We are still several months away from the start of the 2012 college football schedule, but here at Bankroll Sports, we never stop looking at some of the best NCAA football odds on the internet. Take a first look at the 2012 Heisman Trophy odds along with some of our early Heisman Trophy picks and predictions for the upcoming season.

With so many of the other Heisman Trophy candidates declaring for the NFL Draft, it is no surprise that the man that is the favorite to win the 2012 Heisman Trophy is a man that elected to pass on the NFL for one more year at the collegiate level. USC Trojans QB Matt Barkley (Odds To Win The Heisman Trophy: 3.85 to 1 at JustBet Sportsbook) is clearly going to be one of the top quarterbacks in the nation this year. In fact, the whole Southern Cal team is going to be great this year, especially with WR Robert Woods leading a talented set of receivers this year. The Pac-12 has the potential to be not all that fantastic with teams like the Oregon Ducks and Stanford Cardinal getting ripped apart by players leaving for the NFL, and the Trojans are clearly playing in the worst half of their conference. This all bodes well for the Trojans and for Barkley, who has to be considered the top returning quarterback this year.

As we found out last year though, the man that is the bona fide favorite isn’t always the one that ends up winning the award. The Michigan Wolverines had a heck of a year in 2011 under the direction of new Head Coach Brady Hoke. If Big Blue can contend for the Big Ten title again this season, the man that could be on a lot of Heisman Trophy ballots is QB Denard Robinson (Current Heisman Trophy Odds: 6.50 to 1 at JustBet Sportsbook). Robinson has over 2,000 passing yards and over 1,000 rushing yards in each of his first two seasons calling the shots in Ann Arbor, and he is going to surely be in a position to put up these types of numbers once again. The Wolverines are going in the right direction, and Robinson is a big part of the reason for that. This is a man that has flirted with the Heisman in the past, but right now, Robinson is more or less this year’s version of last year’s Heisman winner, Baylor Bears’ QB Robert Griffin III.

Of the four Heisman Trophy finalists on the offensive side of the ball from last year, the only one of the bunch that is coming back to school this year is Wisconsin Badgers RB Montee Ball (Heisman Trophy Betting Lines: 5 to 1 at JustBet Sportsbook). We just can’t see how Ball is going to put up numbers that were better than what he had last year when he rushed for 1,759 yards and accounted for a total of 39 TDs. Parlay all of that with the fact that the Badgers won the Big Ten and played in the Rose Bowl this year, and we become very confused as to what more Ball needs to do to win the Heisman Trophy. Of course, the stats that Griffin put up last year were out of this world, but Ball wasn’t even really all that close to winning the award. Ball isn’t a flashy back, as he is more or less just that vintage “between the tackles” back, and though he is going to put up the numbers once again assuming that he stays healthy, the issue is that he just doesn’t have the flare of some of the other top players in the land.

There are a few players with some long odds that we are willing to take a stab at this year. We’ll start with the Clemson Tigers’ WR Sammy Watkins (Current Heisman Trophy Odds: 22 to 1 at BetOnline Sportsbook). Though QB Tajh Boyd is going to get a lot of the accolades for the Tigers, Watkins is clearly the player that made the difference to this team this year. Watkins does everything for Clemson, carrying the ball as a receiver, catching the ball, returning kicks, and perhaps selling popcorn on the side as well. Remember that he is only a sophomore this year. This is the year in which QB Tim Tebow won the Heisman, and it is also the year in which RB Mark Ingram won it as well. Watkins is going to be the man that has to make the Tigers the top team in the ACC once again, and if that happens, Watkins could be a Heisman contender.

We’re also going to look at the Georgia Bulldogs’ QB Aaron Murray (Current 2012 Heisman Trophy Lines: 15 to 1 at BetOnline Sportsbook). The top teams in the SEC are the ones that always have Heisman Trophy finalists. The Alabama Crimson Tide are clearly going to have some big time players, as will the LSU Tigers, but both teams are lacking stars offensively. Sure, Tyrann Mathieu was a finalist last year, but there are just so few defensive players that have the ability to actually win the award. Instead, Murray seems to be the up and coming star in this conference. He had one of the best years for a UGA quarterback in school history last year, and he was only a sophomore. The Dawgs took some major steps in the right direction this year, winning 10 straight games before losing in the SEC Championship Game. If they can keep going the right way and challenge again for the SEC crown, Murray could have a shot at posting a Heisman Trophy campaign.

2012 Odds To Win The Heisman Trophy @ BetOnline Sportsbook (as of 2/7/12):
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Matt Barkley (USC Trojans) 3 to 1
Denard Robinson (Michigan Wolverines) 5 to 1
Montee Ball (Wisconsin Badgers) 4 to 1
Landry Jones (Oklahoma Sooners) 6 to 1
Geno Smith (West Virginia Mountaineers) 7 to 1
Marcus Lattimore (South Carolina Gamecocks) 8 to 1
AJ McCarron (Alabama Crimson Tide) 8 to 1
Tajh Boyd (Clemson Tigers) 9 to 1
Taylor Martinez (Nebraska Cornhuskers) 9 to 1
De’Anthony Thomas (Oregon Ducks) 9 to 1
Rex Burkhead (Nebraska Cornhuskers) 10 to 1
Aaron Murray (Georgia Bulldogs) 15 to 1
Robert Woods (USC Trojans) 18 to 1
Tyler Wilson (Arkansas Razorbacks) 20 to 1
Sammy Watkins (Clemson Tigers) 22 to 1
Keith Price (Washington Huskies) 28 to 1
Tyrann Mathieu (LSU Tigers) 30 to 1
Giovani Bernard (North Carolina Tar Heels) 35 to 1
Isaiah Crowell (Georgia Bulldogs) 40 to 1
James Franklin (Missouri Tigers) 50 to 1
Kenny Stills (Oklahoma Sooners) 50 to 1
Malcolm Brown (Texas Longhorns) 50 to 1
Henry Josey (Missouri Tigers) 60 to 1

2012 Heisman Trophy Odds @ JustBet Sportsbook (as of 2/7/12):
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Aaron Murray (Georgia Bulldogs) 12 to 1
AJ McCarron (Alabama Crimson Tide) 20 to 1
Collin Klein (Kansas State Wildcats) 50 to 1
Dayne Crist (Kansas Jayhawks) 20 to 1
De’Anthony Thomas (Oregon Ducks) 20 to 1
Denard Robinson (Michigan Wolverines) 6.50 to 1
EJ Manuel (Florida State Seminoles) 30 to 1
Geno Smith (West Virginia Mountaineers) 8 to 1
James Vandenberg (Iowa Hawkeyes) 50 to 1
Keith Price (Washington Huskies) 28 to 1
Landry Jones (Oklahoma Sooners) 6.50 to 1
Marcus Lattimore (South Carolina Gamecocks) 15 to 1
Matt Barkley (USC Trojans) 3.85 to 1
Montee Ball (Wisconsin Badgers) 5 to 1
Rex Burkhead (Nebraska Cornhuskers) 20 to 1
Robert Woods (USC Trojans) 40 to 1
Sammy Watkins (Clemson Tigers) 20 to 1
Tajh Boyd (Clemson Tigers) 30 to 1
Taylor Martinez (Nebraska Cornhuskers) 30 to 1
Tyler Wilson (Arkansas Razorbacks) 20 to 1

List of Odds to Win The 2013 College Football National Championship Can Be Found Below!

The 2012 college football season is said and done with, and here at Bankroll Sports, we are already taking the time to look at the 2013 college football national championship odds in an effort to find some big time winners with great value.

That being said, the first team that comes to mind has to be the one that just lost the BCS National Championship Game, the LSU Tigers (Odds To Win The College Football Championship: 3.85 to 1 at SportBet Sportsbook). The Bayou Bengals are going to have to have a significantly easier time running the table in 2012 than they did in 2011. They do have to take on Auburn, Florida, Texas A&M, and Arkansas on the road, but they also get Alabama and South Carolina at home. The non-conference schedule, which was littered with the likes of Oregon and West Virginia this year, features North Texas, Washington, Idaho, and Towson, and all four games are played at home. Head Coach Les Miles is returning a slew of players from this year’s team, which many thought might be considered one of the best in the nation, but thanks to the fact that that game against the Crimson Tide is going to be at home, we have to take LSU this year, not Alabama with both teams at comparable odds.

Things set up really well this coming season for the USC Trojans (Odds To Win the 2013 National Championship: 8 to 1 at SportBet Sportsbook). The Men of Troy got some great news when QB Matt Barkley decided that he was going to come back to school for his senior year, and with that being the case, there are going to be a ton of teams that are going to face the wrath of what should be an absolutely amazing offense. A trip at Stanford won’t be nearly as hard this year as the trip to Oregon was this year, and the Ducks are coming to Pasadena. The non-conference slate is difficult, but home games against Hawaii and Notre Dame and a road test essentially at Syracuse (though at MetLife Stadium, not at the Carrier Dome) should be manageable. Don’t be shocked if USC runs the table next year, and in its first year back from the bowl ban, it is able to challenge for the whole enchilada.

The next team in line that we are going to look at is the Georgia Bulldogs (2013 National Championship Odds: 30 to 1 at SportBet Sportsbook). Once again, the schedule makers have done some major favors here for the Dawgs, who again avoid the toughest teams in the West Division. Not only are both LSU and Alabama not on the slate, but neither is Texas A&M. The toughest tests are going to be at the Missouri Tigers (9/8) and at the South Carolina Gamecocks (10/6), but aside from that, the rest of this schedule isn’t all that bad by SEC standards. Georgia Tech is at home this year as well, and with the way that UGA finished up this season, we see no reason why QB Aaron Murray can’t lead this team to at least an 11-1 regular season, which as we have found out in the SEC, is generally more than enough to play for the National Championship.

The team with all of the hype surrounding it this year will be the Florida State Seminoles (2013 College Football Championship Odds: 12 to 1 at SportBet Sportsbook). QB EJ Manuel is back in the saddle, and in games in which he played this year, the FSU offense was quite good. The Noles went 9-1 in the games that Manuel both started and finished. Next year, the ACC schedule isn’t exactly kind, with road dates against Miami and Virginia Tech, but Clemson and Wake Forest, the two biggest competitiors in all likelihood in the ACC Atlantic Division are at home. West Virginia is scheduled to come to Tallahassee, but that game may be replaced with a second straight FBS foe when push comes to shove, and the other two non-conferene affairs are against South Florida on the road (9/29) and at home against Florida (11/24).

With this being their last season in the MWC, we still have some confidence that the Boise State Broncos (NCAA Football Championship Odds: 50 to 1 at SportBet Sportsbook) at least have a bit of a shot to take the national title next year. Head Coach Chris Petersen is staying in Boise for another year, and young freshman QB Nick Patti highlights another tremendous recruiting class. The first game of the year is slated to be at the Michigan State Spartans, and the Southern Miss Golden Eagles and BYU Cougars should also make for some tough challenges, but we know that when push comes to shove, Boise State will have a shot in all of those games. Again, we don’t really see anyone challenging this team this year in the MWC, especially with those pesky Horned Frogs now out of the way.

2012-2013 BCS National Championship Betting Lines @ SportBet Sportsbook (as of 1/10/12):
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Alabama Crimson Tide 5 to 1
Arkansas Razorbacks 18 to 1
Auburn Tigers 50 to 1
Arizona Wildcats 75 to 1
Boise State Broncos 50 to 1
Boston College Eagles 125 to 1
BYU Cougars 100 to 1
California Golden Bears 100 to 1
Cincinnati Bearcats 66 to 1
Clemson Tigers 25 to 1
Florida Gators 30 to 1
Florida State Seminoles 12 to 1
Georgia Bulldogs 12 to 1
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 125 to 1
Iowa Hawkeyes 80 to 1
Kansas State Wildcats 35 to 1
LSU Tigers 3.85 to 1
Miami Hurricanes 125 to 1
Michigan Wolverines 22 to 1
Michigan State Spartans 75 to 1
Missouri Tigers 85 to 1
Mississippi State Bulldogs 65 to 1
Nebraska Cornhuskers 35 to 1
North Carolina Tar Heels 100 to 1
Notre Dame Fighting Irish 20 to 1
Oklahoma Sooners 12 to 1
Oklahoma State Cowboys 80 to 1
Oregon Ducks 12 to 1
Oregon State Beavers 200 to 1
Penn State Nittany Lions 125 to 1
Pittsburgh Panthers 100 to 1
South Carolina Gamecocks 30 to 1
South Florida Bulls 125 to 1
Stanford Cardinal 80 to 1
TCU Horned Frogs 50 to 1
Tennessee Volunteers 100 to 1
Texas Longhorns 25 to 1
Texas A&M Aggies 100 to 1
UCLA Bruins 125 to 1
USC Trojans 8 to 1
Virginia Tech Hokies 25 to 1
Washington Huskies 66 to 1
West Virginia Mountaineers 30 to 1
Wisconsin Badgers 35 to 1
Field 12 to 1

The final 2011 BCS Rankings are out, as is the bowl game schedule for the 2011-12 season, and here at Bankroll Sports, we are analyzing the 35 bowl games and how everything shook out for the 70 teams that are going to be involved with bowl bashes this year, leading all the way up to the BCS Championship Game between the LSU Tigers and the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Gildan New Mexico Bowl: Temple Owls vs. Wyoming Cowboys
Gildan New Mexico Bowl Date/Time: Saturday, December 17th, 2:00 ET
Gildan New Mexico Bowl Location: University Stadium, Albuquerque, NM
Gildan New Mexico Bowl Television Coverage: ESPN
Opening Gildan New Mexico Bowl Odds: Temple -6.5 (47)
Closing Gildan New Mexico Bowl Lines: Temple -7 (51)

Click Here for our 2011 New Mexico Bowl Picks

The Buzz: The Owls got screwed out of a bowl game last year with eight wins, but this year, they dropped into the New Mexico Bowl when the Pac-12 didn’t come anywhere near filling its bowl allotment. Wyoming is a team with an ugly offense, but it found ways to win games against the teams in the bottom of the MWC. There could be a heck of a lot of defense in this, the first bowl game of the season.

New Mexico Bowl Recap: Temple did everything that it wanted on the ground from the opening drive of the game when the team moved the ball 90 yards on 13 plays. It was all Owls, save for one drive in each half by the Cowboys. Three QB Brett Smith INTs proved to be killers for Wyoming as well. Temple finished the day with 253 yards on the ground en route to an easy cover. A TD with 10 seconds left in the game was the one that finally got this game past the ‘total’. One could argue that ‘under’ bettors were unlucky, especially the ones that got in right at the end when the line closed at 51. New Mexico Bowl Final Score: Temple 37 – Wyoming 15

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Ohio Bobcats vs. Utah State Aggies
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl Date/Time: Saturday, December 17th, 5:30 ET
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl Location: Bronco Stadium, Boise, ID
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl Television Coverage: ESPN
Opening Famous Idaho Potato Bowl Odds: Utah State -3.5 (55)
Closing Famous Idaho Potato Bowl Lines: Utah State -1 (61.5)

Click Here for our 2011 Potato Bowl Picks

The Buzz: Ohio is going to be feeling sorry for itself after blowing a huge lead in the MAC Championship Game, but it will have over two weeks to get ready for Utah State. It’s good to see the Aggies in a bowl game for the first time since the 1997 Humanitarian Bowl. They haven’t won a game since the 1993 Las Vegas Bowl, and before that, you have to go back to 1961 to see the last time USU was in a bowl.

Potato Bowl Recap: The Bobcats celebrated in Boise on the Smurf Turf, winning their first bowl game in team history, and what an ending it was! QB Tyler Tettleton ran in a TD from a yard out with 20 seconds left to clinch the game. We feel bad for Utah State, which was on the verge of its second bowl win from start to finish. The Aggies only trailed for those 20 seconds, but those are the only 20 seconds that mattered. In spite of the fact that two USU backs ran for over 100 yards, the last laugh went to Tettleton, who had 219 passing yards and 44 rushing yards, accounting for all three of the scores for the U of O on the day. Potato Bowl Final Score: Ohio 24 – Utah State 23

R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl: San Diego State Aztecs vs. Louisiana Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns
R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl Date/Time: Saturday, December 17th, 9:00 ET
R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl Location: Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, LA
R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl Television Coverage: ESPN
Opening R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl Odds: San Diego State -4.5 (59)
Closing R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl Lines: Sam Diego State -6 (59)

Click Here for our 2011 New Orleans Bowl Picks

The Buzz: Think there is going to be a bit of a home field advantage in this one for the Cajuns? ULL doesn’t have to travel far at all to make it to the Superdome, while San Diego State has to fly clear across the country for this one. The Aztecs thought that they were going to contend for the BCS this year, but they just didn’t have the oomph of TCU or Boise State, and it was punished as a result with this long trip to the Bayou.

New Orleans Bowl Recap: It was a day for the offenses for sure, as both teams accounted for well over 400 yards passing the pigskin. ULL led the game from the end of the first quarter through the majority of the game, but when push came to shove, it took a 50-yard field goal sneaking just inside the left upright to get the job done for the Cajuns for their first bowl win in school history. New Orleans Bowl Final Score: Louisiana Lafayette 32 – San Diego State 30

Beef ‘O’Brady’s St. Petersburg Bowl: Florida International Golden Panthers vs. Marshall Thundering Herd
Beef ‘O’Brady’s St. Petersburg Bowl Date/Time: Tuesday, December 20th, 8:00 ET
Beef ‘O’Brady’s St. Petersburg Bowl Location: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, FL
Beef ‘O’Brady’s St. Petersburg Bowl Television Coverage: ESPN
Opening Beef ‘O’Brady’s St. Petersburg Bowl Odds: Florida International -5 (51)
Closing Beef ‘O’Brady’s St. Petersburg Bowl Lines: Florida International -4 (48)

Click Here for our 2011 Beef ‘O’Brady’s Bowl Picks

The Buzz: Of all of the bowl games this year, this probably isn’t the one that you are going to be racing to sit down and watch. Marshall doesn’t exactly play pretty football, and the truth of the matter is that a 6-6 team in Conference USA is nothing to write home about. We’re thrilled to see the Golden Panthers back in a bowl game for a second straight year. They are clearly on the up and up and are headed to special things under Head Coach Mario Cristobal.

Beef ‘O’Brady’s St. Petersburg Bowl Recap: There weren’t many answers that the Marshall defense had for TY Hilton, who had a big time last game for the Golden Panthers. That being said, he accounted for a huge portion of the just 251 yards of offense that FIU had on the day. It could be the last game for Head Coach Mario Cristobal, who is linked to the job opening at Pittsburgh. Marshall only had 311 yards of offense, but it got a big time blocked punt in the fourth quarter that flipped the tide of the game. The Golden Panthers were shut out in the second half, and that made the difference in the third upset of the bowl season. Beef ‘O’Brady’s St. Petersburg Bowl Final Score: Marshall 20 – Florida International 10

San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl: TCU Horned Frogs vs. Louisiana Tech Bulldogs
San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl Date/Time: Wednesday, December 21st, 8:00 ET
San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl Location: Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, CA
San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl Television Coverage: ESPN
Opening San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl Odds: TCU -12.5 (56)
Closing San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl Lines: TCU -10 (53)

Click Here for our 2011 Poinsettia Bowl Picks

The Buzz: The Horned Frogs have a heck of a lot of soul searching to do to see whether they really are going to show up in this game or not. They really thought that they were going to be in the BCS after watching Houston lose in the C-USA title game. Instead, they didn’t make it into the Top 16, and they are stuck here in the Poinsettia Bowl as the MWC champs. Louisiana Tech knows that it is going to be up against it in this one, but an upset would go a long way towards getting some respect for a WAC conference that just doesn’t have much in the way of sturdy teams right now.

Poinsettia Bowl Recap: We darn near had another big time upset in the bowl season on Wednesday night, as the Horned Frogs were given everything that they could handle and then some from a game bunch of Bulldogs. The WAC champs represented themselves well, and if you take out a third quarter in which they only had six plays for a grand total of two yards, they really did look like the better of these two teams. In the end, it turned out to be another great game for Head Coach Gary Patterson, as bowl wins are bowl wins, and it is probably the last time that TCU will have to play in a game like this one now that it is heading over to the Big XII next season. Poinsettia Bowl Final Score: TCU 31 – Louisiana Tech 24

MAACO Las Vegas Bowl: Arizona State Sun Devils vs. Boise State Broncos
MAACO Las Vegas Bowl Date/Time: Thursday, December 22nd, 8:00 ET
MAACO Las Vegas Bowl Location: Sam Boyd Stadium, Las Vegas, NV
MAACO Las Vegas Bowl Television Coverage: ESPN
Opening MAACO Las Vegas Bowl Odds: Boise State -13.5 (68)
Closing MAACO Las Vegas Bowl Lines: Boise State -14 (65)

Click Here for our 2011 Las Vegas Bowl Picks

The Buzz: Arizona State is likely going to end its season with a losing record even though it was a year in which there was a heck of a lot of hope. Head Coach Dennis Erickson won’t be here to see it though, as he has already been let go. Boise State hung on to some dim BCS bowl hopes, but it knew that the missed field goal against TCU on the Smurf Turf ended any realistic chance that it really had.

Las Vegas Bowl Recap: The senior class of Boise State was out to get its 50th career win, and it did just that in fine fashion in what really amounted to be the first bowl game in which there was absolutely zero doubt about who the superior team was. Arizona State, playing under Head Coach Dennis Erickson for the final time, had very little heart for the majority of the game, and the one stretch in which the Sun Devils really did look like they were going to try to make a game out of this, QB Brock Osweiler was picked off in the end zone and watched as Jamar Taylor raced it the other way 100 yards for a touchdown. It was the second 100 yard score of the day for Boise, and its second of three defensive or special teams touchdowns. Arizona State was dominated so badly that it netted -11 yards of rushing on the day. Las Vegas Bowl Final Score: Boise State 56 – Arizona State 24

Sheraton Hawaii Bowl: Nevada Wolf Pack vs. Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles
Sheraton Hawaii Bowl Date/Time: Saturday, December 24th, 8:00 ET
Sheraton Hawaii Bowl Location: Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, HI
Sheraton Hawaii Bowl Television Coverage: ESPN
Opening Sheraton Hawaii Bowl Odds: Southern Miss -6 (61)
Closing Sheraton Hawaii Bowl Lines: Southern Miss -7.5 (64.5)

Click Here for our 2011 Hawaii Bowl Picks

The Buzz: The Golden Eagles should be in the Liberty Bowl as the C-USA champs, but a vacation to Hawaii for the holidays is a pretty nice consolation prize. The Wolf Pack are the WAC reps in this one, which is a strange rarity considering the fact that the Hawaii Warriors are almost always in this game. This isn’t nearly the first time that Nevada has been here to the Big Island for its bowl game, though, and this should be one of the more entertaining bowl games before the new year.

Hawaii Bowl Recap: If you take out the second quarter of this game, there were only a grand total of 10 points scored in the entire clash. This really wasn’t the prettiest bowl game in the world, as there were four turnovers and 13 penalties between the two teams (not to mention 17 punts!). RB Lampford Mark was the hero for Nevada, as he rushed for 183 yards and two scores, but the passing game really struggled from start to finish. QB Austin Davis wasn’t anything particularly special on the day, but he did hit WR Kelvin Bolden for the game winning score with around six minutes to play in the fourth quarter to provide the difference. Late bettors on the Wolf Pack survived by a hook in a game that really should have been covered the whole way with ease. Hawaii Bowl Final Score: Southern Miss 24 – Nevada 17

AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl: North Carolina Tar Heels vs. Missouri Tigers
AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl Date/Time: Monday, December 26th, 5:00 ET
AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl Location: Independence Stadium, Shreveport, LA
AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl Television Coverage: ESPN2
Opening AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl Odds: Missouri -4 (53)
Closing AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl Lines: Missouri -5.5 (52.5)

Click Here for our 2011 Independence Bowl Picks

The Buzz: Mizzou came on at the end of the year, and it knows that it is a 7-5 team that has the talent of a 9-3 or even a 10-2 team. The Big XII was fantastic this year, and we expect good things from it in the bowl season. You can bet that this is an important game for conference bragging rights, as the Big XII was passed over for a second BCS bowl team in favor of the ACC. UNC is happy to be here in spite of all of the off the field troubles that the program has had over the course of the last two years.

Independence Bowl Recap: Scoring 31 unanswered points in a matter of about a quarter and a half was all that Missouri needed to lock up the Independence Bowl in its final game before heading to the SEC next year. Both James Franklin and Kendial Marshall had over 100 rushing yards for the Tigers, who dominated this one with 513 total yards of offense. Bryn Renner threw for 317 yards and three TDs in defeat for the Tar Heels, who only had a total of 42 rushing yards for the whole game. Missouri only punted twice in the game and only turned the ball over once. TJ Moe did it all, throwing for 40 yards and a score, rushing for 10 yards, and accounting for 97 return yards. Independence Bowl Final Score: Missouri 41 – North Carolina 24

Little Caesars Bowl: Western Michigan Broncos vs. Purdue Boilermakers
Little Caesars Bowl Date/Time: Tuesday, December 27th, 4:30 ET
Little Caesars Bowl Location: Ford Field, Detroit, MI
Little Caesars Bowl Television Coverage: ESPN
Opening Little Caesars Bowl Odds: Purdue -2.5 (60)
Closing Little Caesars Bowl Lines: Purdue -1 (62.5)

Click Here for our 2011 Little Caesars Bowl Picks

The Buzz: If you like passing the football, this is going to be the game for you. The Boilers have always had a rich history of throwing the ball, though missing QB Rob Henry is going to hurt. QB Alex Carder will surely put the ball in the air at least 40 times in this one. WMU was probably the fifth choice out of the MAC, which is great news for a conference which usually only ends up with three bids. Last year, the Broncos were left home in spite of the fact that they were bowl eligible.

Little Caesars Bowl Recap: It almost seems comical to think that a Big Ten team had to pull out virtually every stop to beat a middle of the road MAC team, but Western Michigan was good enough to beat the Boilers on this day. Purdue parlayed three first half turnovers into two TDs, got a kick return for a score, and even recovered two onside kicks in the first 30 minutes of play to really shock WMU. Give credit to the Broncos for fighting back, as they had a shot to win this game in the final two minutes, but the sixth turnover of the game proved to finally be the undoing for them. QB Alex Carder threw for 413 yards and three scores, but he was picked off four times and lost two fumbles. WR Jordan White had a huge day, catching 13 balls for 249 yards and a TD in his final collegiate game. Purdue fumbled the ball seven times on the day and was fortunate to only lose four of them, and it committed nine penalties. However, in the end, the Boilermakers were just barely good enough to snare a victory. Little Caesars Bowl Final Score: Purdue 37 – Western Michigan 32

Belk Bowl: Louisville Cardinals vs. North Carolina State Wolfpack
Belk Bowl Date/Time: Tuesday, December 27th, 8:00 ET
Belk Bowl Location: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC
Belk Bowl Television Coverage: ESPN
Opening Belk Bowl Odds: NC State -2.5 (45.5)
Closing Belk Bowl Lines: NC State -1.5 (44)

Click Here for our 2011 Belk Bowl Picks

The Buzz: Louisville finished tied for first place in the Big East, and it really came on strong at the end of the year in conference. NC State had some good wins, but some very concerning losses this year. These two teams play strong defense and often have bogged down offenses, so this one has the potential to be one of the lower scoring bowl games of the bunch.

Belk Bowl Recap: Home field advantange definitely turned out to be important for the Wolfpack in this one, as they came on strong in the middle of the game to steal the victory against the co-Big East champs. Give Louisville some credit for playing hard to make this a game at the end, but three QB Teddy Bridgewater INTs against the top pick team in the nation proved to be too much to overcome. WR TJ Graham was the game’s hero, as he accounted for 65 return yards and seven catches, 116 yards, and two TDs in the final game of his fantastic career in Raleigh. Belk Bowl Final Score: NC State 31 – Louisville 24

Military Bowl: Toledo Rockets vs. Air Force Falcons
Military Bowl Date/Time: Wednesday, December 28th, 4:30 ET
Military Bowl Location: RFK Stadium, Washington, DC
Military Bowl Television Coverage: ESPN
Opening Military Bowl Odds: Toledo -3 (71)
Closing Military Bowl Lines: Toledo -3 (69)

Click Here for our 2011 Military Bowl Picks

The Buzz: It seems awfully appropriate to put Air Force in a game that is played in our nation’s capitol. The Falcons are going to play a fast game with their triple option attack, while Toledo is going to count on a pair of quarterbacks to try to get the ball up the field. The Rockets scored a whopping 507 points this year, the most in the offense happy MAC.

Military Bowl Recap: There were 35 points scored in just a six-minute stretch in the first quarter, and the points just kept on coming after that for both of these teams. There weren’t as many yards of offense as you would think, as there were plenty of short fields, and 14 Toledo points came directly from either special teams or defense. QB Terrence Owens threw for 210 yards and three TDs. The Rockets jumped out to a 14-0 lead, and the teams literally traded blows back and forth from that point forward. The Falcons never led, but they did force ties at 21, 28, and 35. They looked to tie the game with just over a minute to go after QB Tim Jefferson Jr. threw a TD pass on 4th down to put they within a point. Air Force elected to go for two and the win instead of trying to send the game to OT, but it failed, and the Rockets were able to run out the clock to get out of the Military Bowl with a narrow one point win. Military Bowl Final Score: Toledo 42 – Air Force 41

Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl: California Golden Bears vs. Texas Longhorns
Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl Date/Time: Wednesday, December 28th, 8:00 ET
Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl Location: Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, CA
Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl Television Coverage: ESPN
Opening Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl Odds: Texas -3.5 (48)
Closing Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl Lines: Texas -3 (48)

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The Buzz: The Holiday Bowl has to be thrilled with this matchup. It gets a de facto home team with the Golden Bears, and it gets a team that will travel in bunches in the Longhorns. Texas’ defense was one of the best in the Big XII, which should make this an interesting test for Cal, which is used to playing the questionable defenses in the Pac-12.

Holiday Bowl Recap: The last two years have really been disappointing for Texas, as it failed to make a bowl game last year and never was really in a position to challenge for a BCS bowl bid or the Big XII title this year. QB David Ash caught a touchdown pass for UT’s first score of the game, and he later scored the more conventional way with his arm to lead the Horns to a Holiday Bowl triumph. Give some credit to P Justin Tucker, who had to punt the ball nine times. He landed three inside of the 20 and uncorked two bombs that flipped the field. Cal shot itself in the foot over and over again. It fumbled six times, losing four of the six, and QB Zach Maynard was also picked off once. Maynard was sacked six times, and as a result, the offense only ended up with a dreadful 195 yards of total offense. Holiday Bowl Final Score: Texas 21 – California 10

Champs Sports Bowl: Florida State Seminoles vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Champs Sports Bowl Date/Time: Thursday, December 29th, 5:30 ET
Champs Sports Bowl Location: Florida Citrus Bowl, Orlando, FL
Champs Sports Bowl Television Coverage: ESPN
Opening Champs Sports Bowl Odds: Florida State -3 (48)
Closing Champs Sports Bowl Lines: Florida State -3 (47)

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The Buzz: The Irish and the Noles have had a rich history against one another, and this should just be another fantastic chapter in this old rivalry. Neither team is going to be happy to be in Orlando for this game, as both had the talent to be a BCS team this year. These two defenses have the potential to be nasty, so this could be a very hardnosed game.

Champs Sports Bowl Recap: For a full three quarters, it looked like the Seminoles were just sleepwalking and had zero interesting in beating the Fighting Irish in the Champs Sports Bowl. Seemingly the mass majority of FSU’s 290 total yards of offense came in the second half, when the team scored all 18 of its points. Both WR Kenny Shaw and WR Rashad Greene really came out of nowhere to have great games for Head Coach Jimbo Fisher and company, as the two combined for nine grabs, 163 yards and a score, all of which came in the second half. Notre Dame has some quarterback problems to say the least, as neither QB Tommy Rees nor QB Andrew Hendrix really ended up being anywhere near worthwhile in this game, as the Irish only scored one offensive touchdown. It wasn’t the prettiest bowl game of the season to say the least, but FSU got the job done and should finish the season ranked in the Top 25 once again as a result. Champs Sports Bowl Final Score: Florida State 18 – Notre Dame 14

Valero Alamo Bowl: Washington Huskies vs. Baylor Bears
Valero Alamo Bowl Date/Time: Thursday, December 29th, 9:00 ET
Valero Alamo Bowl Location: Alamodome, San Antonio, TX
Valero Alamo Bowl Television Coverage: ESPN
Opening Valero Alamo Bowl Odds: Baylor -9 (78)
Closing Valero Alamo Bowl Lines: Baylor -8 (80)

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The Buzz: The Bears were eligible for BCS consideration as a Top 14 team, but they probably were never seriously considered for the Sugar Bowl. This is going to be the last game for QB Robert Griffin III, arguably the most important player that Baylor has had in a number of years. Washington gets a solid Pac-12 bowl bid for the second straight year, showing that this team has come a long, long way under the direction of Head Coach Steve Sarkisian.

Alamo Bowl Recap: You aren’t going to find a crazier game than the one that we saw in San Antonio on Thursday night! The statistics from this game were absolutely absurd, and you would have never believed it had you seen Washington play in the Holiday Bowl last year in a totally inept offensive game against Nebraska. QB Keith Price threw for 438 yards and four TDs, while WR Jermaine Kearse had 198 receiving yards and a TD. RB Chris Polk had 147 yards and a TD on the ground, while Price had three rushing touchdowns to go with his four through the air. QB Robert Griffin III was actually nothing special on this day, though. He only threw for 295 yards and a TD and had 55 rushing yards and a score. However… on the ground, the Bears had not just one, not two, but a whopping three 100+ yard rushers. RB Jarred Salubi and WR Tevin Reese both had over 100 yards on the ground on a total of just seven carries. Baylor’s biggest contributor though, was RB Terrence Ganaway, who scored five times and rushed for 200 yards. All five scores came in the final 24 minutes of the game. In the end, Baylor finished with 777 yards of offense, while Washington had 620. There were 59 first downs. Baylor led 21-7 at the end of the first quarter but proceeded to allow 28 straight points to fall behind. The Bears were down 18 after U-Dub’s first score of the third quarter, but from that point on, it was all Ganaway and the offense. Baylor finished the game on a ridiculous 43-14 scoring run over 27 minutes of football to take the Alamo Bowl. If you didn’t see it, you missed what will surely be the most entertaining bowl games of the year. Alamo Bowl Final Score: Baylor 67 – Washington 56

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl: BYU Cougars vs. Tulsa Golden Hurricane
Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl Date/Time: Friday, December 30th, 12:00 ET
Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl Location: Gerald J. Ford Stadium, Dallas, TX
Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl Television Coverage: ESPN
Opening Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl Odds: BYU -3 (55.5)
Closing Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl Lines: Tulsa -2.5 (59.5)

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The Buzz: The Cougars and Golden Hurricane have awesome offenses, and with a few weeks to prepare for this game, there could be a heck of a lot of points put on the board when this one is said and done. Tulsa isn’t your average 8-4 team, as its four losses came against Boise State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Houston, and it was a dominating team aside from that. This is BYU’s first bowl game without conference affiliation.

Armed Forces Bowl Recap: All of the late line movement on the Golden Hurricane and the ‘over’ was absolutely wrong, and those bettors who backed Tulsa watched their bets go up in flames when QB Riley Nelson hit WR Cody Hoffman for a two yard TD with just 41 seconds left in the Armed Forces Bowl. For a game that was supposed to have a ton of offense, it was the two defenses that really had the biggest say. There were only 621 total yards of offense in the game (pales in comparison to what either TEAM did in the Alamo Bowl, huh?). Neither team was really able to get anything going on the ground, and in the end, it was Hoffman and his eight catches, 122 yards, and three total TDs that made the difference in the BYU victory. Armed Forces Bowl Final Score: BYU 24 – Tulsa 21

New Era Pinstripe Bowl: Iowa State Cyclones vs. Rutgers Scarlet Knights
New Era Pinstripe Bowl Date/Time: Friday, December 30th, 3:20 ET
New Era Pinstripe Bowl Location: New Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY
New Era Pinstripe Bowl Television Coverage: ESPN
Opening New Era Pinstripe Bowl Odds: Rutgers -2 (44.5)
Closing New Era Pinstripe Bowl Lines: Iowa State -1.5 (46)

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The Buzz: If we have as good of a Pinstripe Bowl this year as we did last year when Kansas State and Syracuse were here, this will be a doozy. Iowa State has been as stingy as could be down the stretch, sticking in front of the college football odds against Oklahoma and Kansas State, and beating Oklahoma State outright. Rutgers limped through the end of the regular season and wasn’t quite good enough to get a split of the Big East title. The Scarlet Knights need to find some offense to stick around with ISU for sure, though it should have a big home field advantage.

Pinstripe Bowl Recap: The Pinstripe Bowl wasn’t nearly as exciting this year as it was a season ago, but Head Coach Greg Schiano won’t mind. This was a big win for his program, as it builds some credibility for the boys from the tiny town of Piscataway and will certainly help in recruiting, especially in the Northeast. QB Chas Dodd threw an 86-yard TD pass to WR Brandon Coleman for the game clinching score, as the Cyclones were just never able to get back on their feet from that point on. ISU turned the ball over three times and only mustered 311 yards of offense. RB Jawan Jamison was the hero for the Scarlet Knights, as he rushed for 133 yards and two TDs in the victory. Pinstripe Bowl Final Score: Rutgers 27 – Iowa State 13

Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl: Mississippi State Bulldogs vs. Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl Date/Time: Friday, December 30th, 6:40 ET
Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl Location: LP Field, Nashville, TN
Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl Television Coverage: ESPN
Opening Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl Odds: Mississippi State -6.5 (48)
Closing Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl Lines: Mississippi State -7 (48)

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The Buzz: The Deacs and Bulldogs were both right at the bottom of the bowl ladders in their respective conferences, but they are both going to be thrilled to be here in the Music City Bowl. Neither really has to travel all that far to get here, and just like last year when Tennessee played against North Carolina in this game, the Music City Bowl should be thrilled with a fantastic turnout at LP Field.

Music City Bowl Recap: Head Coach Dan Mullen knew that if he kept running right at the Wake Forest defense that eventually, he would be able to make the big time breakthrough to blow the game open. The game never did get out of reach, but RB Vick Ballard had the two plays that truly changed the game. He only had 48 yards on his other 11 carries, but Ballard also had touchdown runs of 60 yards and 72 yards for two of the three offensive TDs for the day for MSU. The Demon Deacons just couldn’t capitalize on four Mississippi State turnovers, and they had to punt the football eight times on the day. RB Brandon Pendergrass was lucky to average three yards per carry, while QB Tanner Price was under the gun the whole game. In the end, the Bulldogs were just too much defensively, and in spite of the fact that Wake had the ball with a chance to win with less than two minutes left in the game, it just couldn’t seal the deal. Music City Bowl Final Score: Mississippi State 23 – Wake Forest 17

Insight Bowl: Iowa Hawkeyes vs. Oklahoma Sooners
Insight Bowl Date/Time: Friday, December 30th, 10:00 ET
Insight Bowl Location: Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, AZ
Insight Bowl Television Coverage: ESPN
Opening Insight Bowl Odds: Oklahoma -14 (58)
Closing Insight Bowl Lines: Oklahoma -13.5 (57.5)

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The Buzz: The Sooners were hoping to get to Arizona for their bowl game, but they were hoping that it would be University of Phoenix Stadium, not Sun Devil Stadium. Getting crushed in Bedlam by Oklahoma State not only took OU out of the BCS, but out of the Cotton Bowl as well. Iowa will be happy to be in the Insight Bowl, and it will love the fact that it has a fantastic program like Oklahoma here to play against it in what could be a great bowl game.

Insight Bowl Recap: Did the Sooners really care about this game? It was hard to tell in the first half. They were winning by two TDs, but they really only had 80 yards of offense. The Iowa offense just didn’t have enough in it to capitalize on the lackluster offensive day for OU. Missing out on RB Marcus Coker proved to hurt, as the rest of the rushing game just didn’t cut it. QB Blake Bell had three of rushing touchdowns including the game icing score with less than a minute to play that gave the Sooners the backdoor cover, making up for what missing a slew of backs in the backfield couldn’t do. Iowa tried to rally in the fourth quarter from down 21-0, but after scoring TDs on back to back drives to get back within one score, Oklahoma was basically able to salt the game away by making it a two score game and just taking the wind out of the Hawkeyes’ sails. Insight Bowl Final Score: Oklahoma 31 – Iowa 14

Meineke Car Care of Texas Bowl: Texas A&M Aggies vs. Northwestern Wildcats
Meineke Car Care of Texas Bowl Date/Time: Saturday, December 31st, 12:00 ET
Meineke Car Care of Texas Bowl Location: Reliant Stadium, Houston, TX
Meineke Car Care of Texas Bowl Television Coverage: ESPN
Opening Meineke Car Care of Texas Bowl Odds: Texas A&M -10 (65)
Closing Meineke Car Care of Texas Bowl Lines: Texas A&M -9.5 (68.5)

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The Buzz: The Aggies are going to go into this one with a new coach, as Mike Sherman was dismissed. Still, A&M will have a strong home field advantage against a Northwestern club that has been all over the board this year. This team has a road win at Nebraska, but it also has some glaring losses that don’t look anything like those of a bowl team.

Car Care Bowl Recap: It wasn’t the prettiest game in the world at times, but A&M was able to hold off a late Northwestern run to claim the Meineke Car Care Bowl to finish out 2011. A 30-7 coming into the fourth quarter was only a seven point cushion until the Aggies kicked a field goal with less than a minute to play to put the game away. QB Ryan Tannehill threw for 329 yards and a TD for A&M to lead the way, while both WRs Jeff Fuller and Ryan Swope had over 100 receiving yards. It was the Aggies’ defense that really shined though, as the Wildcats only mustered a total of 278 yards of offense. Car Care Bowl Final Score: Texas A&M 33 – Northwestern 22

Hyundai Sun Bowl: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets vs. Utah Utes
Hyundai Sun Bowl Date/Time: Saturday, December 31st, 2:00 ET
Hyundai Sun Bowl Location: Sun Bowl, El Paso, TX
Hyundai Sun Bowl Television Coverage: CBS
Opening Hyundai Sun Bowl Odds: Georgia Tech -3.5 (50.5)
Current Hyundai Sun Bowl Lines: Georgia Tech -1.5 (49)

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The Buzz: Utah lost its chance to play for the Pac-12 Championship when it lost to Colorado, and it probably brought the team way, way down the Pac-12 bowl ladder. Georgia Tech does own a victory over the conference champs, Clemson, and it probably feels like it has been given a rough draw here in the Sun Bowl instead of one of the more glamorous bowl games that the ACC had to offer, especially with V-Tech getting a second bid to the BCS for the ACC.

Sun Bowl Recap: The Yellow Jackets really looked like they were going to notch a rare bowl victory in this one, but the Utes had a tremendous fourth quarter to erase a 24-10 Georgia Tech lead. QB Jon Hays could have been the goat, as he threw a pick six to end the third quarter, but he had both fourth quarter touchdowns, including a deep ball to WR DeVonte Christopher with less than two minutes to play to send the game into overtime. The Ramblin’ Wreck had a chance to win at the gun, but they missed a 48-yard field goal. Tech did draw first blood with a field goal in overtime, but on third and goal, RB John White IV capped off a great season by running the ball in front eight yards out to give Utah the bowl victory. Hays didn’t even complete half of his passes on the day, and he was frustrated from start to finish by a stingy Yellow Jackets’ defense. However, Christopher had 74 yards and the game-tying TD. White rushed for 115 yards and the game winning score. The triple option for Head Coach Paul Johnson managed 311 yards on the ground, but it couldn’t get the job done when it mattered most. Sun Bowl Final Score: Utah 30 – Georgia Tech 27 (OT)

AutoZone Liberty Bowl: Cincinnati Bearcats vs. Vanderbilt Commodores
AutoZone Liberty Bowl Date/Time: Saturday, December 31st, 3:30 ET
AutoZone Liberty Bowl Location: Liberty Bowl, Memphis, TN
AutoZone Liberty Bowl Television Coverage: ABC
Opening AutoZone Liberty Bowl Odds: Vanderbilt -2.5 (49.5)
Current AutoZone Liberty Bowl Lines: Vanderbilt -2 (51)

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The Buzz: The Dores basically get to stay at home and play in Memphis, not all that far up the road from Nashville. Cincinnati has to be happy that it won a share of the Big East title this year, but there was never a chance to win the conference once the Mountaineers won on the final Thursday of the season. The Cats looked good down the stretch in spite of the fact that QB Zach Collaros has been out of the lineup.

Liberty Bowl Recap: The Liberty Bowl was a defensive struggle for three quarters, and then all of a sudden, the points came flying on the board. There were 17 points scored and three lead changes in just 44 seconds, and the final one of those scores, a 90 yard kick return for a touchdown by Ralph Abernathy proved to be the game winner. UC overcame two missed field goals, three fumbles, and a terrible day by QB Zach Collaros to win this de facto road game. RB Isaiah Pead was the real star, rushing for 149 yards and a TD. The Commodores only managed 295 yards all day long, and only one play, a 68 yard TD pass to Chris Boyd, went for even 25 yards in the entire game. Liberty Bowl Final Score: Cincinnati 31 – Vanderbilt 24

Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl: Illinois Fighting Illini vs. UCLA Bruins
Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl Date/Time: Saturday, December 31st, 3:30 ET
Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl Location: AT&T Park, San Francisco, CA
Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl Television Coverage: ESPN
Opening Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl Odds: Illinois -2.5 (46.5)
Current Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl Lines: Illinois -3 (44.5)

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The Buzz: Yuck. There’s going to be an interim coach that picks up his first career win in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl, as both Illinois and UCLA have canned their head coaches. The Illini lost their last six games of the year, and they are probably lucky to just have been selected for a bowl game. UCLA is the only team with a losing record to play in a bowl game this year, as it was granted a spot in a bowl game after being the reps in the Pac-12 South in the first conference title game.

Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl Recap: The battle between Illinois and UCLA was as bad as we figured that it would be, and the end result saw the Bruins become the first team in the history of college football to finish a season at 6-8. They are also the first team to play in a bowl game and finish that year with eight defeats. The two quarterbacks only barely combined to complete half of their passes, and there were barely 500 total yards of offense in the game. There were five total fumbles, three total turnovers, nine total penalties, and a whopping 13 punts in a game that was drab from the start. QB Kevin Prince threw two TD passes, but he also had an INT returned for a touchdown as well. QB Nathan Scheelhaase threw for just 139 yards, but his 60 yard TD pass to WR AJ Jenkins put the game away. Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl Final Score: Illinois 20 – UCLA 14

Chick-fil-A Bowl: Virginia Cavaliers vs. Auburn Tigers
Chick-fil-A Bowl Date/Time: Saturday, December 31st, 7:30 ET
Chick-fil-A Bowl Location: Georgia Dome, Atlanta, GA
Chick-fil-A Bowl Television Coverage: ESPN
Opening Chick-fil-A Bowl Odds: Auburn -1.5 (48.5)
Current Chick-fil-A Bowl Lines: Auburn -3 (49)

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The Buzz: The SEC West gets another great bowl bid here with Auburn going to the Chick-fil-A Bowl. It’s not quite the National Championship Game, but the Tigers have to be happy to be in a bowl game like this in a year in which many thought that they wouldn’t be playing in a bowl game. Virginia had a great end to the season, save for that dud against Virginia Tech in the last game of the regular season, but the Chic-fil-A Bowl rewarded the Cavvies with a great bowl bid to close out 2011.

Chick-Fil-A Bowl Recap: Chalk another one up for the SEC… Auburn scored 28 points in a span of less than 20 minutes in the first half to take control of the Chick-Fil-A Bowl, and a blocked punt for a safety in the third quarter proved to really be the straw that broke Virginia’s back. The Cavaliers really looked overmatched for most of this game, though the statistics will say that this duel was a lot more level than the final score suggests. WR Emory Blake had 108 yards on six receptions for the victors, while RB Onterrio McCalebb spurred a rushing effort that accounted for 273 yards in spite of the fact that leading rusher RB Michael Dyer was suspended for the game. McCalebb finished with 109 yards and a TD on the ground and 53 yards and a TD as a receiver as well. WR Chris Byrd caught six passes for 103 yards and two TDs for UVA. RB Perry Jones totaled 122 all-purpose yards on the day. QB Michael Rocco threw for 312 yards and two TDs in defeat. Chick-Fil-A Bowl Final Score: Auburn 43 – Virginia 24

TicketCity Bowl: Houston Cougars vs. Penn State Nittany Lions
TicketCity Bowl Date/Time: Monday, January 2nd, 12:00 ET
TicketCity Bowl Location: Cotton Bowl, Dallas, TX
TicketCity Bowl Television Coverage: ESPNU
Opening TicketCity Bowl Odds: Houston -5 (57.5)
Closing TicketCity Bowl Lines: Houston -6.5 (55.5)

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The Buzz: Talk about a pair of teams that could have been so much more… The Nittany Lions were on track for the Rose Bowl just three weeks ago, and they didn’t end up even playing for the Big Ten Championship. Houston went from a BCS bowl bid to the TicketCity Bowl in one bad performance at home in the C-USA title game. This is the final game in the career of QB Case Keenum, who could be up against it versus a tremendous Penn State defense.

TicketCity Bowl Recap: The Houston offense probably would have like to have done more in the final game for QB Case Keenum, but dropping 30 points on the PSU defense was a solid accomplishment and was more than enough to overcome and incredibly lackluster Nittany Lions offense. Keenum threw for 539 yards and three TDs without being picked off in the final game of his illustrious collegiate career. Of course, that meant that some of his receivers had some great days. WR Patrick Edwards had a whopping 228 yards and two scores on 10 catches, while WR Justin Johnson caught 12 balls for 148 yards and a TD. Penn State’s offense only managed 306 yards, 69 of which came on one TD play, and the offense turned the ball over three times, all on QB Robert Bolden INTs. QB Matt McGloin didn’t play in the game after a locker room scuffle left him with a concussion. TicketCity Bowl Final Score: Houston 30 – Penn State 14

Outback Bowl: Michigan State Spartans vs. Georgia Bulldogs
Outback Bowl Date/Time: Monday, January 2nd, 1:00 ET
Outback Bowl Location: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa Bay, FL
Outback Bowl Television Coverage: ABC
Opening Outback Bowl Odds: Georgia -4 (52.5)
Closing Outback Bowl Lines: Georgia -2.5 (48)

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The Buzz: The Spartans are probably happy that they don’t have to go back to the Capital One Bowl this year, where they were smashed a season ago by Alabama. We tended to think that these two teams would be in Orlando against one another, but the game in Tampa Bay isn’t exactly a slacking bowl game either. These two teams are very deserving of being in this game against one another in a game that might be a heck of a lot better than half of the BCS bowl games.

Outback Bowl Recap: It wasn’t quite the same type of game as the Hail Mary game that beat the Badgers this year or the Little Giants game that beat Notre Dame last season, but the Outback Bowl was another one of those great Michigan State moments that the Spartans’ faithful will live with forever. Sparty was down 16-0 in the first half but stormed back in the second half by scoring 27 points, including the score with 22 ticks left on the clock that sent the game to overtime. What started as a defensive battle ended that way as well, as there wasn’t a single TD in three overtimes. In fact, thanks to two missed field goals by the normally reliable K Blair Walsh, the second of which was blocked on the final play of the game, UGA couldn’t even put points on the board in two of the three excess frames. Though some of the offensive numbers were ugly, such as a combined six turnovers, two failed two-point conversion attempts, 15 total punts, and a safety on a completed pass, there were actually some heroes to note. Brandon Boykin had a big time day returning kicks and punts, accounting for 162 yards and a TD. WR Tavarres King had 205 yards and a TD reception for the Dawgs. The hero for MSU was WR Brian Linthicum. Hadn’t heard of Linthicum before? Neither had most. He only had one game with more than two receptions on the whole season before this point, but he had seven grabs for 115 yards in the victory for Michigan State. Outback Bowl Final Score: Michigan State 33 – Georgia 30 (OT)

Capital One Bowl: Nebraska Cornhuskers vs. South Carolina Gamecocks
Capital One Bowl Date/Time: Monday, January 2nd, 1:00 ET
Capital One Bowl Location: Florida Citrus Bowl, Orlando, FL
Capital One Bowl Television Coverage: ESPN
Opening Capital One Bowl Odds: South Carolina -1 (48)
Closing Capital One Bowl Lines: South Carolina -2.5 (45)

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The Buzz: The Gamecocks got the first non-BCS bid from the SEC to the Capital One Bowl, probably under the premise that they were able to beat Georgia in the second week of the season. On the same hand, Nebraska beat Michigan State when those two met in the regular season. This is the first time that Nebraska will represent the Big Ten in a bowl game, and though it’s not the Rose Bowl, it is still a fantastic bid.

Capital One Bowl Recap: In a day of SEC dominance, it was South Carolina that probably came up with the most impressive performance. Head Coach Steve Spurrier promised his players rings if they won this game, as they would be the first set of Gamecocks to win 11 games in a season. You can tell that the motivation was there in this game to say the least. Nebraska was held down to just 253 yards of offense with a pair of turnovers. The Huskers committed 10 penalties on the afternoon in their first bowl game represening the Big Ten. QB Taylor Martinez and RB Rex Burkhead both struggled on the ground all day long, and Nebraska just didn’t have the ability to throw the ball either with Martinez. WR Alshon Jeffrey had a frustrating season, but he finished up strongly, catching four passes for 148 yards and a TD. QB Connor Shaw really didn’t do anything special, but he threw for 230 yards and ran for 42 yards, keeping the SC offense balanced, and he more importantly kept a hold on the pigskin all day long. It was a special ending to a special year in Columbia. Capital One Bowl Final Score: South Carolina 30 – Nebraska 13

Taxslayer.com Gator Bowl: Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Florida Gators
Taxslayer.com Gator Bowl Date/Time: Monday, January 2nd, 1:00 ET
Taxslayer.com Gator Bowl Location: Ever Bank Field, Jacksonville, FL
Taxslayer.com Gator Bowl Television Coverage: ESPN2
Opening Taxslayer.com Gator Bowl Odds: Florida -2 (44)
Closing Taxslayer.com Gator Bowl Lines: Florida -3 (44)

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The Buzz: Here’s an interesting game… Urban Meyer’s old team against Urban Meyer’s newest team. Meyer, of course, won’t have a direct impact on this game, but you can bet that there will be some bad blood in this game. These two schools have had a lot of history, including playing in National Championship Games both in basketball and football. Both of these teams have major offensive issues, though OSU is going in the right direction, while UF is going in the wrong direction.

Gator Bowl Recap: Neither team reached 300 yards of offense on the day, but as we have seen in so many big time games before this year, special teams made all the difference in the aptly named Gator Bowl. The first time that these two teams met on the gridiron in the ’07 BCS National Championship Game, WR Ted Ginn Jr. started off the game by returning a kick for a touchdown. It was the last score that the Buckeyes would have for awhile. This time around though, it was UF that was getting scores from its special teams. WR Andre Debose returned a punt for a TD in the first half, and UF blocked a punt and scored with it in the third quarter to take an otherwise relatively close game and blow it open. QB Braxton Miller did a decent job maintaining the OSU offense, but he was sacked six teams and really didn’t have much of a chance. We give the Ohio State defense some credit, as it didn’t allow a single play of more than 20 yards all day to the Gators, but in the end, it wasn’t enough to get the job done. Gator Bowl Final Score: Florida 24 – Ohio State 17

Rose Bowl: Wisconsin Badgers vs. Oregon Ducks
Rose Bowl Date/Time: Monday, January 2nd, 5:00 ET
Rose Bowl Location: Rose Bowl Stadium, Pasadena, CA
Rose Bowl Television Coverage: ESPN
Opening Rose Bowl Odds: Oregon -6.5 (72)
Current Rose Bowl Lines: Oregon -4 (74)

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The Buzz: Wisconsin is back in the Rose Bowl for the second straight year, and it definitely has some unfinished business after losing to TCU. The Ducks are playing in the BCS again, and they have to be happy to not be playing against an SEC West team. They have been beaten by two of them in the last calendar year, and now, they have a chance to bring their amazing offense against a usually stout Badgers defense.

Rose Bowl Recap: If you were hoping to see a lot of offense and some exciting plays in the Rose Bowl, you weren’t disappointed with the way that things panned out. The Ducks and Badgers combined for over 1,100 yards of offense and a ridiculous host of big time plays. WR DeAnthony Thomas had two carries on the game, and they went 64 and 99 yards for touchdowns. RB LaMichael James did the more conventional carrying of the pigskin for Oregon, coming up with 159 yards and a TD on 25 carries. QB Darren Thomas came up with three TDs on the day through the air. Though Wisconsin’s offense had some big time numbers as well, we have to tip our hat to the U of O defense. The Badgers didn’t score in the fourth quarter, which was a real accomplishment against a unit that had scored seemingly every single time it had touched the ball prior to that. In defeat, RB Montee Ball had 164 yards and a TD for the Badgers, but it wasn’t enough in the end. Rose Bowl Final Score: Oregon 45 – Wisconsin 38

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl: Stanford Cardinal vs. Oklahoma State Cowboys
Tostitos Fiesta Bowl Date/Time: Monday, January 2nd, 8:30 ET
Tostitos Fiesta Bowl Location: University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, AZ
Tostitos Fiesta Bowl Television Coverage: ESPN
Opening Tostitos Fiesta Bowl Odds: Oklahoma State -3.5 (75.5)
Closing Tostitos Fiesta Bowl Lines: Oklahoma State -4.5 (72.5)

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The Buzz: Stanford and Okie State both had their chances to be in the BCS National Championship Game, but both lost the one big game of the year, and this is the punishment. That being said, these two are both simply awesome, and they both have the potential to put a slew of points on the board. This is probably the last game for QB Andrew Luck before going to the Indianapolis Colts, but QB Brandon Weeden isn’t going to want to go quietly in his final collegiate game as well.

Fiesta Bowl Recap: WR Justin Blackmon had the day of his life in the Fiesta Bowl, and it proved to be the final time that he will suit up for the Pokes after declaring for the NFL Draft after the game was over with. He had 186 yards and three TDs through the air to really make the difference for the Oklahoma State passing game. The Cowboys strangely had nothing going on the ground at all, a testament to the strength of the Stanford defense, but QB Brandon Weeden threw for 399 yards and three TDs and also had a touchdown scamper. QB Andrew Luck ended his collegiate career by throwing for 347 yards and two TDs. Again, we have to harp on special teams for ruining what really should have been a Stanford victory. The Cardinal were up 14-0 at the outset of the game and were up 38-31 with just a few minutes remaining. Okie State tied the game at 38, but Luck marched his team into a position to win the game at the death. K Jordan Williamson missed his second field goal attempt of the day from in close, and he went on to miss in the first possession in OT as well. The Cowboys finished it off from there, kicking a 22 yard field goal on the game’s final play to at least stake a claim to the National Championship should Alabama beat LSU. Fiesta Bowl Final Score: Oklahoma State 41 – Stanford 38

Allstate Sugar Bowl: Michigan Wolverines vs. Virginia Tech Hokies
Allstate Sugar Bowl Date/Time: Tuesday, January 3rd, 8:30 ET
Allstate Sugar Bowl Location: Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, LA
Allstate Sugar Bowl Television Coverage: ESPN
Opening Allstate Sugar Bowl Odds: Michigan -2 (51.5)
Closing Allstate Sugar Bowl Lines: Michigan -3 (52.5)

Click Here for our 2012 Sugar Bowl Picks

The Buzz: The Wolverines and the Hokies were both sweating bullets going into the 11th hour, as they both knew that they had a chance to be in the BCS, but that nothing was guaranteed. Michigan just barely snuck in the Top 14 to become eligible, while V-Tech was eligible relatively comfortably. The Hokies have only suffered losses this year to Clemson. Michigan’s catastrophic loss was to Michigan State in East Lansing, but the team did win 10 games this year and never collapsed down the stretch as we were all expecting after years of second half slumps under the direction of Head Coach Rich Rodriguez. We give Head Coach Brady Hoke all the credit in the world for the way that he has handled this team this year.

Sugar Bowl Recap: To say that the Sugar Bowl was a back and forth tilt is a bit of an understatement. V-Tech jumped out to the 6-0 lead with a pair of field goals, but the Wolverines scored the next 17 points to take the lead. The Hokies tied it up, and the teams exchanged field goals to go into overtime. There, the truly odd gaffes in special teams cost Head Coach Frank Beamer and the gang. The offense stalled out after three plays in OT and ended up missing a field goal. The defense did its job, at least forcing a long field goal try, but K Brendan Gibbons knocked it home from 37 yards out to win the game. Big Blue was held to just 184 total yards and 12 first downs for the game, a testament to how well the Hokies really played defensively. That being said, the offense coughed the ball up twice and the team committed seven penalties that proved to be killers. In the end, that’s how the Sugar Bowl was won to cap off a fantastic season for Head Coach Brady Hoke and the Wolverines. Sugar Bowl Final Score: Michigan 23 – Virginia Tech 20

Discover Orange Bowl: Clemson Tigers vs. West Virginia Mountaineers
Discover Orange Bowl Date/Time: Wednesday, January 4th, 8:30 ET
Discover Orange Bowl Location: Sun Life Stadium, Miami, FL
Discover Orange Bowl Television Coverage: ESPN
Opening Discover Orange Bowl Odds: Clemson -3.5 (60.5)
Closing Discover Orange Bowl Lines: Clemson -3 (64)

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The Buzz: This is going to be the last time that a bowl game is played in this stadium before the brand new stadium opens up in South Beach. Clemson was a bit of a shocking winner of the ACC, beating Virginia Tech not just once, but twice, while WVU won the three way tiebreaker between it, Cincinnati, and Louisville for the spot in the Orange Bowl.

Orange Bowl Recap: The BCS was officially a disaster for the ACC. Just a night after watching Virginia Tech lose a game that it probably should have won, the Clemson was absolutely manhandled by the Mountaineers’ passing game. What started as a back and forth game turned into a disaster for the Tigers when RB Andre Ellington fumbled at the goal line, the ball was picked up, and raced 99 yards the other direction for a West Virginia touchdown. The heavens opened at that point, leading to 35 points in the quarter for the boys in blue and gold. QB Geno Smith threw for 401 yards and six TDs with no picks. Of course, that meant a big time game for some receivers as well. WR Tavon Austin had 117 yards and four trips to the end zone, while WR Stedman Bailey had 82 yards and a score. In total, WVU came up with 589 yards and 31 first downs. For Clemson, QB Tajh Boyd threw for 250 yards and rushed for 32 more. The fumble marred an otherwise solid game for Ellington, who had 116 yards and a TD in defeat. WR Sammy Watkins was basically kept in check, as he only had five grabs for 66 yards and a TD. In the end though, the offense did enough. It was the defense that brutally let the Tigers down. Orange Bowl Final Score: West Virginia 70 – Clemson 33

AT&T Cotton Bowl: Kansas State Wildcats @ Arkansas Razorbacks
AT&T Cotton Bowl Date/Time: Friday, January 6th, 8:00 ET
AT&T Cotton Bowl Location: Dallas Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, TX
AT&T Cotton Bowl Television Coverage: FOX
Opening AT&T Cotton Bowl Odds: Arkansas -7.5 (64)
Closing AT&T Cotton Bowl Lines: Arkansas -9 (65)

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The Buzz: It’s not often that you see a bowl game that isn’t a BCS game between a pair of Top 10 teams. Kansas State probably got the biggest shaft of any team in the BCS, but at least the Cotton Bowl gave it the courtesy of being the first non-BCS team selected to a bowl game from the Big XII. Arkansas is probably one of the best five teams in the game, but it wasn’t one of the best two in its own division, let alone its own conference.

Cotton Bowl Recap: The Cotton Bowl proved to be a lot more of a competitive game than most thought, as the Kansas State defense did a significantly better job against the Arkansas offense than figured. QB Tyler Wilson only threw for 216 yards, though he did have two TDs. It took over 17 minutes for the Hogs to get their first first down of the game. The game was really blown open in the second quarter when WR Joe Adams took a punt return back 51 yards for a TD for the initial major score of the contest. Kansas State was playing catch up the entire game after that point, though it never got closer than a field goal again. QB Collin Klein tied an FBS record for most TDs in a season on the ground by a quarterback by logging his 27th score of the year, but he was held in check for the most part. It wasn’t the prettiest Cotton Bowl in the world, but for the SEC West, it was another triumph. In all likelihood, the division will finish up with three teams ranked in the Top 5 in the country. Cotton Bowl Final Score: Arkansas 29 – Kansas State 16

BBVA Compass Bowl: SMU Mustangs vs. Pittsburgh Panthers
BBVA Compass Bowl Date/Time: Saturday, January 7th, 1:00 ET
BBVA Compass Bowl Location: Legion Field, Birmingham, AL
BBVA Compass Bowl Television Coverage: ESPN
Opening BBVA Compass Bowl Odds: Pittsburgh -5.5 (48.5)
Closing BBVA Compass Bowl Lines: Pittsburgh -3.5 (48.5)

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The Buzz: SMU’s high flying offense is going to head to Sweet Home Alabama for hte BBVA Compass Bowl. The Panthers have to be happy just to be playing in a bowl game, a right that they earned on the final day of the season by beating Syracuse. These two teams both play very quick offenses, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that there are going to be a slew of points.

BBVA Compass Bowl Recap: The Mustangs came right out of the blocks with guns blazing, scoring 21 in the first quarter, and they never looked back. The Pittsburgh offense had troubles moving the football all day long, and it just didn’t look like a team that was all that interested in playing that well after Head Coach Todd Graham moved on to Arizona State. The Panthers only had 10 total rushing yards, a far cry from the team that had several 200+ yard efforts on the ground as a team this year. SMU, not a team normally known for its defense, held the Panthers to just 205 total yards of offense. It seems interesting that the Mustangs were able to win this game with just 300 total yards of offense, over 150 of which came in the first quarter. WR Darius Johnson was the hero, catching seven passes for 120 yards and a TD. BBVA Compass Bowl Final Score: SMU 28 – Pittsburgh 6

GoDaddy.com Bowl: Arkansas State Red Wolves vs. Northern Illinois Huskies
GoDaddy.com Bowl Date/Time: Sunday, January 8th, 9:00 ET
GoDaddy.com Bowl Location: Ladd-Peebles Stadium, Mobile, AL
GoDaddy.com Bowl Television Coverage: ESPN
Opening GoDaddy.com Bowl Odds: Arkansas State -1 (62)
Closing GoDaddy.com Bowl Lines: Arkansas State -1.5 (66)

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The Buzz: This is the final bowl game of the year before the BCS National Championship Game, and though this is normally not a great game, this is going to be a great one. QB Chandler Harnish and QB Ryan Aplin are two of the better signal callers in the non-AQ schools in the game. This is actually one of the rare bowl games that pits two teams against one another that have reached double digits in wins.

GoDaddy.com Bowl Recap: The Red Wolves came out of the gate with sound and fury, logging the first 13 points in the game against the MAC champs. They definitely looked like the better team at the start, but from that point on, turnovers proved to be killed. The Huskies forced five ASU blunders, and that proved to be the major difference. A pick six by Dechane Durante was the icer in the fourth quarter that gave the MAC another bowl victory to finish up its campaign. Surprisingly, neither team really got it going on the ground, as there wasn’t a rusher in the game that logged even 30 yards on the ground. QBs Ryan Aplin and Chandler Harnish didn’t disappoint, though. Harnish threw for 274 yards and a pair of scores, while Aplin had 353 yards but was killed by three picks. WR Martel Moore had eight catches for 224 yards and a TD for the Huskies, while WR Taylor Stockemer had 11 catches for 185 yards and a score in defeat for Arkansas State. GoDaddy.com Bowl Final Score: Northern Illinois 38 – Arkansas State 20

Allstate BCS National Championship Game: LSU Tigers vs. Alabama Crimson Tide
Allstate BCS National Championship Game Date/Time: Monday, January 9th, 8:30 ET
Allstate BCS National Championship Game Location: Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, LA
Allstate BCS National Championship Game Television Coverage: ESPN
Opening Allstate BCS National Championship Game Odds: LSU -1 (40)
Closing Allstate BCS National Championship Game Lines: Alabama -2.5 (41)

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The Buzz: And let the debate begin… There’s no doubt that LSU is the top team in America right now, as it is the only team with a goose egg in its win column in the entire nation. However, having Alabama in the title game is something that not everyone is okay with, especially knowing that the Tide lost to the Bayou Bengals at home. If the first meeting of these teams was the “Game of the Century,” we can’t even imagine just how much hype there is going to be for this game between now and January 9th.

BCS National Championship Recap: If there was any doubt whatsoever as to whether the Tigers or the Tide were really the better team, Alabama almost certainly proved it on Monday night. The Bayou Bengals were 13-0 coming into the game, and though they were certainly the team that played the better schedule over the course of the year, they were likely not the better team the first time around and certainly weren’t the second time. QB Jordan Jefferson and the LSU offenses were just stymied for the entire game. The unit only managed five first downs, and it never even got possession in Alabama territory a single time over the course of the game. The defense for the Tide proved that it was the best in the nation by pitching a shutout, and the final score could have been a heck of a lot worse had they converted seven field goal attempts into more than 15 points. The Crimson Tide had their flaws this year, but they were pretty much only in the kicking game. Aside from that, this was a truly dominating effort. Alabama coasted to its 14th National Championship and the third for Head Coach Nick Saban. LSU’s dreams of a split title went up in flames with that dud of an effort, as it didn’t even finish the year ranked No. 2 in the land. That distinction instead, went to the Oklahoma State Cowboys. BCS National Championship Final Score: Alabama 21 – LSU 0

There is just one game left on the college football TV schedule, and that game takes us to the Louisiana Superdome for the BCS National Championship. There has been a ton of pomp and circumstance surrounding this game over the course of the last month or so, and here at Bankroll Sports, we are taking one last look at the LSU Tigers vs. Alabama Crimson Tide. Check out our National Championship prop picks courtesy of Bovada Sportsbook.

AJ McCarron Over/Under 200.5 Passing Yards
McCarron threw for 199 yards when these two teams met the first time around, but we just aren’t all that sure that that is going to be the case again in this one. The Georgia Bulldogs were a great passing team this year, and QB Aaron Murray was frustrated the entire game by this LSU defense. The Bayou Bengals have two of the best corners in the nation, and getting the ball to anyone aside from RB Trent Richardson on screens is going to be dangerous to say the least. The Crimson Tide do have the receivers to be able to do some damage when push comes to shove, but we just don’t see this much in terms of yardage allowed by the LSU secondary. McCarron Under 200.5 Passing Yards (-110 at Bovada Sportsbook)

Trent Richardson Over/Under 28.5 Receiving Yards
Richardson did plenty of damage to these Tigers earlier this year as a receiver, accounting for 80 yards through the air. Granted, most of that came on one long play, but in the end, he had five catches and eight targets on McCarron’s 28 pass attempts. There is going to be a heck of a lot of checking down in this one, and we see Richardson getting plenty of looks. This is a man that caught 27 passes this year for 327 yards, so we know that he has the hands to be able to make the receptions to make this prop stand up. Richardson might not have the day on the ground for the Tide, but we do think that he is going to be used as a receiver quite a bit. He should get at least into the 40s in this game in receiving yards in our estimation. Richardson Over 28.5 Receiving Yards (-110 at Bovada Sportsbook)

Will Rueben Randle Score a Touchdown?
If this game turns out to be anything like the first meeting, there won’t be any touchdowns to speak of, so all of these props will turn out to be “No.” We do think that there will at least be a few TDs in this one, and that would make Randle a prime candidate to get the job done on a deep ball. However, for the last month, these Alabama corners have been hearing all about how the Tigers have the best corners in the nation. Yet it was the Crimson Tide that ranked No. 1 in literally every single major defensive yardage category this year, and you can bet that these corners have something to prove. Randle did catch 50 balls this year for 904 yards and eight trips to the end zone, and he is surely the deep threat in this game, but if you are asking us whether he is going to get behind the Alabama secondary in this game, we certainly don’t think so. This seems like an awfully short price on a man that only scored eight TDs all season long. Randle To Not Score a TD (-180 at Bovada Sportsbook)

Total Turnovers Over/Under 3.5
Though both of these defenses forced a ton of turnovers this year, the truth of the matter is that neither one turned the ball over all that much, including in the game against one another back in November. There were a grand total of four turnovers in the first meeting, but QB Jarrett Lee threw two of them, while WR Marquis Maze threw one as well. These teams simply don’t lose fumbles, and in the punt return game, DB Tyrann Mathieu has some of the best hands in the game, while P Brad Wing’s punts are basically never returned. That will certainly cut down the number of opportunities that either team has at turning the ball over. There could be a ton of punts in this one, just like there was the first time around, but we don’t see a slew of turnovers. Asking either team to force more than two turnovers against the other in this one is going to be a tall, tall task, and we just don’t see any way that it happens. It’s chalky, but it is certainly the right play to make. Under 3.5 Total Turnovers (-350 at Bovada Sportsbook)

Will Either Team Score Three Straight Times
Sure, if you are really a believer that these two teams are going to play another one of these wild 9-6 games that ends in overtime, you are better served betting the “No” on this prop. That being said, we think that suckers are going to take that +120 all day long, as the thought has to be whether there are going to be three scores, let alone three scores coming in a row by the same team. It only needs to happen once though, and in at least two out of every three games, it happens. Both of these teams are good enough offensively to make it happen, and in the event that this one starts to get out of hand (and don’t discount the fact that it might), it will be clear that someone will score three straight times, either when trying to post a comeback, or trying to pull away from the other once and for all. A Team Scores Three Straight Times (-160 at Bovada Sportsbook)

Sunday night presents football betting fanatics with the situation of their dreams. The first round of the NFL playoffs will be over with and that need for that one more football game for the weekend will be had in a game that should feature a slew of points and a bunch of commercials and promotions that the average guy won’t want to miss. Check out our keys to the game for the GoDaddy.com Bowl, pitting the Arkansas State Red Wolves against the Northern Illinois Huskies.

GoDaddy.com Bowl: Arkansas State Red Wolves vs. Northern Illinois Huskies
GoDaddy.com Bowl Location: Ladd Peebles Stadium, Mobile,AL
GoDaddy.com Bowl Date/Time: Sunday, January 8th, 9:00 p.m. (ET)
GoDaddy.com Bowl Television Coverage: ESPN, ESPN3.com

Click Here For The Rest Of The 2011-12 Bowl Game Schedule And Other Bowl Game Previews

Key #1: Chandler Harnish and Ryan Aplin have to put on a show
There aren’t many offenses that you are going to find in the country that operate like those of ASU and NIU, and then pivots of the units are Harnish and Aplin. Harnish is a four year starter in the Huskies’ offense, and this year was clearly his best of the bunch. The senior threw for 2,942 yards and rushed for 1,382 more. Meanwhile, Aplin is starting for the second full season in Jonesboro, and he had 3,235 passing yards and 605 more as a runner. That means that these two by themselves, with no help from anyone else are accounting for an average of 652.6 total yards from scrimmage per game. Care to count the touchdowns now as well? Harnish is averaging 2.85 total TDs per game. Aplin is at 2.33 TDs per game. Needless to say, both of these men can do it all (Aplin even has a receiving touchdown on the year and has three punts for an average of 37.7 yards per punt!), and both are going to have to literally put their team on their backs for plays, drives, and maybe even full quarters at a time to be able to beat the other.

GoDaddy.com Bowl Odds at Wager Web Sportsbook
Arkansas State Red Wolves -1.5
Northern Illinois Huskies +1.5
Over/Under 63
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Key #2: One of these teams has to prove that it has a defense
And don’t kid yourself about that. Sure, you see that Northern Illinois is out of the MAC, and the first thing that you think of are some of those wild games that had 120+ points scored in them on those random Tuesday and Wednesday nights. However, these Huskies shut out the Ohio Bobcats in the second half of the MAC Championship Game to clinch a spot in this bowl game, and they held three other teams in the teens in scoring on the campaign. You would figure that Arkansas State is a team that features a slew of points allowed per game as well, but perhaps you need to take a closer look. The Illinois Fighting Illini were held down to just 33 points before they fell off the face of the earth offensively, and the Virginia Tech Hokies were kept to just 26 at Lane Stadium. Aside from those two games, no one has scored more than 22 points at the FBS level against the Red Wolves. Someone needs to show you that they can really play defense against a fellow stout offense to win this game.

Key #3: The Red Wolves need to force some turnovers
This Arkansas State team was tremendous at turning teams over this year. The squad tied for 20th in the land in turnovers forced with 28, and a veteran secondary really led the with 18 picks on the campaign. That being said, Northern Illinois only threw five INTs all season long, No. 5 in the nation, and it only had a grand total of 18 turnovers. The Red Wolves don’t necessarily have as many yards as other teams do because of the great field position that they end up getting because of all of these turnovers, and the easier that scoring becomes, the less pressure that is on your defense to get the job done. The Huskies have been known to have some special teams problems as well, and if there are turnovers or points left on the board in the kicking game, they are probably going to be in some trouble as well.

Click Here to get the best college football picks that you’ll find on the internet, including our GoDaddy.com Bowl picks and the NCAA football picks for the rest of the bowl game odds.

And it all comes down to this… The BCS National Championship Game odds will finally be contested by the Alabama Crimson Tide and the LSU Tigers at the Louisiana Superdome. The “Game of the Century” from earlier this year will be replayed, and we offer up the five Alabama vs. LSU keys to the game for the biggest game of the year.

BCS National Championship Game: Alabama Crimson Tide vs. LSU Tigers
BCS National Championship Game Location: Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, LA
BCS National Championship Game Date/Time: Monday, January 9th, 8:30 p.m. (ET)
BCS National Championship Game Television Coverage: ESPN, ESPN3.com

Click Here For The Rest Of The 2011-12 Bowl Game Schedule And Other Bowl Game Previews

Key #1: Trent Richardson has to be a star
In fairness to Richardson, he did a heck of a lot in the first meeting between these two teams. He had 80 yards receiving and another 89 on the ground, and at the end of the day, that really made him the top offensive player on the field in a game in which there wasn’t a single touchdown scored. With 1,583 rushing yards, 327 receiving yards, and a total of 23 TDs, Richardson was good enough to win the Heisman Trophy this year. Those were numbers that were just as good as those of RB Mark Ingram when he won the Heisman Trophy two years ago. There haven’t been many players that have found some holes in that stout LSU defense, and for as great as those corners are on the outside, the best way to get the ball going anywhere against it is probably right up the middle of the field. Whether it is going to be by throwing the ball to him or letting him run it up there, the Tide have to find some way to really get Richardson going.

Key #2: Jordan Jefferson can’t turn the ball over like Jarrett Lee did
LSU fans that are screaming at the tops of their lungs that the Bayou Bengals should be favored in this game, especially with the slight home field advantage probably going their team’s way can definitely rest on the fact that Jefferson should be taking all of the snaps in this game, barring injury. Lee tossed two INTs to the tremendous Alabama defense, and with as sneakily good as that Tide offense can be, you just can’t give the ball up. Jefferson has done a nice job this year after that suspension for the off the field issues at the outset of the season. He has rebounded and gotten back in the good graces of the fans in Baton Rouge and with his coaching staff. His numbers aren’t particularly special at this point, as 684 passing yards and 248 rushing yards in basically six full games worth of playing time or so isn’t that special, but what Jefferson does that Lee doesn’t is manage a game and not turn the ball over. Jefferson only has one pick this year, and he historically does a nice job protecting the rock.

BCS National Championship Game Odds at Wager Web Sportsbook
Alabama Crimson Tide -1
LSU Tigers +1
Over/Under 41
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Key #3: Alabama’s special teams cannot be its downfall again
Anyone who watched the first “Game of the Century” can’t make the argument that the Bayou Bengals were clearly the better team. Alabama could have been argued as definitively the better side, but in truth, we would probably be splitting hairs to pick one team over the other. The real difference in that first meeting were the poor Crimson Tide special teams. It felt like it didn’t matter which kicker was coming out to give the ball the big boot, the ball wasn’t going through the uprights. It’s a miracle that the Tide picked up two field goals in that game with as badly as the ball was being kicked. This wasn’t just a problem in this game, though. Alabama only converted on 62.1 percent of its field goal tries this season, and that won’t cut it.

Key #4: LSU simply has to make Alabama punt the ball more
You would figure in a game that was tied 6-6 at the end of regulation would feature a ton of punts on both sides, right? Not quite in this case. The Crimson Tide only punted the ball twice to LSU, which really limited the amount of touches that DB Tyrann Mathieu had on the football. Mathieu ended up being a Heisman Trophy finalist this year because of the way that he broke open the games against the Arkansas Razorbacks and Georgia Bulldogs in successive weeks on national television. The “Honey Badger” as they call him, averaged well over 16 yards per punt return, and getting the ball into his hands is key. The Tide had more drives end on missed field goals than anything else on the day, and if you’re the Bayou Bengals, you can’t put yourself in that position once again.

Key #5: Brad Wing has to have another huge game
You’ll notice that we’re not talking a heck of a lot about offense or defense in this game. These two teams are absolutely mirror images of one another, save for the fact that the rushing game for Alabama is basically Richardson’s game, save for when he needs a spell, whereas LSU is going to use four or five different backs for a total of 40 carries per game. Wing can be a real game changer, though. He averaged over 44 yards per punt this year, and he was a dynamo when he really needed to be. Wing can punt the ball with either foot, and he has that rugby style kick that sometimes can turn into a fake punt if the coast is clear. It is just something for the Crimson Tide to think about, and it probably won’t let the likes of Richardson or WR Marquis Maze get free. Wing has allowed a grand total of six yards on punt returns this year, and he would really love for that to keep up in the BCS National Championship Game.

Click Here to get the best college football picks that you’ll find on the internet, including our BCS National Championship Game picks and the NCAA football picks for the rest of the bowl game odds.

The Pittsburgh Panthers barely made it to a bowl game this year, and they needed to win their final game of the season just to qualify. The SMU Mustangs came out of the blocks hot but stumbled to the finish line. The two meet in Birmingham in a battle to beat the 2012 BBVA Compass Bowl odds.

BBVA Compass Bowl: SMU Mustangs vs. Pittsburgh Panthers
BBVA Compass Bowl Location: Legion Field, Birmingham, AL
BBVA Compass Bowl Date/Time: Saturday, January 7th, 1:00 p.m. (ET)
BBVA Compass Bowl Television Coverage: ESPN, ESPN3.com

Click Here For The Rest Of The 2011-12 Bowl Game Schedule And Other Bowl Game Previews

Key #1: Both teams need to have confidence in their coaching staffs
What an interesting situation this is! The bowl season has a strange way of finding bedmates to pair with one another, and totally unbeknownst to the BBVA Compass Bowl, SMU and Pitt were going to have a strange common ground. June Jones, SMU’s head coach, seemed all set to jump ship and take the job with the Arizona State Sun Devils. When contract negotiations fell flat, the man that took the ASU job was now former Pitt coach, Todd Graham. This Pittsburgh program really has to feel betrayed. Dave Wannstedt was only fired just over a year ago, Phil Bennett was the interim coach for last year’s BBVA Compass Bowl, Mike Haywood was around for a few weeks before getting into trouble off the field and getting dismissed, Graham came in 11 months ago and is already out the door, Keith Patterson is going to be the interim coach for this game, and then Paul Chryst is going to take over when this is said and done with. Yikes! It’s hard to say whether either team is going to show unity or not. The Panthers might not have that much interest right now, knowing that yet another new coaching staff is on the way, but SMU might still not quite be “all-in” with Jones, knowing that he was all set to leave as well.

BBVA Compass Bowl Odds at Wager Web Sportsbook
SMU Mustangs +3.5
Pittsburgh Panthers -3.5
Over/Under 47
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Key #2: Someone needs to step up and run the football
It seems like a relatively simple concept. Running the football. However, both of these teams are absolutely running out of players to be able to do it. The Mustangs lost RB Zach Line in the second to last game of the season to a foot injury, and he won’t be back in time for this game. He led the team in rushing with 1,224 yards and had a total of 17 TDs to lead the squad in that category. It marked the second straight huge year for Line on the ground, as it was his second 1,200+ yard campaign and second year of double digits worth of TDs as well. Pittsburgh already certainly doesn’t have RB Ray Graham, one of the best backs in the Big East with a knee injury that was sustained at the end of October, and RB Zach Brown, the freshman that replaced him, has a sternum injury that has cost him the last game and a half and might keep him out of the BBVA Compass Bowl as well. There aren’t many carries that have been spread around in these two offense to other backs, but whichever team can find a diamond in the rough to have a decent day on the ground is going to have a huge leg up on the other.

Key #3: SMU has to keep control of the football
Of teams that rank No. 91 or worse in turnover margin in the country, only nine are playing in bowl games this year. As of the publishing of this original article on December 30th, four have taken the field. The Tulsa Golden Hurricane, Iowa State Cyclones, Utah State Aggies, and Notre Dame Fighting Irish have all already been beaten, and the other five still have to play. There isn’t a team in the land with a worse turnover margin than the Mustangs, who average losing 1.42 more turnovers per game than they get back. That’s an absolutely atrocious figure. SMU has turned the ball over 31 times and are at a -17 for the campaign. It’s amazing that this team has been able to win seven games like this. This Mustangs team found a way to beat the TCU Horned Frogs on the road in October, but since that point, they have had no luck hanging on to the pigskin. Failure to do that against Pittsburgh, a team that runs the ball and generally runs it pretty efficiently without turning it over, could be a nightmare for Jones’ turnover prone offense.

Click Here to get the best college football picks that you’ll find on the internet, including our BBVA Compass Bowl picks and the NCAA football picks for the rest of the bowl game odds.

The decision to put the Michigan Wolverines and the Virginia Tech Hokies in the BCS was a bit controversial to say the least. That being said, these two should still be in for a great battle, and that is going to make our Sugar Bowl predictions difficult to say the least.

Sugar Bowl: Michigan Wolverines vs. Virginia Tech Hokies
Sugar Bowl Location: Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, LA
Sugar Bowl Date/Time: Tuesday, January 3rd, 8:30 p.m. (ET)
Sugar Bowl Television Coverage: ESPN, ESPN3.com

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Key #1: The Hokies have to figure out how to slow down mobile quarterbacks
QB Denard Robinson is one of the most athletic quarterbacks that you’re going to find in the entire country. He now has two straight seasons with over 1,000 rushing yards and double digits worth of rushing touchdowns, and he has a decent arm and can get the ball up the field as well. The closest thing that the Hokies saw to that all season long was Clemson Tigers’ QB Tajh Boyd. Boyd didn’t have the two greatest games in the world against V-Tech, but he did find ways to make the plays when he really had to, and in the two games in which the Tigers knocked off the Hokies, a lot of those plays came after he left the pocket. Robinson generally likes to get outside first and see what he can make out of a play at that point, especially if he is designed to throw and doesn’t have his first read, and that’s when the Virginia Tech defense has tended to be picked apart. It’s odd to say for a team that has this much speed on this side of the ball, but it might be that speed that is truly costing the Hokies and pushing them out of position.

Sugar Bowl Odds at Wager Web Sportsbook
Michigan Wolverines -2.5
Virginia Tech Hokies +2.5
Over/Under 51
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Key #2: David Wilson needs to be contained
If the man that Virginia Tech has to stop is Robinson, the man that the Wolverines have to stop is Wilson. You really didn’t hear a lot of hype out of Wilson as a Heisman Trophy candidate, but if you take away those two games against Clemson and make them wins, the Hokies might have had the Heisman winner. Wilson only had 32 yards in the ACC Championship Game against Clemson, but he still ended the campaign with 1,631 yards on the ground with a total of 10 trips to the end zone. The junior averaged over six yards per carry, and his speed is what earned him kick returning duties as well. Though not nearly as proficient as he was last year, Wilson has shown that he can break the big ones based on his 26.5 yards per return average in 2010. Whether it be as a rusher, a receiver, or a returner, all eyes are going to have to be on Wilson. Without stopping Wilson, it will be awfully difficult to keep tabs on…

Key #3: Danny Coale has to make a lot of the grunt work plays for the Hokies
… Coale. When you look at Coale, you really aren’t all that impressed. He’s a 6’0″ receiver, weighs 200 pounds soaking wet, and he really doesn’t even remotely look like a wide receiver. Look at the stats for his career, and you still won’t be all that impressed. Coale did have four years worth of reps in this offense, and he has 157 career receptions, 2,541 yards, and eight TDs. His numbers should theoretically be better than that, but if you just sit and watch the tape, you realize how many huge plays that he makes for this team. It feels like QB Logan Thomas only has eyes for Coale on all of those 3rd and 7 plays, and he is always right there to get the job done. More than that in this game though, might be Coale’s ability to kick. He had a dozen punts this year and had the best net punting average for any of the V-Tech kickers at 44.1 yards per punt. On top of that, he may be forced into kicking duties. K Cody Journell, the team’s original kicker has been suspended, while K Tyler Weiss, his backup, missed curfew and won’t play in the Sugar Bowl. K Justin Myer has kicked for the team this year, but both punters Michael Branthover and Scott Demler were nothing special this year either. Coale is going to be called into a ton of duties for the Sugar Bowl, and he is going to have to really make some of those plays that you aren’t going to necessarily recognize how important they are on the stat sheet for the Hokies to pull off the upset.

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