Final Standings

Final Standings*:

1.) Brett - 25 pts

2.) Clyde - 25 pts

3.) Sue - 24 pts

4.) Tim - 24 pts

5.) Doug B. - 24 pts

6.) Tiffani - 22 pts

7.) Mark - 22 pts

8.) Nate - 22 pts

9.) Grant - 21 pts

10.) Kari - 20 pts

*Ties are broken by predictions for Denard Robinson's total yardage in the Sugar Bowl (130 yds)

Top 5 Picks of 2012

#5 - Rutgers: It shouldn't have been a shocker that Greg Schiano can win bowl games at Rutgers, but only Kari and Clyde went with the Scarlet Knights.

#4 - Marshall: Kari and Tim were the only contestants to pick the Thundering Herd to beat FIU, one of the top 5 upset picks from last year.

#3 - Louisianna-Lafayette: The first of several special teams disasters for yours truly, this game ushered in a bowl season frought with kickers' duels. Only Grant and Sue picked the Ragin' Cajuns to win a bowl game in their home state.

#2 - Utah: Despite adding two more teams to their conference this year, the Pac-12 was down this year. While it looked like Georgia Tech might finally beat a quality opponent who had ample time to prepare for the triple-option, only Sue was cheering when the Utes made a drastic fourth quarter come-back.

#1 - West Virginia: The Clemson Tigers had a lot of people (including Kirk Herbstreit) drinking the orange Kool-aid this season. But losses to Georgia Tech, NC State, and South Carolina late in the season reminded us of "That's why you're Clemson." Nevertheless, the Tigers' stirring performance in their conference championship was enough to garner all of our picks except Tim's. In the Orange Bowl, Geno Smith sent the message loud and clear: "Put the Kool-aid down!"

That's More Like It

In just one year, Brady Hoke and his staff have brought Michigan back into the national picture. This was a team that had been crawling back toward relevance for three years under Rich Rodriguez, a team that has been anemic on defense, a team struggling to succeed in its conference, a team who hadn't beaten a ranked opponent since 2008. Now the same team with virtually the same players is going to a BCS bowl?! I don't know what kind of Kool-aid Coach Hoke has everyone drinking, but pass that over!

Now before we get too high on Hoke, let's remember that the Wolverines had an easy schedule this year and only went 1 for 2 against ranked opponents. The defense still had its issues and the offense had problems with execution at times. And before anyone starts setting the bar too high for Hoke next year or using words like "Undefeated" or "National Championship" remember that Michigan opens the 2012 season against Alabama in Arlington, Texas (that's right, Jerry World) and plays a total of 6 games away from the Big House including at Notre Dame, at Nebraska, and at Ohio State.

So for now, let's just focus on enjoying this year's bowl season and making those picks!

New Mexico Bowl
Wyoming (8-4)
vs.
Temple (8-4)

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Utah State (7-5)
vs.
Ohio (9-4)

New Orleans Bowl
Louisiana-Lafayette (8-4)
vs.
San Diego State (8-4)

Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl
FIU (8-4)
vs.
Marshall (6-6)

Poinsettia Bowl
TCU (10-2)
vs.
Louisiana Tech (8-4)

MAACO Bowl
Boise State (11-1)
vs.
Arizona State (6-6)

Hawai'i Bowl
Southern Miss (11-2)
vs.
Nevada (7-5)

Independence Bowl
Missouri (7-5)
vs.
North Carolina (7-5)

Little Caesars Bowl
Western Michigan (7-5)
vs.
Purdue (6-6)

Belk Bowl
Louisville (7-5)
vs.
N. C. State (7-5)

Military Bowl
Toledo (8-4)
vs.
Air Force (7-5)

Holiday Bowl
Texas (7-5)
vs.
California (7-5)

Champs Sports Bowl
Florida State (8-4)
vs.
Notre Dame (9-3)

Alamo Bowl
Baylor (9-3)
vs.
Washington (7-5)

Armed Forces Bowl
Tulsa (8-4)
vs.
BYU (9-3)

New Era Pinstripe Bowl
Rutgers (8-4)
vs.
Iowa State (6-6)

Music City Bowl
Wake Forest (6-6)
vs.
Mississippi State (6-6)

Insight Bowl
Iowa (7-5)
vs.
Oklahoma (9-3)

Meineke Car Care Bowl
Northwestern (6-6)
vs.
Texas A&M (6-6)

Sun Bowl
Georgia Tech (8-4)
vs.
Utah (7-5)

Liberty Bowl
Vanderbilt (6-6)
vs.
Cincinnati (9-3)

Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl
UCLA (6-7)
vs.
Illinois (6-6)

Chick-fil-A Bowl
Virginia (8-4)
vs.
Auburn (7-5)

TicketCity Bowl
Penn State (9-3)
vs.
Houston (12-1)

Outback Bowl
Georgia (10-3)
vs.
Michigan State (10-3)

Capital One Bowl
Nebraska (9-3)
vs.
South Carolina (10-2)

Gator Bowl
Ohio State (6-6)
vs.
Florida (6-6)

Rose Bowl
Wisconsin (11-2)
vs.
Oregon (11-2)

Fiesta Bowl
Stanford (11-1)
vs.
Oklahoma State (11-1)

Sugar Bowl
Michigan (10-2)
vs.
Virginia Tech (10-2)

Orange Bowl
West Virginia (9-3)
vs.
Clemson (10-3)

Cotton Bowl
Arkansas (10-2)
vs.
Kansas State (10-2)

BBVA Compass Bowl
Pittsburgh (6-6)
vs.
SMU (7-5)

GoDaddy.com Bowl
Arkansas State (10-2)
vs.
Northern Illinois (10-3)

BCS Championship Game
Alabama (11-1)
vs.
LSU (13-0)

And the Winner is . . .

I apologize for announcing this year's champion so late. I imagine many of you have probably already done your own figures to figure out where you placed. But congratulations to Doug B. (a.k.a. "The Rev") for becoming the Bowl Championship Sage of the 2010-2011 Bowl Season. He had a rough start, but had a late surge from New's Day through the BCS Championship game. For those of you who still want to know where you finished, see below for the standings.

As has become a Bowl Championship Sage tradition, I will highlight this year's top five picks. They do not give you any extra points, but you do receive at least a little credit for going out on a limb with some of your picks. Thanks again to all of our contestants, we hope to see you again next year.

#5 FIU - Nate and Doug B. were the only ones to pick Florida International over Toledo. While some might still criticize the referees who spotted the ball after that daring hook and ladder play, we still chalk it up as a win.

#4 TCU - Susan and Brett went with the Horned Frogs while everyone else put their faith in the size of the Badger offensive line. Even though Wisconsin dominated the time of possession, they did not have the edge in the one and only stat that matters: points.

#3 FSU - I thought this was a tough game to pick, but only Clyde dissented and went with Jimbo Fisher in his first bowl game as the 'Noles head coach. Meanwhile, Stever Spurrier and the Gamecocks continue to struggle late in the season.

#2 NC State - Another game in which I thought I'd see more division amongst our contestants, but only A. Contenda went with the senior quarterback, Russell Wilson over Geno Smith and Noel Divine.

#1 Tulsa - Who picks against Hawaii in the Hawaii Bowl? Who picks against Hawaii in the Hawaii Bowl and gets it right? Just my mom, that's who. A. Contenda and her lack of research strikes again. We might have called her picks dumb on December 18th, but at the end of another topsy turvy Bowl Season she blows away the Top 5 list with three appearances.

Standings*

1.) Doug B. - 25 points

2.) Jacob - 24 points

3.) Mark - 23 points

4.) Ray - 23 points

5.) Sue - 23 points

6.) Grant - 22 points

7.) Clyde - 22 points

8.) Tiffani - 20 points

9.) Tim - 20 points

10.) Brett - 20 points

11.) Nate - 18 points

*Ties are broken based on Denard Robinson's total yardage (rushing and passing) in the Gator Bowl: 313. Consult the Tiebreaker post to see all the contestants' estimates.

Tiebreaker

According to ESPN, Denard Robinson threw for 254 yards and ran for 59 yards for a total of 313. Below are your totals and rank based on your difference from the actual total, just so you know where you stand in case you find yourself tied with someone else.

1.) Mark - 324 (11)
2.) Tiffani - 298 (15)
3.) Ray - 333 (20)
4.) Nate - 291 (22)
5.) Jacob - 340 (27)
6.) Grant - 275 (38)
7.) Tim - 266 (47)
8.) Brett - 368 (55)
9.) Sue - 222 (91)
10.) Doug B. - 203 (110)
11.) Clyde - N/A