg Bowl

Emerald Bowl

FedEx Orange Bowl

International Bowl

FedEx BCS National Championship Game

Bear Bryant Tower Bonus

This awards a 3-point bonus to anyone who correctly picks both of the bowl games played in the state of Alabama. To achieve this bonus, you must correctly pick the following two games:

Papajohns.com Bowl

GMAC Bowl

John McCain's Hangover Bonus

This awards a 3-point bonus to anyone who correctly picks both of the bowl games played in the state of Arizona. To achieve this bonus, you must correctly pick the following two games:

Insight Bowl

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl

Grand Ole Opry Bonus

This awards a 3-point bonus to anyone who correctly picks both bowl games played in the state of Tennessee. To achieve this bonus, you must correctly pick the following two games:

Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl

AutoZone Liberty Bowl

Louis Armstrong's Sax Bonus

This awards a 5-point bonus to anyone who correctly picks all three bowl games played in the state of Louisiana. To achieve this bonus, you must correctly pick the following three games:

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl

Independence Bowl

Allstate Sugar Bowl

Pete Carroll's Tan Bonus

This awards a 7-point bonus to anybody who correctly picks the results of all four bowl games played in the state of California. To achieve this bonus, you must correctly pick the following four games:

San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl

Emerald Bowl

Pacific Life Holiday Bowl

Rose Bowl Game presented by Citi

Tom Landry's Hat Bonus

This awards a 9-point bonus to anyone who correctly picks all five of the bowl games played in the state of Texas. To achieve this bonus, you must correctly pick the following five games:

Valero Alamo Bowl

Texas Bowl

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl

Brut Sun Bowl

AT&T Cotton Bowl

Bobby Bowden's Belly Bonus

This awards a 12-point bonus to anyone who correctly picks all seven of the bowl games played in the state of Florida. To achieve this bonus you must correctly pick the following seven games:

St. Petersburg Bowl

Champs Sports Bowl

Outback Bowl

Capital One Bowl

Konica Minolta Gator Bowl

FedEx Orange Bowl

FedEx BCS National Championship Game

FedEx BCS National Championship Game

Florida (-3) Oklahoma

Date: Thursday, January 8
Location: Dolphin Stadium, Miami, FL
Time: 8:00 pm
TV: Fox

Point Value: 7 points

Required for: Bobby Bowden's Belly Bonus (12 points), CC Sabathia's Wallet Bonus (9 points), Janus Bonus (3 points)

GMAC Bowl

Tulsa (+2.5) 45, Ball State 13

Date: Tuesday, January 6
Location: Ladd-Peebles Stadium, Mobile, AL
Time: 8:00 pm
TV: ESPN

Point Value: 2 points

Required for: Bear Bryant Tower Bonus (3 points), Damp Basement Bonus (12 points)

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl

Texas (-9.5) 24, Ohio State 21 -- FINAL

Date: Monday, January 5
Location: University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, AZ
Time: 8:00 pm
TV: Fox

Point Value: 5 points

Required for: John McCain's Hangover Bonus (3 points), Homer Simpson Bonus (10 points), POSSIBLY Climate Control Bonus (11 points)

International Bowl

Connecticut (-4) 38, Buffalo 20 -- FINAL

Date: Saturday, January 3
Location: Rogers Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Time: Noon
TV: ESPN2

Point Value: 2 points

Required for: CC Sabathia's Wallet Bonus (9 points), ESPN Broadcast Overflow Bonus (3 points), Purism Bonus (10 points), Climate Control Bonus (11 points)

Allstate Sugar Bowl

Alabama (-10.5) Utah

Date: Friday, January 2
Location: Superdome, New Orleans, LA
Time: 8:00 pm
TV: Fox

Point Value: 5 points

Required for: Louis Armstrong's Sax Bonus (5 points), Damp Basement Bonus (12 points), Climate Control Bonus (11 points), "When Bowls Were Bowls" Bonus (7 points)

AT&T Cotton Bowl

Ole Miss (+5.5) 47, Texas Tech 34 -- FINAL

Date: Friday, January 2
Location: Cotton Bowl, Dallas, TX
Time: 2:00 pm
TV: Fox

Point Value: 5 points

Required for: Tom Landry's Hat Bonus (9 points), "When Bowls Were Bowls" Bonus (7 points)

AutoZone Liberty Bowl

East Carolina (-2) Kentucky

Date: Friday, January 2
Location: Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, Memphis, TN
Time: 5:00 pm
TV: ESPN

Point Value: 5 points

Required for: Grand Ole Opry Bonus (3 points)

FedEx Orange Bowl

Virginia Tech (+1.5) 20, Cincinnati 7

Date: Thursday, January 1
Location: Dolphin Stadium, Miami, FL
Time: 8:30 pm
TV: Fox

Point Value: 5 points

Required for: Bobby Bowden's Belly Bonus (12 points), CC Sabathia's Wallet Bonus (9 points), "When Bowls Were Bowls" Bonus (7 points), Happy New Year Bonus (9 points)

Rose Bowl Game presented by Citi

USC (-10) 38, Penn State 24 -- FINAL

Date: Thursday, January 1
Location: Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA
Time: 4:30 pm
TV: ABC

Point Value: 5 points

Required for: Pete Carroll's Tan Bonus (7 points), Hank Paulson Bailout Bonus (7 points), "When Bowls Were Bowls" Bonus (7 points), Happy New Year Bonus (9 points)

Konica Minolta Gator Bowl

Nebraska (+2.5) 26, Clemson 21 -- FINAL

Date: Thursday, January 1
Location: Jacksonville Municipal Stadium, Jacksonville, FL
Time: 1:00 pm
TV: CBS

Point Value: 5 points

Required for: Bobby Bowden's Belly Bonus (12 points), Damp Basement Bonus (12 points), Happy New Year Bonus (9 points)

Capital One Bowl

Georgia (-7.5) 24, Michigan State 12 -- FINAL

Date: Thursday, January 1
Location: Florida Citrus Bowl, Orlando, FL
Time: 1:00 pm
TV: ABC

Point Value: 5 points

Required for: Bobby Bowden's Belly Bonus (12 points), Hank Paulson Bailout Bonus (7 points), Happy New Year Bonus (9 points)

Outback Bowl

Iowa (-3.5) 31, South Carolina 10 -- FINAL

Date: Thursday, January 1
Location: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL
Time: 11:00 am
TV: ESPN

Point Value: 5 points

Required for: Bobby Bowden's Belly Bonus (12 points), Homer Simpson Bonus (10 points), Happy New Year Bonus (9 points)

Chick-fil A Bowl

LSU (+4) 38, Georgia Tech 3 -- FINAL

Date: Wednesday, December 31
Location: Georgia Dome, Atlanta, GA
Time: 7:30 pm
TV: ESPN

Point Value: 4 points

Required for: Homer Simpson Bonus (10 points), Climate Control Bonus (11 points)

Insight Bowl

Kansas (-10) 42, Minnesota 21 -- FINAL

Date: Wednesday, December 31
Location: Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, AZ
Time: 5:30 pm
TV: NFL Network

Point Value: 4 points

Required for: John McCain's Hangover Bonus (3 points), Dreams of Sunday Bonus (3 points)

Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl

Vanderbilt (+3.5) 16, Boston College 14 -- FINAL

Date: Wednesday, December 31
Location: LP Field, Nashville, TN
Time: 3:30 pm
TV: ESPN

Point Value: 4 points

Required for: Grand Ole Opry Bonus (3 points)

Brut Sun Bowl

Oregon State (-3) 3, Pittsburgh 0 -- FINAL

Date: Wednesday, December 31
Location: Sun Bowl, El Paso, TX
Time: 2:00 pm
TV: CBS

Point Value: 4 points

Required for: Tom Landry's Hat Bonus (9 points)

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl

Houston (-2.5) 34, Air Force 28 -- FINAL

Date: Wednesday, December 31
Location: Amon G. Carter Stadium, Fort Worth, TX
Time: Noon
TV: ESPN

Point Value: 4 points

Required for: Tom Landry's Hat Bonus (9 points)

Pacific Life Holiday Bowl

Oregon (+3) 42, Oklahoma State 31

Date: Tuesday, December 30
Location: Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, CA
Time: 8:00 pm
TV: ESPN

Point Value: 3 points

Required for: Pete Carroll's Tan Bonus (7 points), Damp Basement Bonus (12 points)

Texas Bowl

Rice (-3) 38, Western Michigan 14 -- FINAL

Date: Tuesday, December 30
Location: Reliant Stadium, Houston, TX
Time: 8:00 pm
TV: NFL Network

Point Value: 3 points

Required for: Tom Landry's Hat Bonus (9 points), Dreams of Sunday Bonus (3 points), Purism Bonus (10 points), POSSIBLY Climate Control Bonus (11 points)

Roady's Humanitarian Bowl

Maryland (+1) 42, Nevada 35 --FINAL

Date: Tuesday, December 30
Location: Bronco Stadium, Boise, ID
Time: 4:30 pm
TV: ESPN

Point Value: 3 points

Required for: Homer Simpson Bonus (10 points)

Valero Alamo Bowl

Missouri (-13) 30, Northwestern 23 -- FINAL (OT)

Date: Monday, December 29
Location: Alamodome, San Antonio, TX
Time: 8:00 pm
TV: ESPN

Point Value: 3 points

Required for: Tom Landry's Hat Bonus (9 points), Climate Control Bonus (11 points)

Papajohns.com Bowl

Rutgers (-7) 29, North Carolina State 23 -- FINAL

Date: Monday, December 29
Location: Legion Field, Birmingham, AL
Time: 3:00 pm
TV: ESPN

Point Value: 3 points

Required for: Bear Bryant Tower Bonus (3 points), Homer Simpson Bonus (10 points)

Independence Bowl

Louisiana Tech (+1.5) 17, Northern Illinois 10 -- FINAL

Date: Sunday, December 28
Location: Independence Stadium, Shreveport, LA
Time: 8:15 pm
TV: ESPN

Point Value: 2 points

Required for: Louis Armstrong's Sax Bonus (5 points), Purism Bonus (10 points)

Emerald Bowl

California (-7) 24, Miami 17 -- FINAL

Date: Saturday, December 27
Location: AT&T Park, San Francisco, CA
Time: 8:00 pm
TV: ESPN

Point Value: 2 points

Required for: Pete Carroll's Tan Bonus (7 points), CC Sabathia's Wallet Bonus (9 points), Homer Simpson Bonus (10 points)

Champs Sports Bowl

Florida State (-4.5) 42, Wisconsin 13 -- FINAL

Date: Saturday, December 27
Location: Florida Citrus Bowl, Orlando, FL
Time: 4:30 pm
TV: ESPN

Point Value: 2 points

Required for: Bobby Bowden's Belly Bonus (12 points)

Meineke Car Care Bowl

West Virginia (+1) 31, North Carolina 30 -- FINAL

Date: Saturday, December 27
Location: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC
Time: 1:00 pm
TV: ESPN

Point Value: 2 points

Motor City Bowl

Florida Atlantic (+6.5) 24, Central Michigan 21 -- FINAL

Date: Friday, December 26
Location: Ford Field, Detroit, MI
Time: 8:00 pm
TV: ESPN

Point Value: 2 points

Required for: Purism Bonus (10 points), Climate Control Bonus (11 points)

Sheraton Hawaii Bowl

Notre Dame (+1.5) 49, Hawaii 21 -- FINAL

Date: Wednesday, December 24
Location: Aloha Stadium Honolulu, HI
Time: 8:00 pm
TV: ESPN

Hawaii is 3-1 in this bowl, though they haven’t played in it since 2006 (took a year off last year to play in a BCS bowl – and get smoked). Notre Dame, of course, is being rewarded with its remarkably successful and thrill-packed season with a late December trip to Honolulu. We can only assume that, after a week in Hawaii, they will play with the focus, determination and brilliance that has become their hallmark in the Charlie Weis era.

Point Value: 2 points

Required for: Damp Basement Bonus (12 points)

San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl

TCU (-2.5) 17 Boise State 16 -- FINAL

Date: Tuesday, December 23
Location: Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego
Time: 8:00 pm
TV: ESPN

BCS games than which this game is better include the Allstate Sugar and FedEx Orange Bowls. Boise State is undefeated and an underdog against one of the best defenses in the nation (Only USC allowed fewer points per game than did TCU). The only way I see Boise State pulling this out is if they tie the score with a late touchdown on a hook-and-lateral play, then win the game on Statue of Liberty play on a two-point conversion after which their star running back proposes to his cheerleader girlfriend on the field. Yeah, that’s what I thought. That could never happen.

Point Value: 2 points

Required for: Pete Carroll's Tan Bonus (7 points), Hank Paulson Bailout Bonus (7 points), Damp Basement Bonus (12 points)

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl

Southern Miss (+4) 30, Troy 27 -- FINAL (OT)

Date: Sunday, December 21
Location: Superdome, New Orleans, LA
Time: 8:15 pm
TV: ESPN

Point Value: 1 point

In Troy’s most memorable game of this season, they held a 31-3 lead on defending national champion LSU with one minute left in the game’s third quarter…and surrendered an incomprehensible 37 straight points to lose the game 40-31. That was Troy’s second game of the year in Louisiana. In the first, their kicker banged a 56-yard field goal attempt off the crossbar as time ran out in a 31-30 loss to Louisiana-Monroe. So they’re hoping for a bit better result this time in the bayou. Southern Miss started the season 2-6 and had to win its last four to qualify for a bowl. In those four games, they allowed a total of 35 points. So the defense is hot.

Required for: Louis Armstrong's Sax Bonus (5 points), Damp Basement Bonus (12 points), Climate Control Bonus (11 points)

Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl

Arizona (-3) 31 BYU 21 -- FINAL

Date: Saturday, December 20
Location: Sam Boyd Stadium, Las Vegas, NV
Time: 8:00 pm
TV: ESPN

This is the fourth year in a row that BYU is playing in the Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl. They lost to Cal, 35-28, in 2005 but beat Oregon in 2006 and nipped UCLA in a 17-16 thriller a year ago. (And no, I’m not kidding. I watched that game. I watch them all. That’s the point of this whole thing.) For Arizona, it’s their first trip to any bowl game since they beat Nebraska 23-20 in the 1998 Holiday Bowl. So at least the kids from BYU can show them all around the strip, since they’re so used to it. This should be an offensive shootout. Arizona’s chief weakness on offense is that it has a hard time protecting its quarterback, but BYU doesn’t pressure quarterbacks very well. So Willie Tuitama should be thrilled with all the unexpected time to throw.

Point Value: 1 point

Magicjack St. Petersburg Bowl

South Florida (-12.5) 41 Memphis 14 -- FINAL

Date: Saturday, December 20
Location: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, FL
Time: 4:30 pm
TV: ESPN2

South Florida gets a home game in the inaugural MagicJack St. Petersburg Bowl. The Bulls started the season a Big East favorite but finished terribly, losing four of their last five games as senior QB Matt Groethe threw three TD passes and 11 interceptions in those five. They face a Memphis team that badly missed Derrick Rose in a 79-70 overtime loss at Georgetown a week ago. Oh wait. Different sport. Sorry.

Point Value: 1 point

Required for: Bobby Bowden's Belly Bonus (12 points), CC Sabathia's Wallet Bonus (9 points), ESPN Broadcast Overflow Bonus (3 points), Climate Control Bonus (11 points)

New Mexico Bowl

Colorado State (+3) 40, Fresno State 35 -- FINAL

Date: Saturday, December 20
Location: University Stadium, Albuquerque, NM
Time: 2:30 pm
TV: ESPN

For the first time in its three-year history, the New Mexico Bowl will be played without New Mexico in it. So as you can imagine, good seats remain available even at this late hour. In its most recent game, Fresno State was nipped by Boise State 61-10. Colorado State, meanwhile, had to win its last two games to become bowl-eligible. The Rams haven’t played in a bowl game since 2005, when Gartrell Johnson was a freshman. Johnson is now a senior RB who’s averaging 111 rushing yards and a TD in each of his past four games for CSU.

Point Value: 1 point

Required for: Purism Bonus (10 points)

EagleBank Bowl

Wake Forest(-3) 29 Navy 19 -- FINAL

Date: Saturday, December 20
Location: RFK Stadium, Washington, DC
Time: 11:00 am
TV: ESPN

A rematch of a Sept. 27 game won by Navy, 24-17, at Wake Forest. Navy QB Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada was suffered a hamstring injury in that game but returned two weeks ago to help Navy in its annual slaughter of Army. Navy leads the nation in rushing yards with 298.3 per game, and Kaheaku-Enhada’s chief job in this game will be to hand the ball off to running backs Shun White and Eric Kettani. Wake Forest has had major problems scoring all year and should struggle against a Navy defense that got considerably more stingy as the year went on. (You know – after they lost to Duke.)

Point Value: 1 point

Required for: Hank Paulson Bailout Bonus (7 points), Janus Bonus (3 points)