Beerman’s Picks
by Ben Shapiro, 12/7/01
Each week this season, I will be posting a column previewing
the upcoming weekend's Big East and Top-25 match-ups. All rankings are from
the
Bowl Championship Series Poll. I don't pick winners (that's too easy),
I pick against
the spread.
All picks are for entertainment purposes only. If you actually bet
based on what I think...well...don't say you weren't warned!. For
the most current TV information, click on over to
TV Guide
This Week: Part one of my picks. Busy and lazy make for a bad mix, and
frankly I'm not even going to try to pick games that aren't kicking off for another two weeks.
Not in Action: Hawaii. And it's
a shame...but Cincinnati fans are happy, and isn't that what's most
important?
|
| Tuesday
12/18 |
New Orleans
Bowl
New Orleans, LA
North Texas (5-6) vs. Colorado State (6-5) |
| Line: CSU (-12.5) |
8:00 PM
(ESPN2)
|
| And this years bowl season
kicks off with a hearty ... sigh.
I mean seriously. How are we supposed
to be expected to watch this? So North Texas won the Sun Belt
conference. Big whoop. They had to call it the Sun Belt,
because "No one else will take us so we're getting together and hoping
to sucker some bowl game" was too big to fit on the letterhead.
(Aside: How bad must Utah State feel, as the only former Big West team
not let into the Sun Belt. Ouch!)
On the other hand, should UNT win this
one it would render both participants retroactively bowl-ineligible.
Viva la New Orleans!
|
| Pick: UNT |
|
|
| Wednesday 12/19 |
GMAC Bowl
Mobile, AL
East Carolina (6-5) vs. Marshall (10-2) |
| Line: ECU (-2) |
8:00 PM
(ESPN2)
|
| Marshall didn't make it
back out of the locker room for the second half of the MAC Championship
game. East Carolina didn't make it back out for the second half
of any game this season. Advantage:
Herd
|
| Pick: Marshall |
|
|
| Thursday 12/20 |
Visit
Florida Tangerine Bowl
Orlando, FL
N.C. State (7-4) vs. Pittsburgh (6-5) |
| Line: pick'em |
7:30 PM
(ESPN2)
|
| I kinda dig this
exciting new trend in corporate marketing. Today it's the
Visit Florida Tangerine Bowl. Tomorrow it's the Eat Tostitos
Fiesta Bowl, or the Avoid Detroit Motor City Bowl. Otherwise
we, the ignorant consumer, will continue unabated with our rampant
misuse of their fine products. |
| Pick: UPitt |
|
|
| Tuesday 12/25 |
Sega Sports Las Vegas Bowl
Las Vegas, NV
Utah (7-4) vs. Southern Cal (6-5) |
| Line: USC (-3.5) |
3:30 PM
(ABC)
|
| Well, it should at least
be close... |
| Pick: Opening
presents, finding a Sega, and hooking it up to avoid having to watch
this snoozefest. |
|
| Thursday 12/27 |
Seattle Bowl
Seattle, WA
Stanford (9-2) vs. Georgia Tech (7-5) |
| Line: Stanford (-3.5) |
4:00 PM
(ESPN)
|
| With Friedgen and O'Leary
off coaching elsewhere ... sort of ... Georgia Tech is basically reduced
to drawing up plays in the dirt. Why Stanford is favored only
by what amounts to home field advantage, I have no idea. Maybe
the bookies figure Stanford's players actually study at the end of the
semester. I dunno. But at least it makes my pick easy! |
| Pick: Stanford |
|
|
Mainstay Independence
Bowl
Shreveport, LA
Iowa State (7-4) vs. Alabama (6-5) |
| Line: Bama (-7) |
7:30 PM
(ESPN)
|
| It isn't as if Iowa State
is not used to playing heavyweights. They are in the Big Twelve
after all. And they won their bowl game last year (over UPitt).
And Alabama is staring NCAA sanctions in the face. And Dennis
Franchione has been making goo-goo eyes at Kansas. And Alabama
hasn't really been a heavyweight for a few years now. Nope, we
like the Cyclones here. |
| Pick: Iowa State |
|
|
| Friday 12/28 |
GalleryFurniture.Com
Bowl
Houston, TX
Texas A&M (7-4) vs. TCU (6-5) |
| Line: aTm (-6.5) |
1:30 PM
(ESPN)
|
[Dottie answers the phone.]
Dottie: Hello?
Pee Wee: Hi, Dottie, it's Pee Wee!
Dottie: Pee Wee? Where are you calling from?
Pee Wee: Texas!
Dottie: Huh?
Pee Wee: Honest! I'll prove it! [singing]
The stars at night are big and bright...
Passersby: [singing and clapping] ...deep
in the heart of Texas! |
| Pick: aTm |
|
|
Music City Bowl
Nashville, TN
Boston College (7-4) vs. Georgia (8-3) |
| Line: Georgia (-4.5) |
5:00 PM
(ESPN)
|
| This game needs to flip
flop with the Peach Bowl. I'd really like to see if BC can
take down the mighty Georgia Bulldogs (or so they claim to be), but
holiday travel plans likely prevent this. Alas! |
| Pick: Boston College |
|
|
Culligan Holiday
Bowl
San Diego, CA
Texas (10-2) vs. Washington (8-3) |
| Line: Texas (-12.5) |
8:30 PM
(ESPN)
|
| Congrats Mack Brown, it
took you only eleven and a half games to figure out what every
armchair quarterback in the country knew from day one. |
| Pick: Texas |
|
|
| Saturday 12/29 |
Motor City Bowl
Detroit, MI
Toledo (10-2) vs. Cincinnati (7-4) |
| Line: Toledo (-3.5) |
12:00 PM
(ESPN)
|
| Now Toledo's a fun
story, and I'm glad to see a second MAC team in a bowl game for a
change. It woulda been nicer if they got to play ... I dunno
... Michigan State or Purdue instead. But hey, when you're in
the MAC you pretty much take what you can get. |
| Pick: Toledo |
|
|
Sylvania Alamo
Bowl
San Antonio, TX
Texas Tech (7-4) vs. Iowa (6-5) |
| Line: Tech (-2) |
3:30 PM
(ESPN)
|
| For their halftime entertainment,
fans at the Alamo Bowl will be treated to a fifteen minute steel cage
match featuring Herky the Hawkeye and Bobby Knight. |
| Pick: Red Radiuhs |
|
|
Insight.Com
Bowl
Phoenix, AZ
Syracuse (9-3) vs. Kansas State (6-5) |
| Line: KSU (-5.5) |
5:30 PM
(ESPN2)
|
| Gotta love the Cuse baby! Nothing says "we'll show
you!" to the Gator Bowl like bringing several _hundred_ die hard fans to Arizona. |
| Pick: The Notorious B.O.G. |
|
|
| Miscellanea... |
|
Season To Date: 131-140-2
Upset Special: (7-7) It's a bowl week
twofer!
- Marshall over East Carolina
- Iowa State over Alabama
|
