Bowl Games - The Most Wonderful Time of the Year . . .

. . . for degenerative gamblers.

Yes, I was wrong on the Heisman thing, but honestly - who really thought Tebow was going to lose it? I mean the poor guy carried his team on his back as a Sophomore and he has to spend New Year's prepping for Michigan. On second thought, Michigan has to spend New Years prepping for Michigan as well so it looks to be about even. Let's cut to the chase and get to the first installment of the bowl picks.

Poinsettia Bowl

Utah -8 Navy @ San Diego

Let's face it, this is basically a home game for the Middies, since SD is home to the largest Naval base on the West Coast. That, coupled with the fact that Utah has sold about half of their tickets means that the 8-4 Utes will not be playing on friendly turf. I know that Navy beat both Army and Notre Dame this year - two big rivalry games, but I'm looking forward to the debut of the first ever Polynesian head coach, Ken Niumatalolo. Between him and Navy's Hawaiian-born QB, Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada, the headlines from this game have the potential to be the longest ever. I like Navy's chances in the Christmas Flower Bowl, and I'm taking them with the points.

New Orleans Bowl

Florida Atlantic -2.5 Memphis

Memphis is on a three game winning streak (and has won 5 out of their last 6) and FAU's biggest win of the year was against Big Ten doormat Minnesota . So why am I going with Florida Atlantic? Their campus is in Boca Raton, their coach is 73 and bears a striking resemblance to my girlfriend's grandfather, and their mascot is not the Owls, but the Burrowing Owl. I'm not sure what a Burrowing Owl is, but I think it can beat a paper Tiger. Plus if I buy basketball tickets through the FAU website, I get a free t-shirt! I'll take FAU to cover.

Papa Johns.com Bowl

Cincinnati -11 Southern Miss @ Birmingham, AL

Better ingredients, better pizza, Papa Johns! A coach-less team, over-hyped conferences, Papa Johns.com Bowl! Is there anyone really excited to watch the Bearcats (who beat three ranked teams) beat up on the Golden Eagles? This one isn't even fun to pick. Cincy should win this one on the arm of QB Ben Mauk alone, and the defense that held UConn to a field goal will have no trouble with RB Damion Fletcher and the not-So Miss offense. Not even Brett Farve is going to watch this one, and he's an alumni. I'll take the Bearcats to cover

New Mexico Bowl

New Mexico -3 Nevada

Seriously, Vegas? You're making a .500 team from the gambling capital of the world a three point underdog to an 8-4 home team? Thanks for the free tip. I'll take the Lobos to cover.

Las Vegas Bowl

BYU -6 UCLA

Speaking of Vegas, I'm a little confused by this one as well. Yes, BYU has been flirting with the Top 25 all season, but UCLA has come through in big games all year . . . wait, they lost to Notre Dame? Well they did beat Oregon (once Dennis Dixon left the game) and they beat this same BYU team by 10 back in September. Has BYU gotten 16 points better since then? I don't think so. I'm taking UCLA with the points in this game.

Hawaii Bowl

Boise State -10.5 E. Carolina

How will Ian Johnson top last year's post-game proposal to his cheerleader girlfriend? More importantly, will the Broncos break out the little-know "Annexation of Puerto Rico" play from the movie Little Giants? Boise State plays its second straight game in Hawaii after losing in the WAC title game to the Warriors. For East Carolina, they had a decent season winning 7 games, but losing a bad one late to Marshall (which all but doomed them to play in the Hawaii Bowl). The good news for them is that they get to go to Hawaii, which has to be warmer this time of year than the Carolinas. The bad news is that this game will come down to which team has the better Johnson - Ian or ECU's Chris. I'm going to go with the Broncos and Ian Johnson to cover the spread.

Motor City Bowl

Purdue -8.5 Central Michigan @ Detroit

Another sort-of home game this year. Central Michigan's campus is two and a half hours from Detroit by car (or bus) while it will take almost twice as long for the Boilermakers to drive from West Lafayette. With the budget of the Motor City Bowl, and Detroit's reputation, I'm thinking both teams might just drive there on game day. If that's the case, the Chippewas have the advantage since sitting in a car for 2.5 hours is better than 5 hours. I think the legs of the Purdue players will be cramped and they'll have to go to the bathroom after sitting in the car for that long. I'll go with the Chippewas getting the points. Plus I hear they have better snacks and movies to watch on the bus.

stay tuned for more picks after Christmas . . .