SPORTS BUZZ TOP 25
Bowl GAME - POWER RANKINGS 

1.       LSU                     (13-0)    Tigers roll into title game the undisputed No. 1 team.
2.      Alabama             (11-1)    Tide holds onto coveted No. 2 spot in BCS standings.
3.      Oklahoma State  (11-1)    Pokes will always remember the loss in Ames.
4.      Oregon               (11-2)    Chip Kelly searching for his first BCS bowl win.
5.      Stanford              (11-1)    Cardinal will need a lot of Luck to outscore O-State.
6.      Wisconsin            (11-2)    Badgers head back to the Rose Bowl once again.
7.      Arkansas             (10-2)    Hogs meet K-State in intriguing Cotton Bowl clash.
8.      USC                    (10-2)    Sanctions will keep USC home for the holidays.
9.      Kansas State       (10-2)    Wildcats snubbed by the Sugar Bowl.
10.     Michigan State    (10-3)    Spartans passed over for BCS by rival Michigan.
11.     Boise State         (11-1)    Coach Pete not pleased with the BCS.
12.     South Carolina    (10-2)    Gamecocks were a very quiet 10-game winner.
13.     Clemson             (10-3)    Tigers flip the switch in surprising ACC title win.
14.     Virginia Tech       (11-2)    Hokies beat every team not named Clemson.
15.     Baylor                 (9-3)      RGIII caps memorable season with unlikely Heisman.
16.     Georgia               (10-3)    Dawgs don’t want to end season on two-game slide.
17.     Oklahoma           (9-3)      Sooners were a no-show in Bedlam beatdown.
18.     TCU                    (10-2)    Frogs came close to crashing BCS party.
19.     Michigan             (10-2)    Brady Hoke has Wolverines back in a BCS bowl.
20.     Nebraska            (9-3)      The Husker faithful are getting a bit impatient.
21.     Penn State          (9-3)      Lions’ defense will be tested by Houston.
22.     Notre Dame        (8-4)      Early season losses sabotaged the Irish in 2011.
23.     Missouri              (7-5)      Tigers eager to make the move to the SEC.
24.     Georgia Tech       (8-4)      Jackets need to reverse their recent bowl fortunes.
25.     Southern Miss     (11-2)    Golden Eagles capture Conference USA crown. 

BOWL SCHEDULE 

New Mexico Bowl
Temple vs. Wyoming
Albuquerque, N.M. • Dec. 17 • 2 p.m. • ESPN
Idaho Potato Bowl
Utah State vs. Ohio
Boise, Idaho • Dec. 17 • 5:30 p.m. • ESPN
New Orleans Bowl
UL-Lafayette vs. San Diego State
New Orleans • Dec. 17 • 9 p.m. • ESPN
Beef O’Brady’s Bowl
FIU vs. Marshall
St. Petersburg, Fla. • Dec. 20 • 8 p.m. • ESPN
MAACO Bowl Las Vegas
Arizona State vs. Boise State
Las Vegas • Dec. 21 • 8 p.m. • ESPN
Poinsettia Bowl
Louisiana Tech vs. TCU
San Diego • Dec. 21 • 8 p.m. • ESPN
Hawaii Bowl
Nevada vs. Southern Miss
Honolulu • Dec. 24 • 8 p.m. • ESPN
Independence Bowl
Missouri vs. North Carolina
Shreveport, La. • Dec. 26 • 5 p.m. • ESPN2
Little Caesars Pizza Bowl
Western Michigan vs. Purdue
Detroit • Dec. 27 • 8:30 p.m. • ESPN
Belk Bowl
Louisville vs. NC State
Charlotte, N.C. • Dec. 27 • 8 p.m. • ESPN
Military Bowl
Toledo vs. Air Force
Washington, D.C. • Dec. 28 • 4:30 p.m. • ESPN
Holiday Bowl
California vs. Texas
San Diego • Dec. 28 • 8 p.m. • ESPN
Champs Sports Bowl
Florida State vs. Notre Dame
Orlando, Fla. • Dec. 29 • 5:30 p.m. • ESPN
Alamo Bowl
Washington vs. Baylor
San Antonio, Texas • Dec. 29 • 9 p.m. • ESPN
Armed Forces Bowl
BYU vs. Tulsa
Dallas • Dec. 30 • Noon • ESPN
Pinstripe Bowl
Rutgers vs. Iowa State
Bronx, N.Y. • Dec. 30 • 3:20 p.m. • ESPN
Music City Bowl
Wake Forest vs. Mississippi State
Nashville, Tenn. • Dec. 30 • 6:40 p.m. • ESPN
Insight Bowl
Iowa vs. Oklahoma
Tempe, Ariz. • Dec. 30 • 10 p.m. • ESPN
Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas
Texas A&M vs. Northwestern
Houston • Dec. 31 • Noon • ESPN
Sun Bowl
Georgia Tech vs. Utah
El Paso, Texas • Dec. 31 • 2 p.m. • CBS
Liberty Bowl
Vanderbilt vs. Cincinnati
Memphis, Tenn. • Dec. 31 • 3:30 p.m. • ABC
Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl
Illinois vs. Utah
San Francisco •  Dec. 31 • 3:30 p.m. • ESPN
Chick-fil-A Bowl
Virginia vs. Auburn
Atlanta • Dec. 31 •7:30 p.m. • ESPN
TicketCity Bowl
Houston vs. Penn State
Dallas • Jan. 2 • Noon • ESPNU
Capital One Bowl
Nebraska vs. South Carolina
Orlando, Fla. • Jan. 2 • 1 p.m. • ESPN
Outback Bowl
Michigan State vs. Georgia
Tampa, Fla. • Jan. 2 • 1 p.m.  • ABC
Gator Bowl
Florida vs. Ohio State
Jacksonville, Fla. • Jan. 2 • 1:30 p.m. • ESPN2
Rose Bowl
Wisconsin vs. Oregon
Pasadena, Calif. • Jan. 2 • 5 p.m. • ESPN
Fiesta Bowl
Oklahoma State vs. Stanford
Glendale, Ariz. • Jan. 2 • 8:30 p.m. • ESPN
Sugar Bowl
Virginia Tech vs. Michigan
New Orleans • Jan. 3 • 8:30 p.m. • ESPN
Orange Bowl
Clemson vs. West Virginia
Miami • Jan. 4 • 8 p.m. • ESPN
Cotton Bowl
Kansas State vs. Arkansas
Arlington, Texas • Jan. 6 • 8 p.m. • FOX
BBVA Compass Bowl
Pittsburgh vs. SMU
Birmingham, Ala. • Jan. 7 • 1 p.m. • ESPN
GoDaddy.com Bowl
Arkansas State vs. Northern Illinois
Mobile, Ala. • Jan. 8 • 9 p.m. • ESPN
BCS National Championship
LSU vs. Alabama
New Orleans • Jan. 9 • 8:30 p.m. • ESPN 

SBO ON TAP – BOWL PREDICTIONS & PREDICATORS 

New Mexico Bowl: Temple vs. Wyoming
For the second time in three seasons, Wyoming is in a bowl game with a true freshman at quarterback. Two years ago, Austyn Carta-Samuels guided the Cowboys to a win over Fresno State in the New Mexico Bowl. With Carta-Samuels gone — he transferred to Vanderbilt — coach Dave Christensen handed the offense to Brett Smith, who ranks second in the Mountain West in total offense and fourth in passing efficiency. The key for the Cowboys, however, will be on defense. They rank 115th in the nation in stopping the run (230.1 ypg) — a huge concern with Temple’s potent rushing attack on the horizon. Temple 24, Wyoming 21

Idaho Potato Bowl: Utah State vs. Ohio
Utah State opened up the season with a 42–38 agonizing loss at Auburn, the defending national champs. The Aggies went on to lose four of their next six games — all by 10 points or less — before ending the season on a five-game winning streak. Ohio must regroup after blowing a 20–0 lead in the second half to Northern Illinois in the MAC Championship Game. Three of the Bobcats’ four losses came by three points or less. These are two solid teams. Utah State 27, Ohio 24

New Orleans Bowl:  UL-Lafayette vs. San Diego State
Mark Hudspeth did a great job in his first year at UL-Lafayette, guiding the Ragin’ Cajuns to an 8–4 record and their first bowl game in the FBS ranks. San Diego State is making back-to-back postseason appearances for the first time in school history. The Aztecs will lean heavily on underrated tailback Ronnie Hillman, who ranks third nationally in rushing (138.0 ypg). San Diego State 34, UL-Lafayette 21
Beef O’Brady’s Bowl:  FIU vs. Marshall
Marshall, at 5–3, had its first winning record in seven years in C-USA. The Herd got it done with a true freshman (Rakeem Cato) taking the majority of the snaps at quarterback. FIU failed to repeat as Sun Belt champs, but the Golden Panthers still won eight games in the regular season, including their final three. Marshall 20, FIU 14

MAACO Bowl Las Vegas: Arizona State vs. Boise State
Boise State, 11–1 overall, was relegated to the MAACO Bowl for the second straight season after getting snubbed in the BCS bowl selection process. This team deserves better. Arizona State, on the other hand, is fortunate to still be playing. The Sun Devils lost their final four games, including the last two at home, to finish at 6–6. Oh, and their coach got fired. Boise State 37, Arizona State 21

Poinsettia Bowl: Louisiana Tech vs. TCU
Louisiana Tech is one of the more undervalued teams in the nation. The Bulldogs went 8–4 overall and won their final seven games. They lost by two points at Southern Miss (11–2), by one point to Houston (12–1) and by six, in overtime, at Mississippi State. TCU is obviously very good — the Horned Frogs won at Boise State — but Louisiana Tech, a double-digit underdog, is capable of winning this game. Louisiana Tech 24, TCU 21

Hawaii BowL:  Nevada vs. Southern Miss
Southern Miss got shipped off to Hawaii despite winning the Conference USA Championship Game. It’s a fun trip for the players, but too far for the majority of the fans, many of whom would have made the relatively short trip to the Liberty Bowl in Memphis. Nevada once again brings a high-powered attack to the table; the Wolf Pack have averaged over 500 yards per game in each of the past four seasons. Nevada scored 40-plus points in five of their final seven games. Southern Miss 41, Nevada 37

Independence Bowl: Missouri vs. North Carolina
SEC-bound Missouri salvaged what had been a disappointing season by winning its final three games, including a 17–5 decision over Texas and a 24–10 win over Kansas in the final Border War showdown for the foreseeable future. North Carolina struggled down the stretch, not surprising for a team playing with an interim head coach (Everett Withers) who was never expected to get the job on a full-time basis. Missouri 28, North Carolina 17

Little Caesar’s Bowl: Western Michigan vs. Purdue
Western Michigan boasts one of the nation’s most potent pass-catch duos in quarterback Alex Carder and wide receiver Jordan White. The Broncos rank eighth in the nation in passing (328.8 ypg) and White leads all receivers nationally with 10.6 receptions per game. Western Michigan will have to score a bunch of points, because its defense could have trouble with Purdue. Purdue 41, Western Michigan 33

Belk Bowl: Louisville vs. NC State
Picked by most to finish near the bottom of the Big East in 2011, Louisville was the surprise of the league, tying for the title with West Virginia and Cincinnati. And with talented true freshman Teddy Bridgewater emerging at quarterback, the future is bright for the Cardinals. Meanwhile, Tom O’Brien likely saved his job at NC State by winning three of his final four games, most notably a 13–0 shutout vs. rival North Carolina and a 37–13 win over eventual ACC champ Clemson. Louisville 23, NC State 17

Military Bowl: Toledo vs. Air Force
Toledo averaged 52.8 points in its last six games, but managed to only go 5–1 in that stretch. The Rockets lost to Northern Illinois, 63–60, at home in a game that ultimately cost them the MAC West title. Air Force was a bit of a disappointment, finishing in fifth place in the Mountain West with a 3–4 league record. Falcons’ coach Troy Calhoun was rumored for several other jobs, but it appears he will be back in Colorado Springs in 2012. Toledo 41, Air Force 27

Holiday Bowl: California vs. Texas
Texas limped to the finish line, losing three of its final four games. Amazingly, the Longhorns are 6–11 in the Big 12 over the last two seasons. That, obviously, won’t cut it in Austin. Cal played well late, winning three of its last four, with the only loss coming by three points at Stanford. The Golden Bears have more momentum heading into bowl season. California 27, Texas 17

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