Well the craziest and most upset-happy season in recent (or any) memory is now officially over and we have a while to dwell on all the craziness and the week-to-week BCS shakeups that have finally culminated in this year's bowl schedule. After the fall of #'s one and two in the BCS last night, 1-loss Ohio State, the Big Ten champs, and 2-loss LSU, the SEC champs, moved up to claim those spots and a match against each other in the national title game this season. LSU is the 1st two-loss team to get in the national championship in BCS history. All Missouri had to do was beat Oklahoma to clinch a title game berth, while West Virginia was almost assured a spot in the big game with their last game being against 4-7 rival Pitt. But nothing has been guaranteed this season, with Oklahoma stomping Mizzou and Pitt's defense shutting down the high-powered rushing attack of WVU. So OSU, who looked good but not spectacularily dominate all season in rolling through the Big Ten and beating Michigan again, kind of fell right into the championship while LSU emerged from a brutal SEC schedule with two losses in a combined 6 overtimes, to Kentucky and Arkansas. It should be an interesting matchup, and a very unpredictable one. You always have to factor in the fact that OSU hasn't played in 2 weeks and has such a long wait until January 7th, but I think the Buckeyes match up favorably with the Tigers in all facets except what is assured to be a pro-LSU crowd at the Superdome. OSU can pound the ball up the middle, eating clock and wearing down the defense, with their punishing back Beanie Wells, who has also shown breakaway speed when he hits a hole. The rest of the offense is dependent on Wells, as he sets up the occasional deep TD strikes to Bryan Robiskie where QB Todd Boeckman makes his money. The greatest strength for the Buckeyes is their physical, and at times dominate, defense. They are lead by sideline-to-sideline, all-out playmaker James Lauranitis, and pass-rushing defensive lineman Vernon Ghoulstion. This unit is great at stopping the run and forcing turnovers, but Illinois really attacked them through the air in that win 3 weeks ago. It will be interesting to see if they can get back to the dominate form they exhibited for the better part of the season. LSU may be the most talented team in all the facets of the game, and they have a fiery coach not afraid to take chances and just let his guys play, but their offense is inconsistent with the QB situation kind of back and forth between the solid game manager and great athlete Matt Flynn and the massive, potential-filled Ryan Periloux. They have tons of speed and big plays threats, along with an amazing halfback in Jacob Hester, who is strong, tough, and who makes the big plays at the ends of games and sometimes wills his squad to victory. Flynn should get the start but expect to see Ryan if he struggles. The LSU defense is one of the best around, so expect this championship to be a low-scoring, physical affair decided by turnovers and big plays, but they have been susceptible through the air the past couple of weeks. The D-line is massive and lead by physical animal Glenn Dorsey, but the secondary is also super-quick and they are a bunch of ball-hawks. This is a good matchup between two very talented teams, but it's impossible to tell if they are the most deserving as the upset losses on Saturday kind of allowed the championship to fall into their laps. Both squads are worthy and should come out motivated in what should be a great game, even though I doubt too many people are going to give Ohio State much credit after last year. LSU has the most overall talent around, but OSU can really milk the clock with their running game and if Boeckman can make some big plays through the air early to shut the crowd up the Buckeyes might really have a chance.

The Rose Bowl came up with somewhat of a surprise, going with tradition and picking Illinois to go up against Pac-10 champ USC. Georgia-USC might have been a better matchup, pitting two of the hottest teams in the nation against each other, but Illinois is still loaded with talent and has tons of offensive versatility, with the potential to hang with USC if they are hitting on all cylinders. I still question if the Fighting Illini deserve to be in this game, seeing as they still had 3 losses and played somewhat inconsistently all year, and I think the Rose Bowl guys got a little excited seeing such a turnaround in Champaign, but Illinois still has plenty of talent and could make me eat my words. They run a ground-oriented spread attack, using amazing running back Rashad Mendenhall and the mobility/spread-option mastery of QB Juice Williams, whose abilities as a passer are crucial in Illinois's chances. When he gave Illinois the extra dimension with his arm, their offense is unstoppable, because Mendenhall can run through and around almost anyone, except Iowa that is. Freshman QB Eddie McGee got some time throughout the early-to-middle part of the year, but mistakes in clutch situations throwing the ball lead to his benching. His athleticism might get him back on the field. The big threat at wideout for the Illini is Arrelious Benn, a physical freak of nature and big play threat for Juice. On defense they are lead by J Leman, a true playmaker of a linebacker who plays with all heart and is in on almost every tackle. The Illini go up against another team stocked with blue-chip talent but low on experience and consistency. USC's loss to Stanford is still bad, but there was no shame in losing to an Oregon team that was on fire with Dennis Dixon healthy. The Trojans closed the year playing better than anybody, crushing Arizona State and dispatching a downtrodden Cal team. John David Booty played fantastic at the end of the year and proved how good he can be when healthy; the Trojans don't have any standout wideout but plenty of intriguing prospects, while the running game has plenty of playmakers led by super-speedy frosh Joe McKnight, the number 1 recruit in the nation last year. The USC defense is one of the best around, with maybe the best linebacking corps in the nation. They will really test that Illini running game and force them to pass. I think USC is playing too well right now and has too much winning experience to lose to this Illinois team experiencing some success for the 1st time, and I think the USC defense will force the Illini to pass or making them one dimensional, and the Trojans can score points too. It's gonna be hard for Illinois to win this one; they had a great year but they still are a little ways off of being on USC's level. Beating OSU essentially got the Illini in this game anyway...In the Sugar Bowl, a red-hot Georgia team riding the all-world play of their running back Knowshon Moreno down the stretch as well as the improved play of QB Matthew Stafford takes on Hawaii, the 12-0 WAC champs lead by a potent offense and video game passing attack, thanks to record-setting Colt Brennan and his flock of speedy wideouts. Everyone will be tuned in to see if Hawaii's magical season was a fluke because of weak competition, and to see if Hawaii can hang with the big boys on the mainland. Their explosive passing attack should juxtapose well with Georgia's fearsome defense, which is playing unstoppable down the stretch and should put ridiculous pressure on an undersized Warrior's line, and their defense has to step up against a dangerous Georgia offense. I think Georgia has too much firepower and too much big game experience for this one, but you can never doubt the mid-major teams after Boise State last year. Should be fun to watch at least. West Virginia plays Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl, in which I think it would be considered an upset if WVU could pull out the win considering the rollar-coaster ride they have been on the past few weeks. They thought they'd be playing for the national championship, then lay an egg against rival Pitt. Then they lose their coach to Michigan merely weeks later. It will be interesting to see if they show up to play against an Oklahoma team with loads of talent that could legitimately be playing for the title. The Mountaineers still have Pat White and Steve Slaton, two of the fastest and most explosive players in college football, on their offense along with a defense that was playing as good as any down the stretch this year, so if they bring a mental edge they can hang with the Sooners and then some. Don't forget either about the future of WVU football, the ultra-speedy Noel Devine. Oklahoma has maybe the best frosh QB in the nation and one of the best period, Sam Bradford, who leads this squad and brings an important balance to a fantastic rushing attack, with Demarco Murray and Allen Patrick leading the way there. A massive offensive line and great defense are only icing on the cake. Oklahoma is gearing up for a title run next year and beating West Virgina will be their 1st step.

The Orange Bowl pits this year's Cinderella team, Kansas, against another great story in Virginia Tech. No one expected Kansas to get to 11 wins and compete for a championship, and they did have an amazing season, but I do think that Mizzou earned this BCS bid with the win over KU at Arrowhead. Va Tech became America's team after the school shootings in April, and they rebounded from an early season blowout at the hands of LSU to give the school something to be proud of with an 11-2 season and an ACC championship. They play what is known as Beamer ball (after their coach), which revolves around a fast, swarming defense that goes for turnovers and a reliable, big play special teams unit to win games. They also have a clock-chewing running game with Brandon Ore and 2-QB system going on, with Sean Glennon proving to be a more than capable passer down the stretch. This is a talented and experienced Hokie team with a lot to play for, but KU is no pushover either; they are out to prove their season was no fluke. Todd Reesing is a great QB who makes a lot of big plays, and they have great offensive balance with the pass and run. The KU defense was dominate all year before the Mizzou game, led by versatile stud Aqib Talib, who should give Glennon all sorts of problems. I see this as a close game, but Va Tech will make enough big plays to win.

With the BCS bowls out of the way, let's start from square one with the Poinsettia Bowl, which pits Navy against Utah. Navy lost a great coach in Paul Thompson, but they are still a great service academy team with a lot of heart and a fairly unstoppable running game. Utah will be hard-pressed to stop the Navy ground game, but they have great offensive balance themselves and come in as one of the hottest teams in the nation, a Mountain West power. Should be a shootout, and I think Navy will win. The old Howard Schellenberger takes his Florida Atlantic baby against Memphis in the New Orleans bowl. Schellenberger is known for building up programs into national powers, winning a title with Miami and taking Louisville into the elite, and now he takes a FAU team that he built from scratch 7 years ago into their 1st bowl game ever against a hot Memphis team with a big play offense that rallied around a slain teammate to finish the season with success. Florida Atlantic has a lot of young talent on their squad, led by QB Rusty Smith, proving how much wealth is shared in Florida, and I think they are a team on the rise. Both teams have good QBs and this one should be a shootout as well, and I think FAU will win and continue the good story of this football upstart that plays in a high school stadium. The PapaJohns Bowl pits a great, surprising Cincinatti team against Southern Miss, who is being coached by legendary Jeff Bower for the last time after 17 years at the helm, getting controversially shoved out the door by the university. The Bearcats were a great surprise this year in the Big East, going 9-3 with a great defense and great QB in Ben Mauck, whose health is essential in Cincy winning this game. Southern Miss is a similar team with plenty of great athletes on both sides of the ball, but on offense they rely on their running game and sophmore Damion Fletcher, who is fast and tough. I think Southern Miss will play too hard for their beloved coach and spoil Cincy's great season. UCLA vs. BYU in the Las Vegas Bowl should be a close matchup. UCLA is without their coach Karl Dorell, who was fired after several years of inconsistency and mediocrity. UCLA was supposed to be a Pac-10 contender this year and looked like it at times but several puzzling losses, including a 44-6 drubbing at Utah, kept them grounded. The Bruins have a great defense but an inconsistent offense because of their leadership as QB, which has been off and on thanks to injuries and inconsistent play from Ben Olson and his backups. If UCLA is fairly healthy and play up to potential they could hang with anyone and I think they will win this game. BYU should be given plenty of credit as a mid-major power, winning 10 games this season even without John Beck, their senior stud passer last year. BYU is an efficient and balanced team that rarely turns the ball over and rarely makes mistakes; they have a good passing attack and a scrappy defense and should not be taken lightly. Just think UCLA has too much talent here. The Hawaii bowl doesn't have Hawaii this year, but it should be an exciting matchup between two potentially explosive mid-major powers in Boise State, the stars of last year's bowl show, and East Carolina, who have been a pretty consistent member of bowl season since the turn of the century, but haven't won one since 2000. Boise State may not be as dominate as last season, but they still have their stud-horse back Ian Johnson and an explosive offense without much drop-off from QB Jared Zabransky's graduation. Their defense is iffy but they have their share of big play guys, including Marty Tadman, who plays with a ton of heart and energy. Eastern Carolina has a great defense and a wealth of athletes on offense who are capable of making big plays; they use a multiple QB system with a lot of versatile guys good at various things, and they almost upset Va Tech at Lane Stadium in the 1st game of the year. Should be closer than people think, but Boise State will make the big plays to win it and I'm sure Coach Peterson and the boys will have some other tricks up their sleeves to make the fans excited again. New Mexico plays host in the New Mexico bowl, hoping to use the home-field advantage to win their 1st bowl game in a long time against a pretty good Nevada team playing a lot of young players, a team that improved significantly as the year wore on and ended up being pretty dangerous. Like most of the matchups this season, this should be close, but New Mexico will win behind the home crowd.

The Motor City bowl pits Purdue against a Central Michigan team that they just dominated in the non-conference during the regular season. Purdue has been a pretty big disappointment the past couple years, starting strong with an easy slate before limping through their Big Ten schedule. However, they are a team with a lot of offensive weapons and big play threats, able to put up points in a hurry. Too bad their defense got rolled by almost every good opponent they played this year. On offense they are led by Curtis Painter, a traditional drop-back passer with a great arm, running backs Kory Sheets and Jaecon Taylor, both hard runners and big play threats. When they run the ball well their offense is virtually unstoppable. At wideout their big-play guy is Dorien Bryant, who is extremly fast and elusive, ready to break a big one every time. Central Michigan recovered from a rough early start and tough schedule to finish strong down the stretch and win the MAC championship, and could be motivated to battle with Purdue and prove their early season embarassment was a fluke. I think it will be closer than last time, but Purdue stil wins fairly easily. One of the best non-BCS games is the Holiday Bowl, pitting Texas against a scary Arizona State team that could have played in the BCS this year. Texas was overrated as a title contender coming into the year, but if they are playing motivated and hitting on all cylinders they are still one of the best teams in the nation. Colt McCoy kind of regressed this season and thew way too many picks, but he still has a gun and can pick you apart, just needs to be more consistent for this team to win. Luckily, they relied on Jamaal Charles and his rushing down the stretch to win games; Charles carried this team with 200-yard games and proved that he is not only a big-play track star but a workhorse too. If Colt can play like he showed he can at times and Charles can keep it up Texas will have an offense ASU will have a "devil-of-a-time" stopping them. Texas had an up and down defensive season as well, but they have lots of talent on that side of the ball and they should be motivated for this one. ASU has a very explosive offense as well, led by Rudy Carpenter,their QB who had a good rebound season tearing up Pac-10 secondaries. The Sun Devils' have tons of speed and offensive threats, but the reason they were in the BCS hunt was the improved play of their much-maligned defense; they regressed a bit down the stretch but if they can play like they did for the majority of they year then they will give Texas fits. Should be a back and forth battle.

The Champs Sports Bowl pits Boston College against Michigan State. THis is quite the drop-off from the potential BCS bowl the Eagles could be playing in if they would have beat Va Tech in the ACC championship, but Michigan State is a potentially scary team with plenty of talent so BC better be ready. They proved that they have more mental toughness under Mark Dantonio than they did under the old coaching staff, recovering from a tough loss to Iowa by beating Purdue and Penn State to get to 7 wins. BC is led by Matt Ryan, perhaps the best quarterback in the nation, who has never lost a bowl game. Ryan has tons of experience and smarts along with an NFL arm. BC will need to put up a more consistent offensive effort than they did at times this year, as MSU can put up points with their 2-headed running game. Javon Ringer is a speedy big-play threat, while Jehuu Caulcrick is one of the best at finishing off drives at the goal line and getting crucial 1st downs. MSU also has a dangerous passing game, with the solid Brandon Hoyer passing to do-it-all wideout Devin Thomas. This one could be a shootout, but BC is the better team. The originally-named Texas Bowl pits Houston against TCU; TCU was considered a BCS sleeper pick form the MWC before the season but fell off thanks to inconsistent offensive effort and the absence of star defensive end Tommy Blake, but they are still a dangerous team with a stout defense and improving, dual-threat QB in Andy Dalton. They have played very well in bowl games lately, which is a contrast to the Cougars, who haven't won one since the early '80s. Houston brings in an explosive offense, like usual, but they'll have to get it going against this TCU defense and make some stops as well. TCU will win this one with "D". The Emerald Bowl is an underrated good matchup, with Oregon State taking on Maryland. Oregon State has quietly been one of the better Pac-10 teams around lately, using a great defense and running game to become a conference power. They had another solid, consistent season highlighted by a win over then number two Cal at Berkely. Maryland had quite an up and down season, but they had some pretty big wins as well over top 10 foes, such as Boston College. If they can put it all together they have the talent on both sides of the ball to beat Oregon State, but I think OSU's senior stud Yvenson Bernard will carry his team to victory and the Beavers' will play hard for their seniors to beat this inconsistent Terrapin team.

Wake Forest and Conneticut is another good matchup in the Meinke Car Care Bowl, pitting two quietly good, smaller programs that aren't too well known as powers against each other. For an encore to last year's ACC championship, Wake followed it up with a solid 8 wins that could have been more if their offense was more consistent, but nevertheless it proves that their success is no fluke as they use a solid defense and special teams along with an efficient QB who doesn't turn the ball over in Riley Skinner. UConn is probably the most unknown conference champ around, winning a share of the Big East along with West Virginia, who beat them handidly. The Huskies are another team looking for some consistency, but they haven't really experienced much success before having just moved up to D-1 so they are still learning how to win the big games. They have a great player in QB Tyler Lorenzen and are also very efficient, not turning the ball over much. Wake wants to get a bowl win after last year's defeat and they will get it against a UConn team that is not playing as well down the stretch as they did for the first half of the year. In the Liberty Bowl, Sly Croom takes his dominate Mississippi State defense against a potentially dangerous UCF squad featuring one of the nation's most explosive offensive players, Kevin Smith, who is only 181 yards shy of breaking Barry Sanders' record for rushing yards in a season. Croom's getting this team to a bowl game after getting shut out in their opener against LSU has been one of the best stories of the year, and I think they will win this game for their coach while shutting down Smith and preventing him from getting the record. One of the better matchups so far is the Alamo Bowl, pitting Penn State against Texas A&M. JoePa is coaching his 500th game, while the Aggies will be coaching by their defensive coordinator while they wait for Mike Sherman to arrive. The Aggies have one of the most versatile and unstoppable rushing attacks around, using a massive offensive line, the hard-nosed Stephen McGee, and the sweet combination of legendary pounder Jovorskie Lane and super-speedy Mike Goodson to rack up yards on the ground against opponents. When they throw the pass in there along with some more offensive creativety they are unstoppable on offense, but McGee hasn't proven he can pass consistently. Penn State will give A&M fits with their tough defense, which is ironically great against the run. Something has to give. The play of maligned QB Anthony Morelli is important in Penn State's moving the ball, because they have found quite the running game here down the stretch. I think Aggies win with the big homefield advantage and too much offensive firepower. Alabama tries to avoid a second straight losing season by beating a surprisingly decent COlorado team in the Independence Bowl that no one thought would be in a bowl after last year. Bama is led by John Parker Wilson; when he threw well the Tide won at the beggining of the season, but as his play faded down the stretch so did Bama's. Wideout DJ Hall is also one of the best around at what he does and should be playing on SUndays. COlorado has a potentially explosive offense led by Dan Hawkins, the son of the coach and a solid QB. Saban will have his boys prepared for this one and they are too focused and talented for Colorado to beat them.

The Armed Forces bowl is a matchup between two teams that went in stunningly opposite directions this season; Cal is one of the most talented and athletic squads in the nation, number 2 at one time midseason with a shot at number 1 before their freshman QB made a costly error late with clock management, but lost their last 5 games, including a dud against Stanford, to finish 6-6 after such promise and hype. Air Force was a big surprise this year, finishing 9-3 while becoming quite the force in the Mountain West with hard work and a dangerous running game, overacheiving all year long to beat bigger and better teams with good execution and discipline. They will have their work cut out for them against an explosive Cal team filled with offensive weapons, but I think that Cal won't be ready to play in this game and Air Force will pull out a bit of a shocker by coming ready out the gate. Georgia Tech comes up against an underrated and talented Fresno State team in the Humanitarian Bowl, but I think their defense will force enough plays for the victory. The Sun Bowl pits a fading Oregon team against South Florida, a team that was number 2 at one team and the most surprising team in the nation before collapsing down the stretch. Oregon has just been a shell of the team they were a few weeks ago without their star Dennis Dixon, but they still have all-world back Jonathan Stewart, who gives the DUcks a chance against a talented but young South Florida team that frankly just hasn't been in this kind of winning situation before. I think Oregon wins close to get back on track for next year. Kentucky looks to win their 2nd consecutive bowl game in the Music City Bowl in beating an underrmanned Florida State team thanks to an online cheating scandal. Kentucky has a pretty explosive, multi-faceted offense led by QB Andre Woodson, a legit NFL prospect with a great arm and the ability to make all sorts of throws. It's pretty pathetic to watch FSU's decline the past few years and offensive ineptitude despite the loads of talent they have amassed on the roster, but with so many players missing I see the Seminoles losing despite showing some good fight to prove they still belong. Okie State takes on one of college football's best stories in the Indiana Hoosiers in teh Insight Bowl, who rallied to "play 13" after the death of their Coach before the season. Both teams have explosive offenses, while the Cowboys probably have more talent but the Hoosiers have more to play for. This is pretty unpredictable, but I think Indiana will pull it out. The Peach Bowl is a great matchup, pitting a fierce Auburn team against a suprisingly more consistent Clemson Tigers squad. Auburn has a great, swarming defense, like usual, and a pretty solid offense if they are all healthy. They are balanced with the short, accurate passing of Brandon Cox and a small number of effective running backs. Cullen Harper was the surprise star for Clemson, leading the Tigers through the air with maybe the most explosive running back duo in the nation, James Davis and CJ Spiller. Lot of talent on both these teams, and will be a close one to the finish. I think Auburn has the defense to take it. Wisconsin looks to notch up a big win for the Big Ten against Tennessee in the Outback Bowl. The Badgers were not as good as their lofty preseason expectations, but they still have a solid defense and one of the toughest and most consistent running backs around in PJ Hill, and a dual-threat hustler in QB Tyler Donovan. Just a really scrappy team with a lot of heart, but not as much talent as people thought. Tennessee has a potenitally explosive offense with Erik Ainge leading the charge, and they could score a lot of points if Wisconsin doesn't come ready. I think the Badgers win close though, they have a lot of heart and have been in close ones before. Missouri has loads of talent and deserves to be in the BCS, not in the Cotton Bowl against an Arkansas team that really just rides the heroics of All-World stud Darren McFadden and his counterpart Felix Jones to victories. On offense, few rival the potency of Mizzou; at QB they have close Heisman candidate Chase Daniel, handing off to Tony Temple and to all-purpose phenom Jeremy Maclin, throwing to All-America tight ends such as Martin Rucker. I'll give the Hogs credit for McFadden's talent, but they don't have enough firepower to hang with a Mizzou team that might not be motivated to play but still has too much talent to lose. The explosive offensive theatrics of Mike Leach and Texas Tech take on the masters at winning the close games, Virgina, in the Gator Bowl. Tech has Micheal Crabtree; enuff said. Their passing offense is virtually unstoppable, but Virginia does have a great defense and this is a great matchup of opposites; if Tech can be forced to play one-dimensional, the Cavs have a chance. They are led on defense by Chris Long, one of the best pass rushers in the NCAAs, while their offense relies on big plays and time of possesion. They have to keep the Red Raiders off the field for as much as possible to avoid that offense, but I don't think they can do it enough and Tech will win. One of the most interesting bowl matchups is the Capital One Bow1, pitting Michigan against last year's champs, Florida, in Lloyd Carr's last game as Wolverines coach. If Michigan has all their big studs healthy on offense they are a championship caliber team and one of the best offenses in the nation, so they could give the stacked Gators a run for their money. I think Michigan will play their hearts out for Carr, and with all the senior leadership on the team and all the offensive talent I think they will pile up points against an average Florida defense and win one for Carr. Tebow will keep Florida in the game, but Michigan has fate on their side. Two crappy bowls outside the BCS are Rutgers versus Ball State in the International Bowl, played in Canada. Rutgers has more talent on both sides of the ball and should ride Ray Rice to victory; Ball State has no one to stop him, but they can score points. The GMAC bowl pits the high-powered offenses of Tulsa and Bowling Green against each other, but Tulsa has more talent and hasn't been stopped all year, so who is saying Bowling Green can?