The Beef O'Brady's Bowl kicks off the 2011-12 postseason slate with a less-than-thrilling match-up of Florida International and Marshall. FIU played the weakest schedule in FBS and went 8-4. Marshall won only six of 12 games but did upset Southern Miss and Louisville (also a victim of FIU). They suffered some stunning routs however but should do well here today. Pick: Marshall (but who will watch this one?)
The Humanitarian Bowl is no more as the blue turf at Boise State now hosts the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. While that is an oddly appropriate name, the game itself should be compelling. Utah State made an early impression this year by beating up on defending national champion Auburn before losing late, 42-38, on two TDs in the game's final minutes. The Aggies, who run the ball very well, had an inconsistent first half of the season with a stunning loss at home to Colorado State followed by a narrow loss to BYU and then a rout of Wyoming. From that high they fell hard, losing by 10 to Fresno--both CSU and Fresno will have new coaches next year so perhaps Utah State plays to the level of its competition. Once November hit, however, they ran off five straight victories to finish with a 7-5 mark. In his third season head coach Gary Andersen has done a great job building a program that now enjoys its first winning season in more than 10 years. Frank Solich at Ohio has had continued success in Athens, as his 8-4 record in 2011 marked his third season in five with at least eight wins. The Bobcats held off Temple for the MAC East crown before narrowly losing to Northern Illinois in the title game. Ohio also ran off four straight wins in November, including the huge 35-31 victory over Temple, and while they are still coached by the normally-conservative Solich, will throw the ball more that Utah State. Soph QB Tyler Tettleton broke 12 school records this season and finished with 26 TD passes. Pick: Utah State in OT.
What a surprise: New Orleans hosts a bowl game tonight featuring a local favorite. That sounds familiar. This time the beneficiary of home cooking is the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns, who surprisingly won eight games this year under new coach Mark Hudspeth. Louisiana stunned squads like FIU and Troy behind an offense that topped 30 points nine times. San Diego State is one year ahead of Louisiana in turning around its program, having beaten Navy in a bowl last season. The Aztecs feature the exciting Ronnie Hillman at tailback. Pick: Louisiana in an upset.
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