Detroit takes another hit

Because it has a terrible bowl game on tap tonight. There's no way they sold as many tickets as they had planned with two teams with as small of fan bases as Central Michigan and Florida Atlantic.

As for the game, Central Michigan will roll against Florida Atlantic...it shouldn't be close. CMU 42, F(A)U 17

ND/Hawaii

I don't see why so many people think Hawaii is going to win tonight's game...how quickly people forget last year's thrashing of the Warriors by the Georgia Bulldogs. Notre Dame's had trouble winning against good teams, but, fortunately for the Irish, Hawaii doesn't fall into that group.
Notre Dame 45, Hawaii 21

Also: Merry Christmas!

Viewer Discretion Is Advised

Check out this video of a horrific football injury. If you're like me...it kind of sickens me to see this but at the same time I can't turn away. Maybe I'm just a sick person...you can be the judge (vote in the poll...)

On Vacation...

Sorry for the lack of quality blog posting recently...I'm on vacation in the mountains. I went skiing for the first time in my life today, and it was pretty fun until a 5-year-old girl swerved in front of me when I was going full speed. Not being an experienced skier...I had to make a turn that I wasn't remotely ready to do and I had a epic crash in which I lost my skis, my poles, my Titans stocking hat and a little bit of my dignity (people on the Ski Lift starting laughing). Of course, my heroic effort to avoid her meant nothing to the girl who slowly skied past me and to the bottom of the slope. Oh well.

Now, for today's bowl game. I've gotten off to a rough start so far...but I'm going to try to get back on the bike and string off a couple in a row.

Boise State v. TCU

I'm going to go against the grain and pick a plucky Horned Frogs squad over everyone's favorite non-BCS team. I'm sure the Broncos will have plenty of their sleeve in this one...but TCU's defense should prove strong enough to win this battle of highly ranked mid-majors.

TCU 24, Boise St. 21

Sunday night games

Carolina at New York

The Giants are too good to lose three straight, and I think they regain their winning form in a huge Sunday night matchup against the Panthers. Carolina's version of "Smash 'n Dash" will be limited to only a score or two while the Giants three-headed monster at running back will run wild. The X-factor for the Panthers will have to be Jake Delhomme, and I don't think he'll do enough to pull out the victory. The Giants secondary will be keying on Steve Smith, and I don't think Carolina has enough other weapons in its receiving corps to steal homefield advantage away.

Giants 28, Panthers 24

New Orleans Bowl

Southern Miss v. Troy

The Trojans come out on top in a battle between two underrated teams. Sure, they wouldn't beat many other bowl teams, but they could beat several teams from BCS conferences.

Troy 21, Southern Miss 17

rest of NFL predictions...

Cincinnati at Cleveland

-In a battle of two of the worst quarterbacks and teams in the AFC, I'm going with Ken Dorsey and the Browns over Ryan Fitzpatrick and the Bengals in a squeaker.

Browns 28 Bengals 24

New Orleans at Detroit

-Drew Brees will pile up stats against hapless Detroit to send them to 0-15 and on the brink of a dubious place history. If Brees can pass for 400 yards in this game, he'll be within striking distance of Dan Marino's passing record. Also, Pierre Thomas, the Saints running back now that Reggie Bush is out for the season, will have a monster day.

Saints 35, Lions 24

Pittsburgh at Tennessee

Full disclosure: I live in Nashville, Tennessee, and have been a Titans fan since they moved here. I think the Titans gut out a tough home victory with defense and the running game. I predict one interception return for a touchdown for the Titans and a long run for a score by Chris Johnson and Tennessee barely will get by a brutal Steelers defense in this one.

Titans 17, Pittsburgh 12

Miami at Kansas City

Miami will crush the Chiefs in this tune up for their game against the Jets next week, and Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown should both put up around 100 yards rushing.

Dolphins 42, Chiefs 21

San Francisco at St. Louis

Another battle of disappointing teams, this time in the NFC. San Francisco has been playing well of late, and St. Louis has been playing well enough to compete for the No. 2 spot in the NFL draft in April.

49ers 31, Rams 21

Arizona at New England

Kurt Warner and the Cardinals bring a high powered offense into Gillette Stadium against a Patriot team still fighting for a division crown. Matt Cassell and Warner should put up some great offensive numbers in this shootout, but I see a Patriot team will more to play for coming out on top. Plus, I'll take Bill Belichick over Ken Whizenhunt any day.

Patriots 38, Cardinals 35

San Diego at Tampa Bay

For some reason, I still have a little bit of faith in the Chargers to win this "must-win" game to keep their slim playoff hopes alive. I mean, LT has to come alive and take over one game this season, right?

Chargers 24, Bucs 21

Buffalo at Denver

I'm not sold on Jay Cutler. I think he throws ways too many picks for all of his good throws, and that with reliable quarterback play against bad teams, Denver would have a better record. The Broncos are playing the Bills, however, so Buffalo's ineptitude on both sides of the ball will cancel out a few of those mistakes.

Broncos 31, Bills 21

Houston at Oakland

Top pick Darren McFadden should get some work here, but Houston's offense should be too much. Matt Schaub, Steve Slaton and Andre Johnson lead the Texans in what should be a comfortable win.

Texans 28, Raiders 7

New York (Jets) at Seattle

The New York Bretts need a victory in Seattle to have a chance to play for the AFC North title next week against Miami. It's Mike Holmgren's last home game as a coach for the Seahawks, so Seattle will put up a struggle. But New York is just too talented for this overmatched Seattle team, and Thomas Jones and Leon Washington should roll on the ground.

Jets 35, Seahawks 21

Atlanta at Minnesota

Matt Ryan's had a dream rookie season and seems headed for a Rookie of the Year award over the trio of talented rookie runners (Chris Johnson, Matt Forte and Steve Slaton). The playoffs, however, will probably be out of reach after a loss this weekend against Adrian Peterson and the Vikings.

Vikings 24, Falcons 21

Philadelphia at Washington

Easy pick here. The Eagles are rolling and the Redskins are reeling. Brian Westbrook and Co. should make the hot seat on Washington head coach Jim Zorn a little warmer as well as continue their push towards the playoffs.

Eagles 28, Redskins 14

Late Prediction

Kind of unfair because the game's already started...but I say the Cowboys roll in their last game in Texas Stadium. 24-14 'Boys over the Ravens.

Why? Because I just don't trust Joe Flacco. Or any of the Ravens running backs. Or any of their receivers. Basically, anyone who doesn't play defense for Baltimore is a liability for them in this game.

The rest of my NFL game predictions will come tomorrow...as will the next couple bowl predictions. Get hyped.

Gartrell Johnson = Hoss

What I learned from today's bowl games...

Never heard of Gartrell Johnson? Neither had I...until today. This stud of a running back for Colorado State not only single-handedly beat Fresno State and ruined my perfect record in predicting bowl games (I was on an impressive one-game streak), he also posted one of the most impressive stat lines I've ever seen by a running back.

For the game:

27 carries, 285 yards on the ground

5 receptions, 90 yards receiving

2 TD's rushing, including a 77-yarder to seal the game

That adds up to just your average 49-point fantasy day for your fantasy footballers out there...and the pros need to at least take a second look at this guy.

The knock on him from pro scouts is that he's not fast enough to make it in the NFL...really? If Lendale White (aka "Smash the Slow" in the Tennessee Titans' 'Smash and Dash' attack) can make a serious contribution to a pro team...Gartrell certainly will. If I were a GM and this guy slipped into the sixth or seventh round...I'd grab him in a heartbreak.

I know the competition today was a poor Fresno State defense...but the way he was bowling over the Bulldogs' linebackers and tearing through the secondary screamed pro potential. Just because he won't run a 4.4 at the combine doesn't mean he can't be productive. I would love for him to be a goal-line back/bruiser type who takes care of the ball (relevant note: he hasn't fumbled since September of 2005) for my team, and he'd be great at wearing down defenses. Fresno State defenders were literally pulling up a bit before trying to tackle him because, like Eddie George, he delivers the blow rather than takes it. He averaged nearly 100 yards per game this season, what's not to like?

Even if he only made it to third string on your favorite team...how sweet would it be to have a guy named 'Gartrell' to bring in for mop-up duty against the Lions?

Bowl Games

After several weeks of exams and then a week of limbo in which I forgot my password...I have finally returned to the blogging community (cue triumphant comeback music, and then, if you're still feeling feisty, the Rocky theme).

Today's blog deals with bowl games - who's going to win them and a short breakdown of each one

I'm going to keep a tally of each bowl game I get right and wrong...there are 34 in all, so the results should be interesting. They'll either prove I'm a hack in terms of college football knowledge or that I know what I'm talking about, so I hope I put on a good show.

Eaglebank Bowl: Wake Forest vs. Navy

Wake Forest lines up against Navy in a rematch of a regular season affair in which Navy won 24-17. The Demon Deacons fell behind 17-0 in the first half of the two team's first games, but don't look for a repeat performance from Wake Forest. Quarterback Riley Skinner threw four interceptions in that contest (he only threw seven all season) to doom his team and basically hand Navy a game that the ACC power should have won. The win was the Midshipmen's first victory against a ranked opponent since 1985, but it'll be tough for them to beat the Demon Deacons twice in the same season. Wake Forest will be looking for revenge for the home loss, and they'll end up winning by a narrow margin.

Of interest in today's game is that these are two of the better rushing attacks in the country. Navy has only rushed the ball a handful of times compared to most college football teams (remnants of Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson's triple option offense) and Wake Forest is tops in the ACC in rushing.

The pick: Wake Forest 27, Navy 24

(updates to come later for the rest of today's games)

New Mexico Bowl: Colorado State v. Fresno State

The pick: Fresno State 31, Colorado State 21

Magicjack St. Petersburg Bowl: Memphis v. South Florida

South Florida 45, Memphis 14

Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl: (16) BYU v. Arizona

BYU 28, Arizona 27.