Emerald Bowl Preview

The final game of today’s bowl feast features confusing Cal against equally confusing - but improving - Miami.

Here are the vitals:

Miami Hurricanes: T-4th in ACC, 7-5 (4-4 conference)

Tangible stuff: The Hurricanes haven’t really stood out in any category all season. They’ve just hung in a lot of games and came away with wins. But they’ve got some issues coming into the game. Starting quarterback Robert Marve is suspended (not that he’s been great, but still), meaning Jacory Harris will get the start. But Harris’ numbers have been better, so it could be a good thing. The defense has struggled against the run, especially in their last two games.

Other stuff: This is the Canes’ first bowl of the Randy Shannon era. Former Auburn quarterback Patrick Nix is the Miami offensive coordinator (he hasn’t been particularly successful). This is The U’s first trip to California since the 2002 Rose Bowl, when they won the national title by crushing Nebraska.

Miami schedule/results:

8/28 Thu vs. Charleston Southern W 52 7
9/6 Sat @ Florida L 3 26
9/20 Sat @ Texas A&M W 41 23
9/27 Sat vs. *North Carolina L 24 28
10/4 Sat vs. *Florida State L 39 41
10/11 Sat vs. Central Florida W 20 14
10/18 Sat @ *Duke W 49 31
10/25 Sat vs. *Wake Forest W 16 10
11/1 Sat @ *Virginia W 24 17
11/13 Thu vs. *Virginia Tech W 16 14
11/20 Thu @ *Georgia Tech L 23 41
11/29 Sat @ *North Carolina State L 28 38

California Golden Bears: 4th in Pac-10, 8-4 (6-3 conference)

Tangible stuff: Jahvid Best Jahvid Best Jahvid Best. The sophomore running back, after struggling in the middle part of the year with an injury and a few bad games, has exploded in the last three, rushing for 628 yards. He’s good. Quarterback Nate Longshore will get the start in the ever-evolving quarterback dual that coach Jeff Tedford has had no idea what to do with. But at least Longshore is graduating! Cal has two bad road losses in Maryland and Arizona, but hasn’t lost at home. And San Francisco is pretty close to Berkeley. And the fact that Miami can’t stop the run has them excited.

Other stuff: This is Cal’s sixth-straight bowl.

California schedule/results:

8/30 Sat vs. Michigan State W 38 31
9/6 Sat @ *Washington State W 66 3
9/13 Sat @ Maryland L 27 35
9/27 Sat vs. Colorado State W 42 7
10/4 Sat vs. *Arizona State W 24 14
10/18 Sat @ *Arizona L 27 42
10/25 Sat vs. *UCLA W 41 20
11/1 Sat vs. *Oregon W 24 16
11/8 Sat @ *Southern California L 3 17
11/15 Sat @ *Oregon State L 21 34
11/22 Sat vs. *Stanford W 37 16
12/6 Sat vs. *Washington W 48 7

The matchup: It really comes down to whether Miami figures out a way to stop the Bears from running the ball. If they don’t, Jahvid Best will continue his big run of the last few games. One wild card is how Cal responds to Miami’s hit-you-in-the-mouth mentality. It took Florida a few quarters to adjust to it.

The pick: California 31, Miami 20

Belated full disclosure

I should have mentioned when I started my bowl picks that I always, ALWAYS stink at picking bowls. Going back to 1994 when I was 12 years old and my dad and I circled the games from a list in the newspaper. I’m always doing really good just to get over .500.

Which leads us to the last two games that have been completed. Florida Atlantic-Central Michigan had all the makings of a shootout, and it wound up being something of a defensive struggle at times.

Both North Carolina and West Virginia had had trouble scoring all year, and they put on a show earlier today. Just goes to show you how weird bowl games can be.

But congrats to West Virginia’s Pat White, a Daphne native, as he gets to end his career on a high-note, with his fourth win in four bowl starts.

Back in a bit with the Emerald Bowl preview.

Champs Sports Bowl Preview

It just dawned on me that all of today’s bowls are named after their sponsor. Depressing times. Not much to preface this one with.

Florida State Seminoles: T-1st in ACC, 8-4 (5-3 conference)

Tangible stuff: Christian Ponder has come on pretty strong as the season has progressed at quarterback. He does have a proclivity for interceptions, but that’s to be expected with a young starter. He’s also a threat with his feet. Unsurprisingly, the Seminole offense isn’t strong, as it hasn’t been for much of this decade. But signs are there that they’re getting better. The defense under Mickey Andrews is as strong as ever.

Other stuff: The Noles aren’t quite as underwhelming as they’ve been the past few years. For the most part they’ve beaten the teams they should beat and lost to the teams they should lose to. Bobby Bowden will be coaching in his 32nd bowl game, and 27th straight.

Florida State schedule/results:

9/6 Sat vs. Western Carolina W 69 0
9/13 Sat vs. Tennessee-Chattanooga W 46 7
9/20 Sat vs. *Wake Forest L 3 12
9/27 Sat vs. Colorado W 39 21 @ Jacksonville, FL
10/4 Sat @ *Miami (Florida) W 41 39
10/16 Thu @ *North Carolina State W 26 17
10/25 Sat vs. *Virginia Tech W 30 20
11/1 Sat @ *Georgia Tech L 28 31
11/8 Sat vs. *Clemson W 41 27
11/15 Sat vs. *Boston College L 17 27
11/22 Sat @ *Maryland W 37 3
11/29 Sat vs. Florida L 15 45

Wisconsin Badgers: 6th in Big Ten, 7-5 (3-5 conference):

Tangible stuff: Wisconsin has been one of the biggest disappointments of the year. They’ve plodded along throughout the whole season. They’ve been bad at quarterback, have had less-than-average (for them) production from their running backs, especially P.J. Hill. The defense hasn’t been very good. Looking at the stats you wonder how they won at all.

Other stuff: They lost to Michigan. When they led 19-0 at halftime. Ugh. They were also a miracle comeback at Minnesota and a missed PAT by Cal Poly (!) away from not being bowl-bound.

Wisconsin schedule/results:

8/30 Sat vs. Akron W 38 17
9/6 Sat vs. Marshall W 51 14
9/13 Sat @ Fresno State W 13 10
9/27 Sat @ *Michigan L 25 27
10/4 Sat vs. *Ohio State L 17 20
10/11 Sat vs. *Penn State L 7 48
10/18 Sat @ *Iowa L 16 38
10/25 Sat vs. *Illinois W 27 17
11/1 Sat @ *Michigan State L 24 25
11/8 Sat @ *Indiana W 55 20
11/15 Sat vs. *Minnesota W 35 32
11/22 Sat vs. Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo W 36 35

The matchup: Another battle of teams where you don’t know what you’ll get. Florida State is really just the better team here.

The pick: Florida State 27, Wisconsin 17

Note: I’ll be back late this afternoon with either an Emerald Bowl preview or just the pick.

Meineke Car Care Bowl Preview

The bowl with the worst name has the second-best matchup so far of bowl season, as North Carolina meets West Virginia.

Here are the vitals:

North Carolina Tar Heels: T-4th in ACC, 8-4 (4-4 conference)

Tangible stuff: T.J. Yates is back for the Tar Heels after missing five games with a broken ankle and has played well. The Tar Heels are still without superstar receiver/return man Brandon Tate, but Hakeem Nicks has stepped up in a big way with over 1,000 yards receiving. UNC hasn’t been particularly great on offense or defense, averaging only 317 yards per game and giving up 20 points per game. But this is still a young, improving team under Butch Davis.

Other stuff: This is UNC’s first bowl game since 2004, and they’re seeking their first bowl win since the 2001 Peach Bowl over Auburn. Since they’re a member of the ACC, there is no guarantee they will show up for any game, much less this one. They’ve already blown out two Big East teams this year (Rutgers and Connecticut). They blew a chance at winning the division with a home loss to Maryland and a horrible loss at N.C. State.

North Carolina schedule/results:

8/30 Sat vs. McNeese State W 35 27
9/11 Thu @ Rutgers W 44 12
9/20 Sat vs. *Virginia Tech L 17 20
9/27 Sat @ *Miami (Florida) W 28 24
10/4 Sat vs. Connecticut W 38 12
10/11 Sat vs. Notre Dame W 29 24
10/18 Sat @ *Virginia L 13 16
10/25 Sat vs. *Boston College W 45 24
11/8 Sat vs. *Georgia Tech W 28 7
11/15 Sat @ *Maryland L 15 17
11/22 Sat vs. *North Carolina State L 10 41
11/29 Sat @ *Duke W 28 20

West Virginia Mountaineers: Third place in Big East, 8-4 (5-2 conference)

Tangible stuff: New coach Bill Stewart said he was going to open up the passing game more to save quarterback Pat White from injury. Well, they couldn’t pass the ball and White still got injured. But he’s back now and playing well. Scatback Noel Devine has been the sparkplug for the team this year, rushing for 1285 yards, including his big performance in the Thursday night win over Auburn. The Mountaineers’ defense has been pretty strong this year, and has really carriied them since the offense hasn’t been as explosive.

Other stuff: It’s unclear if Stewart has any clue what he’s doing (signs point to no). West Virginia also stunk down the stretch, losing close games to Cincinnati and Pittsburgh and nearly losing to South Florida (all good teams, but this team should’ve beaten all of them).

West Virginia schedule/results:

8/30 Sat vs. Villanova W 48 21
9/6 Sat @ East Carolina L 3 24
9/18 Thu @ Colorado L 14 17
9/27 Sat vs. Marshall W 27 3
10/4 Sat vs. *Rutgers W 24 17
10/11 Sat vs. *Syracuse W 17 6
10/23 Thu vs. Auburn W 34 17
11/1 Sat @ *Connecticut W 35 13
11/8 Sat vs. *Cincinnati L 23 26
11/22 Sat @ *Louisville W 35 21
11/28 Fri @ *Pittsburgh L 15 19
12/6 Sat vs. *South Florida W 13 7

The matchup: We’ve got two teams that we don’t know what we’ll get out of. WVU has speed to spare, well more than UNC at this point in Davis’ rebuilding process. But Carolina is infinitely better coached than the Mountaineers.

The pick: North Carolina 21, West Virginia 14

Motor City Bowl Preview

You may wonder why I didn’t find the time to preview the Hawaii Bowl, which featured Notre Dame, while I am finding time to preview this one.

Part of the answer to that is this: A bowl this bad deserves a preview from yours truly.

Now, this might not be a bad game. Both teams have good quarterbacks and fairly strong offenses. But a 6-6 Sun Belt team and a team that just allowed 56 points to Eastern Michigan don’t exactly make for a compelling matchup. This game and the poor Independence Bowl are in a dead heat for worst bowl matchup ever, although now that I think about it that dishonor might go to the 2004 Silicon Valley Classic. That Northern Illinois-Troy clash was bad enough it killed the bowl.

But still, as I said in my first thoughts on the bowls: Don’t the good people of Detroit deserve better than this?

Here are the vitals:

Central Michigan Chippewas: 4th place in the MAC, 8-4 (6-2 conference)

Tangible stuff: The Chippewas may be in a bit of a freefall. After failing to knock off Ball State while wearing the worst uniforms ever, non-Oregon division, they wound up losing, 56-52, to Eastern Michigan, who came into the game with a 2-9 record and a lame-duck coach. But they do still have the Tebow of the MAC, Dan LeFevour. Last year LeFevour became one of only three players ever to pass for 3,000 yards and rush for 1,000 (the other two being Tebow and Vince Young). His numbers haven’t been quite as good this year, but he’s still a pretty special player, at least for where he is. Wide receivers Antonio Brown and Bryan Anderson both came pretty close to the 1,000-yard mark. The defense hasn’t been particularly good.

Other stuff: CMU was one of a few schools to avoid the heavy hand of the NCAA in its anti-Indian nickname crusade of a few years ago. This is their third straight trip to the Motor City Bowl. I’m sure they’re thrilled to be back.

Central Michigan schedule/results:

8/28 Thu vs. Eastern Illinois W 31 12
9/6 Sat @ Georgia L 17 56
9/13 Sat @ *Ohio W 31 28
9/20 Sat @ Purdue L 25 32
9/27 Sat vs. *Buffalo W 27 25
10/11 Sat vs. *Temple W 24 14
10/18 Sat vs. *Western Michigan W 38 28
10/25 Sat @ *Toledo W 24 23
11/1 Sat @ Indiana W 37 34
11/12 Wed @ *Northern Illinois W 33 30
11/19 Wed vs. *Ball State L 24 31
11/28 Fri @ *Eastern Michigan L 52 56

Florida Atlantic Owls: 4th place in Sub Belt, 6-6 (4-3 conference)

Tangible stuff: The Owls were a pretty big disappointment in 2008. They were my (and most others) pick to win the conference, and proceeded to lose to everyone of note they played (and some not so much of note). Quarterback Rusty Smith’s numbers were down, but the defense actually played pretty well in all but a few games (one of them being Texas, so that’s excused). Frantz Joseph is both an awesome name and an awesome linebacker. Running back Charles Pierre and wide receiver Cortez Grant each had pretty big years.

Other stuff: The Owls don’t even sort of belong here. Louisiana-LaFayette had a better conference record and Arkansas State tied with them AND beat them, yet neither of those teams are in a bowl. They are still coached by Howard Schnellenberger. At least one of their opponents think the Owls are a tinge on the dirty side.

Florida Atlantic schedule/results:

8/30 Sat @ Texas L 10 52
9/6 Sat vs. Alabama-Birmingham W 49 34
9/13 Sat @ Michigan State L 0 17
9/20 Sat @ Minnesota L 3 37
9/30 Tue @ *Middle Tennessee State L 13 14
10/7 Tue vs. *Troy L 17 30
10/18 Sat @ *Western Kentucky W 24 20
10/25 Sat @ *Louisiana-Monroe W 29 28
11/8 Sat vs. *North Texas W 46 13
11/15 Sat vs. *Louisiana-Lafayette W 40 29
11/22 Sat @ *Arkansas State L 14 28
11/29 Sat vs. *Florida International W 57 50 @ Miami, FL

The matchup: You should pretty much expect a lot of scoring. Both teams are strong on offense, and while the FAU defense has played well at times it hasn’t shown it can cope with a good offense.

The pick: Central Michigan 45, Florida Atlantic 34