Written by Jesse Lamovsky

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College football season should end on New Year’s Day (or the day after New Year’s Day if it falls on an NFL Sunday), but they insist on dragging it into the second week of January. Packed into the week leading up to the so-called Championship Game are eleven more bowls as this forgettable season limps to its anti-climax.

For Ohio State fans it’ll be a bittersweet January 2. The dreary Gator Bowl meeting with Florida will be the last bowl the Buckeyes play until at least December 2013.

Can't you tell how excited I am about these games?

The games, up to LSU-Alabama:  

Monday, January 2

Ticket City Bowl (Dallas, TX, 12:00 PM): Houston (12-1) vs. Penn State (9-3)

Though I still don’t think Penn State should be playing in a bowl, I can’t help but be intrigued by this matchup between the Lions, who finished fifth in the nation in scoring defense, and the Cougars, who finished first in scoring offense. If Houston wanted a challenge in its return to the Texas State Fairgrounds- where it played in four Cotton Bowls as a member of the old Southwest Conference- it has one. No Conference USA opponent plays defense the way Penn State plays it. The Lions aren’t impressive offensively- 109^th in scoring- but they should be able to move the ball on Houston’s questionable defense. If the Lions can get after Case Keenum they should be able to win without a lot of difficulty.

Wack Predict-O: Penn State 30, Houston 23

Capital One Bowl (Orlando, FL, 1:00 PM): South Carolina (10-2) vs. Nebraska (9-3)

The Cocks may be near Disney World, but the postseason has been anything but a magical place for their program, which takes a 4-12 bowl record into the matchup with the Huskers. Nebraska had a reasonably successful inaugural season in the Big Ten, winning nine games despite a shaky defense and a one-dimensional offense that finished 14^th in the nation in rushing and 103^rd in passing. South Carolina’s offense will be without Marcus Lattimore, so the Cocks will rely on a fierce defense anchored by the end tandem of Melvin Ingram and Jadeveon Clowney. With a win, South Carolina will set a program record for victories in a season with eleven.

Wack Predict-O: South Carolina 24, Nebraska 17

Outback Bowl (Tampa, FL, 1:00 PM): Georgia (10-3) vs. Michigan State (10-3)

It’s a matchup of conference championship-game losers as the Bulldogs, who fell in the SEC title game to LSU, and the Spartans, who lost the Big Ten title game to Wisconsin, face off in Raymond James Stadium. MSU lost its bid for the Rose Bowl in heartbreaking fashion, but Mark Dantonio’s team should have ample incentive to play well in this game after being embarrassed by Alabama in the Cap One Bowl last season. Georgia is a perfect 7-0 in bowl matchups with Big Ten opponents, including wins over Michigan State in the ’89 Gator Bowl and the ’09 Capital One Bowl. The Spartans, meanwhile, have lost five straight bowl games and haven’t tasted victory in the postseason since 2001. Coach Dantonio has done very well in East Lansing, but he needs to get over the hump in January.

Wack Predict-O: Michigan State 22, Georgia 17  

Gator Bowl (Jacksonville, FL, 1:00 PM): Ohio State (6-6) vs. Florida (6-6)

This monument to mediocrity is a long way from the meeting between the programs in the 2007 BCS Championship. Both the Buckeyes and Gators struggled through turbulent seasons. Ohio State’s problems are well-documented here; Florida got off to a 4-0 start before being outscored by a combined 79-21 in back-to-back losses to Alabama and LSU. Like Ohio State, the Gators struggled offensively, with the once-touted John Brantley suffering through an inconsistent and injury-plagued campaign. Micro-backs Chris Rainey and Jeff Demps provided some thrills but couldn’t carry the attack by themselves. Meanwhile, the Gator defense yielded more than 200 rushing yards four times.

The result was a record identical to that of Ohio State: 6-6, 3-5 in the conference. Both teams will be playing to avoid a rare losing season. Florida hasn’t had one since 1979, Ohio State since 1988. For Buckeyes fans it’s a season-ender made even more dissatisfying by the recent news that their team will be banned from postseason play in 2012, Urban Meyer’s first year at the helm. That team will be expected to compete for a Big Ten title- instead it won’t even be eligible for the crown. Given a choice, Ohio State fans would no doubt have taken the bowl ban this season.

But, so be it. To win this game the Buckeyes will have to do something they didn’t do well all season- tackle, particularly when Rainey and Demps have the ball. They’ll have to contain Brantley, a senior that, regardless of his inconsistent performance, is capable of having a big outing. They’ll have to take advantage of Florida’s vulnerable run defense. Braxton Miller will have to avoid turnovers and make at least a few plays in the passing game to augment his threat on the ground. In what promises to be a close, low-scoring affair, the Buckeyes won’t have to be spectacular- they’ll just have to make fewer mistakes than the Gators.

Wack Predict-O: Ohio State 20, Florida 17      

Rose Bowl (Pasadena, CA, 5:00 PM): Oregon (11-2) vs. Wisconsin (11-2)

In this otherwise unsatisfying postseason it’s nice to see a “pure” Rose Bowl: Big Ten Champion, Pac-12 Champion and an invigorating clash of styles in the shadows of the San Gabriel Mountains. Both teams can rack up points with the best of them: Oregon is third in the nation in scoring while Wisconsin is fifth. It’s a battle of great running backs: Wisconsin’s Montee Ball, who led the nation in rushing yards and scoring, and Oregon’s LaMichael James, who gained 1,646 yards. Neither team plays particularly good defense; the winner of this game will be the team that has more success keeping its own defense, and the opposing offense safely on the sideline. Oregon hasn’t won the Rose Bowl since 1917 and hasn’t fared well recently against high-profile opponents. A win over the Badgers would be massive for Chip Kelly’s program.

Wack Predict-O: Oregon 31, Wisconsin 28

Fiesta Bowl (Glendale, AZ, 8:30 PM): Oklahoma State (11-1) vs. Stanford (11-1)

Oklahoma State really should be playing for the BCS Championship, but the Cowboys will have to settle for their first major bowl appearance since 1946 and a matchup with Stanford. The headliners are the quarterbacks: OSU’s Brandon Weeden, who threw for 4,328 yards and 34 touchdowns, and Stanford’s Andrew Luck, everyone’s number-one pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. Weeden throws to Justin Blackmon, who hauled in 113 passes; Luck throws to perhaps the best set of tight ends in the country led by Coby Fleener, who scored ten touchdowns and averaged more than twenty yards per catch. This is a sure-fire shootout, but the Cowboys might be a tad too athletic for the Cardinal on both sides of the ball.

Wack Predict-O: Oklahoma State 48, Stanford 38

Tuesday, January 3

Sugar Bowl (New Orleans, LA, 8:30 PM): Virginia Tech (10-2) vs. Michigan (10-2)

This is about as underwhelming as a BCS game can get, with neither participant in the top ten of the rankings. Michigan hasn’t appeared in the BCS since 2000, when Tom Brady led the Wolverines past Alabama in a thrilling Orange Bowl. Virginia Tech has reached the BCS five times but has won just once. Neither really deserves to play in a game of this magnitude, but it should be an entertaining matchup nonetheless between teams with plenty of speed and firepower. Michigan boasts a pair of 1,000-yard rushers in Fitzgerald Toussaint and quarterback Denard Robinson; Virginia Tech responds with dual-threat quarterback Logan Thomas and 1,627-yard tailback David Wilson. Michigan’s defense improved dramatically in 2011 but will be severely tested by the Hokies. Mobile quarterbacks have bothered the Wolverines for years, and Thomas could have a field day in the Superdome.

Wack Predict-O: Virginia Tech 34, Michigan 27

Wednesday, January 4

Orange Bowl (Miami, FL, 8:30 PM): Clemson (9-3) vs. West Virginia (9-3)

Like the Sugar Bowl, this isn’t exactly a vintage BCS game. WVU and Clemson looked bad at times despite winning their respective conference championships. The Mountaineers needed help in order to secure the Big East crown, while the Tigers lost three of four late in the season before bouncing back with an ACC Championship rout of Virginia Tech. Like the Fiesta Bowl, this game shapes up as a shootout between prolific passing offenses. West Virginia’s Geno Smith threw for 3,978 yards with his top two receivers, Stedman Bailey and Tavon Austin, going over 1,000 yards. Clemson’s Tajh Boyd threw for 3,578 yards with his favorite receiver, Sammy Watkins, accumulating 1,159 yards. Warts and all, this game will be entertaining.

Wack Predict-O: West Virginia 34, Clemson 31

Friday, January 6

Cotton Bowl (Arlington, TX, 8:00 PM): Arkansas (10-2) vs. Kansas State (10-2)

The Cotton Bowl used to be a high-profile game, and this year it gets a matchup better than some of the BCS bowls as a pair of top-ten teams clash in Jerry World. The Razorbacks and Wildcats are each led by a quarterback who is effective in different ways. Tyler Wilson threw for 3,422 yards, employing one of the best receiving groups in the country; Collin Klein played the Tebow role, running for 1,099 yards and 26 touchdowns. It’s a true pick ‘em between evenly matched teams with identical records, each of which played- and beat- one common opponent in Texas A&M.

Wack Predict-O: Arkansas 38, Kansas State 31

Saturday, January 7

Compass Bowl (Birmingham, AL, 1:00 PM): Southern Methodist (7-5) vs. Pittsburgh (6-6)

It’s a rematch of the 1983 Cotton Bowl but Dan Marino, Eric Dickerson and Craig James are nowhere in sight for these present-day also-rans. SMU upset TCU on the way to a 5-1 start before derailing offensively against the top teams in Conference USA. Pitt is on its fourth head coach in less than a year with Todd Graham defecting to Arizona State after one mediocre season. (Mustangs coach June Jones was all but headed to Tempe before the deal fell apart, causing the Sun Devils to go after Graham.) The Panthers are in turmoil, but the Mustangs are in even bigger trouble without power back Zach Line, who is out with a toe injury.

Wack Predict-O: Pittsburgh 27, Southern Methodist 10

Sunday, January 8

GoDaddy.com Bowl (Mobile, AL, 9:00 PM): Arkansas State (10-2) vs. Northern Illinois (10-3)

One of only four bowls between conference champions (the Poinsettia, Rose and Orange being the others), the second-to-last postseason game pits the MAC Champion Huskies against the Sun Belt Champion Red Wolves, winners of nine straight. It’ll be the last game for Chandler Harnish, who threw for 2,942 yards and 26 touchdowns and rushed for more yards (1,382) than any other quarterback in America. ASU counters with Ryan Aplin, who threw for 3,235 yards and led his team in rushing. Both players finished in the top ten nationally in total offense. Aplin’s favorite target, Dwayne Frampton, made 90 catches for 1,125 yards. This game is typically high-scoring, and the latest addition should be no different.

Wack Predict-O: Northern Illinois 47, Arkansas State 34