The Locks had a rough start to the Bowl season so far going 1-4 ATS with 2 bad beats as Ky +7 losing by 1 point and UGA/A&M losing by 1.5 points, but no whining and moaning as that is gambling. So you may want to fade these picks coming up.

A ton of CFB news in the past 3 weeks concerning Herban Meyer and Mike “The Pirate” Leach have made huge headlines. I do not have a ton of time to write on these now and will weigh in on these issues in my BCS NC write up. Just going to post my 5 picks, and here they go.

1. AUB/NW OVER 55 (OUTBACK BOWL ) Really like this one as you have 2 teams that run a ton of offensive plays per game. Also, both defenses tend to have a tough time stopping their opponents. Auburn is #20 in scoring O and #73 in scoring D, and while NW is a decent #48 in scoring D, they have not faced the speed on O they will see from Auburn. I expect to see the Tigers throw a ton of gadget and trick plays in this one. The Tigers also have a ton of weapons in RBs B. Tate and O. McCaleb, and as long as QB C. Todd can be efficient, they will score points. NW QB M. Kafka passed for over 300 yds in his last 2 outings and should get little resistance from a thin Auburn secondary. So far most of the bowl games have been high scoring affairs and see this trend continuing in this game. AUB 34 NW 31

2. LSU +2.5 v. PENN ST (CAPITAL ONE BOWL) I was shocked when I saw this line (initially at +3) and jumped on LSU +3.5 at the open. It has now gone down to +2. This is one of the very few bowl lines that I thought was off. For all of the craziness that surrounds the “Mad Hatter,” LSU HC Les Miles is great in bowl games (wining 4 in a row). Penn St HC JoPa also has a nice bowl record, but this match-up favors LSU. In Penn St’s 2 big games against Iowa and O$U, QB D. Clark was horrible going 12-32-198 yds- 1 TD-3 INTs against Iowa and 12-18-125 yds- 0 TDs- 1 INT versus O$U. Now he faces a Tiger D that will stack the box to stop RB Royster and dare Clark to beat them. LSU’s secondary may be the best in CFB. While, LSU’s O has been anemic for most of the year, they did show signs of life toward the end of the season. They have plenty of weapons in WRs B. LaFell and T. Tolliver. The big advantage for LSU is in STs where Penn St has been horrific. Watch for T. Holliday to make a big difference and possibly take one to the house. LSU wins SU in a low scoring affair. LSU 21 PENN ST 17

3. SFLA -7 v. N. ILL (INTERNATIONAL BOWL) When was the last time a MAC team won a bowl game? They are already 0-2 as Ohio lost to Marshall and Temple got beat by a UCLA team that had to travel cross country and play in freezing weather. The question is will the Bulls be motivated to play this game? SFLA will have tons more talent and should be able to easily win this game irrespective of motivation. They just have too much speed for the Huskies and it starts on O with QB BJ Daniels who can run and throw. Playing indoors on a fast carpet will only help the fast WRs C. Mitchell, D. Bogan and AJ Love. For N. Ill to stay in the game they will have to rely on their running game with RBs Spann and Brown because their pass O is ranked #109. I expect the Bulls to load up to stop the run with DEs G. Selvie and J. Pierre-Paul spending most of the afternoon in the Husky backfield. This game may be close for 3 quarters but I expect the Bulls to get a lead and force the Huskies to try and catch up with the pass which they will not be able to do.

SFLA 34 N ILL 20

4. OLE MISS -3 v OK ST Both of these teams enter this bowl game off bad losses to end the year and will be wanting to get that bad taste out of their mouths. The Cowboys have not been the same after losing their AA WR D. Bryant and their O has been struggling toward the end of the year as QB Z. Robinson was very erratic. Ole Miss has been a hot and cold team and relies on RB/WR D. McCluster to generate the O. When Qb J. Snead is on, this Rebel team is very tough to contend with, but who know whether he will show or not. The difference in this one is the underrated Rebel D led by DE K. Lockett and a host of very good D Linemen. The coaching advantage goes slightly in favor of the Right Reverend H. Nutt who seems to push the right buttons in bowl games. In his first year as HC M. “I am a Man” Gundy laid an egg in his bowl game getting blasted by Oregon in the Holiday Bowl. The SEC has fared well in the Cotton Bowl recently winning 4 of the last 5. I expect that to continue here. OLE MISS 31 OK ST 21

5. TCU -7 v. BOISE ST (FIESTA BOWL) Some of the experts were upset when this bowl matched the 2 non-BCS teams, but I thought it was a great match-up and one of the best bowl games of the year. Two undefeated teams playing for non-BCS supremacy. How can you not like TCU they are #4 in Total O, # 4 in scoring O and #5 in rushing O, plus they are #1 in Total D, #6 in scoring D and #3 in rushing D. Boise leads the nation in scoring O but they will be hard pressed to get it going in this game. I see a highly motivated Frog team wanting to make a statement here. On D they are led by DE J. Hughes (11.5 sacks) an d swarm to the ball with speed and power. Boise is led by QB K. Moore but will most likely be without the services of their #1 WR A. Pettis who is hobbled by a knee and ankle injury. The Frog O is led by QB A. Dalton and he has plenty of weapons in their spread option attack. If TCU gets up early, watch out because this may be a blowout. Both teams are very well coached, but it seems to me that TCU just has too much for Boise. TCU 38 BOISE 21

OTHER GAMES I LIKE BUT DID NOT MAKE THE CUT: TENN +5.5 AND UNDER 50, AF +5, WVA -2.5, ORE -3.5, UCONN/SO CAR UNDER 52, IOWA +4 AND TROY +3

GOOD LUCK AND HAPPY NEW YEAR