Get Gamm - Bowl Style
Here is the official bowl slate. Picks are due before kickoff of the first game. Good luck. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Note - don't miss at the bottom the first round of Get Gamm Basketball. Those games start on next week already too!

Champs Sports Bowl - Orlando, FL
December 27, 4:30pm
Wisconsin vs. Florida State

Gamm says ... The first in a slate of what should be seven good bowl games for the Big Ten this year. FSU is on the cusp of returning to the top of the ACC. Wisconsin had a highly disappointing campaign that included a mind-numbing loss to lowly Michigan and a gut-wrenching loss at Michigan State. Still, the season ended well and the Badgers are hungry to keep building for next year. I like Wisconsin in Florida bowl games... Wisconsin 24 - Florida State 20.

Buckeye Nation says ... A real "pick 'em" game between two teams who disappointed their fans this season. Something tells me that the Badgers pull this one out. Wisconsin 23 - Florida State 21

Alamo Bowl - San Antonio, TX
December 29, 8pm
Northwestern vs. Missouri

Gamm says ... I so want to pick the Wildcats in this one. NU had a fantastic season and rightfully deserved a better bowl slot than Iowa. But alas, that's business in the Big Ten. Vegas doesn't like Northwestern's chances at all, I am not as pessimistic. The NU defense is better than it is getting credit for and while Mizzou is good, a lot of folks are still basing their game thoughts on the pre Oklahoma State game Tigers. Missouri will win, but not by the wide margin some expect. Missouri 33 - Northwestern 30.

Buckeye Nation says ... This matchup is interesting. Mizzou is undoubtedly disappointed given the thinking at the beginning of the season that they were BCS Championship contenders with Chase Daniel at QB. Northwestern, on the other hand, exceeded expectations, even though they lost star RB Tyrell Sutton for the meat of the Big 10 schedule. The 'Cats aren't accustomed to this type of post-season revelry, but the Tigers are. Missouri 38 - Northwestern 27

Insight Bowl - Tempe, AZ
December 31, 6pm
Minnesota vs. Kansas

Gamm says ... Credit the Minnesota staff and players for a wonderful turnaround this season. This is a nice and just reward. Trouble is, Kansas is a lot better than a Golden Gophers team that was exposed an awful lot over the last few weeks of the season. I think Kansas cuts through this defense like a hot knife through butter. Kansas 41 - Minnesota 27.

Buckeye Nation says ... Both of these squads started out hot, but limped home to close out the season. Kansas however, rebounded in knocking off Mizzou, while the Gophers seemed to get worse with every game, concluding with a blow-out loss at home to archrival Iowa. The clock strikes midnight for the Gophers...as it did for the last month of the season. Kansas 41 - Minnesota 24

Outback Bowl - Tampa, FL
January 1, 11am
Iowa vs. South Carolina

Gamm says ... The one and only favorite - per Vegas - this Big Ten bowl season is Iowa. The Hawkeyes have the Penn State feather in their cap, and three of the team's losses game in a row in heartbreaking fashion. Iowa might have the most upside potential going forward but will all the hype get to Hawkeyes? I don't think so. South Carolina isn't a great SEC team, maybe not even a truly good one. Iowa wins and Greene rides off into the NFL... Iowa 27 - South Carolina 14.

Buckeye Nation says ... The Hawkeyes vs. the Gamecocks will be a great way to start a full day of bowl viewing. And in my view, the Big 10 fans will be smiling when it's all over in this one. Iowa 34 - South Carolina 26

Capital One Bowl - Orlando, FL
January 1, 1pm
Michigan State vs. Georgia

Gamm says ... So, the gurus are calling this one the rock solid lock of the bowl season. Georgia in a landslide. Well, in the immortal words of Lee Corso, not so fast my friend. UGA fell to this game. MSU aspired to it. The Bulldogs have been praised for their losses to Florida, Alabama and Georgia Tech. Ahem, last I checked Ohio State, Penn State and Cal were every bit in that neighborhood. That garbage aside, the running back show will be spectacular. And, we could be watching the future of the Detroit Lions (Matthew Stafford) at the helm of the dawgs. I think State has more to prove and more to play for. Have a 2000 Citrus Bowl flashback... Michigan State 34 - Georgia 31 on a late field goal.

Buckeye Nation says ... Speaking of disappointing seasons, the Dawgs thought they were headed to Miami when the season opened up, but had to settle for Orlando as a consolation prize. The Spartans on the other hand exceeded expectations by being in the hunt for a share of the Big 10 title until the final day of the season. Dantonio has the Spartans headed in the right direction, but they're not there just yet. While I'd like to see Andy smile, I don't think he will be after this one. Georgia 42 - Michigan State 17.

Rose Bowl - Pasadena, CA
January 1, 5pm
Penn State vs. USC (TIEBREAKER)

Gamm says ... In my book, this one is as good as the national title game. Both were uncanny road slip ups away. Both teams are stocked with NFL talent. USC might be bored playing in, ho-hum, another Rose Bowl. Penn State is hungry to show it is worthy of the national title talk that existed up until that Iowa loss. I'm looking for a classic, but in the end, SC has too much. USC 23 - Penn State 21.

Buckeye Nation says ... Two teams that could have been undefeated but for one slip-up, marks this year's Grandaddy-of-them-all matchup. I'd love to see the Lions do it, but the Trojans get the home field advantage, and the win. USC 38 - Penn State 13

Fiesta Bowl - Glendale, AZ
January 5, 8pm
Ohio State vs. Texas

Gamm says ... On one hand, you have an Ohio State team tired of hearing how it gets killed whenever the spotlight shines. On the other you have one pissed off set of Longhorns, screwed by the system that inexplicably doesn't take into account head-to-head. Now, Oklahoma might well be the best team in the land, but Texas has something to prove. Ohio State might have a bit more talent, but Texas is a play away from playing for something even bigger. Texas 20 - Ohio State 16

Buckeye Nation says ... Probably the third best bowl matchup on the entire slate after the BCS Championship game and the Rose Bowl. The Buckeyes are very familiar with Phoenix, having played there 4 out of the past 6 years, but the last time in Arizona was a clunker. Texas has never faced a defense like OSU's, on the other hand, OSU has not seen an offense quite like Texas's offense. The Longhorns are smarting from not making the BCS title game, in spite of beating Oklahoma, and Colt McCoy finished 2nd in the Heisman voting. They will finish second here as well. Texas thinks they are playing in the wrong game, and the Buckeyes are looking for redemption. Look for the Buckeyes to finally give the conference the respect it deserves. Ohio State 28 - Texas 23.

Get Gamm Basketball (my picks in bold, score only needed for MSU - Minnesota):
12/30/08
Illinois @ Purdue

12/31/08
Michigan State @ Minnesota (MSU 64 - Minnesota 63)
Northwestern @ Penn State
Wisconsin @ Michigan
Iowa @ Ohio State

01/03/09
Ohio State @ Minnesota
Penn State @ Wisconsin
Indiana @ Iowa
Michigan State @ Northwestern

01/04/09
Illinois @ Michigan

Playing catch-up...
Well, life continues to be busy, but I've finally found a gap to get back to what I love... talking Big Ten football and hoops.

In the few weeks since I last posted, the Big Ten gave its best run ever at the ACC-Big Ten Challenge. If only Iowa could make a free throw, or Illinois a late stop, the Big Ten would finally, finally, be able to shake that ACC twow-on guerrilla off its back. We also saw the mighty - Purdue and Michigan State - get soundly thumped by the leaders of the ACC. Hey, the way I look at it is simple - November and December games are fun and all, but talk to me in March, when it matters.

Other than the Challenge there have been some nice games so far. Ohio State has a few solid wins to its credit. So does Michigan. Might the basketball team help ease the pain for all the Michigan football fans still licking their 3-9 wounds? The top tier teams will still make this a two or three horse race, but the middle of the pack will provide some defining moments come January and February...

Over the same time frame, the Big Ten football awards were released. The bowl selections made. Some national hardware passed out. So much to weigh in on...

No real qualms with any of what the coaches or media selected in terms of the Big Ten awards, with one exception: Mark Dantonio and/or Pat Fitzgerald deserved the Coach of the Year honors over Joe Paterno. If it were "Staff of the Year", then give it to Penn State, but you won't convince me that JoePa had as much impact on that team as Dantonio or Fitzgerald who made decent teams look very, very good. Paterno's team was loaded from the get-go.

The bowl games shook out as expected. Despite being the underdog in six of the seven match-ups, I like the Big Ten to fare just fine this postseason. More on that next week when I post my picks (Buckeye Nation, get me yours by THIS Thursday please).

Congrats to those who grabbed some national award coverage as well. Shonn Greene deserved the Doak Walker. Javon Ringer deserved All America honors. The Big Ten gets the shaft from the national media but watch a handful of NFL games each weekend and count the Big Ten starters on each roster. You can have your conferences, I love the Big Ten.

As for the national picture - Texas got screwed, even if Oklahoma is playing better right now. And the Heisman gets no complaints here. Could have been any of the three. I question, is it "best player", "MVP", or "best player on the best team"? All three give you a different winner in my book...

For those who want to weigh in now, here is the bowl slate. Picks are due before kickoff of the first game. Good luck. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Champs Sports Bowl - Orlando, FL
December 27, 4:30pm
Wisconsin vs. Florida State

Alamo Bowl - San Antonio, TX
December 29, 8pm
Northwestern vs. Missouri

Insight Bowl - Tempe, AZ
December 31, 6pm
Minnesota vs. Kansas

Outback Bowl - Tampa, FL
January 1, 11am
Iowa vs. South Carolina

Capital One Bowl - Orlando, FL
January 1, 1pm
Michigan State vs. Georgia

Rose Bowl - Pasadena, CA
January 1, 5pm
Penn State vs. USC

Fiesta Bowl - Glendale, AZ
January 5, 8pm
Ohio State vs. Texas