Saturday Bowl Picks  

Walter:

Boston College -7 over Navy

Paul Johnson has done a wonderful job at Navy and his team should be very proud of what they accomplished these past four seasons (the Navy seniors this year became the first class EVER to sweep all 8 games against the other service academies)........but come on! Navy is a nice story, but BC is a legitimate division 1A football team. Matt Ryan, Josh Beekman, James Marten, Jolon Dunbar, Brian Toal......these are guys who will be playing on Sundays soon enough. BC just has too much talent for the Naval academy, although this game could be close until the fourth quarter. BC pulls away late, 30-20.

Texas -9 over Iowa

Iowa stinks, I think we can say that for sure. Kirk Ferentz is a great coach, but he is at his best when expectations are low and he can sneak up on people. Great things were expected of Iowa this year, with Drew Tate and Albert Young both returning to lead a powerful offense. Well the offense was inconsistent, and the Hawkeyes were consistently outclassed all season. Texas has been equally inconsistent, but when healthy (which they should be now), they have the offensive balance to dominate Iowa. Folks, this one looks like a laugher to me. Call it Texas 42-17.

Georgia +3 over Virgnia Tech

This is a pick where I am attempting to learn from my own mistakes. I don't particularly think either team is any good, so I am taking the team that played in the tougher conference. The ACC was weak (although their bowl performances have been strong) and the SEC was strong. Georgia was an offensive trainwreck all season, but they seemed to have figured some things out lately. Call this one a hunch, but I like the Dogs to win outright and cement themselves (and QB Matt Stafford) as a chic sleeper pick for 2007. Just remember, I said before the season started that Georgia looked like a better bet for 2007 than 2006.....I'm just saying. Call it Georgia 13-10.

Overall Bowl Record: 9-8

Frazier:

Boston College -7 over Navy

BC has a history of winning bowl games by big margins. I know they are playing without their coach, and that's got to be hard, but this is a team that really played well, and is looking for a good jump on next year. Navy is a nice story, but BC is known for having a big o-line that likes to lean on opponents, and this will pay dividends against the undersized Midshipmen. I just don't see them being able to hang with the Eagles, who will be charged to blow out what they see as an inferior opponent. Navy can keep it close for a half, but they don't have the horses. BC pulls away, 30-17.

Texas -9 over Iowa

Colt McCoy is feeling better, and Texas needs to make a statement. They really stumbled down the stretch, but they have tons of talent on both sides of the ball. These guys are either playing for draft position, or for a top ranking to begin next year. Iowa has really struggled this year, and they don't have the best recent bowl history. Texas, on the other hand, certainly does. I think Mack Brown took the time to work out the kinks, and his team should be ready to show the world the kind of season they could have, and probably should have, had. They are in a steamrolling kind of mood, 34-14.

Virginia Tech -3 over Georgia

Virginia Tech has shown a very capable defense this year, and Georgia has shown a complete lack of offense. I don't care if the Bulldogs figured themselves out to a degree at the end of the year, I just can't defend them winning this game. Virginia Tech doesn't have much of an offense themselves, but they Beamers teams excel at creating turnovers and not making mistakes. It was no accident that they beat a Wake Forest team that thrived by capitalizing on their opponents errors. The Hokies won't make many of them, and Georgia probably will. Virginia Tech takes this one, 20-14.

Overall Bowl Record: 8-9