NCAA Bowl picks II

As I type this, I have a 8-3 bowl record so far.  Only two Power Five conference teams have played.  Oregon looked weak, while the Texas Tech offense roared (helped by poor tackling by the vaulted Bulls defense).  My ranked teams have all won, but they've played unranked teams.  In this column, I'll get into matchups featuring two ranked teams.  This time I will pick through to the tradition Dec 31st bowl games, this year to be played on Dec 30th.

Dec 26
Heart of Dallas Bowl: Utah Utes v West Virginia Mountaineers:  Utah normally plays well in bowl games, but they've been a bit sporadic this season.  West Virginia started slowly, but they played well towards the end of the season.  WEST VIRGINIA

Quick Lane Bowl:  Duke Blue Devils v Northern Illinois Huskies:  The ACC finally get into the 2017 bowls, and they face a MAC team.  That might make them too confident, always a danger against the sneaky Northern Illinois team.  Through in a strong Huskies defense and Duke may have more than they can handle.  NORTHERN ILLINOIS

Cactus Bowl:  Kansas State Wildcats v UCLA Bruins:  Despite a lackluster year, Josh Rosen is still considered a high draft pick.  A couple of picks by the Wildcats defense should reduce that assessment.  Once UCLA falls behind, Rosen gets careless, which should further reduce his draft stock.  KANSAS STATE

Dec 27
Independence Bowl:  Florida State Seminoles v Southern Miss Golden Eagles:  This is a crucial game for Southern Miss in the Capital One Bowl Challenge.  Conference USA is even at 4-4.  The conference needs a win for a winning bowl record.  Florida State finds themselves coachless.  Given their already-existing lack of discipline, I think a plethora of costly penalties will give the ACC their second bowl loss.  SOUTHERN MISS

Pinstripe Bowl:  Boston College Eagles v Iowa Hawkeyes:  Ironically, I will be in New York City on Dec 27th, although I will not be at the Pinstripe Bowl to see the Hawkeyes give the Big Ten their first bowl victory.  Boston College is good, but Iowa has shown what that offense is capable of doing.  Also, their defense can force turnovers, and the Eagles have not been great with controlling the ball this season.  IOWA

Foster Farms Bowl:  Arizona Wildcats v Purdue Boilermakers:  Can Purdue give the Big Ten their second bowl win?  While Purdue often seems to play above themselves in bowl games, I think they are overmatched in this one.  Arizona has a good team, and Purdue pulled off a couple of upsets to be bowl-eligible.  ARIZONA wins the first match-up between the Big Ten and Pac-12

Texas Bowl:  Texas Longhorns v Missouri Tigers:  Missouri and Texas both started the season weakly.  Missouri showed strength in the closing weeks, while Texas remained inconsistent throughout.  Worse, two key players for the Texas have already announced they will not attend the bowl game, wanting to stay healthy for the NFL combine.  That lack of team spirit will cost them.  MISSOURI

Dec 28
Military Bowl: Virginia Cavaliers at Navy Midshipmen:  Let's face it, this is a home game for the Midshipmen, since this game is played at the Naval Academy.  The Cavs defensive line is good, but the Navy line will continue to beat at them until they get tired.  Then, holes will open for the Navy runners.  NAVY

Camping World Bowl:  #11 Oklahoma State Cowboys v #14 Virginia Tech Hokies:  The first game between ranked opponents pits the ACC against the Big XII.  While the Hokies are a good team, the Cowboys showed a lot of strength this season; too much, I think, for the Hokies to hold back for four quarters.  This may require a fourth quarter comeback, but I like the COWBOYS

Alamo Bowl:  #17 Stanford Cardinal v #16 TCU Horned Frogs:  Stanford is a tenacious team, but the best thing for TCU is the location of this game.  Firmly entrenched in Big XII country, Stanford will face a tough crowd at all times.  While that is not normally an issue for the defense, the offense is used to simply silencing a hostile crowd, not facing an even noiser one.  That may affect play-calling.  TCU

Holiday Bowl:  Michigan State Spartans v Washington State Cougars:  If the Spartans defense was as strong as it had been the previous two seasons, I'd pick them with no hesitation.  However, that defense has not been as good this season, and the Cougars offense has been electric.  Also, this game is on the West Coast, where the Big Ten typically plays poorly.  However, if the Spartans defense finds their mojo, this game could go the other way.  WASHINGTON STATE

Dec 29
Belk Bowl:  Wake Forest Demon Deacons v Texas A&M Aggies:  The Aggies probably expect to win, and that might be their undoing.  The Aggies offense has not been consistent, and the Demon Deacons defense can press opponents.  Furthermore, this is nearly a home game for Wake Forest, and the Aggies don't respond well to boos.  WAKE FOREST

Sun Bowl:  North Carolina State Wolfpack v Arizona State Sun Devils:  The Sun Devils at the Sun Bowl?  Appropriate.  The Sun Devils winning the Sun Bowl?  Unlikely.  The Wolfpack played well, they just had some overwhelming opponents on their schedule.  That 8-4 record would be more accurately a 10-2, and that points to a talent pool too deep for Arizona State to stay afloat.  NC STATE

Music City Bowl:  Kentucky Wildcats v #20 Northwestern Wildcats:  Cat fight!  Or, more accurately, Wildcat fight!  Kentucky had some good games, but they underperformed.  Northwestern comes into this game with a phenomenal seven game winning streak.  I don't see Kentucky ending that.  NORTHWESTERN

Arizona Bowl:  Utah State Aggies v New Mexico State Aggies:  An Aggies battle between two teams that rarely play a bowl game.  With such little history, and little video for me to review, this game is a tough one to pick.  Utah State has given their opponents a bit more trouble, so I'll pick them.  UTAH STATE

Cotton Bowl:  #12 USC Trojans v #3 Ohio State Buckeyes:  Let's face it, this is the REAL Rose Bowl game!  Pac-12 champ versus Big Ten champ, that's a Rose Bowl!  If it were played in the actual Rose Bowl, I might give USC a chance.  On neutral ground, though, it's Ohio State's game to lose, if they play like they did against Iowa.  I don't think that'll happen.  USC QB Sam Darnold is a bit of a gunslinger, which gives the Buckeye defense a chance to pick him off.  Ohio State starts slow, so USC might lead at the end of the first quarter, but the Buckeyes should tie it by halftime, and the second half will belong to the Buckeyes.  OHIO STATE