MAC Pick'em: Bowl Edition

Woah, Kent State blew it! Damn that TE reverse!!!!!!!!!! GAH. Basically, everyone got 10 points who guessed the MACC but me. So basically, nothing changed in the standings besides me going down 15 pts (and the first tiebreaker) in the overall standings. Time to make up serious ground.

But how?!?!?! Well, with 7 bowl games, I'm still very much alive. I'll be making my picks late Saturday, as I am busy here in Ann Arbor preparing for the WMU-Michigan hockey series this weekend and seeing my sister, who is still in exams.

No detail points, but discussion is encouraged. High-Low is also not required, but included on the form.

Each game is worth 5 points, and here is the form.

Potato Bowl - #22 Utah State vs Toledo. Utah State is a very good team, and just barely lost last season in this same bowl against Ohio. Enter Toledo, who lost a few down the stretch to knock them into 3rd in the MAC West. Utah State is the favorite, and deservedly so, as they should be expected to play well in an environment that is familiar with the Aggies.

Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl - Ball State vs UCF. Ball State has a great offense, but the question is whether or not Keith Wenning will play or not. If he does, Ball State should be favored. However, the Golden Knights are playing in their home state, and should have no problem getting fans to the game.

Little Caesar's Pizza Bowl - CMU vs Western Kentucky. How the hell did CMU make a bowl game? Seriously! It makes me even more mad at WMU for not finishing .500, as they had the better resume than CMU (in my opinion), and had the head-to-head win over the Chips. GAHH!!!!!!!!! Anyways, this should be a great game for Central to show that they deserved to go bowling rather than being the weak .500 team we all think they are.

Military Bowl. Bowling Green vs #24 San Jose State. BGSU had a great defense, but losses to Toledo and Kent State cost the Falcons a shot at the MAC Championship. Still, an underrated team. San Jose St, however, is probably a better team. The Spartans nearly beat Stanford (who is in the Rose Bowl), and are 10-2 with a good resume. Look for a great game that matches strength on strength (SJS offense vs BGSU defense).

Independence Bowl - Ohio vs UL-Monroe. Ohio was the pride of the MAC before dropping 4 of their last 5 games to finish 8-4. UL-Monroe beat Arkansas (then ranked #8) and nearly beat Baylor and Auburn. However, all 3 of those teams finished badly (outside of Baylor, who beat Kansas State, but still had a horrid defense, so push?). It's truly hard to gauge where each of these teams are, but UL-Monroe is favored, and probably deservedly so with Ohio's recent struggles.

GoDaddy.com Bowl - #25 Kent State vs Arkansas State. I don't think ASU is as good as they were coming into last season's bowl game against NIU. Now they face a good Kent State team this year, as the Golden Flashes are in their first bowl game since 1972, a full 40 years. Both teams will have new head coaches next season, but Kent St will have Darrell Hazell for one last game before he leaves for Purdue. Look for the Flashes to send him out with a win.

Orange Bowl. #12 Florida St vs #15 NIU. The big one. Nothing more needs to be said. It's the little guy versus the power. Here's hoping the Huskies pull it out!