NCAA 2009-10 Bowl Predictions

Gary Alleva, College Football Analyst

New Mexico Bowl- Fresno State(8-4) vs. Wyoming(6-6) (Dec. 19, 4:30 PM ET, Albuquerque, NM, ESPN)- Fresno State RB Ryan Mathews is the nation’s 2^nd leading rusher, and he will have a big day against a Wyoming defense that allows 170 yards rushing per game.

Prediction: Fresno State 38, Wyoming 24.

St. Petersburg Bowl- Central Florida(8-4) vs. Rutgers(8-4) (Dec. 19, 8:00 PM ET, St. Petersburg, FL, ESPN)- Central Florida has a very solid defense, but they will not be able to contain Scarlet Knight WR Tim Brown.

Prediction: Rutgers 28, Central Florida 20.

R & L Carriers New Orleans Bowl- Southern Mississippi(7-5) vs. Middle Tennessee State(9-3) (Dec. 20, 8:30 PM ET, New Orleans, LA, ESPN)- There is no way Middle Tennessee can stop or even slow down the Southern Miss rushing attack led by Damion Fletcher.

Prediction: Southern Mississippi 34, Middle Tennessee State 19.

MACCO Las Vegas Bowl- (18)Oregon State(8-4) vs. (14)BYU(10-2) (Dec. 22, 8:00 PM ET, Las Vegas, NV, ESPN)- Cougar QB Max Hall has struggled down the stretch, and he will need to have a big game to lead BYU to victory. However, the difference will be Oregon State RB Jacquizz Rodgers.

Prediction: Oregon State 31, BYU 27.

San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl- (23)Utah(9-3) vs. California(8-4) (Dec. 23, 8:00 PM ET, San Diego, CA, ESPN)- Cal should have RB Jahvid Best back for this game, and he could be the difference in what should be an extremely close game.

Prediction: California 24, Utah 17.Sheraton Hawaii Bowl- Nevada(8-4) vs. SMU(7-5) (Dec. 24, 8:00 PM ET, Honolulu, HI, ESPN)- June Jones is returning to Hawaii for a rare SMU appearance in a bowl game. However, the dynamic rushing attack for Nevada led by QB Colin Kaepernick will prove to be too much to handle for the Mustangs.

Prediction: Nevada 42, SMU 31.

Little Caesars Bowl- Marshall(6-6) vs. Ohio(9-4) (Dec. 26, 1:00 PM ET, Detroit, MI, ESPN)- Frank Solich has done an outstanding job at Ohio as he looks for win number ten this season. QB Theo Scott should be able to deliver that tenth win.

Prediction: Ohio 27, Marshall 13.

Meineke Car Care Bowl- (17)Pittsburgh(9-3) vs. North Carolina(8-4) (Dec. 26, 4:30 PM ET, Charlotte, NC, ESPN)- Pitt stumbled in their final two games of the season, but they are clearly the superior team in this game. The Tar Heels will need an outstanding performance from QB T.J. Yates to have a chance.

Prediction: Pittsburgh 23, North Carolina 14.

Emerald Bowl- Boston College(8-4) vs. (24)USC(8-4) (Dec. 26, 8:00 PM ET, San Francisco, CA, ESPN)- The Trojans will not be overly excited to be in this game, but the extreme talent disparity will prove to be more than enough for USC to win.

Prediction: USC 24, Boston College 10.

Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl- Kentucky(7-5) vs. Clemson(8-5) (Dec. 27, 8:30 PM ET, Nashville, TN, ESPN)- This is a complete mismatch as Clemson RB C.J. Spiller should have a huge day against a Kentucky defense that struggles versus the run.

Prediction: Clemson 34, Kentucky 17.

Advocare V100 Independence Bowl- Texas A&M(6-6) vs. Georgia(7-5) (Dec. 28, 5:00 PM ET, Shreveport, LA, ESPN2)- Texas A&M QB Jerrod Johnson played very well late in the regular season, and I fully expect him to continue his success against a poor Georgia pass defense.

Prediction: Texas A&M 35, Georgia 31.

Champs Sports Bowl- (15)Miami(FL)(9-3) vs. (25)Wisconsin(9-3) (Dec. 29, 8:00 PM ET, Orlando, FL, ESPN)- It is a classic speed vs. power matchup, and Wisconsin played in one just like this last bowl season versus Florida State. The Seminoles were way too fast to handle, and the Hurricanes pose the same problem.

Prediction: Miami(FL) 31, Wisconsin 21.

Roady’s Humanitarian Bowl- Bowling Green(7-5) vs. Idaho(7-5) (Dec. 30, 4:30 PM ET, Boise, ID, ESPN)- Both offense can light up the scoreboard, but nobody has been able to cover Bowling Green WR Freddie Barnes this season. The Vandals are not capable of accomplishing that, either.

Prediction: Bowling Green 42, Idaho 38.

Pacific Life Holiday Bowl- (20)Arizona(8-4) vs. (22)Nebraska(9-4) (Dec. 30, 8:00 PM ET, San Diego, CA, ESPN)- The Wildcats have plenty of speed offensively, but the “Blackshirts” have been able to neutralize speed all year long. Good luck blocking the nation’s best player, Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh.

Prediction: Nebraska 21, Arizona 10.

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl- Houston(10-3) vs. Air Force(7-5) (Dec. 31, 12:00 PM ET, Fort Worth, TX, ESPN)- All Houston does if throw the football, and all Air Force does is run the ball. However, there is no way Air Force can slow down Heisman candidate Case Keenum.

Prediction: Houston 49, Air Force 31.

Brut Sun Bowl- Oklahoma(7-5) vs. (21)Stanford(8-4) (Dec. 31, 2:00 PM ET, El Paso, TX, CBS)- With Stanford QB Andrew Luck likely to miss the game due to injury, the Cardinal will have to rely even more on stud RB Toby Gerhart. However, Oklahoma boasts the nation’s 7^th best run defense.

Prediction: Oklahoma 31, Stanford 24.

Texas Bowl- Navy(8-4) vs. Missouri(8-4) (Dec. 31, 3:30 PM ET, Houston, TX, ESPN)- The Midshipmen are going to have a tough time covering Mizzou WR Danario Alexander, who is catching everything in sight right now.

Prediction: Missouri 42, Navy 30.

Insight Bowl- Minnesota(6-6) vs. Iowa State(6-6) (Dec. 31, 6:00 PM ET, Tempe, AZ, NFL Network)- With the loss of WR Erick Decker, the Minnesota offense has sputtered. They will continue to sputter against an Iowa State defense that forcing a lot of turnovers.

Prediction: Iowa State 17, Minnesota 7.

Chick-Fil-A Bowl- (11)Virginia Tech(9-3) vs. Tennessee(7-5) (Dec. 31, 7:30 PM ET, Atlanta, GA, ESPN)- There will not be much scoring in this game as both defenses are very good. The difference could be the play of Virginia Tech RB Ryan Williams.

Prediction: Virginia Tech 17, Tennessee 13.

Outback Bowl- Northwestern(8-4) vs. Auburn(7-5) (Jan. 1, 11:00 AM ET, Tampa, FL, ESPN)- It is a safe thing to say that there will be a ton of points scored in this game, but some tricks from Auburn offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn could be the difference.

Prediction: Auburn 41, Northwestern 35.

Capital One Bowl- (13)Penn State(10-2) vs. (12)LSU(9-3) (Jan. 1, 1:00 PM ET, Orlando, FL, ABC)- The Nittany Lions will look to make it a slow, ugly game that will neutralize the speed of LSU. Penn State QB Darryl Clark needs to have a big game.

Prediction: Penn State 20, LSU 17.

Konica Minolta Gator Bowl- (16)West Virginia(9-3) vs. Florida State(6-6) (Jan. 1, 1:00 PM ET, Jacksonville, FL, CBS)- Bobby Bowden will coach his final game in the state of Florida versus a team he used to coach. However, the Seminoles are going to have all kinds of trouble stopping the West Virginia running game led by RB Noel Devine.

Prediction: West Virginia 34, Florida State 28.

Rose Bowl Game Presented By Citi- (8)Ohio State(10-2) vs. (7)Oregon(10-2) (Jan. 1, 4:30 PM ET, Pasadena, CA, ABC)- Oregon’s explosive offense could have some trouble against a very good Ohio State defense, but Ducks’ QB Jeremiah Masoli should make enough plays top win the game.

Prediction: Oregon 28, Ohio State 21.

Allstate Sugar Bowl- (5)Florida(12-1) vs. (3)Cincinnati(12-0) (Jan. 1, 8:30 PM ET, New Orleans, LA, FOX)- Cincy QB Tony Pike should have a great game statistically, but crucial mistakes in the 4^th quarter could cost the Bearcats this game. There will be a ton of points scored in this game.

Prediction: Florida 42, Cincinnati 38.

International Bowl- South Florida(7-5) vs. Northern Illinois(7-5) (Jan. 2, 12:00 PM ET, Toronto, Canada, ESPN2)- This is a complete mismatch as Northern Illinois does not have the speed to keep up with South Florida. Expect a big game from Bulls’ QB B.J. Daniels.

Prediction: South Florida 31, Northern Illinois 13.

Papajohns.com Bowl- South Carolina(7-5) vs. Connecticut(7-5) (Jan. 2, 2:00 PM ET, Birmingham, AL, ESPN)- This should be a close, low scoring game with the winner being the team that takes care of the football. The play of South Carolina QB Stephen Garcia could be the difference.

Prediction: South Carolina 20, Connecticut 17.

AT&T Cotton Bowl- (19)Oklahoma State(9-3) vs. Mississippi(8-4) (Jan. 2, 2:00 PM ET, Arlington, TX, FOX)- Most people are expecting a shootout, but that may not be the case. The improvement of the Oklahoma State defense under new coordinator Bill Young could be the difference in this game. However, they will have their hands full with Ole Miss RB Dexter McCluster.

Prediction: Oklahoma State 27, Mississippi 24.

AutoZone Liberty Bowl- Arkansas(7-5) vs. East Carolina(9-4) (Jan. 2, 5:30 PM ET, Memphis, TN, ESPN)- The Pirate defense could be able to neutralize the dynamic Razorback passing game. Arkansas QB Ryan Mallett needs to limit his mistakes as East Carolina is very good at forcing turnovers.

Prediction: East Carolina 23, Arkansas 21.

Valero Alamo Bowl- Michigan State(6-6) vs. Texas Tech(8-4) (Jan. 2, 9:00 PM ET, San Antonio, TX, ESPN)- There is no way the Spartans can match up with the run and shoot offenses of Texas Tech. Mike Leach always has his offense rolling in bowl games.

Prediction: Texas Tech 34, Michigan State 20.

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl- (6)Boise State(13-0) vs. (4)TCU(12-0) (Jan. 4, 8:00 PM ET, Glendale, AZ, FOX)- These two teams met last year in a bowl game with TCU winning by a single point. It may not be as close this season as the Horned Frogs might be the best team in the nation. Everyone knows TCU has one of the best defenses around, but QB Andy Dalton has had an outstanding year.

Prediction: TCU 35, Boise State 20.

FedEx Orange Bowl- (10)Iowa(10-2) vs. (9)Georgia Tech(11-2) (Jan. 5, 8:00 PM ET, Miami, FL, FOX)- The Hawkeyes are going to have a hard time slowing down Paul Johnson’s triple option offense. Expect huge games from Yellow Jacket QB Josh Nesbitt and RB Jonathan Dwyer.

Prediction: Georgia Tech 31, Iowa 21.

GMAC Bowl- Central Michigan(11-2) vs. Troy(9-3) (Jan. 6, 7:00 PM ET, Mobile, AL, ESPN)- Central Michigan’s Dan LeFevour is one of the best quarterbacks in the nation, and he will prove that versus this Troy defense. Expect a lot of points to be scored in this game.

Prediction: Central Michigan 34, Troy 24.