2011 BCS BOWL PICKS

Making bowl picks has been a tradition/passion/addiction in our family for three decades. I think it began back when Randy and I were dating, and we've never missed a year since. There were always bets in the early years: Performing some household tasks, personal favors, or money. Seems like I won a lot back then.

In the mid-marriage years and before kids, Randy and I traded wins, but I'm sure he likely bested me. We likely upped the ante to more degradingly aggravating tasks: Probably finding and stacking kindling or going up in the attic to collect some long-lost item from an unknown box.

These days it seems I start out like gang-busters then the kids take over. One year they were both ranked quite high in the ESPN Bowl Mania challenge--the girl even made it to the top 5%! In the end, Dad won, as he usually does these days. We don't seem to actively bet--other than office pools or ESPN hopes--but the trash-talking makes it all worthwhile.

So, without further ado, here are my 2011 Bowl Picks as I've entered them on Bowl Mania. I'll add the "Confidence Points" as we go along so you can track my...progress?

12/19 New Mexico Bowl---TEMPLE over Wyoming (shoulda gone with more points)
12/19 Idaho Potato Bowl---OHIO over Utah State (like, I guess)
12/19 New Orleans Bowl--SAN DIEGO STATE over Louisiana-Lafayette (I think)
12/20 St. Petersburg Bowl-FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL over Marshall
12/21 Poinsettia Bowl------TCU over Louisiana Tech
12/22 Las Vegas Bowl-----BOISE STATE over Arizona State
12/24 Hawai'i Bowl---------SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI over Nevada (in all likelihood)
12/26 Independence Bowl-MISSOURI over North Carolina
12/27 Belk Bowl-------------LOUISVILLE over North Carolina State
12/27 Lil' Caesars Bowl----PURDUE over Western Michigan (maybe)
12/28 Military Bowl---------AIR FORCE over Toledo (could go either way)
12/28 Holiday Bowl---------CALIFORNIA over Texas (probably)
12/29 Champs Bowl---------FLORIDA STATE over Notre Dame (again, could go either way)
12/29 Alamo Bowl-----------BAYLOR over Washington
12/30 Armed Forces Bowl--BYU over Tulsa (really not sure)
12/30 Pinstripe Bowl---------RUTGERS over Iowa State (likely)
12/30 Music City Bowl------WAKE FOREST over Mississippi State (educated guess)
12/30 Insight Bowl-----------OKLAHOMA over Iowa
12/31 Texas Bowl------------TEXAS A&M over Northwestern
12/31 Sun Bowl---------------GEORGIA TECH over Utah
12/31 Liberty Bowl-----------CINCINNATI over Vanderbilt (likely-to-perhaps)
12/31 Fight Hunger Bowl---UCLA over Illinois (if they're lucky)
12/31 Chik-fil-A Bowl-------AUBURN over Virginia (I think)
1/2 Ticket City Bowl---------HOUSTON over Penn State
1/2 Outback Bowl-------------MICHIGAN STATE over Georgia (likely)
1/2 Capitol One Bowl--------NEBRASKA over South Carolina (slight favorite)
1/2 Gator Bowl----------------OHIO STATE over Florida (I have no idea)
1/2 Rose Bowl-----------------OREGON over Wisconsin
1/2 Fiesta Bowl----------------STANFORD over Oklahoma State
1/3 Sugar Bowl----------------VIRGINIA TECH over Michigan
1/4 Orange Bowl--------------WEST VIRGINIA over Clemson
1/6 Cotton Bowl---------------KANSAS STATE over Arkansas (hope so: lots 'o points on it)
1/7 Compass Bowl------------PITTSBURGH over Southern Methodist
1/8 GoDaddy Bowl-----------ARKANSAS STATE over Northern Illinois (almost a toss up)
1/9 BCS Championship------LSU over Alabama (Who knows?)

I was going to go with Alabama just as a matter of statistics: Two goes at it usually produces two outcomes. But, knowing Les Miles' miracles as I do, I gotta go with the Bayou Kitties. More total points will be scored in this one, but not by much.

Enjoy the Bowl Season! I'll try not to be too upset that NEW YEAR'S DAY has been moved to January 2nd--damned NFL--and if anyone happens to be planning on ever gifting me with Rose Bowl tickets...January 2nd doesn't count. Sorry.

Go STANFORD, go CAL, go DUCKS--to the rest of you good luck!