Based on my College Football Rankings, which I will put up… fairly soon. I hope. The Golden Bowl Selection Show is being delayed to 6 PM PT, maybe even until tomorrow, because my computer abruptly aborted, Excel wasn’t autorecovering the file I was doing my planning on for some reason, and that means I need to go all the way home to transfer back the post-championship-weekend RPI. I’ve selected one at large, have some idea of at least two others, and pretty much know who my top two and bottom three teams will be, if not in what order.
Teams in parenthesis reflect the probability that Boise State won’t be selected by the BCS; asterisks indicate at-large selections. Because of the “winning records before .500” rule, incidentally, Notre Dame will have to settle for one of the –AL spots, probably the Motor City if Boise State doesn’t go to the BCS. All times Eastern.
| BOWL | Teams | My Picks | DATE/TIME/CHANNEL |
| EagleBank Bowl | ACC #9 | Maryland | Dec. 20, 11 a.m. |
| Navy | Navy | ESPN | |
| New Mexico | Mountain West #4 | Colorado State | Dec. 20, 2:30 p.m. |
| WAC #3 | Nevada (Fresno State) | ESPN | |
| St. Petersburg | Big East (#6?) | South Florida | Dec. 20, 4:30 p.m. |
| Conference USA #5 | Southern Miss | ESPN2 | |
| Pioneer Las Vegas | Mountain West #1 | TCU | Dec. 20, 8 p.m. |
| Pac-10 #4(/5) | California or Oregon State | ESPN | |
| R+L Carriers New Orleans | C-USA #4 (Southern Miss rates higher but is 6-6) | Rice | Dec. 21, 8:15 p.m. |
| Sun Belt #1 | Troy | ESPN | |
| San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia | Mountain West #2 | BYU | Dec. 23, 8 p.m. |
| Pac-10 #7 (WAC #4 if none) | Louisiana Tech (Nevada) | ESPN | |
| Sheraton Hawaii | WAC #2 (gen. Hawaii) | Hawaii | Dec. 24, 8 p.m. |
| Pac-10 #6 (C-USA #7 if none) | Northern Illinois* | ESPN | |
| Motor City | MAC #1/2 | Ball State | Dec. 26, 8 p.m. |
| Big Ten #7 | Minnesota (Louisiana Tech*) | ESPN | |
| Meineke Car Care | ACC #5/6/7 (gen. 6) | Clemson | Dec. 27, 1 p.m. |
| Big East #3 | West Virginia | ESPN | |
| Champs Sports | ACC #4 | Georgia Tech | Dec. 27, 4:30 p.m. |
| Big Ten #(4/)5 | Northwestern (Wisconsin) | ESPN | |
| Emerald | Pac-10 #(4/)5 | Oregon State or California | Dec. 27, 8 p.m. |
| ACC #5/6/7 (gen. 7) | Miami (FL) | ESPN | |
| Independence | SEC #8 (or Sun Belt; Fla. Atlantic technically rates higher) | Louisiana-Lafayette | Dec. 28, 8:15 p.m. |
| Big 12 #7 | Central Michigan* | ESPN | |
| Papajohns.com | Big East (#5?) | Connecticut | Dec. 29, 3 p.m. |
| SEC #9 (Sun Belt if none) | Arkansas State | ESPN | |
| Valero Alamo | Big Ten #4(/5) | Mich. State (Northwestern) | Dec. 29, 8 p.m. |
| Big 12 #4/5 | Nebraska | ESPN | |
| Roady’s Humanitarian | WAC #1 (gen. BSU) | Fresno State (Boise State) | Dec. 30, 4:30 p.m. |
| ACC #8 | Wake Forest | ESPN | |
| Texas | Big 12 #8 | Bowling Green* | Dec. 30, 8 p.m. |
| Conference USA #6 | Memphis | NFL Network | |
| Pacific Life Holiday | Big 12 #3 | Missouri | Dec. 30, 8 p.m. |
| Pac-10 #2 | Oregon | ESPN | |
| Bell Helicopter Armed Forces | Conference USA #3? | Houston | Dec. 31, Noon |
| Mountain West #3 | Air Force | ESPN | |
| Brut Sun | Pac-10 #3 | Arizona | Dec. 31, 2 p.m. |
| Big 12 #5/Big East #2 | Pittsburgh | CBS | |
| Gaylord Hotels Music City | SEC #6/7 (Team’s Pref.) | Vanderbilt | Dec. 31, 3:30 p.m. |
| ACC #5/6/7 (gen. 5; must pick Chmp. Gm. Loser if >8 wins) | Boston College | ESPN | |
| Insight | Big 12 #6 | Kansas | Dec. 31, 5:30 p.m. |
| Big Ten #6 | Wisconsin (Minnesota) | NFL Network | |
| Chick-fil-A | SEC #5 | LSU | Dec. 31, 7:30 p.m. |
| ACC #2 | North Carolina | ESPN | |
| Outback | SEC #3/4 (East) | South Carolina | Jan. 1, 2009, 11 a.m. |
| Big Ten #3 | Iowa (Michigan State) | ESPN | |
| Capital One | Big Ten #2 | Ohio State (Iowa) | Jan. 1, 2009, 1 p.m. |
| SEC #2 | Georgia | ABC | |
| Konica Minolta Gator | Big 12 #4/Big East #2 | Oklahoma State | Jan. 1, 2009, 1 p.m. |
| ACC #3 | Florida State | CBS | |
| Rose Bowl Game Presented by Citi | BCS (Big Ten #1) | Penn State | Jan. 1, 2009, 4:30 p.m. |
| BCS (Pac-10 #1) | USC | ABC | |
| FedEx Orange | BCS | Cincinnati | Jan. 1, 2009, 8:30 p.m. |
| BCS (ACC #1) | Virginia Tech | FOX | |
| AT&T Cotton | Big 12 #2 | Texas Tech | Jan. 2, 2009, 2 p.m. |
| SEC #3/4 (West) | Mississippi | FOX | |
| AutoZone Liberty | SEC #6/7 (Team’s Pref.) | Kentucky | Jan. 2, 2009, 5 p.m. |
| Conference USA #1 | East Carolina | ESPN | |
| Allstate Sugar | BCS | Utah (Ohio State) | Jan. 2, 2009, 8 p.m. |
| BCS (SEC #1) | Boise State (Alabama) | FOX | |
| International | Big East (#4?) | Rutgers | Jan. 3, 2009, Noon |
| MAC #3 | Western Michigan | ESPN2 | |
| Tostitos Fiesta | BCS | Alabama (Utah) | Jan. 5, 2009, 8 p.m. |
| BCS (Big 12 #1) | Texas | FOX | |
| GMAC | Conference USA #2 | Tulsa | Jan. 6, 2009, 8 p.m. |
| MAC #1/2 | Buffalo | ESPN | |
| FedEx BCS National Championship Game | BCS #1 | Florida | Jan. 8, 2009, 8 p.m. |
| BCS #2 | Oklahoma | FOX |