As usual, all times Eastern and all predictions wrong.

Thursday, January 2
8:30: Alabama vs. Oklahoma (Sugar Bowl @ New Orleans, LA; ESPN): Alabama has only the one, extremely flukely loss. (Sure, maybe they lose in overtime, but nonetheless a 108-yard field goal kick return at the end of regulation is pretty much a fluke.) Oklahoma, meanwhile, suffered an inexplicable Shootout loss to Texas and as though that wasn’t bad enough, they got blown out by Baylor. Alabama is better in all phases of the game than the Sooners and knows who their quarterback is. The only thing that could be in OU’s favor is that they did beat their hated in-state rival in their last game and could have a bit of a chip on their shoulder, but otherwise it would be madness to not pick Alabama.
Previous meetings: Four. Alabama’s first and only win in the series was in the first meeting back in 1963, where they won 17-0 in the Orange Bowl. The next meeting was a 24-24 tie in the 1970 edition of something called the Astro-Blubonnet Bowl. The two teams played a regular season series in 2002 and 2003, and Oklahoma won both of those games, 37-27 and 20-13.
Last bowl game: This is the Tide’s tenth straight bowl game, a streak that now dates back to the 2004 Music City Bowl, which they lost 20-16 to Minnesota. Last year, they won the BCS Championship game over Notre Dame 42-14. This is only the second time in the past five seasons they haven’t been playing for the title. For the Sooners, this is their fifteenth straight bowl game. The streaks started with the 1999 Independence Bowl, where they lost to Mississippi 27-25. They got routed by Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl last year, 41-13.
Announcers: Brad Nessler and Todd Blackledge

Friday, January 3
7:30: Oklahoma State vs. Missouri (Cotton Bowl @ Arlington, TX; FOX): This is one of the games I’m least confident about. Both these teams are really solid. I have Mizzou as a slight favorite, but really, I consider this a toss-up.
Previous meetings: These former Big 8 foes have met 51 times. The first was a 13-6 Mizzou win way back in 1915. There was another meeting in 1921, but the two met regularly from 1949 through 1997. Meetings became more intermittent in the Big 12, but they still met semi-regularly from 2000 through 2011, where Oklahoma State won the last contest 45-24. Overall, Mizzou has a 28-23 series lead.
Last bowl game: This is Oklahoma State’s eight straight bowl game, a streak that’d be longer if not for a 4-7 recod in 2005. The streak started with a 34-31 victory over Alabama in the 2006 Independence Bowl. Last year they beat Purdue 58-14 in the Zombie Cotton/Heart of Dallas Bowl. Mizzou had a seven bowl game streak snapped when they went 5-7 last year, so their last appearance was the 2001 Independence Bowl, where they beat North Carolina 41-24.
Announcers: Gus Johnson and Charles Davis

8:30: Ohio State vs. Clemson (Orange Bowl @ Miami Gardens, FL; ESPN): Boy howdy, talk about motivation, huh? Ohio State was basically in the national title game until being upset by Michigan State in the Big Ten title game. This was finally going to be the year Tajh Boyd and Clemson beat in-state nemesis South Carolina. Neither of those things happened. Both these teams have excellent offensive talents, and despite their lofty defensive rankings I still expect points to be scored. That said, I like the Buckeyes just a bit more.
Previous meetings: Just one, in the 1978 Gator Bowl. Clemson won 17-15. That game is more well known for something else, though.
Last bowl game: After a year of sanctions, Ohio State returns to the post-season. The sanctions interrupted as twelve game bowl streak. that last game was a 24-17 loss to Florida in the 2011/2012 Gator Bowl. This is Clemson’s ninth straight bowl game, but if not for a few sub-par seasons they’d have a streak that dates to 1985. Instead, it starts with the 2005 Champs Sports Bowl win over Colorado by a 19-10 margin, and the latest game was a 25-24 win over LSU in the 2012 Chick-Fil-A Bowl.
Announcers: Joe Tessitore and Matt Millen

Saturday, January 4
1:00: Vanderbilt vs. Houston (BBVA Compass Bowl @ Birmingham, AL; ESPN): I have Vanderbilt as the winners here but I don’t really have a strong favorite here. The Commodores have four losses but none are inexplicable, and even a few solid wins. Houston’s level of competition was just, well, lesser. Their best win is, uh, Rice? They lost to all three of the AAC frontrunners but they also did not suffer any bad losses. Houston looks better with basic statistics, but again, the level of competition was lesser. I’m definitely not an ESS-EEE-CEE guy but I’m still leaning Vandy.
Previous meetings: This is the first meeting between these two teams.
Last bowl game: Last year was the first time Vandy had ever been to two straight bowls, so suffice it to say this is the first time they’ve ever been to three straight. The streak started with the 2011 Liberty Bowl, where they lost to Cincinnati 31-24. They won the 2012 Music City Bowl 38-24 over NC State. This is Houston’s first bowl since the 2011/2012 TicketCity Bowl (now the Heart of Dallas Bowl), which they won 30-14.
Announcers: Dave Neal and Andre Ware

Sunday, January 5
9:00: Arkansas State vs. Ball State (godaddy.com Bowl @ Mobile, AL; ESPN): This doesn’t appear to be a good matchup for Arkansas State. Ball State was one of the best teams from the MAC this year and in general I think it’s okay to say that the MAC is a better conference than the Sun Belt. As noted below, this is also Arkansas State’s third straight trip to Mobile (fourth, really, since they also played South Alabama at home), so there’s a big question of whether they want to be there. I have Ball State in this one.
Previous meetings: This is the first meeting between these two teams.
Last bowl game: This is Arkansas State’s third straight bowl game and third straight godaddy.com Bowl. They lost to Northern Illinois back in 2011/2012, 38-20, but won last season over Kent State, 17-13. Ball State lost to Central Florida in the Beef ‘O’Brady’s Bowl last season, 38-17.
Announcers: Carter Blackburn and Danny Kanell

As usual, all times Eastern and all predictions wrong.

Wednesday, January 1
12:00:

• Nebraska vs. Georgia (Gator Bowl @ Jacksonville, FL; ESPN2): Even with their backup quarterback, I still feel like Georgia is more competent on offense than Nebraska is.
  Previous meetings: Two. The first meeting was a 1969 Sun Bowl matchup that Nebraska won 45-6. The most recent was technically a year earlier in the Capital One Bowl, which Georgia won 45-31. Georgia’s defense can be a bit of a liability, but Nebraska has looked so lost at times on offense this year that they should be able to hold them off.
  Last bowl game: This is Nebraska’s sixth straight bowl game, and it’d be longer if not for two sub-.500 seasons in 2007 and 2004, because then the streak would stretch back to 1969. This streak is even more impressive when you consider the explosion of the bowls in the past ten years. As-is, the current run dates back to the 2008/9 Gator Bowl, a 26-21 win over Clemson. Last year, well, see above. Georgia is tied for the third-longest active streak with Georgia Tech, having made seventeen straight bowl games. Their streak dates back to the a 33-6 win over Wisconsin in the 1997/8 Outback Bowl. As for last year, well, see above.
  Announcers: Mike Patrick and Ed Cunningham
• North Texas vs. Nevada-Las Vegas (Heart of Dallas Bowl @ Dallas, TX; ESPNU): The Mean Green sport the country’s ninth-ranked scoring defense. I don’t think UNLV is going to test whether that is legitimate or not.
  Previous meetings: Four, and North Texas has lost all of them. The first was in 1986, a 27-26 UNLV win. The most recent was in 2000, a 38-0 UNLV win.
  Last bowl game: UNT went to four straight New Orleans Bowls from 2001 to 2004, but they haven’t been to a bowl since. They lost 31-10 to Southern Mississippi in that 2004 New Orleans Bowl. UNLV had the longest drought of any team appearing in this year’s post-season, last appearing in the 2000 Las Vegas Bowl. They beat Arkansas 31-14 in that game.
  Announcers: Clay Matvick and Matt Stinchcomb

1:00:

• South Carolina vs. Wisconsin (Capital One Bowl @ Orlando, FL; ABC): Both of these teams are pretty close, statistically. The key for Wisconsin may be for them to somehow forget their otherwise inexplicable loss to Penn State to close out the season. Overall, I like the Gamecocks here. Wisconsin arguably played two or three teams with functioning offenses and lost/should have won two of them (Arizona State and Ohio State).
  Previous meetings: This is the first meeting between these two teams.
  Last bowl game: This is the Gamecocks’s sixth straight bowl game. The current run started with the 2008/9 Outback Bowl, a 31-10 loss to Iowa. Last year, they won the Outback Bowl 33-28. Wisconsin is appearing in their 12th straight game, dating back to the 2002 Alamo Bowl. They beat Colorado 31-28 in that game.
  Announcers: Dave Pasch and Brian Griese
• Iowa vs. Louisiana State (Outback Bowl @ Tampa, FL; ESPN): Speaking of non-functioning Big Ten offenses, Iowa comes in ranked 74th in the country in scoring offense. I’m also having a hard time figuring out how they can score against LSU’s defense, even though that unit isn’t as elite as it’s been in the past. Conversely, at least according to the stats, Iowa’s defense is really good and allows only 18.8 points per game. That said, once again, this was such a bad offensive year in the Big Ten (for teams that weren’t Ohio State) that it’s hard to figure out how meaningful that number is. In the end, I have to go with the team that might actually score three touchdowns, and that team figures to be LSU.
  Previous meetings: One, in the 2004/2005 Capital One Bowl. Iowa won 30-25.
  Last bowl game: Iowa’s last bowl appearance was the 2011 Insight Bowl, where they lost 31-14 to Oklahoma. LSU is appearing in their fourteenth straight bowl game, dating back to a 24-14 win over Georgia Tech in the 2000 Peach Bowl. They lost last season’s Chick-fil-A Bowl 25-24 to Clemson.
  Announcers: Mike Tirico and Jon Gruden

5:00: Michigan State vs. Stanford (Rose Bowl @ Pasadena, CA; ESPN): This is being billed as an old-school, smash-mouth football game and honestly it’s hard to figure that’s wrong. I have Stanford here, but this game figures to be very tight, especially if both offenses disappear as they have at times during the season.
Previous meetings: Five. The first two were back to back Michigan State wins in 1955 and 1956 (38-14 and 21-7, respectively). Stanford split the 1961-1962 series, as well as the most recent win: a 38-0 Sun Bowl win in 1996.
Last bowl game: Back in 2007, Sparty began a run of seven straight bowl games with a 24-21 loss to Boston College in the Champs Sports Bowl. Last season, Sparty prevailed in a 17-16 victory over TCU. Stanford’s current five game streak began with a 31-27 loss to Oklahoma in the 2009 Sun Bowl. They beat Wisconsin 20-14 in last season’s Rose Bowl.
Announcers: Brent Musbuger and Kirk Herbstreit

8:30: Baylor vs. Central Florida (Fiesta Bowl @ Glendale, AZ; ESPN): I actually don’t have a very good read on this game. The easy way out would be to say sure, Baylor’s going to struggle early and then drop 70 on them. But UCF did play South Carolina, and they gave the Gamecocks absolutely everything they wanted in what wound up being a 28-25 South Carolina win. Baylor also looked lackluster in their last three games, and with mounting injury issues they got blown out by Oklahoma State, barely beat TCU, and then solidly beat Texas, but they “only” scored 30 points. Nonetheless, it is difficult to see how UCF will be able to keep up with Baylor’s offense, but if Baylor’s offense gets off to a slow start this game could get interesting and stay interesting.
Previous meetings: This is the first meeting between these two teams.
Last bowl game: Baylor’s four game bowl streak began with a 38-14 loss to Illinois in the Texas Bowl back in 2010. Last season, they smashed UCLA to the tune of a 49-26 win in the Holiday Bowl. UCF won the 2012 Beef ‘O’Brady’s Bowl over Ball State 38-17.
Announcers: Sean McDonough and Chris Spielman

Tuesday, December 31
12:30: Boston College vs. Arizona (Advocare V100 Bowl @ Shreveport, LA; ESPN): Both these are going to want to rush the ball. The problem for Boston College is that Arizona is likely better able to defend against it. I’m expecting a comfortable Arizona win.
Previous meetings: Three, and they were all awhile ago. Texas Tech won the first meeting in 1961, 14-6. BC’s only win was a 42-13 romp a year later, and then in 1971 Texas Tech won 14-6 once again.
Last bowl game: BC hasn’t been to a bowl since the 2010 Fight Hunger Bowl, where they lost to Colin Kapernick and Nevada 20-13. Arizona’s last bowl game was last year and also against Nevada, but they won the New Mexico Bowl 49-48.
Announcers: Tom Hart and John Congemi

2:00: Virginia Tech vs. California-Los Angeles (Sun Bowl @ El Paso, TX; CBS): Virginia Tech has been one of college football’s most maddeningly inconsistent teams over the course of the season, but losses to Duke, Boston College, and Maryland do not bode well for their recent body of work. (But in between those losses? A win over Miami. Go figure.) The defense remains a lone, but consistent, bright spot for VPI. UCLA meanwhile, had only three losses, and really those were the only three teams on the schedule that UCLA wasn’t better than. (Stanford, Oregon, and Arizona State.) While UCLA doesn’t have quite as good of a defense, they are still much more consistent on offense (as in, they actually have one), which means they should able to score the requisite 17-24 points it will take to beat the Hokies.
Previous meetings: This is the first meeting between these two teams.
Last bowl game: VPI has made 21 straight bowl games, a streak dating back to the 1993 Independence Bowl, which they won 45-20 over Indiana. They technically won last year’s Russell Athletic Bowl 13-10 over Rutgers. This is UCLA’s third straight bowl game. Their mini-streak started with the 2011 Fight Hunger Bowl, which they lost to Illinois, 20-14. Last year they were massacred by Baylor in the Holiday Bowl, 49-26.
Announcers: Verne Lundquist and Gary Danielson

4:00: Rice vs. Mississippi State (Liberty Bowl @ Memphis, TN; ESPN): Miss State has some major problems on offense, ranking 80th in the country in scoring. That said, by all rights, Miss State should win this game, so this one of those bowls that could come down more to motivation than anything else.
Previous meetings: Just one, a 28-14 Miss State win back in 1975.
Last bowl game: Rice beat Air Force in last year’s Armed Forces Bowl 33-14. This is Miss State’s fourth straight bowl game. Their streak started with the 2010/2011 Gator Bowl, wherein they routed Michigan 52-14. Last season’s Gator Bowl was somewhat less successful, though. They lost to Northwestern 34-20.
Announcers: Bob Wischusen and Rod Gilmore

8:00: Duke vs. Texas Agricultural and Mechanical (Chick-fil-a Bowl @ Atlanta, GA; ESPN): I have this as my highest confidence pick on ESPN. I simply cannot fathom any way Duke wins this football game. Texas A&M’s offense will simply be too much for Duke’s undersized and undermanned defense. The only other offense they’ve faced that comparable is Florida State’s and the Seminoles dropped 45 on them. The only possible chance they have is to make it a shoot-out, which isn’t impossible cause TAMU’s defense is inexcusably awful.
Previous meetings: This is the first meeting between these two teams.
Last bowl game: This is the first time in the history of Duke’s football team that they have gone to back-to-back bowl games. They lost last year’s Belk Bowl 48-34. This is TAMU’s fifth straight bowl game, a streak dating back to what is likely an otherwise forgettable game for A&M partisans, a 44-20 loss to Georgia. Last season they destroyed Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl, 41-13.
Announcers: Rece Davis, Jesse Palmer, and David Pollack

Monday, December 30
11:45: Navy vs. Middle Tennessee State (Armed Forces Bowl @ Fort Worth, TX; ESPN): I’m not terribly sure about this one. MTSU is about the caliber of teams that Navy has on its schedule, but they had a mixed record against those teams this year (losses to Western Kentucky and Toledo, wins over South Alabama and San Jose State). MTSU has not played any other option teams other than BYU, whom they lost to. In the end, I’m going with Navy, but just barely.
Previous meetings: This is the first meeting between these two teams.
Last bowl game: This is Navy’s second consecutive bowl, after appearing in last year’s Fight Hunger Bowl, where they got blown out by Arizona State 62-28. MTSU was 8-4 last year but didn’t go bowling, so their last appearance was the 2010-2011 godaddy.com Bowl, where they lost to Miami 35-21.
Announcers: Beth Mowins and Joey Galloway

3:15: Mississippi vs. Georgia Tech (Music City Bowl @ Nashville, TN; ESPN): Probably the best preview I’ve seen for this game is Bill Callahan’s. That said, he ultimately comes to the same conclusion I’ve had about this game: it’s a toss-up. The main things Tech fans are worried about are the same they’ve been throughout the season: how well the offense runs and if the pass defense will be any good. Well, the former is potentially a weakness for Ole Miss and the latter is potentially a strength for them, which brings this game back up to the toss-up thing. The preview I linked above is focused on the statistics and draws that conclusion. The betting line I’ve seen on this game is Ole Miss by 3 or 4 points, so the bookies are calling this a toss-up too.
So what conclusion can we draw? Well, I’m going to be attending this one in person, which will be first Tech game in four years. I’m looking forward to the frigid temperatures either way.
Previous meetings: This is the fourth meeting between these two teams. The first was in 1946, which Tech won 24-7. The last two were in bowl games. Tech defeated Ole Miss 24-7 in the 1952/1953 Sugar Bowl. The last meeting was a 41-18 Ole Miss win in the 1971 Peach Bowl. “Wait”, you’re saying, “weren’t Georgia Tech and Mississippi in the same conference from 1922 through 1963?” Yes, yes they were. But back then teams set their own conference schedules, and so like most reasonable people, John Heisman, William Alexander, and Bobby Dodd saw no reason to go to the state of Mississippi unless someone made them.
Last bowl game: Ole Miss went to last year’s BBVA Compass Bowl, beating Pittsburgh 38-17. Georgia Tech is tied for football’s 3rd-longest consecutive bowl streak, and this will be their 17th straight game. The streak started with a 35-30 win over West Virginia in the Carquest Bowl in 1997. In what will the be last time I ever get to say this, we beat Southern California 21-7 in the Sun Bowl last year.
Announcers: Mark Jones and Brock Huard

6:45: Oregon vs. Texas (Alamo Bowl @ San Antonio, TX; ESPN): By all rights, Oregon should be a massive favorite in this game. Then again, they were before they blew a shot at the national title and Pac-12 North in a 42-16 loss to Arizona back in November. Both teams have popular coaches retiring, with Oregon’s long-time defensive coordinator leaving and Mack Brown being forced out. So motivation shouldn’t be a question in this game. In that case, it comes down to strengths and weaknesses, and once again, those massively favor Oregon.
Previous meetings: Five of ’em, the first being a 71-7 Texas rout back in 1941. The most recent meeting was the 2000 Holiday Bowl, which was Oregon’s first win of the series, with a 35-30 scoreline.
Last bowl game: This is Oregon’s ninth straight bowl game, dating back to the 2005 Holiday Bowl, which they lost 17-14 to Oklahoma. Last season, they beat Kansas State in the Fiesta Bowl, 35-17. Texas now has a three game bowl streak, dating back to the 2011 Holiday Bowl, which they won 21-10 over California. They won last year’s Alamo Bowl 31-27 over Oregon State.
Announcers: Brad Nessler and Todd Blackledge

10:15: Arizona State vs. Texas Tech (Holiday Bowl @ San Diego, CA; ESPN): The Red Raiders won seven straight to start the season. Then they started playing games against teams that were just as good or better than then and it didn’t go well. Five straight losses followed, and most of them weren’t very close. Meanwhile, Arizona State is very good. It’s hard to give TTU much of a chance here.
Previous meetings: Just one, a Sun Devil 31-13 win back in 1999.
Last bowl game: This is Arizona State’s third straight bowl game. They appeared in the 2011 Las Vegas Bowl, losing to Boise State 56-24. They beat Navy 62-28 in last year’s Fight Hunger Bowl. Texas Tech is in a bowl for the second year in a row. Last year they won the Car Care Bowl (Houston edition) over Minnesota, 34-31.
Announcers: Joe Tessitore and Matt Millen

As usual, all times Eastern and all predictions wrong.

Saturday, December 28
Noon: Notre Dame vs. Rutgers (Pinstripe Bowl @ New York, NY; ESPN): I had this second in my confidence picks, so I guess I felt pretty good about Notre Dame at the time. Nonetheless, it’s not like Rutgers is very good, so provided that Notre Dame’s offense doesn’t screw up too badly they should be able to see it through.
Previous meetings: Four, and Rutgers, in a testament to their historical ineptitude, has failed to win all of them. They first met in 1921 (a 48-0 Irish win) and then took a 75 year break. Notre Dame won that 1996 contest 62-0. 2000 saw the closest game in the series, a 45-17 Notre Dame win, and their last meeting was in 2002, when the Irish shut Rutgers out again, 42-0.
Last bowl game: The Irish have played in three straight bowls going back to the 2010 Sun Bowl, where they defeated Miami 33-17. Last year, they got routed by Alabama in the national title game, 42-14. This will be the third in a row for Rutgers. Back in 2011 they beat Iowa State 27-13 in this very same bowl. Last year they lost last year’s dreadful Russell Athletic Bowl, 13-10 to Virginia Tech.
Announcers: Chris Fowler and Jesse Palmer

3:20: North Carolina vs. Cincinnati (Belk Bowl @ Charlotte, NC; ESPN): Generally picking a 9-3 team over a 6-6 team would be a slam dunk, but the hitch is Cincy’s awful schedule that was literally one of the worst in the country. UNC has only one maybe “bad loss” (a 55-31 rout at the hands of East Carolina) but Cincinnati three losses are a blowout to an awful Illinois team, a close loss to a really bad South Florida team, and an overtime loss to the best opponent on their schedule, Louisville. So I basically feel about as bad about a 9-3 team over a 6-6 team as one can possibly be.
Previous meetings: Just two. The first was a 1979 win for Carolina, 35-14, and the second was in 1991, which the Tarheels also won, 51-16.
Last bowl game: Due to pre-emptive probation, the Tarheels didn’t go bowling last year, killing a four-year streak. Their last bowl appearance was the 2011 Independence Bowl, which they lost to Missouri 41-24. This is the Bearcats’s third straight appearance. They won last year’s Belk Bowl over Duke, 48-34.
Announcers: Carter Blackburn and Danny Kanell

6:45: Louisville vs. Miami (Russell Athletic Bowl @ Orlando, FL; ESPN): These two schools have a lot in common. Well, at the very least, both their programs were built by Howard Schennellenberger and both will be in the ACC last year. Either way, this will arguably be Louisville’s stiffest test of the season. While they still only had one loss, they did have some closer-than-they-should-have-been November games that raised a few eyebrows. Nonetheless, I’m sticking with the Cardinals here.
Previous meetings:  Louisville and Miami have met 11 times, and Louisville has only not lost twice. Why not lost? Well, there was a 13-13 tie back in 1950. Their first meeting was in 1933, a 33-7 Miami victory. The met regularly through the first half of the 80’s, all Miami wins. Their last meeting was in 2006, and was also Louisville’s first win in the series, by a margin of 31-7.
Last bowl game: This is Louisville’s fourth straight bowl game, dating back to the 2010 Beef ‘O’Brady’s Bowl. They won that contest over Southern Mississippi 31-28. Last year, they appeared in the Sugar Bowl, wherein Teddy Bridgewater became a household name in a 33-23 defeat of Florida. Miami, like UNC, missed out on a bowl last year due to pre-emptive probation, as well as the year before, so this is their first bowl since the 2010 Sun Bowl, where they lost to Notre Dame 33-17.
Announcers: Bob Wischusen and Rod Gilmore

10:15: Kansas State vs. Michigan (Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl @ Tempe, AZ; ESPN): This game is basically a toss-up to me. If the Michigan offense that played against Ohio State shows up, they have a pretty good shot, but otherwise I think K-State guts out a close win.
Previous meetings: This is the first meeting between these two teams.
Last bowl game: This is K-State’s fourth straight bowl game, dating back to the 2010 Pinstripe Bowl, which they lost to Syracuse 36-34. They didn’t stand much chance in last year’s Fiesta Bowl, losing 33-17 to Oregon. This is Michigan’s fourth straight game as well. Their current streak started in the 2010/2011 Gator Bowl, a 52-14 rout at the hands of Mississippi State. They lost last year’s Outback Bowl, 33-28 to South Carolina.
Announcers: Sean McDonough and Chris Spielman