COLLEGE FOOTBALL OPENING BOWL WEEKEND PICKS

At best, picking bowl games is a difficult task. Between teams being led by interim coaches and trying to figure out whether other coaches are really attempting to win, reliably predicting winners is almost impossible. There are teams from lesser conferences that want to make an impression by defeating an opponent from a Big Five league. Some coaches would prefer to use the extra practice time to prepare next year's starters for game action. And unlike the BCS era, it's not particularly important on where a team is positioned in the polls at the beginning of next season.

Gildan New Mexico Bowl:

Arizona (6 - 6) 28 vs. New Mexico (7 - 5) 30: The Lobos are playing a virtual home game and are one of those teams that is looking to step up in class and beat a Pac-12 squad. Really now, the bowl game is named for their school. Suspicious, yes, so I like them here. Arizona has been disappointing all season and New Mexico should be able to run on the Sun Devils.

Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl:

BYU (9 - 3) 27 vs. (22) Utah (9 - 3) 20: Mormons in Sin City. It sounds more like a bad reality show than what should be a good college football bowl game. How two teams from Utah end up in a Nevada game is beyond me. I like BYU to continue the Utes late-season slide.

Raycom Media Camellia Bowl:

Ohio (8 - 4) 27 vs. Appalachian State (10 - 2) 34: Appalachian State is a relative newcomer to the FBS, but they have continued the postseason tradition they developed as an FCS member. The Mountaineers rolled through an easy Sun Belt schedule, losing to Arkansas State to miss out on a conference championship. Ohio went 5 - 3 against a tougher MAC schedule, finishing on a high note with three straight wins. If the Bobcats can't stop Appalachian State's running game, it could be a long day.

AutoNation Cure Bowl:

San Jose State (5 - 7) 27 vs. Georgia State (6 - 6) 24: Otherwise known as the "Who Cares Bowl", this boasts two teams with a combined sub-.500 record.They were both outscored by their opponents for the season. Really?

Carriers New Orleans Bowl:

Arkansas State (9 - 3) 23 vs. Louisiana Tech (8 - 4) 28: Despite having a better record, this isn't a great match-up for the Red Wolves.  The Bulldogs have a very good rushing defense that will make La. Tech do something they don't do very well, and that is throw the ball. The home state fans will be celebrating on nearby Bourbon Street after this one.

Don't forget to check out my new book, "Roughing the Passer - A PK Frazier Novel" and my first, "Illegal Procedure - A PK Frazier Novel", available in print and e-formats at Amazon.com, iBooks and Smashwords. The third installment, "Offsetting Penalties" is due out in January.