Here is a taste of what I expect to happen for all of the ACC teams in their bowls this season…of course, the Maryland/Oregon State will be covered later in the week and thus will not be predicted in this blog entry. I think the ACC has some very favorable matchups this year and should fare well. Here is how I think each game will go.
Friday Dec. 28th – Champs Sports Bowl – 5:00 PM EST – #14 Boston College (10-3) Vs. Michigan State (7-5)
Easy game here to predict. Boston College is a much better team then one that got selected to go to the Champs Sports Bowl, but when you have a reputation for not traveling well, you are always going to slide down. Michigan State is not a bad team, beating Indiana, Penn State, and Purdue, all of which are heading to bowls. They also played well in loses to #9 Wisconsin, #1 Ohio State, and #12 Michigan. So yea, Michigan State is very capable of pulling the upset, I just can’t go against the ACC runner-up who comes in with a 7 game bowl winning streak. Prediction: Boston College 32 Michigan State 21
Saturday Dec. 29th – Meineke Car Care Bowl – 1:00 PM EST – #25 Connecticut (9-3) Vs. Wake Forest (8-4)
The Huskies are a nice story, being less than 10 years removed from being a I-AA football school. However, this is their first year of what can be considered serious success. Nine wins is very new to this school, even newer than it is to Wake Forest. They also were not tested much while playing in the Big East. They played South Florida and beat them, but got killed by West Virginia in their season finale. Jim Grobe should prepare his team well, and the game is in North Carolina. Again, I like the ACC team. Prediction: Connecticut 16 Wake Forest 23
Monday Dec. 31st – Humanitarian Bowl – 2:00 PM EST – Georgia Tech (7-5) Vs. Fresno State (8-4)
This is a tough game to pick. Georgia Tech finished the season 2-2 with losses against Georgia and Virginia Tech, with wins against Duke and UNC sandwiched in between. I really haven’t been a big fan of Tech this season. They are a better team than their 7-5 record shows, but they just couldn’t get it together, and unlike Maryland, you can’t blame the injury bug too much with them. Fresno State has beaten every team they were suppose to beat with losses against #23 Texas A+M, #19 Oregon, Boise State, and #16 Hawaii. These are all better teams than Georgia Tech, and Fresno State was able to hang in there with all of these teams except for Oregon. Throw in the fact that Georgia Tech has fired their head coach Chan Gailey since the regular season ended and I have to pick Fresno State. Prediction: Georgia Tech 17 Fresno State 28
Monday Dec. 31st – Music City Bowl – 5:00 PM EST – Florida State (7-5) Vs. Kentucky (7-5)
Along with Kansas, Kentucky may have had the second most surprising season this year for BCS conference teams. However, after starting the season 6-1, including a win against #1 LSU, the wildcats stumbled, finishing the year 1-4, playing in the tough SEC conference. Too be fair, three of the final 4 losses were to ranked opponents Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee. On the other side of this bowl matchup, Florida State is coming off the news that about a third of its team cheated in school and will not be able to play. I don’t know how many of these players are key players for the Seminoles, but it is sure to affect the team. I don’t think Florida State will be in a good state of mind for this game, and I expect a fairly easy win for Kentucky. Prediction: Florida State 10 Kentucky 37
Monday Dec. 31st – Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl – 7:30 PM EST – #15 Clemson (9-3) Vs. #23 Auburn (8-4)
This should be a great game to watch. Clemson finished off the season strong, winning 5 of their last 6, with the loss coming at the hands of Boston College. Auburn, after a tough start, finished the season on a 6-2 run, losing only to #4 LSU and #10 Georgia in that stretch. Auburn gets challenged almost every week in the SEC and will be well prepared for the game. I worry how ready Clemson will be to play a good SEC school, but my gut is telling me that they will be able to handle Auburn. Clemson struggled in their games against better foes such as Virginia Tech and Boston College, but I am going to take them in this game. Prediction: Clemson 20 Auburn 17
Monday Jan. 1st – Gator Bowl – 1:00 PM EST – Texas Tech (8-4) Vs. #20 Virginia (9-3)
This is another game I feel could go either way. Texas Tech has a high power scoring offense and hopes it can score more points than you as they cruise to 50-45 victories. Virginia plays more of its games scoring in the 20’s. I am not convinced Virginia can stop Texas Tech from scoring a lot, and I worry about Virginia’s ability to keep up with Texas Tech on the scoreboard. This was my toughest decision as to how this game would play out, but again, I am going to go with my gut and pick Texas Tech. I would not be surprised at all if Virginia wins, but I just am not convinced they are capable of scoring what they will need to score to win. Prediction: Texas Tech 49 Virginia 24
Wednesday Jan. 3rd – Orange Bowl – 5:00 PM EST – #8 Kansas (11-1) Vs. #3 Virginia Tech (11-2)
I love what Kansas has been able to do this season. As a fan of football, it was awesome to watch a program that has struggled for so long to explode and obtain an 11-1 record. However, I just cannot fathom a situation in which they will be able to beat Virginia Tech. I don’t think they will get killed, but I think it will be similar to last year’s Orange bowl where Wake Forest lost to Louisville 24-13; it will be clear that Virginia Tech is the better team. Can Kansas pull a Boise State out of its pocket and win? Sure they can, but I just don’t see it happening. Prediction: Kansas 21 Virginia Tech 38
Well there you have it…I have the ACC going 4-3 in bowls excluding Maryland’s game. Check back soon for my Maryland / Oregon State Emerald Bowl Preview.
Terrapin Territory 