Big Sky Conference
FCS Championship Game
Villanova vs Montana @ Chattanooga, TN, December 18, 6:00 PM Mountain ESPN 2.
I went out celebrating my anniversary on Friday thinking this game is on Saturday. Oh well. Congratulations to Villanova on their win over Montana. The final was 23-21. The Wildcats showed the country how to beat the Grizzlies. They made Chase Reynolds a non-factor and forced Andy Selle to win the game by himself. That he almost did, but the Grizz could not recover the on-side kick at the end.
WAC vs. MWC
New Mexico Bowl
Fresno Stave vs Wyoming @ Albuquerque, NM, December 19, 2:30 PM
This was supposed to be a party for Ryan Matthews. He was supposed to impress the heck out of all of the NFL scouts. But 24,000 people in Albuquerque, most clad in prairie gold and brown ,witnessed a coming out party for Austyn Carta-Samuels and the Wyoming Cowboys. When the game was on the line, when the Bulldogs were up by three in the final third of the fourth quarter, Ryan Matthews was forced to cough up the football. What followed was a gutsy drive by Carta-Samuels and company, where they converted 3 fourth downs on the way to kicking the game tying field goal. In the OT, the Wyoming defense held for a 35-28 win.
Fiesta Bowl
TCU vs Boise State @ Glendale, AZ, January 4, 2010 6:00 pm Mountain Time
Matching these two in a bowl game is considered a big disappointment to BCS enemies, but a good move by BCS proponents. But it is now time to worry about the game and leave the politics for later. Boise State has not even seen anyone as close to the caliber as TCU. The Frogs are much better than the team that they battled in last year's Poinsettia bowl. The Broncos will have to be at the top of their game to come close to winning. TCU has been scary the last half of the season and have obliterated all comers and have made it look easy. This includes a pair of ranked conference rivals. Something that Boise State does not have to reckon with.
TCU 38 Boise 17
MWC
Las Vegas Bowl @ Las Vegas, NV, December 22, 2009 6:00 pm Mountain Time
Oregon State vs BYU
This game has the potential to make the next 9 days worth of bowls anti-climatic. On paper, this is the best game the Las Vegas Bowl has ever put together. Both teams have explosive offenses, and both teams have suspect defenses. It could be an old-fashioned shoot out. In games like this, there are some keys that both teams need to master. Turnovers, penalties, field position and clock management are key. Perhaps the team with the senior quarterback and all-American tight end will have the advantage. Mike Riley has not lost a bowl game as a head coach at Oregon State.
BYU 41 Oregon State 38
Poinsettia Bowl @ San Diego, CA, December 23, 2009 6:00 pm Mountain Time
Utah vs California
California is at their best when Jahvid Best is in the backfield. He did not play in the final three games of the regular season due to a concussion. Offensively, the two teams are very evenly matched. Both teams have a tough defense. The game could be a tough and tight defensive battle. Kyle Whittingham has not lost a bowl game as a head coach.
Utah 28 California 27
Armed Forces Bowl @ Fort Worth, TX, December 31, 2009 at 10:00 am Mountain Time
Air Force vs Houston
Case Keenum is in a similar place to Ryan Matthews. Someone who is coming off a real sharp junior year and is deciding to enter the NFL. Except Keenum has a good shot at some serious hardware if he remains in college and not just an outside chance. The question is whether or not Air Force can play a good defensive game. Keenum is the best quarterback the Falcon will face all season. Conventional wisdom is that if Max Hall can shred the Falcon defense, Keenum will annihilate them.
Houston 35 Air Force 17
WAC
Hawaii Bowl @ Honolulu, HI, December 24, 2009 6:00 PM Mountain Time
Nevada vs SMU
June Jones returns to Aloha Stadium where he left being upset over the lack of commitment to improved facilities in Hawaii. Now he gets a chance to see how far his complaining went. His Ponies are playing in their first bowl since the football program was slapped with the death penalty in the 80s. Nevada has an offense that features three speedy backs. The turf at Aloha Stadium is extremely fast. The best hope SMU has is that Nevada beats themselves, which they have done this year. This may be the biggest blowout in the bowl season and hardly worth a interruption of the "Christmas Story" marathon.
Nevada 38 SMU 10
Humanitarian Bowl @ Boise, ID, December 30, 2009 2:30 PM Mountain Time
Idaho vs Bowling Green
The Vandals were one of the feel good stories of the early college football season. But they enter this bowl having lost four straight. Sure, Fresno State, Nevada and Boise State are better teams and they actually had a chance to beat the Bulldogs as the Matthews was hurt for much of the game. But the loss at the end of the season is a head scratcher. The Falcons are entering bowl season the right way, on a four game winning streak. Freddie Barnes has nearly 1/3 of all of BG's receptions and nearly half of their touchdowns. The Idaho defense will be a good opponent to add to his record total.
BG 27 Idaho 17
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