JoePa's Bowlin 'Em Over Picks

[joepa66]

EMERALD NUT BOWL
DECEMBER 28, 8:30PM - ESPN
MARYLAND vs. OREGON STATE


After adding to rival Oregon's misery in the Civil War to end the regular season, Oregon State had thoughts of a Holiday Bowl matchup with Texas. Will the Emerald Bowl and a date with Maryland be good enough for them?
The Beavers surged at the finish, winning six of their final seven games to get to 8-4 overall and 6-3 in the Pacific-10 good for third place. The Emerald Bowl is within driving distance for fans, and coach Mike Riley gets to showcase his team on California recruiting turf. Fans and recruits should like what they see, especially from an attacking defense and an offense that should have RB Yvenson Bernard. He missed the Oregon game because of a knee injury.
While Oregon State was hot down the stretch, Maryland was not. The Terrapins lost four of five games late in the season but shut out North Carolina State 37-0 in the regular-season finale to become bowl eligible at 6-6. Maryland hasn't played a Pac-10 team since losing to Washington in the 1982 Aloha Bowl.
Maryland's offensive numbers 350.6 yards and 24.9 points a game rank in the lower third of the nation, but there is talent. The running game is powered by Keon Lattimore (789 yards) and Lance Ball (763). QB Chris Turner earned the clearance late in the season to open up the offense, and he has a gifted target in Darrius Heyward-Bey (48 receptions, 687 yards, two TDs). Turner will have to be at his best against Oregon State, third nationally in sacks (31/2 a game) and tied for sixth in tackles for loss (8.33).
The Beavers, more than any other Pac-10 team, stack the line to stop the run, forcing teams into predictable passing situations. That's when they force mistakes. The entire linebacker corps Derrick Doggett, Joey LaRocque and Alan Darlin was selected second-team all-Pac-10. Oregon State has six players with at least 81⁄2 tackles for losses. Maryland has two.

PICK: OREGON STATE -4.5


BOWL RECORD: 3 - 6 - 1

[joepa66]

MEINEKE CAR CARE BOWL
DECEMBER 29, 1PM - ESPN
WAKE FOREST vs. CONNECTICUT


Postseason football is relatively new for Connecticut, which is more accustomed to March Madness than bowl games. The Huskies are bowling for the first time since 2004 after winning a share of the Big East title.
In the age of the spread offense, UConn is disciplined and makes opponents work for points. That's much the same formula another basketball school, Wake Forest, used to win the Atlantic Coast Conference and reach the Orange Bowl last season, when they beat UConn along the way.
The similarities between these teams are striking, though the Demon Deacons boast a more accomplished passer in sophomore Riley Skinner. Skinner wins despite leading the nation's 98th-ranked offense because he makes the most of Wake's chances (28.2 points a game). Wake Forest's solid special teams are led by kickoff returner Kevin Marion (31.3 yards a return).
UConn, eighth in the nation against the pass, has allowed only 11 TD passes in 12 games. The Huskies are No. 31 in total defense and had 27 takeaways compared with only 14 turnovers. RBs Andre Dixon and Donald Brown key a UConn offense averaging 165.3 rushing yards a game, but Wake is 17th in the nation against the run. QB Tyler Lorenzen will want to steer clear of Wake Forest's Alphonso Smith, who's tied for the NCAA lead with eight picks, including four in his last two games.

PICK: WAKE FOREST -2.5


BOWL RECORD: 4 - 6 - 1

[joepa66]

LIBERTY BOWL
DECEMBER 29, 4:30PM - ESPN
CENTRAL FLORIDA vs. MISSISSIPPI STATE


Check out Mississippi State's run defense. The Bulldogs give up 159 yards a game on the ground. Arkansas (206), West Virginia (262), Tennessee (211) and LSU (198) found Mississippi State's front seven to be runner-friendly. Even South Carolina, the only other team to beat the Bulldogs, went for 123 yards.
And the nation's leading rusher plays for the other side --- UCF. Kevin Smith leads the nation with 188.3 yards a game and ran for 2,448 yards this season. He led the nation in scoring averaging more than two touchdowns a game and has 29 TDs on 415 carries. He needs 181 yards to break the Division I-A (Football Bowl Subdivision) season rushing record.
Coach Sylvester Croom is banking on Mississippi State's defensive line to contain Smith, who should handle the ball at least 30 times. Croom has game-changers on his defense. DE Titus Brown has eight sacks LB Jamar Chaney is MSU's leader in tackles and played well against Mississippi in the regular-season finale though he was dogged by injuries all season.
Mississippi State's offense is prone to hiccups and scoring droughts. The Bulldogs were outscored by an average of 24.8-22.4 and stand No. 112 of 119 in total offense. QB Wesley Carroll was a third-stringer when this season started. The freshman has a chance to play hero if UCF is dialed in to stop TB Anthony Dixon (81.2 yards a game).

PICK: MISSISSIPPI STATE +3


BOWL RECORD: 5 - 6 - 1

[joepa66]

ALAMO BOWL
DECEMBER 29, 8PM - ESPN
TEXAS A&M vs. PENN STATE


According to ME....JoePa, Penn State should be 10-2 and on its way to somewhere other than the Valero Alamo Bowl. MY NAMESAKE, Joe Paterno and his senior-laden team started the season thinking national championship, not expecting a fifth-place finish in the Big Ten. The Lions need to finish games, which they didn't do late in the season, and avoid letdowns — such as when Michigan State erupted in the second half and left with an upset win in the regular season finale.
While running back Rodney Kinlaw is the main attraction for Penn State's offense, senior (thank God) QB Anthony Morelli is the household name around the Big Ten as the school's single-season record-holder for passing yards. His receiving options include wide receivers Deon Butler, Derrick Williams and Jordan Norwood, all averaging 40 to 50 receiving yards a game. Morelli’s big knocks are holding the ball too long and throwing INTs in big games.
A&M head coach Dennis Franchione resigned and was replaced by Houston Texans offensive coordinator Mike Sherman. Defensive coordinator Gary Darnell will serve as the interim head coach for the bowl game.
When Sherman takes over in 2008, he will have only one season with junior QB Stephen McGee, a runner who hasn't found great success as a passer. McGee had one game with more than 250 passing yards this season — Nov. 23 vs. Texas, when he had 362 and three TDs — and five of his 12 TD passes came in the last two games. The nation's 13th-ranked run offense utilizes McGee, bruiser Jorvorskie Lane and Mike Goodson. Lane has 44 career touchdown runs, and Goodson was second on the team with 29 catches behind tight end Martellus Bennett (36).
Because the Aggies throw many short passes off three-step drops, Texas A&M allows few sacks. But Penn State can be a quarterback's nightmare, averaging 3.75 sacks. Expect them to put eight or nine defenders near the line of scrimmage to force McGee to throw. The Lions have a star-studded defense, captained by linebackers Dan Connor and Sean Lee and breakout sophomore defensive end Maurice Evans (121⁄2 sacks).

PICK: ISN'T IT OBVIOUS....LMAO PENN STATE -5


BOWL RECORD: 6 - 6 - 1

[joepa66]

INDEPENDENCE BOWL
DECEMBER 30, 8PM - ESPN
COLORADO vs. ALABAMA


The PetroSun Independence Bowl features two 6-6 teams going in opposite directions. Alabama's expectations rose with the arrival of Nick Saban, but the Tide melted in November (0-4) with three seven-point losses and a five-point defeat at Mississippi State. A 21-14 home loss to Sun Belt also-ran Louisiana-Monroe preceded a sixth consecutive Iron Bowl loss to Auburn.
At Colorado, Dan Hawkins has rekindled a Buffaloes program with one of the youngest offensive lineups in Division I-A now the Football Bowl Subdivision. Hawkins' son Cody is quarterback for the Buffaloes, who are coming off a program low in 2006. In Dan Hawkins' debut season in Boulder, CU didn't win its first game until Oct. 14 and finished 2-10. Colorado's highlights this season were a home win against Oklahoma and ending the regular season with 41 second-half points in a 65-51 victory against Nebraska to become bowl eligible.
CU protects Cody Hawkins well, and the freshman limits mistakes; he threw one interception in the Buffs' final four games. TB Hugh Charles missed the first two games but still had 989 yards and eight TDs.
A lack of consistency on offense crippled Alabama. QB John Parker Wilson is talented but his O-line is average, and the running game never had a chance to fully mesh because of injuries and suspensions. Wilson and DJ Hall have been prolific at times they could be if Colorado CB Terrence Wheatley (five interceptions) misses the game with a foot injury.
The Buffs run defense is solid, led by senior LB Jordon Dizon (149 tackles, second in the nation, with four sacks and two interceptions), and the defensive tackle tandem of George Hypolite and Brandon Nicolas combined for 21 tackles for losses.
Bama needs freshman RB Terry Grant who sat out the Auburn loss with a hip injury, and the team's leading rusher should be ready by bowl season.

PICK: COLORADO +3.5

BOWL RECORD: 6 - 7 - 1

[shorts]

Hummmm.....

Now that Penn St play wouldn't be a homer play would it???!!! :laughing:

BOL to ya bowling Bro!!!!!

Oh BTW....My daughter just got her acceptance from Kent!!!!! :thumbs:

[joepa66]

ARMED FORCES BOWL
DECEMBER 31, 12:30PM - ESPN
CALIFORNIA vs. AIR FORCE


One team is 9-3 and was second in its conference. The other is 6-6 and was lucky to make the postseason. But when, exactly, did Air Force and California change roles? It was in October when the Falcons won six of their final seven games, losing only by three points at bowl-bound New Mexico. Cal, which was 5-0, ranked No. 2 and within a couple of plays of beating Oregon State to move to the top spot, lost six of its final seven games.
Coach Jeff Tedford's Bears head to Fort Worth for the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl having failed to score more than 23 points in their last six games. And that's with a team that features 1,000-yard rusher Justin Forsett, a deep receiving corps that features dynamic DeSean Jackson and an offensive line that allowed only five sacks.
Turnovers cost Cal who was +11 in turnover margin through five games. The Bears were -12 in the final seven games. Nate Longshore threw 11 interceptions in the final six games. Longshore, not mobile to begin with, had trouble moving around in the second half of the season. That was attributed to a sprained ankle, but Tedford revealed after the regular season that Longshore also was affected by a bone chip, which raises the question: Why didn't Tedford use Kevin Riley? The time off should do Longshore some good.
There's nothing wrong with Air Force's offense. The Falcons don't rely as much on the triple option under first-year coach Troy Calhoun, but they still rank second nationally at 298.5 rushing yards a game. They get the ball every which way to Chad Hall, the only player in the nation to lead his team in rushing (1,415 yards) and receiving (488). It's a nice bookend game for senior QB Shaun Carney, a four-year starter who began his career with a 56-14 loss to Cal.

PICK: CAL -3.5


BOWL RECORD: 7 - 7 - 1

[joepa66]

NICE......SHORTS! Congrats to her, a member of the Golden Flashes Class of 2012! Can that be possible......LMAO...damn we're old!:laughing: :beerbang:

Have to meet you guys up there sometime and give her my contact info since I'm only an hour and 15 mins. away......introduce her to my daughter and we can take her to a game, eat, or something!


You bet your arse that's a homma play.....LOL Let's get 'em and have a damned nice Christmas. The University president is making it a mandatory vacation for everyone at KSU from Dec. 24 thru Jan. 1.....first they tell me when I can't take vacation (Aug., Sept, Jan. Feb.) and now they tell me when I HAVE to take vacation....what if I was agnositc, Jewish or Muslim and didn't celebrate Christmas.....besides, I like to fish and golf and don't enjoy this time of year...LOL

[joepa66]

THOSE ARE THE FIRST 16 GAMES.......I'LL PUT UP THE LAST 16 THE WEEKEND AFTER CHRISTMAS! :beerbang:

[shorts]

Sounds Great!

Joepa that sounds great!! She's excited as hell!!

It will be nice knowing that someone is closer then I'll be...you know....just in case! We'll definitely have to get together!! Already told her she was going to have to get tickets to some games!!!

You enjoy your time off...I know I will....try hunting!!! Merry Christmas to you and yours!!!
:thumbs:

[BoKnows]

BOL JPA!!Lik'n a lot of those myself!Happy Holidayz to you and yours!!:beerbang:

[AuTiger51]

Wow. Great write ups. I am liking alot of the same ones as you. Looks like we are either gonna be cashing in together or both going down in a blaze together :thumbs: Lets go with option "A". GL

[Daws1089]

don't forget that the meineke car care bowl is in charlotte. right in wake's backyard:thumbs:

[cavorca12]

GL JP! Like them :thumbs:

[fitter]

Time for write ups???

JoePa....ah...shouldn't you be prepping the team for the bowl?? Aren't there other things to do?? LOL GREAT writeups JoePa......BOL this bowl season. Best wishes to you and yours this holiday season....and enjoy your time off....time off never hurts anyone. ENJOY THE SEASON (Bowls). Hope it is a profitable one for you. :thumbs: