Bowl Results

For the record, here's how the conferences fared in bowl games this season. Selections in red indicate the conference's signature win. Selections in blue indicate the conference's worst loss.

J.Pike's Bowl Picks Record: 17-17 (50%)
BCS Bowl Picks Record: 3-2 (60%)

1. PAC-10
Record: 5-0 (100%)
Results
Las Vegas Bowl: Arizona 31, BYU 21
Emerald Bowl: California 24, Miami 17
Holiday Bowl: Oregon 42, Oklahoma State 31
Sun Bowl: Oregon State 3, Pittsburgh 0
Rose Bowl: USC 38, Penn State 24

2. SEC
Record: 6-2 (75%)
Results
Music City Bowl: Vanderbilt 16, Boston College 14
Peach Bowl: LSU 38, Georgia Tech 3
Outback Bowl: Iowa 31, South Carolina 10
Citrus Bowl: Georgia 24, Michigan State 12
Cotton Bowl: Ole Miss 47, Texas Tech 34
Liberty Bowl: Kentucky 25, East Carolina 19
Sugar Bowl: Utah 31, Alabama 17
National Title Game: Florida 24, Oklahoma 14

3t. BIG EAST
Record: 4-2 (66.7%)
Results
St. Petersburg Bowl: South Florida 41, Memphis 14
Meineke Car Care Bowl: West Virginia 31, North Carolina 30
Pizza Bowl: Rutgers 29, N.C. State 23
Sun Bowl: Oregon State 3, Pittsburgh 0
Orange Bowl: Virginia Tech 20, Cincinnati 7
International Bowl: Connecticut 38, Buffalo 20

3t. CONFERENCE USA
Record: 4-2 (66.7%)
Results
St. Petersburg Bowl: South Florida 41, Memphis 14
New Orleans Bowl: Southern Miss 30, Troy 27 (OT)
Texas Bowl: Rice 38, Western Michigan 14
Armed Forces Bowl: Houston 34, Air Force 28
Liberty Bowl: Kentucky 25, East Carolina 19
GMAC Bowl: Tulsa 45, Ball State 13

5. MOUNTAIN WEST
Record: 3-2 (60%)
Results
New Mexico Bowl: Colorado State 40, Fresno State 35
Las Vegas Bowl: Arizona 31, BYU 21
Poinsettia Bowl: TCU 17, Boise State 16
Armed Forces Bowl: Houston 34, Air Force 28
Sugar Bowl: Utah 31, Alabama 17

6. BIG XII
Record: 4-3 (57.1%)
Results
Alamo Bowl: Missouri 30, Northwestern 23 (OT)
Holiday Bowl: Oregon 42, Oklahoma State 31
Insight Bowl: Kansas 42, Minnesota 21
Gator Bowl: Nebraska 26, Clemson 21
Cotton Bowl: Ole Miss 47, Texas Tech 34
Fiesta Bowl: Texas 24, Ohio State 21
National Title Game: Florida 24, Oklahoma 14

7. ACC
Record: 4-6 (40%)
Results
Eagle Bank Bowl: Wake Forest 29, Navy 19
Meineke Car Care Bowl: West Virginia 31, North Carolina 30
Champs Sports Bowl: Florida State 42, Wisconsin 13
Emerald Bowl: California 24, Miami 17
Pizza Bowl: Rutgers 29, N.C. State 23
Humanitarian Bowl: Maryland 42, Nevada 35
Music City Bowl: Vanderbilt 16, Boston College 14
Peach Bowl: LSU 38, Georgia Tech 3
Gator Bowl: Nebraska 26, Clemson 21
Orange Bowl: Virginia Tech 20, Cincinnati 7

8. WAC
Record: 1-4 (20%)
Results
New Mexico Bowl: Colorado State 40, Fresno State 35
Poinsettia Bowl: TCU 17, Boise State 16
Hawaii Bowl: Notre Dame 49, Hawaii 21
Independence Bowl: Louisiana Tech 17, Northern Illinois 10
Humanitarian Bowl: Maryland 42, Nevada 35

9. BIG TEN
Record: 1-6 (14.3%)
Results
Champs Sports Bowl: Florida State 42, Wisconsin 13
Alamo Bowl: Missouri 30, Northwestern 23 (OT)
Insight Bowl: Kansas 42, Minnesota 21
Outback Bowl: Iowa 31, South Carolina 10
Citrus Bowl: Georgia 24, Michigan State 12
Rose Bowl: USC 38, Penn State 24
Fiesta Bowl: Texas 24, Ohio State 21

10. MAC
Record: 0-5 (0%)
Results
Motor City Bowl: Florida Atlantic 24, Central Michigan 21
Independence Bowl: Louisiana Tech 17, Northern Illinois 10
Texas Bowl: Rice 38, Western Michigan 14
International Bowl: Connecticut 38, Buffalo 20
GMAC Bowl: Tulsa 45, Ball State 13

J.Pike's National Title Game Rant

Nice one Sooners.

Can everyone in the media (including you, Mr. B.Pike) please come out and admit that you were all wrong about Oklahoma? You got caught up in offensive numbers, inflated by the likes of Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, and Missouri - were any of those teams impressive in their bowl games? - and rewarded an undeserving team a spot in the Big XII Championship game and then the BCS National Title game.

As wrong as it was to send OU to those games, it was nothing compared to the egg the Sooners laid tonight against Florida. When a team is literally HANDED a golden opportunity, and they not only squander it with one of the worst offensive game plans in championship game history, but then QUIT with five minutes left in the game, it says a lot about the character of that team.

Say what you want about Tim Tebow (and believe me - I did tonight), at least he acted like he wanted to win the game.

The most desire I saw out of Oklahoma all night was when safety Nic Harris tried to rip Percy Harvin's leg off after making a tackle late in the game. I'm not sure why there wasn't a flag on that play, but it was the only sign of a pulse I saw from any OU player.

If you can't beat 'em - injure 'em. Is that what Stoopsie is teaching his team nowadays? Because he sure didn't put any thought into the offensive gameplan. Oklahoma made their living all season by being aggressive and dictating tempo to defenses. I saw one drive like that tonight, and it resulted in an easy OU touchdown. Sam Bradford spent the rest of the game looking over at the sideline waiting for an indecisive coaching staff to call in the same vanilla plays over and over again.

For instance, when Oklahoma was down on the Florida goal line, why did they not once attempt to find Jermaine Gresham? Nobody has been able to cover that guy all season - and you've got the freaking Heisman Trophy winner at quarterback! Instead, the Sooners lined up in the I-Formation with two tight ends for seemingly the first time all season and ran the same off tackle play three times in a row. It's no surprise they came up empty.

It's completely ridiculous to me that the Oklahoma coaching staff changed their entire offensive philosophy for this one game. Sam Bradford really is one of the best quarterbacks in the nation, but the coaching staff didn't give him the tools to make anything happen tonight.

Which brings me to my final question: Why is Oklahoma treated like a god by the media while Ohio State is a national punch line? Seriously, think about it. Over the last few years, which team has been worse in Big Games? The Vest or Big Game Bob?

Sure, Ohio State has the three black eyes from their performances against LSU and Florida in the past two national championship games, and USC earlier this season. But Oklahoma has lost five consecutive bowl games, including getting blown out by USC and West Virginia, losing to Boise State, and of course the heartless performance against Florida tonight. Oh yeah, and Stoops is 1-3 the last four years against Texas too.

So what's the difference? Ohio State got dumped on all season, yet Oklahoma received more praise than anybody this side of Tim Tebow. How does that make any sense? Is anybody (including all of you who voted Oklahoma ahead of Texas in their final regular season polls) beginning to see the error of their ways?

All I'm asking is this - can we please not let this happen again?

BCS National Championship Game

J.Pike's Pick: Oklahoma 43, Florida 35

Florida will score a non-offensive touchdown, but I don't think they have enough offense to hang with Oklahoma.

Dominique Franks was only speaking the truth when he said Tim Tebow would be the fourth best quarterback if he played in the Big XII...

For the record, my bowl picks up to this point have been a disaster - I'm 17-16.

New Orleans Bowl Preview

NEW ORLEANS BOWL

New Orleans, LA
December 21, 2008


Troy (8-4) vs Southern Miss (6-6)
(Sunday, 7 pm, ESPN)

Both teams enter this game on a roll. Southern Miss won their last four games to become bowl eligible. Troy, after a near-upset at LSU, trounced its two toughest Sun Belt opponents by a combined score of 83-12 to win the conference crown.

New Southern Miss head coach Larry Fedora's offense has been slowly improving this season. Running back Damion Fletcher has been remarkably consistent this season, topping 1,200 yards rushing for the third straight season. The Eagles have needed him while freshman quarterback Austin Davis learned the ropes.

Troy on the other hand was forced into playing its backup quarterback the second half of the season after losing starter Jamie Hampton to injury. Junior Levi Brown has been nothing short of spectacular since taking over, throwing 14 touchdown passes against only 3 interceptions.

Southern Miss has played better defense down the stretch, but it has been against inferior opponents. Against a Troy team that averages 33.3 points per game I don't think they will look as good as they did during their 4-game winning streak.

J.Pike's Pick: Troy 31, Southern Miss 23

Las Vegas Bowl Preview

LAS VEGAS BOWL

Las Vegas, NV
December 20, 2008


BYU (10-2) vs Arizona (7-5)
(Saturday, 7 pm, ESPN)

The dynamic is interesting here between two western teams. One has plenty of recent bowl experience while the other is finally ending a decade-long bowl drought. The rub is that the team from a BCS conference is the one with no post-season experience.

BYU quarterback Max Hall isn't quite as good as his hype, but he is a solid player that can get on hot streaks. He has a trio of weapons at his disposal that will give Arizona's defense fits - running back Harvey Unga (1,061 rushing yards, 10 tds), wide receiver Austin Collie (95 receptions for 1,419 yards, 15 tds) and tight end Dennis Pitta (78 receptions for 1,025 yards, 6 tds). Arizona cornerbacks Devin Ross and Trevin Wade (combined 7 interceptions) will have their hands full with that group.

The key in this game is going to be coaching. In what should be a tight contest, I give a slight edge to BYU in the coaching department. I also think BYU has played more high profile games this season, which will give them an edge in terms of handling the pressure in the second half.

J.Pike's Pick: BYU 30, Arizona 20

St. Petersburg Bowl Preview

ST. PETERSBURG BOWL

St. Petersburg, FL
December 20, 2008


South Florida (7-5) vs Memphis (6-6)
(Saturday, 3:30 pm, ESPN 2)

South Florida came into this season with high expectations. Coming off consecutive 9-4 seasons, and with a loaded roster returning, USF was supposed to challenge for the Big East championship and finally get the opportunity to participate in a BCS bowl. Instead the Bulls imploded and only managed two conference wins.

The majority of the disappointment falls on the shoulders of the offense, which turned the ball over 24 times this season and still hasn't put together any kind of real running game. I also happen to believe Jim Leavitt does more yelling than actual coaching, and his team follows that lead with inconsistent play.

Fortunately, the Bulls get to play a 6-6 Conference USA team in the St. Petersburg Bowl. Memphis is led offensively by a pair of junior college transfers, quarterback Arkelon Hall and running back Curtis Steele. The Memphis O-Line will have their hands full though trying to block one of the most active defensive lines in the nation. George Selvie and Jarriett Buie are excellent players up front who should give USF the advantage in the trenches.

After a difficult year, the Bulls will get some much needed positive momentum with a win.

J.Pike's Pick: South Florida 23, Memphis 17

New Mexico Bowl Preview

NEW MEXICO BOWL

Albuquerque, NM
December 20, 2008


Fresno State (7-5) vs Colorado State (6-6)
(Saturday, 1:30 pm, ESPN)

New Colorado State head coach Steve Fairchild did a solid job in his first year, guiding the Rams to their first bowl game since 2005. Fairchild has a background in offense in the NFL so obviously the first signs of improvement will show up on that side of the ball.

Running back Gartrell Johnson had over 1,000 yards rushing and wideout Rashaun Greer went over the 1,000 yard mark receiving, but the Rams were inconsistent at turning yards into points this year. They will provide a test to Fresno State's young, injury-depleted defense though. Fresno must attempt to slow down the powerful running of Johnson without their top defensive lineman Jon Monga, who injured his foot in late November.

Luckily the Bulldogs will be able to put points on the board thanks to their fine running game. Ryan Mathews, Lonyae Miller, and Anthony Harding have combined for 1,994 yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground so far in 2008. Unfortunately Mathews, the best of the bunch, has been out since the beginning of November with a lingering knee injury. He's questionable for the New Mexico Bowl, but considering the fact Colorado State allows over 185 rushing yards per game, and 5.2 yards per carry, I think Fresno will be just fine.

J.Pike's Pick: Fresno State 34, Colorado State 20

Eaglebank Bowl Preview

EAGLEBANK BOWL

Washingon, D.C.
December 20, 2008

Navy (8-4) vs Wake Forest (7-5)
(Saturday, 10 am, ESPN)

The first game of the bowl season is actually a rematch. Back on my sister's birthday (September 27) Navy forced 6 turnovers in a 24-17 win. The overrated Riley Skinner threw 40 passes and 4 interceptions, and there's a reason Wake went away from the passing game after this loss.

This game might have a different ending though. With Wake coach Jim Grobe playing the field position game and leaning on his excellent defense, I think Wake has the advantage. Navy is a fine, disciplined football team that should be able to shut down the Demon Deacon offense once again, but I'm not sure where their points are going to come from.

Wake is paced defensively by Deion Award Finalist Alphonso Smith and stud linebacker Aaron Curry, who is a lock to be a first day selection in the NFL Draft. The defense, along with excellent special teams play, will put the offense in good field position often enough for Wake Forest to finish a disappointing season on a high note.

J.Pike's Pick: Wake Forest 20, Navy 17