College football bowl game predictions

December 19, 2:28 AMPhoenix Sports ExaminerTom Kessler

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College football’s bowl season kicks off on Dec. 20 with a four-game slate that includes the Arizona Wildcats’ matchup in the Las Vegas Bowl against the BYU Cougars.

A total of 34 bowl games will be contested over a 20-day period, beginning with the EagleBank Bowl on the morning of Dec. 20 and culminating with the BCS National Championship Game on the night of Jan. 8.

Along the way, five Pac-10 teams will participate in the postseason. In addition to the Arizona-BYU clash, California will play Miami in the Emerald Bowl on Dec. 27, Oregon will line up against Oklahoma State in what figures to be a Holiday Bowl shootout on Dec. 30, Oregon State will take on Pittsburgh in the Sun Bowl on Dec. 31, and the USC Trojans will go toe-to-toe with the Penn State Nittany Lions in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day in what could turn out to be an epic defensive struggle.

Here is a rundown of the entire bowl schedule, complete with a fearless forecast for each game. All times listed are Mountain standard.

Wake Forest (7-5) vs. Navy (8-4); EagleBank Bowl at Washington, D.C.; 9 a.m. Dec. 20 on ESPN. Prediction: Wake Forest 21, Navy 17

Fresno State (7-5) vs. Colorado State (6-6); New Mexico Bowl at Albuquerque, N.M.; 12:30 p.m. Dec. 20 on ESPN. Prediction: Colorado State 20, Fresno State 19

South Florida (7-5) vs. Memphis (6-6); St. Petersburg Bowl at St. Petersburg, Fla.; 2:30 p.m. Dec. 20 on ESPN2. Prediction: South Florida 35, Memphis 24

Arizona (7-5) vs. BYU (10-2); Las Vegas Bowl at Las Vegas, Nev.; 6 p.m. Dec. 20 on ESPN. Prediction: BYU 24, Arizona 17

Troy (8-4) vs. Southern Miss (6-6); New Orleans Bowl at New Orleans, La.; 6:15 p.m. Dec. 21 on ESPN. Prediction: Troy 28, Southern Miss 20

TCU (10-2) vs. Boise State (12-0); Poinsettia Bowl at San Diego, Calif.; 6 p.m. Dec. 23 on ESPN. Prediction: Boise State 24, TCU 21

Hawaii (7-6) vs. Notre Dame (6-6); Hawaii Bowl at Honolulu, Hawaii; 6 p.m. Dec. 24 on ESPN. Prediction: Notre Dame 26, Hawaii 21

Central Michigan (8-4) vs. Florida Atlantic (6-6); Motor City Bowl at Detroit, Mich.; 5:30 p.m. Dec. 26 on ESPN. Prediction: Central Michigan 34, Florida Atlantic 20

North Carolina (8-4) vs. West Virginia (8-4); Meineke Bowl at Charlotte, N.C.; 11 a.m. Dec. 27 on ESPN. Prediction: West Virginia 23, North Carolina 20

Florida State (8-4) vs. Wisconsin (7-5); Champs Sports Bowl at Orlando, Fla.; 2:30 p.m. Dec. 27 on ESPN. Prediction: Florida State 24, Wisconsin 16

California (8-4) vs. Miami (7-5); Emerald Bowl at San Francisco, Calif.; 6 p.m. Dec. 27 on ESPN. Prediction: California 23, Miami 16

Northern Illinois (6-6) vs. Louisiana Tech (7-5); Independence Bowl at Shreveport, La.; 6:15 p.m. Dec. 28 on ESPN. Prediction: Northern Illinois 17, Louisiana Tech 14

Rutgers (7-5) vs. North Carolina State (6-6); PapaJohns.com Bowl at Birmingham, Ala.; 1 p.m. Dec. 29 on ESPN. Prediction: North Carolina State 31, Rutgers 27

Missouri (9-4) vs. Northwestern (9-3); Alamo Bowl at San Antonio, Texas; 6 p.m. Dec. 29 on ESPN. Prediction: Missouri 35, Northwestern 13

Nevada (7-5) vs. Maryland (7-5); Humanitarian Bowl at Boise, Idaho; 2:30 p.m. Dec. 30 on ESPN. Prediction: Maryland 35, Nevada 28

Oklahoma State (9-3) vs. Oregon (9-3); Holiday Bowl at San Diego, Calif.; 6 p.m. Dec. 30 on ESPN. Prediction: Oregon 45, Oklahoma State 41

Rice (9-3) vs. Western Michigan (9-3); Texas Bowl at Houston, Texas; 6 p.m. Dec. 30 on NFL Network. Prediction: Rice 30, Western Michigan 27

Houston (7-5) vs. Air Force (8-4); Armed Forces Bowl at Fort Worth, Texas; 10 a.m. Dec. 31 on ESPN. Prediction: Air Force 34, Houston 28

Oregon State (8-4) vs. Pittsburgh (9-3); Sun Bowl at El Paso, Texas; noon Dec. 31 on CBS. Prediction: Oregon State 23, Pittsburgh 7

Boston College (9-4) vs. Vanderbilt (6-6); Music City Bowl at Nashville, Tenn.; 1:30 p.m. Dec. 31 on ESPN. Prediction: Boston College 27, Vanderbilt 24

Kansas (7-5) vs. Minnesota (7-5); Insight Bowl at Tempe, Ariz.; 3:30 p.m. Dec. 31 on NFL Network. Prediction: Kansas 34, Minnesota 21

Georgia Tech (9-3) vs. LSU (7-5); Chick-fil-A Bowl at Atlanta, Ga.; 5:30 p.m. Dec. 31 on ESPN. Prediction: Georgia Tech 28, LSU 24

Iowa (8-4) vs. South Carolina (7-5); Outback Bowl at Tampa, Fla.; 9 a.m. Jan. 1 on ESPN. Prediction: Iowa 21, South Carolina 17

Georgia (9-3) vs. Michigan State (9-3); Capital One Bowl at Orlando, Fla.; 11 a.m. Jan. 1 on ABC. Prediction: Georgia 31, Michigan State 10

Clemson (7-5) vs. Nebraska (8-4); Gator Bowl at Jacksonville, Fla.; 11 a.m. Jan. 1 on CBS. Prediction: Clemson 27, Nebraska 21

USC (11-1) vs. Penn State (11-1); Rose Bowl at Pasadena, Calif.; 2:30 p.m. Jan. 1 on ABC. Prediction: USC 17, Penn State 10

Cincinnati (11-2) vs. Virginia Tech (9-4); Orange Bowl at Miami, Fla.; 6:30 p.m. Jan. 1 on Fox. Prediction: Virginia Tech 20, Cincinnati 17

Texas Tech (11-1) vs. Mississippi (8-4); Cotton Bowl at Dallas, Texas; noon Jan. 2 on Fox. Prediction: Texas Tech 38, Mississippi 30

East Carolina (9-4) vs. Kentucky (6-6); Liberty Bowl at Memphis, Tenn.; 3 p.m. Jan. 2 on ESPN. Prediction: East Carolina 30, Kentucky 24

Alabama (12-1) vs. Utah (12-0); Sugar Bowl at New Orleans, La.; 6 p.m. Jan. 2 on Fox. Prediction: Alabama 27, Utah 20

Connecticut (7-5) vs. Buffalo (8-5); International Bowl at Toronto, Ontario; 10 a.m. Jan. 3 on ESPN2. Prediction: Connecticut 26, Buffalo 20

Texas (11-1) vs. Ohio State (10-2); Fiesta Bowl at Glendale, Ariz.; 6 p.m. Jan. 5 on Fox. Prediction: Ohio State 24, Texas 23

Ball State (12-1) vs. Tulsa (10-3); GMAC Bowl at Mobile, Ala.; 6 p.m. Jan. 6 on ESPN. Prediction: Ball State 28, Tulsa 21

Florida (12-1) vs. Oklahoma (12-1); BCS Championship Game at Miami, Fla.; 6 p.m. Jan. 8 on Fox. Prediction: Florida 41, Oklahoma 38

To see bowl picks from the Houston Sports Examiner, click here.

* Arizona Sports Examiner Tom Kessler can be reached via e-mail at arizonasports@hotmail.com.