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The MRI vs. The World, Easing into the New Year edition
January 2, 2009
By Benjamin Miraski
So it wasn't a hangover that kept me from posting the next round of The MRI vs. The World yesterday.
Instead it was a faulty router which took a good deal of the morning and afternoon before I could get it up and running again.
But while computer problems plagued posting, they didn't stop the MRI from going undefeated yesterday in the five New Year's bowl games.
The biggest game up for grabs was the Orange Bowl which saw Virginia Tech's stellar defense stifle Cincinnati's offense to the tune of four turnovers. Beamer Ball was alive and well in Miami.
It was pleasing to see Frank Beamer so happy to finally break through and win that BCS game. It had been an 0-fer until last night and you could see the big weight come off of Beamer's shoulders with the win. He couldn't wait long enough to pass out the Oranges from the trophy.
Winning a big game should help Beamer stick around in Blacksburg for a long time.
You may think that it is silly to even think about him losing his position, but look at what happened in Tennessee this year, or Auburn. The ACC is not the SEC, and winning along the coast should be much easier than winning where Phil Fulmer and Tommy Tuberville did for so long. Yet, Beamer's team has had issues with getting to the top of the less than stellar ACC, and even when he did, he lost the big game.
So a win could quiet any peeps of a rumor for a time. Or we can hope.
Ok, enough soapboxing for the day.
The MRI now has 17 wins on the bowl season after being one of four contestants to correctly pick Virginia Tech. That moves the computer into 3rd place in the competition.
As an added bonus, the computer is guaranteed at least a tie against Kirk Herbstreit who has 15 wins and only two games different the rest of the season.
However, Herbie is not in last place. That coveted position belongs to "The World". Yes folks, the majority of America has proven that they can not pick bowl games better than the experts, or the computers. There is still a small hope for them to crawl out of the last place hole, but that light is quickly draining.
Up front is Will Harris who has 19 wins on the season. ESPN's expert picker only differs with the MRI on one game the rest of the way, which means it will outplay the computer this season, but the championship is far from won.
Let's see what is on tap for the next few days.
January 2, 2009
The Cotton Bowl
Why to watch?: Mississippi is the only team that was able to beat Florida's high-powered offense this season. That means Texas Tech had better watch out. The Red Raiders are ripe for a let down game against the Rebels, after being left out of almost every discussion among the top ten because of their loss to Oklahoma late in the year. Given how Graham Harrell and the rest of Mike Leach's squad have played all season, I really don't think that will happen. This should be a good close game with Tech's offense just barely better than Mississippi's defense. The MRI likes Texas Tech quite a bit in this one.
Texas Tech: The MRI, Harmon, Darst, Dodd, Congrove, Feldman, Harris, The World (91%)
Mississippi: Forde, Herbstreit
The Liberty Bowl
Why to watch?: East Carolina looked like the Cinderella team of the season for the first few weeks. Skip Holtz appeared as if he were channeling his father's glory days. That is what wins over Virginia Tech and West Virginia can do for you. Heck, East Carolina was even ranked! Then reality set in. A loss to then struggling North Carolina State was followed by two more losses, and East Carolina limped into the Conference USA title game on the back of its weak division. That didn't stop it from capturing the conference title though against a much better Tulsa team. So what does that mean against Kentucky? Come on. Kentucky struggled to even get to a bowl. If they hadn't played every small division college earlier this year, the Wildcats would be sitting at home. East Carolina should be sitting pretty.
East Carolina: The MRI, Harmon, Darst, Dodd, Forde, Feldman, Herbstreit, Harris, The World (81%)
Kentucky: Congrove
The Sugar Bowl
Why to watch?: We all should have learned by now that it is bad form to pick against the BCS buster in the big bowl games. So far, they have acquitted themselves quite well. And while it is easy to dismiss it because they get to play one of the final picks for the BCS, or they have something to play for while the other team doesn't, that is not really fair. The truth is that Utah and Boise State were very good teams in the years when they played in the BCS games. If the BCS would have been more inclusive in other years, we might have seen more of these busters create some stellar wins, with a Louisville (pre-Big East) or Miami (Ohio) (Big Ben-era) winner. So can we count on the same type of game from Utah this season? I am not so sure this time. Of the potential busters, Utah was third in the MRI, behind TCU and Boise State (who got to have their own little playoff game). Being tenth in the MRI is nothing to sneeze at, but the teams of the past with the big wins were all much higher in the computer poll, and much better match-ups for the team they were playing. While I don't think Alabama was as good as everyone had them pegged to be (they were never No. 1 in this computer), they are still a superior team to the Utes... which probably means I am going to be proven wrong. This is definitely one to watch.
Alabama: The MRI, Harmon, Darst, Dodd, Congrove, Forde, Feldman, Herbstreit, Harris, The World (90%)
Utah: None
January 3, 2009
The International Bowl
Why to watch?: It's in Canada! No, that is a dumb reason to watch this game. Maybe we should watch to thank Turner Gill for deciding to stick at Buffalo and maybe make Buffalo into a proud program that should be feared in the auto-BCS conferences. Or maybe you just don't like the NFL. Look, this is another of those games that I really can't understand why it takes place. A bowl game in Canada? Seriously? Who wanted to go to Canada in the middle of the winter unless there is skiing involved? And it is not like the two teams playing have any sort of major following. Connecticut and Buffalo? I bet even the experts have a hard time hyping this one. This does mean a lot in The MRI vs. The World competition though, so there. I found something to give you reason to watch.
Connecticut: The MRI, Harmon, Dodd, Congrove, Feldman, Herbstreit, Harris, The World (53%)
Buffalo: Darst, Forde
The MRI Rankings are copyright 2009 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 January 2, 2009 10:23 AM
Comments
In case you doubt the MRI's wins yesterday, here is a link to its entry on ESPN.com's Bowl Mania: Click Here
Posted by: bmiraski 
at January 2, 2009 11:39 AM
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