Dec. 26--Did you catch Central Michigan's Hail Mary/Cal lateral play at the end of the Bahamas Bowl? My immediate thought: I can't believe that didn't happen to Northwestern.
The Wildcats didn't qualify for a bowl this season, but 10 Big Ten teams will line up to try to better the conference's 2-5 performance from last year. My performance against the spread this season has been about as good.
Friday (Heart of Dallas), Illinois (plus 6) vs. Louisiana Tech: Tim Beckman is no longer on the hot seat. Then again, rumors of a contract extension have been greatly exaggerated. A season-ending victory would be nice, but I don't see it against a team that leads the nation with 40 takeaways. My takeaway? Go with Louisiana Tech.
Friday (Quick Lane), Rutgers (plus 3) vs. North Carolina: No idea what to make of the schizophrenic Tar Heels, but Rutgers might have found its identity in that outrageous comeback against Maryland in the regular-season finale. Take the Scarlet Knights.
Saturday (Pinstripe), Penn State (plus 2.5) vs. Boston College: Your high school senior class should vote this bowl the Least Likely to Entertain. The over-under of 40 also applies to the game-time temperature at Yankee Stadium. Go with BC.
Saturday (Holiday), Nebraska (plus 7) vs. USC: Remind me: Who is coaching the Cornhuskers in this game? It isn't Bo Pelini or Faux Pelini or even Mike Riley. It's Barney Cotton, who will become UNLV's offensive coordinator after this easy USC victory.
Tuesday (Foster Farms), Maryland (plus 14) vs. Stanford: One reason the Big Ten has such a lousy record in bowl games? Setups like this, in which one team could jog to Levi's Stadium from campus and the other travels 2,841 miles. Stanford it is.
Thursday (Outback), Wisconsin (plus 6) vs. Auburn: So what will it be, Badgers: a Melvin Gordon renaissance or a performance to match the embarrassment of Indy? When in doubt, take the SEC ... even against Barry Alvarez. Auburn is the pick.
Thursday (Cotton), Michigan State (plus 2.5) vs. Baylor: The Spartans did the conference proud last year by winning the Rose Bowl. But did you see what Oregon and Ohio State did to that secondary? Take the Bears.
Thursday (Citrus), Minnesota (plus 5) vs. Missouri: The SEC East isn't really the SEC, so the Big Ten has a chance. Save for the game at mighty TCU (OK, and against Illinois), Jerry Kill's team has not disappointed. The Gophers will shine again.
Thursday (Sugar), Ohio State (plus 9) vs. Alabama: Call me stubborn, but after witnessing that 59-0 clubbing in Indy, I have a hard time believing any team is 10 points better than the Buckeyes. Even one coached by Nick Satan. Take Ohio State.
Jan. 2 (TaxSlayer), Iowa (plus 3.5) vs. Tennessee: Everyone is picking Tennessee on the theory the Vols are young and more eager to kick off 2015 with a bang. So I'll take Iowa just ... because.
Last week: 3-3.
Season: 38-58-2.
tgreenstein@tribune.com
Twitter @TeddyGreenstein
