Is it just me or does purple make Patrick Pinkney look short? Either way he'll be playing for a C-USA title.
And then there were 29. That’s right, there are 29 bowl games this year not counting the BCS. Add in the big five, and that makes 34 bowl games. If you’re counting, that means that 68 teams will go bowling this year. Which means that only 52 teams aren’t getting postseason love. For one more piece of math that’s 57% of all FBS teams that will get a cool watch or a TiVo for playing one extra game. Now that the schedules across the board all contain at least 12 games, we’ll see a few 6-6 teams get in, and, of course, a few 6-6 teams get the shaft.
A couple of things you should know, however, before reading on are that the “tie-ins” don’t have anything to do with how the teams finish in their conference. Seeing “Big 12 3″ written below doesn’t neccessarily mean that the third best team in the Big 12 will get that spot. It means that that bowl gets the third pick of Big 12 schools when sending it’s invites. So don’t freak out and ask me how I think Auburn and Gene Chizik will finish sixth in the SEC. I don’t think they will, but they are a bowl attractive team for the Liberty.
And finally, a few notable snubs. Missouri, Connecticut, and Virginia have all been left out the predictions. Do I think all of these teams will have awful seasons with no hope of driving up sponsors’ sale? No, but I do see all of these teams having a decent shot to finish 6-6, and there are a few .500 teams that get left out every year. These three teams don’t travel particularly well or don’t bring a lot of pizzazz to the table. I certainly think these teams could prove me wrong, and there’s no doubt that a lot of the chosen ones will falter. But, if you want to know where your favorite team will end up this December or January, just read below.
St. Petersburg
(Big East vs. C-USA)
Cincinnati vs. Central Florida
Champs Sports
(ACC 4 vs. Big Ten 4 or 5)
Miami vs. Michigan State
New Orleans
(Sun Belt 1 vs. C-USA)
Troy vs. Southern Miss
Maaco
(MWC 1 vs. Pac 10)
Arizona State vs Utah
Poinsettia
(MWC vs. Pac 10)
Arizona vs. BYU
Hawaii
(C-USA vs. WAC)
Tulsa vs. Hawaii
Motor City
(Big Ten 7 vs. MAC)
Minnesota vs. Central Michigan
Emerald
(ACC 7 vs. Pac 10 5)
Boston College vs. Stanford
Meineke
(ACC 6 vs. Big East)
North Carolina vs. Pitt
Music City
(ACC vs. SEC 5)
Clemson vs. Kentucky
New Mexico
(MWC vs. WAC)
Colorado State vs. Fresno State
Independence
(SEC 8 vs. Big 12 7)
Arkansas vs. Texas Tech
Eagle Bank
(C-USA vs. ACC)
Memphis vs. North Carolina State
Holiday
(Big Ten 3 vs. Pac 10 2)
Iowa vs. California
Texas
(Big 12 vs. Navy)
Baylor vs. Navy
Humanitarian
(ACC 8 vs. WAC)
Wake Forest vs. Boise State
Armed Forces
(MWC vs. C-USA)
Nevada vs. Houston
Sun
(Big 12/Big East/ND vs. Pac 10 3)
Kansas vs. Oregon State
Chick-fil-A
(ACC 2 vs. SEC)
Georgia Tech vs. Tennessee
Insight
(Big Ten 6 vs. Big 12 6)
Wisconsin vs. Colorado
Outback
(Big Ten 3 vs. SEC)
Illinois vs. Georgia
Capital One
(Big Ten 2 vs. SEC 2)
Penn State vs. Alabama
Gator
(ACC 3 vs. Big 12/Big East/ND)
Florida State vs. Notre Dame
International
(Big East vs. MAC 4 or 5)
Rutgers vs. Western Michigan
PapaJohn
(Big East vs. SEC)
West Virginia vs. South Carolina
Cotton
(Big 12 2 vs. SEC)
Oklahoma State vs. LSU
Libery
(C-USA 1 vs. SEC 6)
East Carolina vs. Auburn
Alamo
(Big Ten 4 or 5 vs. Big 12 4)
Michigan vs. Nebraska
GMAC
(Sun Belt vs. MAC/WAC)
Arkansas State vs. Louisiana Tech
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