2007-08 Bowl Projections and Line Predictions--Updated 11/29/07

RJ Esq

RJ Esq

Prick Since 1974
OK, teams are starting to commit to bowls and the bowl picture is becoming clearer.

So, I'll go ahead and start this thread with the predictions and confirmations via CFN and CBS and we can go ahead and start discussing opening lines once bowl matchups are confirmed.

Let's make this a profitable bowl season.
 
Bowl Projections (will be updated daily as they come up)

Confirmed teams posted in Red.

San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl
Dec. 20 / 9 p.m. San Diego, Calif. ESPN
Tie-Ins: Mountain West vs. Navy/At-Large
Projection: Utah vs. Navy

R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
Dec. 21 / 8 p.m. New Orleans, La. ESPN2
Tie-Ins: Sun Belt No. 1 vs. C-USA
Projection: FAU vs. Memphis

PapaJohn’s.com Bowl
Dec. 22 / 1 p.m. Birmingham, Ala. ESPN2
Tie-Ins: Big East (or MAC) vs. C-USA
Projection: Cincinnati vs. Southern Miss

New Mexico Bowl
Dec. 22 / 4:30 p.m. Albuquerque, N.M. ESPN
Tie-Ins: Mountain West vs. WAC
Projection: New Mexico vs. Nevada

Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl
Dec. 22 / 8 p.m. Las Vegas, Nev. ESPN
Tie-Ins: Mountain West No. 1 vs. Pac-10 No. 4
Projection: BYU vs. UCLA


Sheraton Hawaii Bowl
Dec. 23 / 8 p.m. Honolulu, Hawaii ESPN
Tie-Ins: C-USA vs. WAC
Projection: East Carolina vs. Boise State

Motor City Bowl
Dec. 26 / 7:30 p.m. Detroit, Mich. ESPN
Tie-Ins: Big Ten No. 7 vs. MAC
Projection: Purdue vs. Central Michigan​

Pacific Life Holiday Bowl
Dec. 27 / 8 p.m. San Diego, Calif. ESPN
Tie-Ins: Big 12 No. 3 vs. Pac-10 No. 2
Projection: Texas vs. Arizona State
​

Texas Bowl
Dec. 28 / 8 p.m. NFL Network
Tie-Ins: Houston, Texas
Big 12 vs. C-USA
Projection: Houston vs. TCU

Champs Sports Bowl
Dec. 28 / 5 p.m. Orlando, Fla. ESPN
Tie-Ins: ACC No. 4 vs. Big Ten No. 4 or No. 5
Projection: Boston College vs. Michigan State

Emerald Bowl
Dec. 28 / 8:30 p.m. San Francisco, Calif. ESPN
Tie-Ins: ACC No. 7 vs. Pac-10 No. 4
Projection: Maryland vs. Oregon State
​

Meineke Car Care Bowl
Dec. 29 / 1 p.m. Charlotte, N.C. ESPN
Tie-Ins: ACC No. 6 vs. Big East
Projection: Wake Forest vs. Connecticut

AutoZone Liberty Bowl
Dec. 29 / 4:30 p.m. Memphis, Tenn. ESPN
Tie-Ins: C-USA No. 1 vs. SEC No. 6
Projection: UCF vs. Mississippi State

Alamo Bowl
Dec. 29 / 8 p.m. San Antonio, Texas ESPN
Tie-Ins: Big Ten No. 4 or No. 5 vs. Big 12 No. 4
Projection: Penn State vs. Texas A&M

Petro Sun Independence Bowl
Dec. 30 / 8 p.m. Shreveport, La. ESPN
Tie-Ins: Big 12 No. 7 vs. SEC No. 8
Projection: Colorado vs. Alabama

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl
Dec. 31 / 12:30 p.m. Fort Worth, Texas ESPN
Tie-Ins: Mountain West vs. Pac-10
Projection: Air Force vs. California

Brut Sun Bowl
Dec. 31 / 2 p.m. El Paso, Texas CBS
Tie-Ins: Big 12/Big East/Notre Dame vs. Pac-10 No. 3
Projection: South Florida vs. Oregon

Humanitarian Bowl
Dec. 31 / 2 p.m. Boise, Idaho ESPN2
Tie-Ins: ACC No. 8 vs. WAC
Projection: Georgia Tech vs. Fresno State

Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl
Dec. 31 / 4 p.m. Nashville, Tenn. ESPN
Tie-Ins: ACC vs. SEC No. 5
Projection: Florida State vs. Kentucky

Chick-fil-A Bowl
Dec. 31 / 7:30 p.m. Atlanta, Ga. ESPN
Tie-Ins: ACC No. 2 vs. SEC
Projection: Clemson vs. Auburn

Insight Bowl
Dec. 31 / TBA Tempe, Ariz. NFL Network
Tie-Ins: Big Ten No. 6 vs. Big 12 No. 6
Projection: Indiana vs. Oklahoma State

Outback Bowl
Jan. 1 / 11 a.m. Tampa, Fla. ESPN
Tie-Ins: Big Ten No. 3 vs. SEC
Projection: Wisconsin vs. Tennessee

AT&T Cotton Bowl
Jan. 1 / 11:30 a.m. Dallas, Texas FOX
Tie-Ins: Big 12 No. 2 vs. SEC
Projection: Mizzouri vs. Arkansas​

Gator Bowl
Jan. 1 / 1 p.m. Jacksonville, Fla. CBS
Tie-Ins: ACC No. 3 vs. Big 12/Big East/Notre Dame
Projection: Virginia vs. Texas Tech

Capital One Bowl
Jan. 1 / 1 p.m. Orlando, Fla. ABC
Tie-Ins: Big Ten No. 2 vs. SEC No. 2
Projection: Michigan vs. Florida

International Bowl
Jan. 5 / 12 p.m. Toronto, Canada ESPN2
Tie-Ins: Big East/Notre Dame vs. MAC No. 4 or 5
Projection: Rutgers vs. Ball State

GMAC Bowl
Jan. 6 / 8 p.m. Mobile, Ala. ESPN
Tie-Ins: C-USA No. 2 vs. MAC
Projection: Tulsa vs. Bowling Green

Rose Bowl presented by Citi
Jan. 1 / 4:30 p.m. Pasadena, Calif. ABC
*BCS vs. BCS (Big Ten Champion vs. Pac 10 Champion, if available)
Projection: USC vs. Illinois

Allstate Sugar Bowl
Jan. 1 / 8:30 p.m. New Orleans, La. FOX
*BCS vs. BCS (SEC Champion, if available)
Projection: Hawaii vs. Georgia

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl
Jan. 2 / 8 p.m. Phoenix, Ariz. FOX
*BCS vs. BCS (Big 12 Champion, if available)
Projection: West Virginia vs. Oklahoma

FedEx Orange Bowl
Jan. 3 / 8 p.m. Miami, Fla. FOX
*BCS vs. BCS (ACC Champion, if available)
Projection: Virginia Tech vs. Kansas

Allstate BCS National Championship
Jan. 7 / 8 p.m. New Orleans, La. FOX
*BCS #1 vs. BCS #2
Projection: Ohio State vs. LSU​
 
Last edited:
A couple of the matchups look really interesting:

USC v. UGA
Florida v. Kansas
Utah v. Navy
BYU v. UCLA
 
i heard Uconn may be in the sun bowl, and that it was down to either them or cincy as the BE team.. we'll see though
 
husky17 said:
i heard Uconn may be in the sun bowl, and that it was down to either them or cincy as the BE team.. we'll see though
Click to expand...

I'd be shocked after UConn's most recent performance. Car Care would be the best possible.

I think Cincinnati goes Sun Bowl with USF getting stuck in the Papa John's bowl...
 
I'm not sure where they will end up, but if Cincy ends up in the PapaJohns.com Bowl, it would be a travesty.
 
I am worried that they don't want Cincy in the Sun Bowl because they have already played Oregon St. this season.

Sun Bowl representatives also recently said that they will use BCS rankings as a fairly big determinant. This is the only poll where USF is ahead of Cincinnati - therefore USF could find themselves in the Sun Bowl.
 
From Josh K's blog:

"A decision tomorrow?

It could happen. Been working the phones since I woke up about 3 p.m., and I got off the phone a little while ago with John Folmer, the chairman of the Sun Bowl selection committee. He said the committee will meet Monday afternoon and decide between South Florida and UC. That doesn't necessarily mean the Sun Bowl officially will announce anything, but he said it'll choose the Big East representative tomorrow.

“UC has done their part," Folmer said. "They went out and played like a good football team."

Also talked to Brett McMurphy, the USF beat writer for the Tampa Tribune. He talked to Folmer on Saturday night and said the Sun Bowl wanted the team ranked highest in the BCS standings. That means USF (No. 21) would get it over UC (No. 23). But he also told Brett that the selection committee would have to vote on it.

Folmer didn't tell me that, though.

"Who's ranked higher and who beat who, all those different factors come into play," Folmer told me.

Further complicating the matter is if the Sun Bowl has to take Oregon State for the second-straight year. Folmer straight up told me the Sun Bowl does not want a UC-Oregon State rematch.

So again, who knows? But it sounds the same as what we heard last night. It sounds like the Sun Bowl wants USF, leaving the Car Care Bowl to decide between UC and UConn.




Seems like USF could get the Sun.
 
Updated again with:
Talking Car Care bowl

Talked to Meineke Bowl chairman Will Webb and both UConn and Cincinnati are in play for the Car Care Bowl and if the Sun goes a different way (no USF), then USF is in the mix. He never brought up Rutgers. I don't think Rutgers is in play, though he didn't say it outright. It could be all done Tuesday before Rutgers even plays.

Here is what Webb said about the Huskies 66-21 loss to West Virginia:

"The team No. 6 in the BCS (Virginia Tech) got clobbered (by LSU earlier in the season). It happens, it was an emotional day for West Virginia, they were playing to get for a spot in the national championship. They (UConn) were a little nervous and it was the biggest game they played in. They are high on our radar. This would be a good bowl if it works out."

On Cincinnati being a higher ranked team than Connecticut and the polls and BCS, though it is very slight.

"We have different opinions on committee and staff. How they finished is important. Cincinnati is ranked higher, but UConn finished higher in conference. They were outright second in conference. How does that balance or counter balance each other?"

Webb said a decision could come early this week but Monday wouldn't be practical. They have to wait until the Sun Bowl goes to make anything official. It could come as early as Tuesday (there is a BCS conference call) and will be no later than Sunday.

On the ACC side it's unclear. Ga Tech, Maryland, Florida State or Wake Forest.

Edit: Promise to get Meineke spelled correctly.


Based on this, UConn could go to the Car Care. Seems to me like Wake vs. Cincy would be a cool match-up given the Mauk scenario, but what do I know.

<!-- start: postbit_signature -->
 
UConn guy's take on the situation:

Sunday wrap


Huskies are awaiting their bowl fate.

Randy Edsall would be happy to go to any bowl, but he did say that if Jeff Hathaway wanted him to pick up the phone and do some convincing he would be happy to help out. You see, now it's game time for the University athletic department. There is a need to politic here for a bowl bid. The Huskies can end up from El Paso to Birmingham. And the prestige goes from a lot to a very little.

Now, it's like the schools are playing each other again. USF is already aiming for that Sun Bowl berth. Cincinnati probably has the inside shot. UConn? Edsall wouldn't say if he would be disappointed if the Sun passes, but he does know all the officials.

Hint: He played golf with the Meineke guy in Newport this summer. Has a good relationship. It's a good fit for the Huskies and I would be stunned if the Car Care didn't take UConn regardless of who else is available. The BCS and rankings won't be that far off between UConn, Cincy and USF. All between 23-30 in the polls. Not much separates them.

Edit: I don't like the word stunned I used, I think Cincinnati has an excellent case. Just reading over the post now while I answered a comment. UConn or Cincinnati, whichever one doesn't get into the Meineke gets screwed. How does a top 30 BCS team get into the papajohns.com bowl?

That is a major embarrassment for the conference.

What bothers me is this: UConn went 5-2 and had a stellar and magical campaign and on the last game of the season with a win would probably be staring at a top 12 ranking and the Sugar Bowl. Now, with a loss, they are headed to one of the worst bowls out there? Do you have to go 10-2 in the Big East to get a decent bowl game? That is unreasonable.

How is UConn supposed to ever get in the Sun Bowl or Gator Bowl if in their best season they can't even get into the Car Care bowl? What do they have to do? If they win one more game they are headed to the Sugar Bowl.

And Cincinnati should have a better bowl too. How would you feel if you beat USF and UConn in the last month and because of a loss to the national champion got stuck in Birmingham.

Still, I can't imagine UConn getting passed over three times.

What's the use of the regular season?

If there were adequate bowls, then you can make a case for UConn dropping because they were blown out in two of last three games. But, a three bowl drop when the last bowl is absolutely a terrible game and name is embarrassing.

UConn did finish 5-2 and beat the Sun Bowl team, which it also had a better conference record than and beat head-to-head. Does that mean anything at all? Alone in second place should count for something. Cincinnati beat every other bowl team in conference except the champion.

They have a bigger complaint if they are in the Pizza.

There is no good scenario. Why even bother? Cincy or UConn in Birmingham is a no-win for either team. It does nothing for them. No one is watching, no prestige, no money, and if you win no one cares. You lose? Your terrible.

UConn may not get any reward for winning the games. Gosh, the International and Papajohns.com bowl are even worse than I thought. They are fine as 5th and 6th games in the Big East, not 4th and 5th.

That this is an issue is a travesty. What are Cincinnati and UConn supposed to do? They earned the right for good bowls. One isn't going to get it.
 
The non-BCS bowl picture will start falling into place pretty quickly now. Invitations have gone out to a number of teams already.

From thewizardofodds.blogspot.com:

Mike Baldwin, Oklahoman: Oklahoma State most likely will play in the Insight Bowl after Alamo Bowl officials narrowed their Big 12 choices to Texas A&M and Texas Tech.

Brett McMurphy, Tampa Tribune: The Sun Bowl voted to extend an invitation to South Florida. A team from the Pacific 10 will be the opponent.

Rick Scoppe, Greenville News: South Carolina could get an invitation to the Music City Bowl, where its opponent could be Florida State.

Jake Schaller, Colorado Springs Gazette: Air Force has accepted a bid to play in the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl.

Jeff Wilson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram: Texas Christian is expected to play in the Texas Bowl, where it would take on the hometown Houston Cougars.

Ryan Autullo, Toledo Blade: Bowling Green is expected to get an invitation to the GMAC Bowl.

Dave Curtis, Orlando Sentinel: A complete list of bowl projections.
 
Thanks, Husky. It's not confirmed on CBS or CFN but I'll go ahead and add it along with USF.

Confirmed
UConn to Meineke Car Care Bowl
USF to Sun Bowl
 
South Florida going to the Sun Bowl throws a major wrench into the projections since it'll have a major trickle down effect. Texas Tech was projected for the Sun Bowl but now has to fight it out with Aggy for the Alamo Bowl and may get stuck in the Texas Bowl. However, the Gator is still open and they may want Texas. If Texas goes to the Gator, Texas Tech might end up in the Holiday Bowl.

Things start getting interesting.
 
By Jim Carty | The Ann Arbor News

The magic combination that CollegeBCS.com publisher Jerry Palm predicts should elevate Ohio State into the national title game and Illinois into the Rose Bowl requires a Missouri loss in the Big 12 title game, plus losses by either Boston College or Tennessee in their conference title games.
If that happens, every other Big Ten team bumps up one spot in the conference's bowl heirarchy, which could have major implications for Michigan.
The Ohio State part of the equation is simple enough. If Mizzou loses, that should move the Buckeyes into the Bowl Championship Series national title game. If that happens, the Rose Bowl isn't obligated to then pick another Big Ten team, but bowl officials cherish their traditional matchup and historically have tried to go in that direction. For Illinois to be eligible, the Illini have to be ranked among the top 14 teams in the BCS standings. Ron Zook's team currently sits 15th in the standings, but will move up if Boston College or Tennessee lose and fall in the rankings.
If that happens Palm - who's among the most reliable analysts nationally on this subject - believes the Rose Bowl will invite Illinois.
That leaves Orlando's Capital One Bowl with an interesting decision to make. The Capital One hopes to match Illinois with Florida, Zook's old team. But if the Illini are off the table, the bowl almost certainly won't select the next-best Big Ten team, Wisconsin, because the Badgers have been to Orlando in each of the past two years.
That leaves Michigan and Penn State, both 8-4.
Arguments for Michigan? The Wolverines finished tied for second in the league, beat Joe Paterno's team head-to-head, and this will be Lloyd Carr's final game as coach.
Arguments for Penn State? The Nittany Lions typically travel much better than Michigan (especially with the Wolverines coming off two straight losses) and finished up the season playing better ball than Michigan.
If the Capital One opts for Penn State, that would likely drop Michigan into the Alamo Bowl, since the Outback will scoop up Wisconsin.
An X-factor? What if LSU loses in the Southeastern Conference title game and the Capital One could match up Les Miles against Lloyd Carr? Think that would draw some ratings?
 
An X-factor? What if LSU loses in the Southeastern Conference title game and the Capital One could match up Les Miles against Lloyd Carr? Think that would draw some ratings?
Click to expand...
<!-- / message --><!-- / message -->
 
What a joke those BE selections are. At least the teams get paid according to the finish in the conference.

Now Cincy gets to play in the PapaJohns.com bowl against Southern Miss in a stadium with a condemned upper deck. Wonderful.

Way to punish a team for a successful season.
 
B.A.R. said:
By Jim Carty | The Ann Arbor News

The magic combination that CollegeBCS.com publisher Jerry Palm predicts should elevate Ohio State into the national title game and Illinois into the Rose Bowl requires a Missouri loss in the Big 12 title game, plus losses by either Boston College or Tennessee in their conference title games.
If that happens, every other Big Ten team bumps up one spot in the conference's bowl heirarchy, which could have major implications for Michigan.
The Ohio State part of the equation is simple enough. If Mizzou loses, that should move the Buckeyes into the Bowl Championship Series national title game. If that happens, the Rose Bowl isn't obligated to then pick another Big Ten team, but bowl officials cherish their traditional matchup and historically have tried to go in that direction. For Illinois to be eligible, the Illini have to be ranked among the top 14 teams in the BCS standings. Ron Zook's team currently sits 15th in the standings, but will move up if Boston College or Tennessee lose and fall in the rankings.
If that happens Palm - who's among the most reliable analysts nationally on this subject - believes the Rose Bowl will invite Illinois.
That leaves Orlando's Capital One Bowl with an interesting decision to make. The Capital One hopes to match Illinois with Florida, Zook's old team. But if the Illini are off the table, the bowl almost certainly won't select the next-best Big Ten team, Wisconsin, because the Badgers have been to Orlando in each of the past two years.
That leaves Michigan and Penn State, both 8-4.
Arguments for Michigan? The Wolverines finished tied for second in the league, beat Joe Paterno's team head-to-head, and this will be Lloyd Carr's final game as coach.
Arguments for Penn State? The Nittany Lions typically travel much better than Michigan (especially with the Wolverines coming off two straight losses) and finished up the season playing better ball than Michigan.
If the Capital One opts for Penn State, that would likely drop Michigan into the Alamo Bowl, since the Outback will scoop up Wisconsin.
An X-factor? What if LSU loses in the Southeastern Conference title game and the Capital One could match up Les Miles against Lloyd Carr? Think that would draw some ratings?
Click to expand...

but we are just 3rd in the big 10:36_11_6:
 
Confirmed (First Complete Bowl Matchup Confirmed):

PapaJohn’s.com Bowl
Dec. 22 / 1 p.m. Birmingham, Ala. ESPN2
Tie-Ins: Big East (or MAC) vs. C-USA
Projection: Cincinnati vs. Southern Miss

Line predictions?

My prediction is roughly Cincy -10 but would be willing to give some play to this being USM's last game with their coach.
 
Those projections seem pretty far off as far as the lower-tier SEC selections are concerned.

Who the Cotton/Outback take will determine who the Peach/MCB bowls take. If UT beats LSU, LSU goes Cotton, Auburn goes Outback, UK goes Peach, and Arkansas goes MCB. If LSU wins, Arkansas probably goes Cotton (Cotton won't want Auburn again), Auburn goes Peach, and UK goes MCB. Peach won't take Arkansas with the coaching situation and how far they are from Atlanta.

I don't see any way Mississippi State goes ahead of Kentucky, or Alabama for that matter. I say those two fill up the Liberty and Independence.

Please win Tennessee...
 
Hey, Garf! Nice to see you around.

I didn't have my PRs around when I made my predictions but I do now.

I have the line at 14.
 
Coming fast and furious now:

Confirmed:

Bowling Green to GMAC Bowl
Ball State to International Bowl to face Rutgers

 
Confirmed:

International Bowl
Jan. 5 / 12 p.m. Toronto, Canada ESPN2
Tie-Ins: Big East/Notre Dame vs. MAC No. 4 or 5
Projection: Rutgers vs. Ball State
 
Miami now has a losing record thanks to the title game so they won't be going anywhere. Some reward for winning the division huh? LOL
 
Tulsa will be playing BG in the GMAC bowl. I have no idea how to even make a line for that one.

Tulsa -17.5
Bowling Green 72
 
Confirmed:

GMAC Bowl
Jan. 6 / 8 p.m. Mobile, Ala. ESPN
Tie-Ins: C-USA No. 2 vs. MAC
Projection: Tulsa vs. Bowling Green
 
East Carolina to the Hawaii Bowl. Conference USA bids have been completed.

Presumably FAU is in the New Orleans bowl as they have the head-to-head tie-breaker over Troy.
 
Where are you seeing ECU? FAU is presumed but not confirmed at this point, as well as a few othes.

Thanks, Garf.

It's like opening Christmas presents early.
 
Sportsline just confirmed FAU.

Confirmed:

R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
Dec. 21 / 8 p.m. New Orleans, La. ESPN2
Tie-Ins: Sun Belt No. 1 vs. C-USA
Projection: FAU vs. Memphis
 
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