Bowl Preview: Texas Bowl

Texas Bowl
Reliant Stadium, Houston
Rice vs. Western Michigan
Date: Dec. 30
Time: 8 p.m.
TV: NFL Network
Line: Rice -3

About Rice: The Owls finished the season on a six-game win streak and kicked the crap out of UTEP and Houston. Huh. They also gave up 63 points to Tulsa and 52 to Texas.

Intangibles:
Chinese food: +6
Home game for all Owls fans: -2
Once coached by Ken Hatfield: -6


About Western Michigan: The Broncos, seemingly like every other team I’ve previewd so far, scores lots of points and plays no defense.

Intangibles:
In Michigan:: -3
Not near Ann Arbor: +4
Alma mater of Tim Allen: +2
I hated Tool Time: -3


Impact Player: Western Michigan QB Tim Hiller. Hiller is from Orrville, Ohio. So is Smuckers jams. My cousin works for Smuckers and lives in Orrville. Coincidence? I think not. Big game for Hiller.

Bowl slogan: “YeeHaw, Tex! This game sucks.”

Little known fact: The game MVP of the Texas Bowl gets a trophy AND a cowboy hat. Actually true. And a little gay.

Little Known Fact #2: This game is on the NFL Network, further guaranteeing nobody will watch it.

Watchability (1-5): 0

The Pick: Rice 41, Western Michigan 31

Picks of the Week

Even after going 4-1 and picking the Rutgers upset at South Florida, 'Eer is still looking to get back to .500 on the season. Let's hope he makes some sound picks (and gets a little luck). Here we go again:

Ohio State (-20.5) over Michigan
Don't tell me that in all rivalries you throw out the records because anything can happen. I've seen it happen, but there is no way the Wolverines can go into Columbus and beat the Buckeyes. Jim Tressel owns Michigan to the tune of 6-1. Rich-Rod doesn't respect this game and UM is lacking in talent.
Pick: Ohio State 48, Michigan 8

Akron (-2.5) over Ohio
Staying in the state of Ohio, the Dennis Kennedy-led Zips come into Peden Stadium and take down the underachieving Bobcats. Akron would be bowl eligible with a win at 6-5 and remain in second in the East Division of the Mid-American Conference. OU is trying to avoid its ninth loss.
Pick: Akron 37, Ohio 14

Rice (-9) over Marshall
Turning my attention just up the Ohio River is where we find Marshall. OK, actually they'll be in Texas playing Rice. The Thundering Herd must win its last two games to get bowl eligible and possibly save Mark Snyder's job in Huntington. Not going to happen. At 5-1 in the West Division, Rice is playing for a Conference USA championship.
Pick: Rice 31, Marshall 20

Boise State (-5.5) over Nevada
The Wolf Pack are tough at home, but Boise is 10-0 and will make a BCS bowl if they can win out. Chris Petersen will not let the Broncos lose focus as they travel to Reno. No. 9 Boise State is led by a balanced offense that includes running back Ian Johnson (539 rushing yards and nine TDs) and quarterback Kellen Moore (2,637 yards and 20 TDs).
Pick: Boise State 28, Nevada 20

Upset of the Week
Pittsburgh (+5) over Cincinnati
Maybe this is more my heart than head. What? Yeah, a Mountaineer rooting for Pitt. Well, that's what it takes for WVU to have a shot at the Big East title. But I actually believe the Panthers are better than the Bearcats and LeSean McCoy is going to run crazy. Even Wannstache has figured it out that it's just good job security to keep feeding McCoy.
Pick: Pittsburgh 27, Cincinnati 24

Last Week: 4-1
Season: 21-24