Free College Football Picks for December 31, 2011 New Years Eve Bowl Games

Well it’s always nice when the team you pick to win by two touchdowns (Oklahoma) gets off to a 21-0 lead. Then it sucks terribly when they piss away a couple scores in the 4th quarter and are up just 21-14. Then, of course, it’s awesome that they score 10 points in the last 2 minutes of the game to once again cover up the spread. All that to split Friday’s Bowl games with a 2-2 record. Hopefully Saturday puts me back in the green.

Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas
Texas A&M (-10) VS Northwestern
I’ve thought a lot of Texas A&M all season long. I can’t believe they got their coach fired because of being on the wrong side of some very close games against very good teams – but oh well. They are a still a big favorite in this game, and I like them. Northwestern isn’t a very good team – the Aggies are. That’s good enough for me.

Hyundai Sun Bowl
Georgia Tech (-2.5) VS Utah
The Utes were pretty up and down this year, starting off very slow in the Pac 12 then picking it up as their season came to a close. Predictably, the Yellow Jackets were up and down as well, they started well, got shut down here and there, but still won some big games. I think their rushing attack is too tough for Utah, and that will be the difference.

Liberty Bowl
Cincinnati (+1.5) VS Vanderbilt
I think the SEC is very good, but they aren’t as deep as people think. Outside of their big bad group atop the heap, the SEC isn’t quite as powerful as people give credit. Despite flying form the Big East, I think Cincinnati proves on Saturday that the SEC isn’t always all it’s cracked up to be.

Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl
Illinois (-2.5) VS UCLA
The Bruins are 6-7. Give me a break. Illinois isn’t that great, either, but the Bruins don’t do anything well.

Chick-fil-A Bowl
Virginia (+3) VS Auburn
Auburn seems to be a tough team for me to pick, for or against, but Virginia is a good squad, and I think they are just more consistent. The Cavaliers have a more balanced offensive attack, even if the Tigers get more respect because of what running back Michael Dyer can do. But Dyer isn’t playing in this game, and even though Onterio McCalebb (his back-up) can certainly do good things with the ball, that absence is a big one for the Tigers. Auburn still has no idea what they are doing at quarterback, and I don’t think 4 weeks off will clear things up. I expect Virginia’s consistency to win this game.

Free College Football Picks for December 30 2011 – NCAA Bowl Game Picks

After both Thursday Night games looked scary for most of the night, in the end I pulled out two wins with Florida covering by a point and Baylor getting a late breakaway touchdown run to cover by a pair. Close but wins nonetheless – keep it going with 4 games tonight!

Armed Forces Bowl
BYU VS Tulsa (-1)
When it comes right down to it, I just don’t think much of BYU. They haven’t done dooty against any good team this year – they’ve played a couple close games, but Tulsa is a solid club and I think they are out to prove more in this contest. Sure, Tulsa got slapped around by Houston in the last game of their pre-bowl season, but they have an explosive offense that might just be too powerful for the Cougars to keep up.

New Era Pinstripe Bowl
Rutgers VS Iowa State (+1.5)
I’m not super impressed with either of these teams, but Iowa State is the much better team from the much better conferences. The cyclones may be just 6-6 on the season, but take a moment to recognize that 5 of their 6 losses came against ranked foes. The Scarlet Knights lost to West Virginia (#25) by 10 – their only game against a top 25 opponent. The Knights were brutal against Connecticut to end the season, turning the ball over a ton and barely showing up defensively. Big moments, big let down – I expect an easy win for the Cyclones.

Music City Bowl
Mississippi State VS Wake Forest (+6.5)
The Bulldogs were 2-6 in SEC play. The Demon Deacons used their weak conference match-ups to build themselves up to 6 wins. Neither of these teams had impressive seasons. The Bulldogs boast a better defense, but Wake Forest seemed to figure it out later in the year, plus they are getting enough points to make them my pick.

Insight Bowl
Iowa VS Oklahoma (-13.5)
I’m usually and Iowa fan, and Oklahoma really struggled over the 2nd half of the season, not looking at all like the team that was supposed to contend for a National Championship. With their star receiver’s knee, so went their swagger, and it’s showed. Still, they are too talented, and I’m thinking a month of practice got them to realize it.

Washington Huskies @ Baylor Bears Valero Alamo Bowl Free Pick

Washington Huskies @ Baylor Bears Valero Alamo Bowl Free College Football Pick: I like a lot of what the Huskies bring to the table, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they make a run at the Baylor Bears. I know that Baylor can’t play defense worth a lick and the Huskies offensive attack, when healthy, is a tough unit to slow down and they can beat you both through the air with quarterback Keith Price and on the ground with the very underrated Chris Polk.

But it’s my belief that the Baylor Bears will just be too much for the Huskies. Anybody watching the Dawgs this year will know that they struggle mightily on the defensive side of the ball, especially in the secondary. Heisman winner, Robert Griffin III has made it his duty to torch all types of secondaries, regardless of scheme or talent. I feel like this game will be interesting and full of big plays, but the Huskies just don’t have the consistency offensively that Baylor does, and since neither defense is in the business of stopping talented offensive opponents, it will come down to consistency on O.

I give that nod to the Bears who have a very solid rushing attack of their own. Senior running back Terrance Ganaway rushed for 1,347 yards and 17 total touchdowns to form a nice pass/throw combination for the Bears.

Washington Huskies @ Baylor Bears (-9)

Florida State Seminoles VS Notre Dame Fighting Irish Champs Sports Bowl

Florida State Seminoles VS Notre Dame Fighting Irish Champs Sports Bowl Free Pick: I just happen to think the Florida State Seminoles are a very good football team – a team that probably played below what they should have done because they were slowed in the beginning of the year with injuries to their leader and quarterback, E.J. Manuel. When it comes right down to it, FSU finished the season 6-1 over their last 7 games, beating bowlers Florida and North Carolina State. While neither team is a dominant squad, the fact is that FSU played well in just about every game they played all year long. There were no stinkers. They lost by a point to Virginia late in the year, and they didn’t play well that game, but it was hardly a stinker. Losses to Oklahoma, Clemson, and Wake Forest were by 10, 5, and 5 respectively. They were in every game down to the last quarter.

The Irish finished the year with 8 wins in their last 10 games, beating 4 bowl teams in the process including Michigan State. They even played alright against Stanford, though they struggled to score against a Cardinal defense that had given up lots of points.

FSU’s very athletic defense should give the Irish trouble, and since Notre Dame comes in with a question as to which quarterback will get which snaps (Hendrix or Rees) I just don’t see siding with Notre Dame in a close game. I’ll take the Seminoles.

Florida State Seminoles (-3) VS. Notre Dame Fighting Irish

California Golden Bears @ Texas Longhorns Holiday Bowl Pick

California Golden Bears @ Texas Longhorns Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl Free Pick: The Golden California Bears have played some very good football over the last few weeks, using a heavy dose of their rushing attack to put a foot on the throats of Pac-10 cannon fodder Washington State and Oregon State, barely falling by three to Stanford, then beating Arizona State by 9 to end their regular season. It wasn’t a great season for the Bears at 7-5, but it was certainly a good finish after starting the Pac-10 season with three straight losses and a 31-14 beating at the hands of UCLA at the end of October.

Texas is floundering in the other direction as their solid 4-0 start didn’t end well as they won just three of their last 8 games behind struggling youth at quarterback and a handful of defensive mistakes.

With one team heading in the right direction toward season’s end (CAL) and one team slipping down the hill (Texas) it makes my decision interesting. I’m going with Texas here, mainly because of the yardage differentials they put up in losses ot Kansas State and Baylor. They heavily outgained K-State in their 13-17 loss and outgained the powerful Baylor offense despite losing 24-48 against the Bears. The bottom line here is that they can put up some impressive numbers, and I don’t see them struggling to run the ball against the Bears. Neither team has done much heavy lifting in terms of big wins, but I like Texas better – I think they are a lot more talented and that should show after about a month of preparation.

California Golden Bears @ Texas Longhorns (-3.5)

Toledo Rockets VS Air Force Black Knights Military Bowl Pick

Toledo Rockets VS Air Force Black Knights Military Bowl Pick: Toledo boasts one heck of an offense, there’s no doubt about that as they put up points on everyone all season long, making them a Top 10 offense with over 40 points per game. Air Force has also been able to put points on the board, scoring just under 7 touchdowns (and extra points) per contest.

The Rockets lost their head coach to the same position at Illinois as Tim Beckman cashed in on his ability to turn perennially poor Toledo into winning program (21-16 over his three season at the helm for the Rockets) and a powerful offense.

I don’t think this Toledo team will lose everything they learned from Beckman, as they’ll continue to gash their opponents for big chunks of yardage on Wednesday. When it comes right down to it, the Black Knights just aren’t good enough at stopping the run and Toledo isn’t terrible in that regards (they aren’t good, but dang near 100 places better than Air Force in terms of giving up yards on the ground.

Where Toledo has been terrible is in the secondary, and Air Force doesn’t have an offensive attack that can take full advantage of that weakness. Toledo will win their 4th game in as many tries with a win over Air Force on Wednesday. The Rockets should cover the small spread, wake up to that!

Toledo Rockets (-3) VS. Air Force Black Knights

Pittsburgh Steelers @ San Francisco 49ers Monday Night Football Pick

Pittsburgh Steelers @ San Francisco 49ers Monday Night Football Pick: Hey!!! For the first time in what seems like forever, it’s an interesting Monday Night Football game. Who is the donkey punchee (yes, the guy being donkey punched) that picked the Monday Night Football schedule? It can’t be something the NFL just handed ESPN, there has to be some guy about to get fired for his terrible attempt to predict entertaining games for Monday Night. But wait, has he totally redeemed himself?

It’s easy to foresee the Steelers being here this time of year, I mean, they always are, right? But the 49ers? That’s brilliant work, donkey guy. Talk about believing in Harbaugh! This game has no relevant rivalry of late, and the 49ers went into the season starting Alex Smith at QB! No, I won’t forgive you for making me deal with the Hawks and Rams, the Chargers and Jaguars (Jacksonville twice, actually, who in their right mind would put the Jags on MNF twice? – did dude not know Jack Del Rio was still coaching the Jags?), the Patriots and Chiefs, the Packers and Vikings, gross. But this one is almost guaranteed to be good football, because, even in defeat, both of these teams play good football.

I like the 49ers for a couple reasons, playing at home on Monday Night, putting together a team that expects to win every game, coming off a disappointing loss, and not having a quarterback that hasn’t practiced all week and is barely hobbling around with a walking boot on. That last thing is big, because the Steelers have that in Big Ben. Ben lucked out and got 10 days to prepare for this one, but the 49ers are pretty tough defensively, and unless Ben is going to throw them into a win, I think they are in trouble. SF can beat up on the run game, and Pittsburgh has only ran well a couple weeks this season. I like the 49ers in a close one.

Pittsburgh Steelers @ San Francisco 49ers (-2.5)

Baltimore Ravens @ San Diego Chargers Sunday Night Football Pick

Baltimore Ravens @ San Diego Chargers Sunday Night Football Pick: I know what you’re saying, this is the Chargers’ month! December, baby, where the Chargers do their clever mascot name justice and CHARGE right into the playoffs! They do it every year! The start slow, fight back, and beat all odds – this is the Chargers’ month!!!

This is not the same Chargers, team, I’m sorry to tell all you baby blue fans out there. I’m not hating, I’m just telling you how it is. The Chargers are probably one loss away from a Norv Turner firing (and even if they don’t ever lose again, there’s a good chance he’s gone anyway – remember, this is an organization which has fired playoff coaches before). The only problem is, the Chargers haven’t really been underachieving, they just aren’t that good. They are hurt up front and the only reason that wasn’t on stage the last couple weeks is that they went up against defenses that can’t rush the passer to begin with.

Yes, I’m sorry if I’m not convinced of the Chargers’ December destiny after dominant offensive performances against Jacksonville and Buffalo. The Jaguars had a patch-work secondary together and Buffalo’s defense has just been flat out horrendous over the last handful of weeks. This is a different beast, a scary one, with Terrell Suggs leading the haunted house.

Baltimore Ravens (-1.5) @ San Diego Chargers

Dolphins @ Bills – Titans @ Colts – Redskins @ Giants NFL Free Picks

Miami Dolphins @ Buffalo Bills (+1.5)
The Bills have been pretty bad, and the Dolphins have been pretty good. That being said, Matt Moore is questionable, the Dolphins line is beat up pretty bad, and the Bills have the talent to turn this thing around at some point – that’s how they were so good earlier in the year. Give me the Bills at home.

Tennessee Titans @ Indianapolis Colts (+7.5)
The Titans are the better team and even if Hasselbeck is out, Jake Locker has shown me a lot more than I thought he would this early in his career. I think he would give the Titans a good chance to beat a lot of teams. Understanding that the Titans are better in every faucet, the Colts still don’t want to go winless. I will take them until they pull off an upset!

Washington Redskins (+7) @ New York Giants
Doesn’t this just seem like the kind of game the Giants lose? At home, coming off a huge comeback win, against a pretty mediocre-bad Redskins team? It sure looks like that to me. Lots of Eli looking sad and lonely in the future. That could be the old Eli (this new and improved kid is pretty dang legit) but this is still the Giants. And they should have lost last week. When a team should have lost, and won, and are big favorites the next week, they almost never cover the spread. Go Redskins!

New England Patriots (-6) @ Denver Broncos
is getting too much respect here, he can’t score 21 in the last few minutes.

Lions @ Raiders – Browns @ Cardinals – Jets @ Eagles Free NFL Picks

Detroit Lions (pk) @ Oakland Raiders
The Raiders have just played too terribly to pass up going against them here, even though they are at home and facing an opponent that probably has more terrible penalties than they do this year. Yes, this game will be fun to watch if you enjoy players absolutely losing their minds in a competitive battle. Maybe you’ll even see some punches!!! The one thing the Raiders have that Detroit can’t seem to find is a consistent rushing attack, even without Darren McFadden. Amazingly, the Lions, even with millions and millions of dollars invested up front, haven’t been able to stop the run much this year. Michael Bush could have a big day and keep the Raiders in it. I just don’t buy Oakland right now.

Cleveland Browns (+7) @ Arizona Cardinals
The Browns play a little tougher and a lot closer than most people realize, and that’s the only way Arizona could try getting away with being a touchdown favorite against anybody. I know they’ve played well lately, but the Browns are pretty good defensively and the Cardinals aren’t very good on that side of the ball. Expect a low scoring defensive battle and a cover from the road dogs.

New York Jets @ Philadelphia Eagles (-1)
I know this pick seems a little crazy – especially because the Eagles have gotten gauged by the run this year and the Jets are a running team. Especially because Plaxico Burress has always been good at torching the Eagles, and even more so because the Eagels have been pretty consistently bad this year. But Michael Vick is back and healthy and LeSean McCoy could destroy the Jets (who have had a tough time stopping the run) and maybe, just maybe, the Eagles defense has one of those weeks where they get after the QB and actually look like a D that has ~100 million invested into defensive backs. I’ll take them.

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