Each week this season, I will be posting a column previewing the upcoming weekend's Big East and Top-25 match-ups. All rankings are from the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. Picks are against the spread (that means I'm not picking winners, just the line), and are for entertainment purposes only.

Last Week: Well it's been fun kids. I enjoy writing this column, and I appreciate all the feedback I get from you guys. One of these days I might even learn what I'm doing and starting getting more of my picks right! With this final installment, I bid you all adieu until next fall!

This Week: Bowls baby bowls! It's all that's right, and all that's wrong about college football…all wrapped up in a parade and a big half time extravaganza! I may be 100% behind a Division I-A playoff, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to watch the bowls. And lemme tell you, I'm gonna watch a LOT of football here in the next couple of weeks!

Not in Action: #25. Our 10-1 Toledo Rockets. Such is life in the MAC.

Mobile, Alabama Bowl. 7:30 p.m. ESPN2
#16 Texas Christian (-7) vs. Southern Mississippi

Southern Mississippi suffered a late season swoon of Cavalier proportions. From an outside threat for a BCS berth, to an outside threat of top-25 status. The Golden Eagles hid the skids, and hit them hard.

You know what else hits hard? LaDanian Thomlinson, that's what. Like a ton of bricks. And don't forget the Horned Frog defense. Sure, they played a pretty soft schedule, but they ended up the #1 scoring defense in all of I-A. That's nothing to sneeze at.

All signs point to a fairly low scoring defensive battle. Not a very interesting game for those of us with no real stake in the outcome. But hey, it's the first bowl game of the season, and that's reason enough to watch.

Pick: TCU

Las Vegas Bowl. 5:00 p.m. ESPN2
UNLV (-1) vs. Arkansas

Watch your local news instead. Seriously. This bowl has no redeeming qualities for anyone outside of Fayetteville or Las Vegas. Except for the truly addicted football junky, or someone playing for an all-bowl parlay bet. Toledo would smack both of these teams silly … combined!

Pick: I object on principle, and refuse to pick this game.

Oahu Bowl. 8:30 p.m. ESPN
#24 Georgia (-10) vs. Wahoo State

This is the third time in 6 years (that's 5 bowls for these guys) that these two teams have met in the postseason. Someone want to explain to me again, the benefits of conference tie-ins?

This was supposed to be "the year" for Georgia. What it was, was a 7-4 disappointment. Rather disgusting that 7-4 means the coach gets canned. I mean for crying out loud, the SEC East might be the toughest division in major college football!

On the other hand, George Welsh is a victim of his own success. He turned a compost heap of a football program into a semi-regular bowl participant, and now the Hoos feel like they're entitled to something more.

Hoos and Dawgs have developed a bit of camaraderie as a result of these regular meetings. Now, they get together to discuss why neither of them are where they're "supposed to be" in the relative strata of college football.

Pick: UVA

Aloha Bowl. 3:30 p.m. ABC
Boston College (+3.5) vs. Arizona State

Donnan's gone. Welsh is on the way out. Snyder's toast. That pretty much makes Mr. O'Brien senior man on the big island this Xmas. Anyone out there who has aspirations of coaching would do well to pay attention to this.

ASU can not stop the run. BC lives on the ground, but had their leading rusher suspended. Of course their backup is no slouch. My initial call was Boston College straight up, and after much consideration I'm sticking with it!

Pick: BC

Motor City Bowl, 4:00pm ESPN
Cincinnati (-4.5) vs. Marshall

Well I was right, and I was wrong. There was an upset on conference championship Saturday, I just didn't pick the right one. Marshall is maybe the third-best team in the MAC this year, but managed to pull off a win in their rematch against Western Michigan.

I'm not sure how Cinci has managed to win seven games this year. Mirrors I guess. Or a FG kicker that hits everything (you listening Dan Snyder?). No matter, I'm not impressed by either team, or this match-up in general. Those of you who don't have the day off, don't bother hurrying home for the second half.

Pick: Cinci

GalleryFurniture.Com Bowl, 8:00 p.m. ESPN2
East Carolina (+1) vs. Texas Tech

It's a poor man's Orange Bowl. A really poor man's…

Texas Tech doesn't run. Maybe they can't, I don't know, but 67 yards per game doesn't win you much. East Carolina has been hit or miss all year. They've got a rather large UAB monkey, and until they get over that hump, it's hard to take them too seriously.

Both teams have exciting quarterbacks tho. Texas Tech runs pretty much the same style of offense as does Oklahoma, just a bit less effectively. I don't need to tell you much about ECU, I think we're all quite familiar with David Garrad and Co.

Pick: ECU

Humanitarian Bowl, 1:30 p.m. ESPN2
Boise State (-6.5) vs. UTEP

For those who may have missed it (and I can't blame you) Boise State has the #1 scoring offense in the entire nation. Yeah, no kidding! He's got more TD passes than Chris Weinke, a higher passing efficiency than Josh Heupel, and thrown fewer picks than Drew Brees. Ladies and gentlemen, the best quarterback you've probably never seen: Bart Hendricks!

Coming in with 32.3 pts/gm, the mighty Miners of UTEP are no strangers to the end zone. Hey, it's COLD in Boise in December, but at least the scoreboard operators will stay warm.

And if you've never seen the blue Astroturf up there in Idaho, it's worth watching for that reason alone. It's a trip :o)

Pick: BSU

Music City Bowl, 4:00 p.m. ESPN
Mississippi (-4) vs. West Virginia

This is Mr. Nehlan's last chance to win himself a bowl game. It could happen too. Ole Miss has been up and down all year. They were picked to do very well, but finished the year a disappointing 6-5. Still, Deuce McAllister is the man, and can win a game all by himself if things break right.

If you look at the stats, the teams are very similar. The difference is that WVU performed about as well as everyone expected, while Mississippi battled injuries and an SEC schedule. With a month to rest, I think Ole Miss stands more to gain. I don't like it, but I think the Rebs take this one.

Pick: WVU

Insight.Com Bowl, 7:30 p.m. ESPN
Pittsburgh (pick'em) vs. Iowa State

Another winnable bowl game for the Big East.

I won't say that ISU is new to the bowl scene, but I will say that Temple has played in the post season more recently than the Cyclones.

Pick: UPitt

MicronPC Bowl, 7:00 p.m. TBS
N.C. State (+4) vs. Minnesota

Chuck "The Chest" Amato goes up against Glen "The Mason" Mason. Personally, I've been more impressed this year with what the Wolfpack has accomplished. This is a team on the rise. Minnesota, on the other hand, is the proud beneficiary of one of those "Big Ten #5ish" bowl tie-ins. They went into a free fall at the end of the season, and are only here because their conference has a reputation for bringing lots of fans to bowl games. This is another one I think Toledo could win.

Pick: NCSU

Sun Bowl, 2:15 p.m. CBS
Wisconsin (-4.5) vs. UCLA

The loser of this game gets to play Alabama for the title of "most overrated".

Wisconsin may have been a disappointment, but at least they got their act together near the end. UCLA is just plain ugly. I mean I know the bit about "offense sells tickets", but you'd think that they'd put at least one or two of their better athletes on the defensive side of the ball. And people wonder why football doesn't play well in L.A….

Pick: Badgers

Peach Bowl, 5:00 p.m. ESPN
#17 Georgia Tech (-8) vs. LSU

Alas, that BCA game sure could have been something, eh? I don't think anyone expected this kind of season from the Jackets…good enough for the Gator Bowl in most years. I like GT to pull this one out, but I think the loss of Ralph Friegdgen will cost them a few points. Playing in Atlanta tho…could make things ugly in the Jackets get a lead early.

Pick: Tigs

Liberty Bowl, 5:00 p.m. ESPN2
#22 Colorado State (-1.5) vs. #23 Louiseville

Louiseville in the top-25. *gack*

Louiseville in a bowl game. For shame…I mean sure, they won Conference USA, but I think there should be some kind of law.

Pick: CSU Rams

Holiday Bowl, 8:30 p.m. ESPN
#11 Oregon (+6.5) vs. #12 Texas

See, now this ought to be a fun game. It's a tough one to pick too. Oregon hasn't played as well away from the friendly confines of the Pacific Northwest, but Texas has a habit of playing badly in big games. Chris Simms will likely be the starter for the Horns, and it's pretty much impossible to guess how he'll preform. Oregon will move the ball, but they might not be able to defend the Texas aerial attack if the QB gets in a groove.

So stay in Friday night, and watch this one. I mean come on, it's New Year's weekend, so Saturday and Sunday night will be rough enough…you can take off Friday night to rest up :o)

Pick: Oregon

Alamo Bowl, 8:00 p.m. ESPN2
#8 Nebraska (-14.5) vs. #19 Northwestern

Re: 1996 Orange Bowl. Nebraska v. Virginia Tech

Except that I think the Wildcats will score enough points to cover. The Nebraska defense has been mortal at times this year.

Pick: Northwestern

Silicon Valley Bowl, 6:30 p.m. Fox Sports Net
Fresno State (-1) vs. Air Force

The only bowl game this season to be shown on FoxSportsNet, this epic contest between MWC and WAC also-rans is sure to thrill people from northern Colorado to central California!

Pick: Fresno State

Independence Bowl, 8:00 p.m. ESPN
Texas A&M (-1) vs. Mississippi State

The halftime entertainment for this year's Indy Bowl is going to be a Jackie Sherrill look-alike contest. The winner gets to coach Texas A&M for the second half. Second place gets to testify before an NCAA committee.

Pick: aTm

Cotton Bowl, 11:00 am FOX
#9 Kansas State (-4) vs. #21 Tennessee

Another game that could be pretty good. Tennessee came on strong in the second half of the season behind phreshman phenom Casey "The Pickle" Claussen. Kansas State…well…once again we don’t really know how good they are. They played tough but lost their more difficult games. It seems evident that they've got a real solid defense, and an offense that has trouble scoring sometimes.

My biggest problem with this game is the start time. Eleven in the AM, the morning after one of the biggest party nights of the year. Well hey, the second half should be pretty good :o)

Pick: Kansas State

Outback Bowl, 11:00 am ESPN
#18 Ohio State (-5.5) vs. South Carolina

And South Carolina's Cinderella season comes to a close. 7-4 is one heck of a turn around, and they've got a lot to be proud of in Columbia.

Ohio State started strong, but faded to merely mediocre down the stretch. Both of these teams are in very similar places right now, but while Lou Holtz is being lauded for what he's done, John Cooper may be out of a job if he doesn't win.

When you consider USC's all time record in bowl games (1-8), and John Cooper's less-than-stellar history (3-7), this one could come down to who wants it the least.

Pick: USC-South

Gator Bowl, 12:30 p.m. NBC
#5 Virginia Tech (-6.5) vs. #13 Clemson

I'm not going to the game, but my representative will be selling pancakes outside Alltel stadium.

Dare I tempt fate by suggesting that these two teams could meet for a fourth straight time in 2001…in Pasadena?

Pick: Hokies!

Citrus Bowl, 1:00 p.m. ABC
#15 Michicken (-8) vs. #20 Auburn

War Eagle vs. the Big Blue Chicken. It's almost poetic!

It's all about who scores first. If Auburn can get an early lead, they can sit on it by pounding away with Rudi Johnson. I doubt the Wolverine defense can really stop him. If Drew Henson and David Terrell get going tho, Auburn is not as well equipped to play catch up.

Pick: Auburn

Rose Bowl, 5:00 p.m. ABC
#4 Washington (+1) vs. #14 Purdue

Granted, the Rose Bowl has pretty much been the Big Ten's own personal playground for much of recent history. That having been said, the Huskies are head and shoulders above Purdue this season. I really think that. Brees gets all the pub, but Tuiasosopo hasn't exactly had a bad year in his own right.

This is where playing close games in the Pac Ten pays off for Washington. They're used to playing tight, and they've seen enough high-powered passing offenses that Purdue's isn't going to scare them one bit.

Pick: Washington

Fiesta Bowl, 8:00 p.m. ABC
#6 Oregon State (-3) vs. #10 Notre Dame

Don’t boycott anything. (1) it won't make any difference. (2) you'll just look like a Wahoo. I mean watch it, or don't watch it, as you wish. But lets try to be adults here, mmm-kay ?

Ken Simonton is a scary good runner. He's also way too small to do much in the NFL. He's got quicks, and nice moves, and a suprising amount of power for someone 5'7" 194. But he gets eaten alive by the Dana Stubblefields of the world. On a positive note, as a senior he could become the only player ever to rush for 1000 yards in four seasons in college.

Pick: Beavers

Sugar Bowl, 8:00 p.m. ABC
#2 Miami (FL) (-5.5) vs. #7 Florida

The Canes are gonna hammer the Gators. Just a feeling I've got. I mean I like the scenario where Miami and UDub both fall, and we finish #2 overall, but I think it's unlikely.

Florida's defense will keep it sane for a while, but I don't think their offense will fare well at all against an aggressive Cane defense. Miami thrives on perceived disrespect, and they think the Gators have been ducking them for years. This Tuesday, they've finally caught them. Upset at being overlooked on the national stage, Miami RB James "It's not the Heisman, it's the Jackson" Jackson will look to have a big game.

Pick: Miami

Orange Bowl, 8:00 p.m. ABC
#1 Oklahoma (+12.5) vs. #2 Florida State

Twelve and a freakin half?!? Are you kidding me? Granted, Oklahoma looked to limp down the stretch a bit. Granted, this is FSU's third MNC game in a row, and they know what they're doing. But COME ON NOW!

Yet consider this: With Bob Stoopes at the helm, and SOS Jr. running the offense, the Sooners are really very much like the Florida Gator teams of just a few years ago. They are as familiar as any coaching staff can be with what Saint Bobby is going to do. This goes both ways, of course, so Oklahoma won't surprise the Seminoles much either. There is one big difference between Oklahoma and Florida tho, and that the athletes. Danny Weurffel was successful because his receivers were good enough such that at least one of them was wide open pretty much every play. Against an NFL-calibre secondary like FSU's, Josh Heupel doesn't have that luxury.

Pick: Okie

Game of the Week to Watch: All of em folks. They've got to last you a while…

Upset Special: Boston College over Arizona State

Last Week: 1-4

Season to Date: 140-136-3

Upset Special: 5-10