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Bowling anyone?: The MRI vs. The World 2008
December 19, 2008 | By Benjamin Miraski
Everybody ready? Start singing: "It's the most wonderful time... of the year."
At least ESPN would like you to think so.
It probably has something to do with their stake in 95 percent of the bowl games that will be played over the next month. I won't go off on the WWL in the same manner as Dan Wetzel did over at Yahoo.
But, suffice to say, 34 bowl games, two more than last season, is a little bit of overkill.
Do we really need another game featuring a 6-6 team this season? Didn't we already get our fill of watching Notre Dame bring its disgraceful offense to the field (Actually, maybe there is no greater pleasure this time of year than watching Weis's Weiners fail...). Should Southern Mississippi, North Carolina State, or Colorado State really take the field again this season?
The short answer is no.
But since the games are held, we might as well make a few picks.
As tradition holds, the MRI will once again be taking on The World, and a few other challengers.
And as tradition holds, last year's winner has apparently retired. Colin Cowherd, who lapped the field last season, did not make picks this year -- at least none I could find.
So for this year's line-up, we have:
Computers: The MRI, Harmon Predictor, Congrove Computer
CBS: Darin Darst, Dennis Dodd
ESPN: Pat Forde, Bruce Feldman, Will Harris, Kirk Herbstreit
The World: The team getting the greater percentage of picks on ESPN's college bowl contest.
Feldman and Herbstreit choose to draw out their picks over the bowl season (probably because there is not much to actually write/talk about for most of the games this year), so they will be a bit behind as the games are updated.
Let's start and see where it takes us:
December 20, 2008
The EagleBank Bowl
Why to watch?: Maybe you missed the first game between Wake Forest and Navy. If so you missed Wake Forest absolutely implode. I was at a bar in Washington, D.C. to see this one and it was one of the few times I saw the Navy fans cheer all season. So maybe the Middies will give them something to cheer for again here.
Navy: The MRI, Harmon
Wake Forest: Darst, Dodd, Congrove, Forde, Feldman, Harris, Herbstreit, The World (54%)
The New Mexico Bowl
Why to watch?: Really, if you are watching, you are scraping the bottom of the barrel here. Colorado State barely sneaked into the bowls, Fresno State is not the Fresno State we usually see each season. Maybe watch because this is one of the few games where there is a real disagreement about who will win, which could mean a good, although low quality, game.
Fresno State: The MRI, Dodd, Congrove, Feldman, The World (87%)
Colorado State: Harmon, Darst, Forde, Harris, Herbstreit
The magicJack St. Petersburg Bowl
Why to watch?: Because you don't know what magicJack is? This new bowl is just a reason for two teams already in the South, to stay home and play a little football game. South Florida is only a short drive away, and has the better quarterback in Matt Grothe. Now, the bigger question is whether South Florida can reverse the losing trend they are stuck in the middle of.
South Florida: The MRI, Harmon, Darst, Congrove, Forde, Feldman, Harris, Herbstreit, The World (92%)
Memphis: Dodd
The Las Vegas Bowl
Why to watch?: There is something a little strange about a Mormon institution continually going to Las Vegas for its bowl game. This marks four years in a row for the BYU Cougars in Sin City. This is the best team they have sent yet, and the PAC-10 was very down this year, including Arizona, even with their bowl berth. Max Hall has a chance to top 4000 passing yards on the season.
BYU: The MRI, Darst, Dodd, Forde, The World (86%)
Arizona: Harmon, Congrove, Feldman, Herbstreit, Harris
December 21, 2008
The New Orleans Bowl
Why to watch?: Troy is ranked in the MRI, which could be one of the only times you will ever see a Sun Belt team up that high in the standings. If Troy wins, they cement their place among the elite. And given the direction of the choices, the Trojans are almost certain to take the Sugar Bowl-lite.
Troy: The MRI, Harmon, Darst, Congrove, Harris, Herbstreit, The World (74%)
Southern Mississippi: Dodd, Forde, Feldman
December 23, 2008
The Poinsettia Bowl
Why to watch?: This is a game that should have been a BCS bowl. The quality of the teams is there, it just doesn't have the money. Boise State gets a chance to prove it is better than the WAC. TCU gets to prove it is the team that played 11 weeks of the season and not the one that played the only week people watched -- against Oklahoma. This is one of the few really close MRI games, and one of the five that features two top ten teams.
Boise State: The MRI, Darst, Congrove, Feldman, Herbstreit, The World (69%)
TCU: Harmon, Dodd, Forde, Harris
December 24, 2008
The Hawaii Bowl
Why to watch?: I joked with a Notre Dame grad that this might be a good year for the Dome to go to El Paso for the Sun Bowl because the PAC-10 was so bad this season. It might be their only chance for a bowl win. I had no idea that Notre Dame would get to go to Hawaii and maybe have an even better chance for a victory. June Jones is not there. The Hawaii offense is not totally based on speedy receivers anymore. Maybe Weis can actually put something together! Then again, the MRI is one of the few that thinks the Irish have even a glimmer of hope.
Notre Dame: The MRI, Feldman, Harris
Hawaii: Harmon, Darst, Dodd, Congrove, Forde, Herbstreit, The World (58%)
The MRI Rankings are copyright 2008 by MRISports.com. Ben Miraski is a freelance reporter, edits and writes for MRISports.com and is a featured blogger on FanIQ. Readers can contact Ben at bmiraski@mrisports.com
Posted December 19, 2008 12:06 PM
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