Bowling for Dollars? Hardly

My knack for picking almost every game wrong is catapulting me into near legendary status, cementing my legacy as the World's Worst Gambler.

Recent Bowl Results:
-Papajohns.com Bowl:
Cincy 31, So. Miss 21 MY PICK: Cincy 38, So. Miss 24
-New Mexico Bowl:
New Mexico 23, Nevada 0 MY PICK: Nevada 35, New Mexico 28
-Las Vegas Bowl:
BYU 17, UCLA 16 MY PICK: BYU 44, UCLA 21
-Hawaii Bowl:
East Carolina 41, Boise St. 38 MY PICK: Boise St

MY BOWL SEASON RECORD: 1-5

Ah, it's nice to see that as the years go by, some things never change. Britney is still going to be batshit crazy; George Bush will be a bumbling idiot; American Karaoke will continue to draw gazillions of viewers despite being and absolutely unwatchable piece of claptrap garbage...

...and I will be picking football game outcomes about as well as Pam Anderson picks spouses.

Six games into the 2007 Bowl Season and my record speaks for itself. It says "I SUCK WORSE THAN THE NEW 'ALVIN & THE CHIPMUNKS' MOVIE!" How bad is it? I Lost a game that I didn't even post about and never publicly stated who I thought would win.

That would be the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl, which I didn't get to post about due to the insanity that is the pre-Christmas craze. But I had penciled it in on my bowl sheet as an easy Boise win, only to have the Broncos get demolished early, come back late, then lose in agonizing fashion on a last-second, hideous-looking kick by the Pirates, handing Boise its second heartbreaking loss on the Big Island in exactly one month.

So my record stands at a Miami Dolphins-esque 1-5 after six bowls, and with the onslaught of games about to begin over the next week, I could just go into hiding (again) and claim the holiday hysteria caused me to forgo the rest of the predicting for the year.

But what fun would that be? For you guys, that is?

Instead I will press on, buoyed by the knowledge that even though I am hanging my propensity for awful predictions out on a line for all to see, at least it gives my readers plenty of fodder, as well as reason to believe that no matter how bad your bowl sheet is looking, it can't be any worse than mine.

You're welcome.

On to the next wave of embarrassment!

Motor City Bowl
Central Michigan (8-5) vs. Purdue (7-5)
7:30PM ESPN, Detroit
Line: Purdue -8 1/2

On paper this one looks like a high-scoring thriller, with both the Chippewas(easily one of the best nicknames in D1) and Boilermakers (easily one of the worst)averaging about 33 PPG, with each team possessing one of the most prolific passers in college football today.

Central Michigan's sophomore sensation Dan Lefevour threw for 3360 yards with 23 TDs and 13 INTs and also ran for over 1000 yards and 17 more scores, joining Vince Young as the only two QBs to pass for over 3000 yards and rush for over 1000 in one season.
In short, he's a freaking stud.

But Purdue has it's own stud QB in Curtis Painter. The senior also threw for 3300 yards, with 26 TDs and only 9 picks all season. Although he doesn't run like Lefevour, his veteran leadership and deep receiving corps make him just as dangerous as the double-threat Chippewa.

Purdue won the first meeting between these teams, 45-22, back in September, but since then Central has been on a roll, winning 7 of 10 games, although the news that head coach Butch Jones could be heading back to West Virginia to take over for his former mentor Rich Rodriguez could be a distraction for the club.

Purdue has had somewhat of a disappointing season, losing 5 of its last 7 games after jumping out to a 5-0 start. But Joe Tiller has guided this club to bowl games in 10 of 11 seasons, and he will be sure to have his team fired up to prevent any kind of revenge factor from sinking the Boilermakers in this one.

So who will win? The logical choice would be Purdue, with the focused coach, senior signal caller and Big 10-tested team, but we all know I never pick based on logic. I say the Chipps do let revenge guide them, and that combined with the home field advantage and the "win one for the departing coach" mindset will guide them to compete in what should be a high-scoring, close affair.

MY PICK: Purdue 37, Central Michigan 34