Scooter Chapman

It's time for football bowl games and most likely your favorite football team is involved in some bowl between this weekend and Jan. 7.

It's sort of fun to keep track of the various bowls and predict winners. Last year out of 32 bowl games, I had 14 right. Not even .500, but OK by my standards since I was picking winners out of a hat, so to speak.

Without further ado, here's the lineup:

Dec. 19

_ New Mexico Bowl - Wyoming (6-6) vs. Fresno State (8-4). I like Fresno in this 11:30 a.m. contest on ESPN.

_ St. Petersburg Bowl - Rutgers (8-4) out of New Jersey battles UCF (8-4) and I don't even know what UCF stands for. This one's 5 p.m. on ESPN. Go with Rutgers.

Dec. 20

_ New Orleans Bowl - Southern Miss (7-5) against Middle Tennessee (9-3). It's a 5 p.m. kickoff on ESPN. Pick Southern Miss.

Dec. 22

_ Las Vegas Bowl - Brigham Young (10-2) takes on Oregon State (8-4) at 5 p.m. on ESPN. I like the Beavers to show the Cougars what a tougher conference the PAC-10 is.

Dec. 23

_ Poinsettia Bowl - This pits Utah (9-3) against California (8-4) in San Diego at 5 p.m. on ESPN. The Bears didn't impress against Washington, so go with Utah.

_ Hawaii Bowl - Southern Methodist (7-5) against Nevada (8-4) at 5 p.m. on ESPN again. SMU is my pick.

Dec. 26

_ Little Caesar's Pizza Bowl - Ohio (9-4) vs. Marshall (6-6) at 10 a.m. on ESPN. I don't even know where this game is? Do you? Pick Marshall.

_ Meineke Bowl - North Carolina (8-4) takes on Pittsburgh (9-3) at 1 p.m. The Panthers looked tough last time I saw them.

_ Emerald Bowl - This game is in San Francisco and pits USC (8-4) against Boston College (8-4). I always root against the Trojans. Pick? Boston College.

Dec. 27

_ Music City Bowl - Clemson (8-4) vs. Kentucky (7-5) at 1 p.m. Going with Kentucky.

Dec. 28

_ Independence Bowl - Texas A&M (6-6) against Georgia (7-5). This 2 p.m. game goes to the Bulldogs.

Dec. 29

_ Eagle Bank Bowl - Temple (9-3) vs. UCLA (6-6). Look for this to be a good game on ESPN. I like Temple.

_ Champ Sports Bowl - Miami (9-3) takes on Wisconsin (9-3) in a ho-hummer to be sure. Go with the Badgers and the Big Ten.

Dec. 30

_ Humanitarian Bowl - Bowling Green (7-5) vs. Idaho (7-5). This is a 1:30 p.m. game on ESPN and Washington beat Idaho. So will BG.

_ Holiday Bowl - This San Diego clash matches Nebraska (9-4) against Arizona (8-4). I like the Wildcats in this 5 p.m. game.

Dec. 31

_ Sun Bowl - El Paso for this one. Stanford (8-4) against Oklahoma (7-5) and I like Stanford in this good contest. 9 a.m.

_ Armed Forces Bowl - Air Force (7-5) flies against Houston (10-3). Go with Houston in this one at 5 p.m.

_ Texas Bowl - Missouri (8-4) against Navy (8-4). Seldom do I go against the Midshipmen, but this time I will. 12:30 p.m kickoff. Be sure to have a lot of snacks and beer, as this is a long day, folks.

_ Insight Bowl - Minnesota (6-6) and Iowa State (6-6). Two teams playing for pride. Iowa State.

_ Chick-fil-A Bowl - Virginia Tech (9-3) against Tennessee (7-5). It's a 4:30 p.m. kickoff. I like VT.

Jan. 1

_ Outback Bowl - Get up early as this 8 a.m. game features Northwestern (8-4) against Auburn (7-5). I like Auburn.

_ Capital One Bowl - Penn State (10-2) and LSU (9-3). This 10 a.m. game on ABC should be a good one. LSU is the best team I've seen in person this year. Go with the Bayou Tigers.

_ Gator Bowl - Florida State (6-6) against West Virginia (9-3) at 2 p.m. on ABC. I like the WV helmets. Pick them. This kicks off at 10 a.m. on CBS so keep the channel changer ready and be sure to put in fresh batteries.

_ Rose Bowl - The Oregon Ducks (10-2) against Ohio State (10-2). I like the Ducks to win. Not that I like the Ducks, I just think they will win and this one kicks off at 2 p.m. on ABC.

_ Sugar Bowl - Florida (12-1) against Cincinnati (12-0). The Bearcats have something to prove and I like them in a big upset. 5:30 p.m. on Fox.

Jan. 2

_ International Bowl - If you still are able to watch another game, it's South Florida (7-5) taking on Northern Illinois (7-5). The coin comes up Northern Illinois.

• Cotton Bowl - Oklahoma State (9-3) kicks off against Mississippi (8-4). I sort of like the Cowboys.

• Papajohn's.com Bowl - Connecticut (7-5) vs. South Carolina (7-5) In this "who gives a rip" contest, it's U-Conn.

_ Liberty Bowl - It's a 2:30 p.m. kickoff for East Carolina (9-4) and Arkansas (7-5). I go with the Razorbacks.

_ Alamo Bowl - Michigan State (6-6) against Texas Tech (8-4). It's a 2 p.m. game on ESPN and I go with Tech.

Jan. 4

_ Fiesta Bowl - The only game on this day, folks. Boise State (13-0) takes on TCU (12-0). With both teams unbeaten, they got ripped that they didn't get a nod for the "big game." I like Boise State to showcase its program.

Jan. 5

_ Orange Bowl - One game this day as well. Iowa (10-2) against Georgia Tech (11-2). This might well be the best game of the lot. Pick the Techsters. 5 p.m. on Fox.

Jan. 6

_ GMAC Bowl - Central Michigan is 11-2, Troy is 9-3. It's at 4 p.m. on ESPN and go with Michigan.

Jan. 7

_ BCS - The National Championship games matches two teams that will not have played for real since Dec. 5. That's more than a month to work on grades, work on new plays, give the scout team fits, travel to Pasadena in sunny California a week before the game. Time to get settled in a posh hotel, do the Disneyland thing, eat steaks, party and watch a parade. Alabama is 13-0, Texas is 13-0. The Crimson Tide bears no resemblance to the teams Bear Bryant used to put on the field, while Texas has a top quarterback. I like 'Bama on this 5 p.m. game on ABC.

There you have the bowl lineup. Keep track of your picks and let me know how you do via e-mail.

Reader with the best record will win an all-expense trip to the former site of the Eldon Hotel on Hood Canal to watch oysters grow.



Reach Scooter Chapman at scooter@olypen.com.