These are my predictions for the final 12 bowl games. Back in the day, 12 would have been all of them.
MUSIC CITY/Dec. 31/Nashville...the score of this game may be 6-3 either way, but I like Alabama's tough defense to prevail over Minnesota; Mike Shula is rebuilding the right way
SUN/Dec. 31/El Paso... Purdue QB Kyle Orton impressed me in last year's Capital One Bowl, and he has a great receiver named Taylor Stubblefield; "Boiler Up" over Arizona State
LIBERTY/Dec. 31/Memphis... if they don't miss too many free throws Louisville will outscore Boise St., the scoreboard may blow a fuse; Boise St. returns south on September 3 to Athens, Georgia
PEACH/Dec. 31/Atlanta... they're using an almanac in Gainesville to identify the Gators' coaching staff for this game; my almanac says Miami, with former Gator Brock Berlin at QB, will be less confused than Florida
COTTON/Jan. 1/Dallas...they won't have to play in the Georgia Dome -- where they are notoriously bad -- but Tennessee can't stop the pass and Texas A & M will feel right at home
OUTBACK/Jan. 1/Tampa... both Georgia and Wisconsin have tough defenses so expect a slugfest, the Bulldogs have a little more speed; Dogs on top (I hope)
GATOR/Jan. 1/Jacksonville...Florida State should also feel like they're playing at home, and if they get decent QB play, the Seminole defense provides an edge over West Virginia
CAPITAL ONE/Jan. 1/Orlando...LSU's Saban and Iowa's Ferentz are two high-profile coaches; if Saban can forget the Dolphins for a day and play Marcus Randall at QB, the Tigers' running game and defense will handle the Hawkeyes
ROSE/Jan. 1/Pasadena....the eyes of Texas, and the world, will be on Coach Mack Brown's Longhorns; Texas has experience and speed, I predict a close win over Michigan
FIESTA/Jan. 1/Tempe, Arizona...the crowd will look like Salt Lake City South; Utah has a great QB named Alex Smith; their coach is headed to Florida, and Pittsburgh's coach is headed to Stanford; sounds like the Happy Trails Bowl; Utah wins
SUGAR/Jan. 3/New Orleans...this game will be a war and my toughest pick; I give Auburn the advantage because of fate and QB Jason Campbell, but Virginia Tech always comes to play
ORANGE/Jan. 4/Miami.... Oklahoma experienced a meltdown in last year's title game against LSU, this year they have TB Adrian Peterson to help steady their hand, USC QB Matt Leinart will be carrying the weight of the Heisman Trophy, which never seems to help; unless the Trojans' Reggie Bush really goes off, Oklahoma will squeeze by
