Why do I always wait until thirty minutes before a bowl stretch starts to write an article? Well, here’s my analysis up to the national championship game…

Tennessee vs. Penn State, Outback Bowl (Jan. 1, 11 AM ET, ESPN): Tennessee was a few plays away from beating Florida and LSU, the two SEC teams in the BCS. They were also a few plays away from losing to Air Force, Alabama, and Kentucky. Penn State’s four losses were to the top three teams in the Big Ten and Notre Dame. I think Tennessee pulls it off, but it is going to be a good game.

Auburn vs. Nebraska, AT&T Cotton Bowl (Jan. 1, 11:30 AM, FOX): Auburn’s two losses this season came during games that started before noon. They also came against teams that were coming off big losses, and Nebraska was handled in the Big 12 Championship game. Brad Lester, a Tiger tailback, will not play due to suspension, along with some key defensive backs. Tommy Tuberville has done a poor job of motivating his team for the post-season recently. Sad as it is, I think Nebraska’s going to win this one.

West Virginia vs. Georgia Tech, Toyota Gator Bowl (Jan. 1, 1 PM, CBS): Even if Georgia Tech figures out a way to contain Slaton and White, the Yellow Jackets won’t be able to outscore the Mountaineers.

Arkansas vs. Wisconsin, Capitol One Bowl (Jan. 1, 1 PM, ABC): I’m pretty interested in this one. Both offenses have been run powerhouses of late, so this should be a ground-pounding struggle. Wisconsin is still unproven, having only played one ranked team (Michigan). Arkansas, on the other hand, was a quarterback away from a shot at the national championship. Arkansas will win, but I’m not sure what the margin will be.

USC vs. Michigan, The Rose Bowl presented by Citi (Jan. 1, 5 PM, ABC): Lloyd Carr is about to go all out on USC for being swindled out of a rematch with Ohio State by the voters at large. I can’t wait to see Pete Carroll’s face as the two coaches shake hands at the end of the game. It should be priceless.

Boise State vs. Oklahoma, Tostitos Fiesta Bowl (Jan. 1, 8 PM, FOX): This is a BCS matchup? (Oklahoma wins close.)

Louisville vs. Wake Forest, FedEx Orange Bowl (Jan. 2, 8 PM, FOX): This is a BCS matchup? (Louisville wins big.)

Notre Dame vs. LSU, Allstate Sugar Bowl (Jan. 3, 8 PM, FOX): There are quite a few teams that deserve this BCS spot more than Notre Dame, but I guess we’ll have to live with their favored position in the media’s eyes. LSU is supposedly the most talented team in the SEC, despite being destroyed by Florida and held to three points by Auburn. JaMarcus Russell has been a beast, and it will be fun to see him dominate the Fighting Irish as a farewell address.

Cincinnati vs. Western Michigan, International Bowl (Jan. 6, 12 PM, ESPN2): Throwing this game and the next between the Sugar Bowl and championship game is offensive. Also, this game is going to be played in Canada, so doubly offensive.

Ohio vs. Southern Mississippi, GMAC Bowl (Jan. 7, 8 PM, ESPN): I’ll probably leave this on the TV while I unpack for the first day of classes on the 8th. Seriously, how far into January is the bowl season going to stretch?

Ohio State vs. Florida, BCS Championship Game (Jan. 8, 8 PM, FOX): More on this later on in the week. I just thought an extra reminder of the date, time, and channel couldn’t hurt anyone.

Sorry folks, no picture on this one. I have just ten minutes to get ready for a day of football viewing.

Please, make it stop…

Texas vs. Iowa, Alamo Bowl (Dec. 30, 4:30 PM, ESPN): Texas is playing in the Alamo Bowl, which is awesome, considering the school is pretty close to San Anton’. Unfortunately, Matthew McConaughey will probably be too busy promoting his lame-0 film We are Marshall to jump around on the sidelines and provide some much-needed distraction from the Longhorns destruction of the Hawkeyes.

Georgia vs. Virginia Tech, Chick-fil-A Bowl (Dec. 30, 8 PM, ESPN): Georgia is so fickle this year. They lost to Vanderbilt and Kentucky then managed to beat Auburn and Georgia Tech. Virginia Tech only lost two games and somehow didn’t get any media attention this year. I’m not really sure who to pick here. Chick-fil-A will probably win.

Miami (FL) vs. Nevada, Bowl (Dec. 31, 7:30 PM, ESPN): Miami (FL) has fallen farther than any other team in Division I-A. It was just years ago that they were setting win-streak records and winning national championships. Now they are overrun by thugs and controversies and losing games left and right. They will probably barely beat Nevada.

This post is kind of weak. Hopefully I’ll make another post before New Years’ Eve to close out the season and redeem myself.

There are less than two hours left before the bowl season starts, but I guess now is as good a time as ever to make my predictions on the first week and a half of the postseason. Here are my thoughts (all times Eastern)…

TCU vs. Northern Illinois, The San Diego County Credit Union Bowl (ESPN2, Dec. 19, 8 PM): The CFP picked TCU, and I don’t see why to go against it. Northern Illinois lost to Western Michigan, Iowa, and Toledo. Ouch.

BYU vs. Oregon, The Pioneer Pure Vision Las Vegas Bowl (ESPN2, Dec. 21, 8 PM): Oregon’s only marquee win was the non-win against Oklahoma. BYU looked better in comparison. The Mormons, I mean, Cougars will continue to an 11-2 season.

Rice vs. Troy, The R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl (ESPN2, Dec. 22, 8 PM): Man, how do teams like Rice and Troy get to play in December? There are definitely too many bowl games. I don’t even know who the R&L Carriers are. I’m so annoyed that I’m not going to make a prediction here.

Is college football related to highway transit? Not really.

South Florida vs. East Carolina, The Papajohns.com Bowl (ESPN2, Dec. 23, 1 PM): South Florida beat West Virginia and was very close to doing the same to Rutgers. East Carolina lost to Navy, UAB, and Rice. Also, East Carolina’s mascot is a pirate. I’m definitely picking South Florida.

New Mexico vs. San Jose State, The New Mexico Bowl (ESPN, Dec. 23, 4:30 PM): New Mexico lost to Portland State, a Division I-AA school. Even with New Mexico’s home-field advantage, I’ll stick with San Jose State.

Utah vs. Tulsa, The Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl (ESPN, Dec. 23, 8 PM): Tulsa at BYU, 25-49. BYU at Utah, 31-33. Go Utes!

Hawaii vs. Arizona State, The Sheraton Hawaii Bowl (ESPN, Dec. 24, 8 PM): Hawaii will probably beat lackluster and quarterback-less Arizona State (I bet the Sun Devils wish they hadn’t let Rudy Carpenter go). Hawaii QB Colt Brennan will throw for 1,424 yards in the first half out of frustration with the awards committees. In the second half, he will throw a pass around the world into the end zone, just for kicks.

Central Michigan vs. Middle Tennessee State, The Motor City Bowl (ESPN, Dec. 26, 7:30 PM): This matchup is so uninteresting that it can only be described by the tagline for Alien vs. Predator: “Whoever wins, we lose.”

UCLA vs. Florida State, The Emerald Bowl (ESPN, Dec. 27, 8 PM): This is the first bowl game of the season that I am actually going to try to watch. UCLA just came off a huge defensive win against USC, the greatest offense of all time. Florida State just came off a moral victory against Florida, holding the Gators to only three touchdowns and scoring two of their own. I think the Bruins will turn their momentum into bowl season victory, but it will not be easy.

I’ll be back the night of the 27th to close out the calendar year.

I was going to write about how Michigan should be in the championship game instead of Florida, but Gene Wojciechowski from ESPN.com said it better than I ever could have. I’m not saying that the two teams aren’t close, but when you take out all your SEC/anti-Big Ten biases the Wolverines make a better case. That’s all I’m going to say about the BCS standings for now. I may come back sometime next week with a more thorough comparison of the two teams.

Here’s my Heisman ballot and the method behind my madness:

3. Darren McFadden: McFadden ran for 1,558 yards and 14 touchdowns. He also threw for 3 touchdowns on 8 passing attempts with one interception. Injured at the beginning of the year, his development as a player is what kept Arkansas’ title hopes alive (since Casey Dick, their quarterback, is awful). He’s a sophomore, which means he will be back next year to do some more damage in the SEC. I hope Auburn figures out how to tackle by then.

2. Troy Smith: Troy Smith dominated every defense he played. Like Peyton Manning in those Sprint commercials, Smith has a “laser, rocket arm” that he uses to throw a football wherever he wants on the field. He threw for 2,507 yards, 30 touchdowns, and only five interceptions. Those stats are ridiculous. Smith is the first Ohio State quarterback since some guy named Tippy Dye, who played in the 30s, to beat Michigan three times in a row. “So,” you may be wondering, “if Troy Smith is this amazing, why don’t you rank him number one?” The answer is…

1. Vince Young: Let’s all be real for a second. Vince Young got robbed of the Heisman Trophy last year. Reggie Bush, as good as he was, was only the second-best player in the nation. Young proved that during the 2006 Rose Bowl when he dominated USC once and for all. Plus, Young’s presence made it possible for Texas to beat Nebraska this season, and his spirit was with Oregon State and UCLA when they beat USC. Finally, he is already a pretty good NFL quarterback. C’mon, folks. Let’s make up for last year’s mistake.

Feel free to post your unconvincing pro-Florida/pro-Quinn/anti-Young arguments here. I’ll be back before the 19th to predict the first round of bowl games.

I’m sure you are all dying to read about how my predictions turned out. Die no more!

“Calvin Johnson has been shut down all year, and Reggie Ball hasn’t done too well without him. Wake Forest hasn’t put up many points either this year. I’m expecting a close defensive struggle. Neither team will score more than thirty points, but it’s impossible to pick the winner. No one seems to want the ACC title this year.”

Once again, Reggie Ball and the Tech offense he “leads” looked awful. The quarterback hit the Johnsons a few times, but most of his passes were not on target. I still can’t figure out why the Yellow Jackets continually called deep shots downfield when Ball kept missing his receivers. Ball’s scrambles seemed impulsive and didn’t produce many yards. I was right about the close defensive struggle, but I should have said the two teams would score less than thirty points combined. This was probably the worst game of the day for those watching TV. Due to the drizzly weather, the fans in the stands probably didn’t have much fun either.

“USC returns to the Rose Bowl nearly eleven months after Vince Young denied them a second straight national championship. UCLA almost upset Notre Dame at home, but USC just smashed Notre Dame, so that doesn’t mean much. The Trojans will win, but I will get my hopes up anyway and spend the entire game yelling at the television.”

I did spend the entire game yelling at the television, but not in vain. UCLA’s defense stepped up in a big way, and the final interception was amazing. I think Vince Young’s spirit was with quarterback Patrick Cowan, whose scampers down the field were just enough to put the Bruin offense in scoring position. The Trojans’ title hopes were destroyed in the Rose Bowl for a second straight season. (Ironically, they might lose in the stadium again in the Rose Bowl [bowl] on New Year’s.)

After the game, Carroll looked dumb-founded, and Booty looked like the pretty-boy quarterback I now expect to see at USC. Seriously, does Carroll recruit his quarterbacks from the sets of soap operas? Here’s my question before I move on to other games: Now can the media stop talking about USC? I doubt it. ESPN has probably already projected the Trojans to win the next ten (if not twenty) national championships.

“You’re going to change the score so we win, right?” “No.”

“Will Arkansas rebound from a close loss to LSU? Will Florida rebound from a string of flat offensive performances? Both will probably happen, making this matchup the best game of the day. I’m pulling for Florida for the sake of BCS controversy, but the Razorbacks will probably be so upset about last week that they’ll win.”

It wasn’t the best game of the day, but this was one of the wildest I saw all season. Chris Leak threw two interceptions and fumbled to himself twice in the nightmare that was the Florida quasi-option offense. Inside his own ten, Arkansas punt returner Reggie Fish attempted to catch a football that even Auburn’s Tre’ Smith would have avoided. The Gator recovery in the end zone, followed by a beautiful touchdown run by Percy Harvin, put the game out of the reach of the Razorbacks. I was wrong about the Arkansas win, but the BCS controversy was right on target.

The Big East might not be on par with the nation’s other top conferences just yet, but it sure can produce a thriller. Last night’s matchup was one of the most exciting games I saw all year. Kicker Jeremy Ito had another chance for glory, but his 52-yard field goal attempt to win the game fell short. I was disappointed when Scarlet Knight quarterback Mike Teel failed to complete the two-point conversion that would have sent the game into a fourth overtime. It has been exciting to see a program like Rutgers come so far (even if their schedule is worthless).

Yesterday was a bittersweet ending to the 2006 college football regular season. It produced some great televised matchups, but now I have to find something else to do with my weekends. I’ll be back later this week to post my Heisman ballot and complain about the final BCS standings.