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Phil Steele’s 2010-11 Bowl Confidence Contest!

Phil Steele — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 18:18:06 +0000

The last couple of years I have had a Bowl Confidence Contest that generated a lot of interest on our site and we had hundreds and hundreds of entries. Last year we had the biggest entry pool yet with nearly 1200 entries and it was a huge success with more than double the amount of entries compared to last year! Congratulations again to Don Seebold the winner of the 2009-10 Bowl Confidence Contest!! Don finished with an amazing 508 points won to just 87 points lost (85%) and took home the grand prize of $250. Gary Osborne finished in 2nd with 457 points (77%) and got $100 and a set of 2010 regionals. Rick Perk finished in 3rd with 452 points (76%) and got $50 and set of regionals. Last year I was at a disadvantage as I posted my plays first and they were up for everyone to see before they made their plays but I was pleased to finish in the top 100 in the contest with 365 total points. If you followed my forecasts on the site last year I hit 22 of the 34 bowls for 65%.

This year we will again have a “Bowl Confidence Contest” and I hope there will be many more participants! Like the last couple of years I will update two categories after each bowl game. The first category is total points. If you picked a team and they won their bowl you receive the points that you risked. Sometimes the early leaders are the ones that risked the most on the early bowls and they fall by the wayside as the contest goes on. Sometimes the early leaders in this category will remain at the top through it all it all. I will also keep track of those that have the best win percentage of their points. The morning after each bowl game I will list the current leaders in two categories on the website. Like last year we will have great prizes with 1st place getting $250 and a set of 2011 magazines!! 2nd place receives $100 and a set of magazines and 3rd place $50 and a set of magazines!!

You can enter the contest by simply clicking here. To enter, just go to the sign up page and log in your information. Then after that go to your picksheet page and simply pick who you think will win each of the 35 bowl games. You then award your confidence points to each. The team you think will definitely win their game would get 35 points and the team who you picked at the bottom which was very tough for you to call would get 1 point. For each team that wins their bowl game that you picked correctly, you get the confidence points you assigned to them. Those with the highest points are the winners. The first bowl game takes place on December 18th at 2:00 PM EST and Good Luck!!

One Bowl Entry Per Person Please!! For more contest rules click here and if you have any questions or concerns please email brandon@philsteele.com.

Also make sure to check PhilSteele.com everyday for complete information and coverage on all the bowl matchups. Later this week on the homepage click on the Bowl Matchups link, where you will find all 35 bowl games. Click on the bowl logo for each game to get all the information you need to become an expert! Start doing your homework now and get your 35 bowl predictions done.

The Humanitarian and Holiday Bowls

Phil Steele — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 17:19:55 +0000

Each day during bowl season in my daily blog, I will give you my forecasts on the bowl games taking place that day. My forecasts will include a detailed write-up with my computer’s projected box score including rushing and passing yards, points and turnovers along with a detailed write-up on each game.

Also check out the bowl matchup section to get the latest and greatest information on all the upcoming bowl games including, game by game stats, 2009 recaps, and checklists for every position and intangible.

Humanitarian Bowl

Bowling Green vs Idaho

Team	Rush	Pass	Points	TO’s	ST
Bowling Green	63	345	34	1.2	•
Idaho	217	255	31	2.7	–

Gametime Projected Weather: 34°, Flurries Wind: WNW 5 mph

Idaho is playing in their home state and figures to have a large crowd advantage. The Vandals have plenty of weapons on offense that starts with QB Nathan Enderle who has 2,666 yards (62.3%) with an 18-9 ratio. Idaho has three solid tailbacks in De’Maundray Woolridge (853 rush yards, 5.7, 16 TD’s), Princeton McCarty (605 rush yards, 5.7) and Deonte Jackson (584 total yards). The Vandals also have a 1,000 yard WR in Max Komar. Idaho is simply the more balanced team as my computer projects them to have more than 200 yards rushing and passing while BG will just be throwing the ball all over the field. Idaho played on the blue turf earlier this year in a loss to Boise St but this time the Vandals will be on the other side of the outcome.

PHIL’S FORECAST: IDAHO 37 BOWLING GREEN 32

Holiday Bowl

Arizona vs Nebraska

Team	Rush	Pass	Points	TO’s	ST
Arizona	132	175	15	2.3	–
Nebraska	103	170	22	1.9	–

Gametime Projected Weather: 58°, Partly Cloudy Wind: W 5 mph

Arizona is a dangerous team as they were just a few plays away from being unbeaten in Pac-10 play. Both teams are solid on offense and defense with Nebraska having the edge on defense (#5-20) and Arizona having the edge on offense (#25-62). Generally the Holiday Bowl is one of the higher scoring bowl games each season but with two top-notch defenses it figures to be a lower scoring affair this year. While both teams are excited to be playing in this bowl Ndamukong Suh was named the AP College Football Player of the Year and the Huskers will want to send him out on a winning note.

PHIL’S FORECAST: NEBRASKA 20 ARIZONA 17

Conference Bowl Standings

Bowl Conference VS ConFerence Records
	OVERALL			vs BCS CONF
	W	L	%	W	L	%
MWC	3	0	100%	2	0	100%
BIG EAST	2	0	100%	1	0	100%
BIG 10	1	0	100%	1	0	100%
SUN BELT	1	0	100%	0	0	0
PAC 10	2	2	50%	1	0	100%
SEC	1	1	50%	1	1	50%
C USA	2	2	50%	0	1	0%
ACC	1	3	25%	1	3	25%
BIG 12	0	1	0%	0	1	0%
INDEP	0	0	0	0	0	0
MAC	0	2	0%	0	1	0%
WAC	0	1	0%	0	0	0

The MWC is off to a great start with a 3-0 record thanks to Wyoming’s upset over Fresno St in the New Mexico Bowl and two big wins over the Pac-10 the last week. The Big East has picked up a couple of wins including Pittsburgh’s win over North Carolina on Saturday. The Big Ten got its first victory last night with Wisconsin’s impressive win over Miami in the Champs Sports Bowl. The Pac-10 after an 0-2 start is now 2-2 after USC and UCLA victories. Similarly, CUSA, after starting 0-2, has won their last two. The ACC has played all BCS conference teams in their bowl games and has not fared well going 1-3. The MAC has had a couple of tough losses including Temple’s loss to UCLA yesterday where the Owls at one point led 21-7.

Bowl Confidence Contest

Make sure to check the daily blog every day as we will be posting the standings here after every bowl game is played.

There will be two Top 50 leaderboards. The first one will be points won and the second is best win percentage of their points. Sometimes the early leaders are the ones that risked the most on the early bowls and they fall by the wayside as the contest goes on so that is why I will also keep track of those that have the best win percentage.

After 13 bowl games William Meleski continues to lead the contest for the seventh day in a row with 253 points won and a 77% win %. Gene Winters is a name that has been near the top of the leaderboard since day 1 and he is in 2nd with 226 points won. Matt Schupp is the new leader in win % with an impressive 87% which is 4% better than 2nd place Jeff Hamilton.

After some tough early losses, I now have 140 points and there are still 21 bowl games left! Remember 1st place wins $250, 2nd place gets $100 and a set of Regionals and 3rd gets $50 and a set of Regionals.

Thanks again to the near 1,200 people that have entered. If you have any questions concerning your points or do not see your name in the Top 50 and think it should be please email Brandon@philsteele.com.

Here are the current leaderboards.

The Top 50 in Points Won

Rank	Name	Pts Won	Pts Lost	Win %	% Rank
1	William J Meleski	253	74	77%	12
2	Gene Winters	226	96	70%	39
3	Lyell Marks	216	148	59%	209
4	Goran Mili	214	102	68%	64
5	Jeff Hamilton	206	42	83%	2
6	Michael Mancini	200	112	64%	111
7	Bob Knight	196	79	71%	31
8	Bobby Welles	195	46	81%	3
9	Matthew Goodman	193	105	65%	106
10	Don Seebold	190	46	81%	7
10	Mike Guzzo	190	89	68%	57
12	Matt Schupp	185	28	87%	1
12	Mitchell Sanpei	185	94	66%	87
14	Don Armstrong	184	64	74%	17
14	Mike Hay	184	74	71%	30
16	Pete Mackin	182	121	60%	198
17	Don Deavers	181	81	69%	51
18	adam muscat	180	78	70%	43
18	Marc Ostrom	180	79	69%	44
18	Lance Ivy	180	122	60%	203
21	Mike Bambrick	179	102	64%	120
22	Natalie Lindsay	178	62	74%	18
23	John Geanakos	177	93	66%	96
24	Dave Klaehn	176	133	57%	284
25	Richie Thomas	175	84	68%	67
25	Rusty Moreno	175	91	66%	94
27	Mike Connors	174	79	69%	52
28	Gary McQuain	173	64	73%	23
28	Jeremy Zinn	173	67	72%	27
28	Ed Linton	173	71	71%	34
28	Jerry Thornton	173	103	63%	136
32	Jerry Chieffalo	172	57	75%	13
32	Lisa DiBello	172	72	70%	35
32	Sephen Fraher	172	116	60%	201
32	Bud Converse	172	134	56%	304
36	Jarrett Singer	170	91	65%	101
36	Andy Mickley	170	111	60%	187
36	Gordon Goldbach	170	113	60%	197
39	Patrick Hilt	169	40	81%	4
39	Fred Kern	169	101	63%	138
41	Ben Brin	168	75	69%	49
41	Steven Pegg	168	86	66%	90
41	Chuck Kreiner	168	94	64%	109
41	Joey Novak	168	95	64%	116
45	John Mina	166	92	64%	107
45	Tony Orioli	166	116	59%	224
47	Jason Dubeans	165	78	68%	59
47	Gary Candon	165	96	63%	125
47	Brian Dereng	165	106	61%	175
47	Duston Turner	165	182	48%	703
47	Sherry Shoup	165	199	45%	794

The Top 50 in Win %

Name	Pts Won	Pts Lost	Win %	% Rank
Matt Schupp	185	28	87%	1
Jeff Hamilton	206	42	83%	2
Bobby Welles	195	46	81%	3
Patrick Hilt	169	40	81%	4
Marc Caruso	139	33	81%	5
Dan Maurer	150	36	81%	6
Don Seebold	190	46	81%	7
Gregory Ewers	72	19	79%	8
Steve MacDonald	144	40	78%	9
Gary Magnus	96	27	78%	10
Mark Ferdinando	143	41	78%	11
William J Meleski	253	74	77%	12
Jerry Chieffalo	172	57	75%	13
Jeffrey Gans	129	44	75%	14
Todd L Jackson	137	47	74%	15
Anthony Marcello	141	49	74%	16
Don Armstrong	184	64	74%	17
Natalie Lindsay	178	62	74%	18
Phillip Mason	162	57	74%	19
Chris Haynes	140	50	74%	20
Christopher Haynes	140	50	74%	20
Jerry Bankhead	143	52	73%	22
Gary McQuain	173	64	73%	23
Richard Bidnick	152	57	73%	24
Michael Kyle	154	58	73%	25
Gene Shue	127	48	73%	26
Jeremy Zinn	173	67	72%	27
John Roberts	160	64	71%	28
Kevin Godrum	132	53	71%	29
Mike Hay	184	74	71%	30
Bob Knight	196	79	71%	31
DAWN KING	153	62	71%	32
Steve Liles	133	54	71%	33
Ed Linton	173	71	71%	34
Lisa DiBello	172	72	70%	35
Doug Mayfield	148	62	70%	36
Gary Cotton	128	54	70%	37
Gary Osborne	163	69	70%	38
Gene Winters	226	96	70%	39
Frank Hillman	70	30	70%	40
Jason Fry	135	58	70%	41
Shawn Reece	86	37	70%	42
adam muscat	180	78	70%	43
Marc Ostrom	180	79	69%	44
Jon Lucas	116	51	69%	45
Giovanni Sicurella	160	71	69%	46
James Marzano	63	28	69%	47
Frank Scott	121	54	69%	48
Ben Brin	168	75	69%	49
Art Tocco	141	63	69%	50

The EagleBank and Champs Sports Bowls

Phil Steele — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 17:58:12 +0000

EagleBank Bowl

UCLA vs Temple

Team	Rush	Pass	Points	TO’s	ST
UCLA	87	270	24	2.6	••
Temple	158	115	19	3.1

In the bowl matchup checklist, UCLA has a big talent edge and despite giving 3 intangible checks to Temple, UCLA is still 6 checks (points) better. If this game were played in the regular season in California, UCLA would be favored by 10-14 points. However the wind and 35 degree temperatures in Washington DC will benefit the underdog Owls. Temple’s big O-line and RB Bernard Pierce 1,308 yards rush (5.8) will be suitable for the playing conditions. Both teams have excellent defenses however the California boys will be cold and chilly while the Pennsylvania boys will be used to this. Temple is excited to prove themselves against a marquee team. These factors will have the Owls keeping it closer than the big talent difference.

PHIL’S FORECAST: UCLA 24 TEMPLE 19

Champs Sports Bowl

Wisconsin vs Miami

Team	Rush	Pass	Points	TO’s	ST
Wisconsin	157	190	25	2.3	–
Miami, FL	93	285	32	2	–

Last year Wisconsin was in this bowl game and got it handed to them by Florida St 42-13. Miami is similar to that FSU team and may be even better. The Hurricanes were hit hard by injuries this year with their DL and secondary hit especially hard. Perhaps their top defensive player LB Sean Spence only started 7 games due to injuries and now is back healthy for this game. Miami has a solid rush defense to take on the Badgers strength of running the ball. While I expect the Big Ten to do unusually well this bowl season, this is the classic size vs speed matchup with Miami having good size to go along with their speed and look for them to hand Wisconsin a tough bowl loss.

PHIL’S FORECAST: MIAMI 36 WISCONSIN 21

Conference Bowl Standings

Bowl Conference VS ConFerence Records
	OVERALL			vs BCS CONF
	W	L	%	W	L	%
MWC	3	0	100%	2	0	100%
BIG EAST	2	0	100%	1	0	100%
SUN BELT	1	0	100%	0	0	0
SEC	1	1	50%	1	1	50%
C USA	2	2	50%	0	1	0%
PAC 10	1	2	33%	1	0	100%
ACC	1	2	33%	1	2	33%
BIG 12	0	1	0%	0	1	0%
BIG 10	0	0	0	0	0	0
INDEP	0	0	0	0	0	0
MAC	0	1	0%	0	0	0%
WAC	0	1	0%	0	0	0

The MWC is off to a great start with a 3-0 record thanks to Wyoming’s upset over Fresno St in the New Mexico Bowl and two big wins over the Pac-10 the last week. The Big East has picked up a couple of wins including Pittsburgh’s win over North Carolina on Saturday. The SEC got its first victory of the bowl season last night with Georgia pulling away from Texas A&M 44-20. CUSA after starting 0-2 has won their last two including SMU’s impressive win over Nevada in the Hawaii Bowl. The PAC 10 and ACC picked up victories over the weekend while The Big 12 lost its only bowl game so far. The Big 10 conference has yet to play a bowl game this season but that will change tonight when Wisconsin plays Miami in the Champs Sports Bowl.

Bowl Confidence Contest

Make sure to check the daily blog every day as we will be posting the standings here after every bowl game is played.

After 11 bowl games William Meleski continues to lead the contest for the sixth day in a row with 233 points won and an 81% win %. William extended his lead from 19 to 28 points yesterday with Georgia winning. Jeff Hamilton jumped up to #2 and Gene Winters who led the contest after the first few days moved up to #3. Dan Maurer is the new leader in win % with 123 points won and just 18 points lost (87%) which is only a half of a percentage point better than Gary Magnus.

After some early tough losses, I now have 129 points and there are still 23 bowl games left! Remember 1st place wins $250, 2nd place gets $100 and a set of regionals and 3rd gets $50 and a set of regionals.

Thanks again to all that have entered. If you have any problems with your points or do not see your name please email Brandon@philsteele.com. Here are the current leaderboards.

The Top 50 in Points Won

Rank	Name	Pts Won	Pts Lost	Win %	% Rank
1	William J Meleski	233	55	81%	11
2	Jeff Hamilton	205	33	86%	4
3	Gene Winters	202	79	72%	50
4	Bob Knight	196	48	80%	12
5	Lyell Marks	193	126	61%	208
6	Goran Mili	189	83	69%	73
7	Marc Ostrom	180	37	83%	8
8	Michael Mancini	170	94	64%	139
9	Mike Guzzo	169	69	71%	59
9	Matthew Goodman	169	84	67%	106
11	Chuck Kreiner	168	57	75%	37
11	Ben Brin	168	57	75%	37
13	Mitchell Sanpei	166	68	71%	60
13	Tony Orioli	166	92	64%	142
15	Natalie Lindsay	165	45	79%	16
15	Sherry Shoup	165	154	52%	509
17	Patrick Hilt	164	31	84%	5
17	adam muscat	164	68	71%	62
17	Eugene Mangino	164	71	70%	70
17	Richie Thomas	164	75	69%	81
21	Jerry Thornton	163	89	65%	132
22	Don Seebold	161	46	78%	19
22	Jack Hawn	161	54	75%	34
22	peggmon	161	65	71%	52
25	Lisa DiBello	159	42	79%	13
26	Rich Ribera	158	81	66%	115
27	Dave Klaehn	156	102	60%	209
28	Lance Ivy	155	90	63%	160
29	Don Armstrong	154	45	77%	20
29	Aaron Trauger	154	65	70%	65
29	Craig Domingues	154	79	66%	116
32	John Roberts	153	62	71%	56
33	Dick Rosser	152	71	68%	86
33	David Ruth	152	105	59%	248
35	Josh Farnsworth	151	49	76%	30
35	Don Deavers	151	70	68%	85
37	Kevin Wise	150	68	69%	79
37	Jarrett Singer	150	72	68%	96
37	Bud Converse	150	106	59%	259
40	Gary Grodin	149	79	65%	125
40	Rusty Moreno	149	84	64%	149
42	Ralph Snodgrass	148	87	63%	164
42	Jerry Jesenko	148	97	60%	212
44	Mike Hay	147	74	67%	107
44	Gordon Goldbach	147	88	63%	169
46	Phillip Mason	146	43	77%	22
46	Jeremy Zinn	146	49	75%	35
46	Walter Janz	146	59	71%	53
46	Mike Connors	146	61	71%	63
46	Butch Domann	146	76	66%	119
46	Greg Rockers	146	80	65%	134
46	Matthew Edmundson	146	97	60%	223
46	Scott Marshall	146	110	57%	310
46	Jesse Pazdernik	146	115	56%	345
46	Pete Mackin	146	121	55%	386

The Top 50 in Win %

Name	Pts Won	Pts Lost	Win %	% Rank
Dan Maurer	123	18	87%	1
Gary Magnus	91	14	87%	2
Jerry Bankhead	131	21	86%	3
Jeff Hamilton	205	33	86%	4
Patrick Hilt	164	31	84%	5
Frank Elia	132	25	84%	6
Frank Scott	112	22	84%	7
Marc Ostrom	180	37	83%	8
Timothy Zelek	92	19	83%	9
Matt Schupp	134	28	83%	10
William J Meleski	233	55	81%	11
Bob Knight	196	48	80%	12
Lisa DiBello	159	42	79%	13
Steve MacDonald	140	37	79%	14
Gary Cotton	104	28	79%	15
Natalie Lindsay	165	45	79%	16
Marc Caruso	116	33	78%	17
Anthony Marcello	130	37	78%	18
Don Seebold	161	46	78%	19
Don Armstrong	154	45	77%	20
James Marzano	51	15	77%	21
Phillip Mason	146	43	77%	22
Doug Mayfield	145	43	77%	23
Giovanni Sicurella	128	40	76%	24
James W Phillips	118	37	76%	25
Ray Wenrich	54	17	76%	26
Scott Jasinkowski	82	26	76%	27
Jeffrey Gans	106	34	76%	28
Bobby Welles	142	46	76%	29
Josh Farnsworth	151	49	76%	30
John Galliera	129	42	75%	31
Frank Hillman	70	23	75%	32
Jason Fry	127	42	75%	33
Jack Hawn	161	54	75%	34
Jeremy Zinn	146	49	75%	35
Louis Leiwalo	121	41	75%	36
Ben Brin	168	57	75%	37
Chuck Kreiner	168	57	75%	37
Scott Boyce	143	49	74%	39
Richard Specht	49	17	74%	40
Matthew Anderson	132	46	74%	41
Rick Perk	140	49	74%	42
Mike Magee	106	38	74%	43
Jay Maguire	119	43	73%	44
Jason Harris	112	41	73%	45
Paul Flatt	121	46	72%	46
Michael Kyle	134	51	72%	47
Jim Martindale	85	33	72%	48
Geoff Boyle	121	47	72%	49
Gene Winters	202	79	72%	50

The Independence Bowl

Phil Steele — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 17:54:37 +0000

Independence Bowl

Georgia vs Texas A&M

Team	Rushing	Passing	Points	TO’s	ST
Georgia	177	240	36	2.4	•••
Texas A&M	163	280	34	1.7	–

Both teams in their last game benefited from playing teams that had championship games on deck. Georgia is better than their 7-5 record indicates and with 2 games left in the season outgained Kentucky 487-260 but somehow lost 34-27. Georgia has plenty of weapons on offense and even though Texas A&M has the better offensive numbers, Georgia has taken on a tougher set of defenses. Georgia has a large edge on the defensive side of the ball (#29-83) and a good size special teams edge (#10-74). Mark Richt is 6-2 in bowl games while Sherman is coaching his 1st bowl game. There have been a lot of upsets this bowl season but it would be embarrassing if the Bulldogs slip to 7-6 so this one is important.

PHIL’S FORECAST: GEORGIA 39 TEXAS A&M 28

CONFERENCE BOWL STANDINGS

Bowl Conference VS ConFerence Records
	OVERALL			vs BCS CONF
	W	L	%	W	L	%
MWC	3	0	100%	2	0	100%
BIG EAST	2	0	100%	1	0	0
SUN BELT	1	0	100%	0	0	0
C USA	2	2	50%	0	1	0%
PAC 10	1	2	33%	1	0	100%
ACC	1	2	33%	1	2	33%
SEC	0	1	0%	0	1	0%
BIG 12	0	0	0	0	0	0
BIG 10	0	0	0	0	0	0
INDEP	0	0	0	0	0	0
MAC	0	1	0%	0	0	0%
WAC	0	1	0%	0	0	0

The MWC is off to a great start with a 3-0 record thanks to Wyoming’s upset over Fresno St in the New Mexico Bowl and two big wins over the Pac-10 the last week. The Big East has picked up a couple of wins including Pittsburgh’s win over North Carolina on Saturday. CUSA after starting 0-2 has won their last two including SMU’s impressive win over Nevada in the Hawaii Bowl. The PAC 10 also got their first win of the bowl season with USC beating Boston College 24-13 over the weekend and the ACC got its first victory last night with Clemson beating Kentucky 21-13 in the Music City Bowl. The Big 12 and Big 10 conferences have yet to play in a bowl game.

BOWL CONFIDENCE CONTEST

Make sure to check the daily blog every day as we will be posting the standings here after every bowl game is played.

After 10 bowl games William Meleski continues to lead the contest for the fifth day in a row with 212 points won and a 79% win %. Bob Knight and Jeff Hamilton switched places with Bob Knight taking over 2nd place with 193 points and Jeff Hamilton dropping down to 3rd with 190 points. Both picked Clemson to win however Bob Knight had Clemson for five more points. Gary Magnus is the new leader in win % with 88 points won and only 14 points lost 86%!

After a tough start I now have 101 points and there are still 24 bowl games left!

Thanks again to all that have entered. If you have any problems with your points or do not see your name please email Brandon@philsteele.com. Here are the current leaderboards.

THE TOP 50 IN POINTS WON

Rank	Name	Pts Won	Pts Lost	Win %	% Rank
1	William J Meleski	212	55	79%	13
2	Bob Knight	193	48	80%	11
3	Jeff Hamilton	190	33	85%	2
4	Gene Winters	176	79	69%	51
5	Lyell Marks	169	126	57%	217
6	Richie Thomas	164	47	78%	15
7	Don Seebold	161	36	82%	6
7	Jack Hawn	161	53	75%	19
9	Matthew Goodman	157	84	65%	90
10	Marc Ostrom	156	37	81%	9
11	Dick Rosser	152	61	71%	35
12	Michael Mancini	151	94	62%	133
13	Mike Guzzo	147	69	68%	60
14	Mitchell Sanpei	146	68	68%	59
14	Tony Orioli	146	92	61%	143
14	Bud Converse	146	106	58%	202
17	Ben Brin	141	57	71%	37
17	Aaron Trauger	141	65	68%	58
17	Sherry Shoup	141	154	48%	487
17	Duston Turner	141	154	48%	487
21	Anthony Chapman	140	75	65%	92
22	Craig Domingues	139	79	64%	107
23	Don Deavers	138	70	66%	73
23	Eugene Mangino	138	71	66%	80
23	James Bigley	138	90	61%	155
26	adam muscat	136	68	67%	67
26	Carl Ciaramitaro	136	103	57%	223
28	plhokie	135	31	81%	7
29	Josh Farnsworth	134	49	73%	28
29	Jerry Chieffalo	134	55	71%	38
29	Mark Walsh	134	102	57%	228
29	Ron Stroman	134	119	53%	308
33	Jerry Thornton	133	89	60%	166
34	Frank Elia	131	25	84%	5
34	John Mina	131	71	65%	93
34	Steven Birmingham	131	88	60%	169
34	Michael Sprangers	131	92	59%	187
38	Kevin Wise	130	68	66%	84
38	Rich Ribera	130	81	62%	135
38	Terry McDowell	130	109	54%	276
41	Joey Novak	129	72	64%	104
41	Luke Savage	129	74	64%	112
43	Lisa DiBello	128	42	75%	18
43	Gordon Goldbach	128	88	59%	178
43	Doug Nelms	128	94	58%	208
43	Leon Rosenblum	128	102	56%	250
43	Dave Klaehn	128	102	56%	249
48	pegsmon	127	65	66%	78
48	Jim Merriman	127	68	65%	91
48	Timothy Divis	127	82	61%	151
48	Jay Henry	127	87	59%	177
48	Matthew Edmundson	127	97	57%	230

THE TOP 50 IN WIN %

Name	Pts Won	Pts Lost	Win %	% Rank
Gary Magnus	88	14	86%	1
Jeff Hamilton	190	33	85%	2
Dan Maurer	103	18	85%	3
Jerry Bankhead	118	21	85%	4
Frank Elia	131	25	84%	5
Don Seebold	161	36	82%	6
plhokie	135	31	81%	7
Timothy Zelek	82	19	81%	8
Marc Ostrom	156	37	81%	9
Scott Walsky	73	18	80%	10
Bob Knight	193	48	80%	11
Frank Scott	87	22	80%	12
William J Meleski	212	55	79%	13
Matt Schupp	105	28	79%	14
Richie Thomas	164	47	78%	15
Anthony Marcello	116	37	76%	16
Marc Caruso	103	33	76%	17
Lisa DiBello	128	42	75%	18
Jack Hawn	161	53	75%	19
Jason Harris	112	37	75%	20
Phillip Mason	126	43	75%	21
Gary Cotton	82	28	75%	22
Steve MacDonald	108	37	74%	23
Michael Prychodczenko	69	24	74%	24
Frank Hillman	64	23	74%	25
Giovanni Sicurella	111	40	74%	26
John Galliera	115	42	73%	27
Josh Farnsworth	134	49	73%	28
Don Armstrong	123	45	73%	29
Scott Jasinkowski	71	26	73%	30
Jason Fry	114	42	73%	31
James Marzano	40	15	73%	32
Doug Mayfield	112	43	72%	33
ray59	43	17	72%	34
Dick Rosser	152	61	71%	35
Bobby Welles	114	46	71%	36
Ben Brin	141	57	71%	37
Jerry Chieffalo	134	55	71%	38
DAWN KING	123	51	71%	39
Jeffrey Gans	82	34	71%	40
Mike Magee	90	38	70%	41
James W Phillips	87	37	70%	42
Jeremy Zinn	114	49	70%	43
Erik Sweress	97	42	70%	44
Rick Perk	113	49	70%	45
Matthew Anderson	106	46	70%	46
Patti Lanoy	106	47	69%	47
Jim Martindale	74	33	69%	48
Paul Flatt	103	46	69%	49
Richard Specht	38	17	69%	50

The Music City Bowl

Phil Steele — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 18:14:06 +0000

MUSIC CITY BOWL

CLEMSON VS KENTUCKY

TEAM	RUSHING	PASSING	POINTS	TO’S	ST
CLEMSON	207	185	34	2.5	••
KENTUCKY	173	105	20	2.4	–

Clemson is the superior team here as Kentucky has had some misleading finals in their last two games. The Wildcats beat Georgia 34-27 despite being outgained 487-260 and then against Tennessee they lost by only six despite being outgained 446-261. Clemson has an excellent front seven as they have 34 sacks this year and the Tigers have two players in RB CJ Spiller and WR Jacoby Ford that can score anytime they touch the ball. Clemson has lost three straight bowl games and have lost their last two games this year so they should be extra motivated to end those streaks. Clemson has the big talent edge and despite the pro Kentucky crowd I expect the Tigers to playing at their best.

PHIL’S FORECAST: CLEMSON 34 KENTUCKY 20

CONFERENCE BOWL STANDINGS

	OVERALL			vs BCS CONF
	W	L	%	W	L	%
MWC	3	0	100%	2	0	100%
BIG EAST	2	0	100%	1	0	0
C USA	2	2	50%	0	1	0%
SUN BELT	1	0	100%	0	0	0
PAC 10	1	2	33%	1	0	100%
SEC	0	0	0	0	0	0
BIG 12	0	0	0	0	0	0
BIG 10	0	0	0	0	0	0
INDEP	0	0	0	0	0	0
MAC	0	1	0%	0	0	0%
WAC	0	1	0%	0	0	0
ACC	0	2	0%	0	2	0%

The MWC is off to a great start with a 3-0 record thanks to Wyoming’s upset over Fresno St in the New Mexico Bowl and two big wins over the Pac-10 the last week. The Big East has picked up a couple of wins including Pittsburgh’s win over North Carolina yester day. CUSA after starting 0-2 has won their last two including SMU’s impressive win over Nevada in the Hawaii Bowl. The PAC 10 also got their first win of the bowl season yesterday with USC beating Boston College 24-13. The ACC did not have a good day dropping both of their contests yesterday to BCS teams.

BOWL CONFIDENCE CONTEST

Make sure to check the daily blog every day as we will be posting the standings here after every bowl game is played.

Out of more than 1200 entries William Meleski continues to lead the contest with 190 points won and a 78% win %. Jeff Hamilton moved up to 2nd with 162 points and an impressive 83% win % and Bob Knight moved into 3rd with 160 points. Frank Scott is #1 in win % with 89%!

I now have 69 points and there are still 25 bowl games to be played.

Thanks again to all that have entered. If you have any problems with your points or do not see your name please email Brandon@philsteele.com. Here are the current leaderboards.

THE TOP 50 IN POINTS WON

ank	Name	Pts Won	Pts Lost	Win %	% Rank
1	William J Meleski	190	55	78%	12
2	Jeff Hamilton	162	33	83%	2
3	Bob Knight	160	48	77%	14
4	Joel Blank	153	346	31%	872
5	Richie Thomas	152	47	76%	15
6	Jack Hawn	151	53	74%	19
7	Lyell Marks	144	126	53%	184
8	Gene Winters	143	79	64%	53
9	Don Seebold	142	36	80%	7
10	Josh Farnsworth	134	36	79%	10
11	Marc Ostrom	131	37	78%	11
12	Dave Klaehn	128	88	59%	95
13	Timothy Divis	127	62	67%	33
14	Matthew Goodman	124	84	60%	91
14	Bill Morehead	124	96	56%	129
16	Ron Stroman	123	119	51%	237
17	Jeff Hedges	122	87	58%	105
17	Michael Mancini	122	94	56%	128
19	Matt Thompson	119	65	65%	52
19	Luke Savage	119	74	62%	73
21	Dick Rosser	118	61	66%	43
21	Tony Orioli	118	92	56%	130
21	Mark Walsh	118	102	54%	175
24	Phillip Mason	117	43	73%	21
25	Sherry Shoup	116	154	43%	424
25	Duston Turner	116	154	43%	424
27	Aaron Trauger	115	65	64%	55
27	Mitchell Sanpei	115	68	63%	64
27	Carl Ciaramitaro	115	103	53%	193
30	Mike Guzzo	114	69	62%	67
30	Don Deavers	114	70	62%	72
30	Doug Nelms	114	94	55%	151
30	Dan Defoggi	114	156	42%	458
34	Anthony Chapman	113	75	60%	86
34	Gary Candon	113	89	56%	132
36	Doug Mayfields	112	39	74%	18
36	adam muscat	112	68	62%	68
36	Bud Converse	112	106	51%	224
39	John Geanakos	110	93	54%	163
39	Ryan Faulkner	110	103	52%	221
41	Craig Domingues	109	79	58%	110
42	Jerry Chieffalo	108	55	66%	38
42	Ben Brin	108	57	65%	48
44	Matthew Edmundson	107	97	52%	199
45	John Mina	106	71	60%	89
45	James Bigley	106	90	54%	167
45	Sephen Fraher	106	102	51%	232
45	Bob Noel	106	134	44%	392
49	Buddy Davis	105	60	64%	57

THE TOP 50 IN WIN %

Name	Pts Won	Pts Lost	Win %	% Rank
Frank Scott	87	11	89%	1
Jeff Hamilton	162	33	83%	2
Gary Magnus	65	14	82%	3
Jerry Bankhead	94	21	82%	4
Dan Maurer	75	18	81%	5
Frank Elia	90	22	80%	6
Don Seebold	142	36	80%	7
Frank Elia	98	25	80%	8
Timothy Zelek	73	19	79%	9
Josh Farnsworth	134	36	79%	10
Marc Ostrom	131	37	78%	11
William J Meleski	190	55	78%	12
plhokie	104	31	77%	13
Bob Knight	160	48	77%	14
Richie Thomas	152	47	76%	15
Marc Caruso	98	33	75%	16
Scott Walsky	53	18	75%	17
Doug Mayfields	112	39	74%	18
Jack Hawn	151	53	74%	19
Anthony Marcello	103	37	74%	20
Phillip Mason	117	43	73%	21
Matt Schupp	73	28	72%	22
Steve MacDonald	94	37	72%	23
Frank Hillman	57	23	71%	24
Jason Harris	91	37	71%	25
Mark Ferdinando	73	32	70%	26
Don Armstrong	102	45	69%	27
Lisa DiBello	95	42	69%	28
Bobby Welles	103	46	69%	29
Gary Cotton	62	28	69%	30
Jason Fry	91	42	68%	31
Scott Jasinkowski	55	26	68%	32
Timothy Divis	127	62	67%	33
JOSHUA SMITH	92	45	67%	34
John Galliera	85	42	67%	35
James Marzano	30	15	67%	36
Jeremy Zinn	97	49	66%	37
Jerry Chieffalo	108	55	66%	38
Giovanni Sicurella	78	40	66%	39
eric sabo	101	52	66%	40
ray59	33	17	66%	41
Jim Martindale	64	33	66%	42
Dick Rosser	118	61	66%	43
DAWN KING	98	51	66%	44
Glenn Heit	96	50	66%	45
Jeffrey Gans	65	34	66%	46
Austin Huggins	74	39	65%	47
Ben Brin	108	57	65%	48
Steve Liles	80	43	65%	49
Robert Vanier	66	36	65%	50

The Poinsettia Bowl

Phil Steele — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 18:22:04 +0000

Each day during bowl season on my daily blog, I will give you my forecasts on the bowl games taking place that day. My forecasts will include a detailed write-up with my computer’s projected box score including rushing and passing yards, points and turnovers along with a detailed write-up on each game.

POINSETTIA BOWL

UTAH VS CALIFORNIA

TEAM	RUSHING	PASSING	POINTS	TO’S	ST
UTAH	117	250	24	1.9	•
CALIFORNIA	178	180	27	2	–

These two are both great bowl teams with Utah winning 8 straight and Cal winning 4 straight. When Cal shows up they are excellent with avg win by 40-19. However when they don’t they are just as bad with an avg loss by 36-8. Tedford does seem to have his squad motivated here as Cal needs to keep the Pac-10 pride going after last night’s defeat. Of the 3 big MWC teams (TCU, BYU and Utah), Utah is the weakest as they have only had one impressive performance this year. I’ll side with the Bears’ talent edge.

PHIL’S FORECAST: CALIFORNIA 33 UTAH 20

CONFERENCE BOWL STANDINGS

Bowl Conference VS Conference Records
	OVERALL			vs BCS CONF
	W	L	%	W	L	%
MWC	2	0	100%	1	0	100%
BIG EAST	1	0	100%	0	0	0
SUN BELT	1	0	100%	0	0	0
SEC	0	0	0	0	0	0
BIG 12	0	0	0	0	0	0
BIG TEN	0	0	0	0	0	0
ACC	0	0	0	0	0	0
INDEP	0	0	0	0	0	0
MAC	0	0	0%	0	0	0
PAC-10	0	1	0%	0	0	0
WAC	0	1	0%	0	0	0
CUSA	0	2	0%	0	1	0

The MWC is off to a great start with a 2-0 record already thanks to Wyoming’s upset over Fresno St in the New Mexico Bowl and BYU’s win last night over Oregon St. The Cougars win also makes the MWC the only conference with a win over a team from a BCS conference. The Big East and Sun Belt have picked up early wins while the Pac-10 and WAC have suffered some disappointing losses. CUSA will have their chance to make up for the bad start with Nevada and Marshall playing in the next couple of days.

BOWL CONFIDENCE CONTEST

Make sure to check the daily blog every day as we will be posting the standings here after every bowl game is played.

Out of more than 1200 entries only 3 have picked the first 4 games correctly. Don Seebold who was in 2nd yesterday now leads the contest with 89 total points and a 100% win %. In second place is William Meleski with 84 points. In third place is Gene Winters who led the contest yesterday with 80 points but lost 29 points with Oregon St losing to BYU last night.

I have moved up after picking BYU correctly and now have 20 points won and 53 lost (27%). There are 30 bowl games left and there is plenty of time for everyone to rebound that was hurt by the two early upsets.

Sometimes the early leaders are the ones that risked the most on the early bowls and they fall by the wayside as the contest goes on. Sometimes the early leaders in this category will remain at the top through it all it all. I will also keep track of those that have the best win percentage of their points.

Thanks again to all that have entered. If you have any problems with your points or do not see your name please email Brandon@philsteele.com. Here are the current leaderboards.

THE TOP 50 IN PTS WON

Rank	Name	Pts Won	Pts Lost	Win %	% Rank
1	Don Seebold	89	0	100%	1
2	William J Meleski	84	30	74%	22
3	Gene Winters	80	29	73%	24
4	Butch Domann	73	32	70%	36
5	John Roberts	69	0	100%	1
6	Ryan Faulkner	68	32	68%	38
7	Michael Mancini	67	23	74%	19
8	Jack Hawn	65	31	68%	40
8	Bill Morehead	65	65	50%	110
10	Michael Simmons	64	40	62%	57
11	Bob Knight	63	39	62%	55
12	Timothy Divis	61	33	65%	44
13	Buddy Davis	59	23	72%	26
13	Matt Thompson	59	34	63%	48
13	Mark Walsh	59	52	53%	95
16	Dan Gill	58	23	72%	27
16	Jeff Hedges	58	40	59%	66
18	Josh Farnsworth	57	28	67%	42
18	Dick Rosser	57	34	63%	52
18	Brent Burleson	57	46	55%	84
21	Jeff Hamilton	56	33	63%	50
22	John Scagliotti	55	29	65%	43
22	Don Deavers	55	44	56%	82
24	K. McAbier	53	25	68%	39
25	Dena Gasbraao	52	22	70%	30
25	Gary Candon	52	35	60%	63
27	Bud Converse	51	36	59%	71
27	Matthew Edmundson	51	39	57%	78
27	Austin Branscum	51	57	47%	129
30	Steve MacDonald	50	1	98%	4
30	Anthony Chapman	50	35	59%	70
30	Joel Blank	50	192	21%	623
33	Pete Mackin	49	53	48%	126
34	Rusty Moreno	48	17	74%	21
34	Graham Dobson	48	36	57%	75
34	Greg Rockers	48	46	51%	106
37	Eric Sabo	47	16	75%	18
37	Cliff Caldwell	47	19	71%	28
37	Dave Klaehn	47	60	44%	171
40	Brent Rogers	46	25	65%	45
40	Eugene Mangino	46	35	57%	77
40	Nick Schwemberger	46	47	49%	115
43	Susan Martin	45	48	48%	119
44	plhokie	44	18	71%	29
44	Steve Swinehart	44	56	44%	169
46	Frank Scott	43	5	90%	6
46	Matthew Anderson	43	13	77%	17
46	Bobby Welles	43	15	74%	20
46	Gleens32	43	21	67%	41
46	Norm Hitzges	43	29	60%	64

THE TOP 50 IN WIN %

Name	Pts Won	Pts Lost	Win %	% Rank
Don Seebold	89	0	100%	1
John Roberts	69	0	100%	1
Geoff Boyle	23	0	100%	1
Steve MacDonald	50	1	98%	4
Robert Devine	10	1	91%	5
Frank Scott	43	5	90%	6
Steven Turner	23	3	88%	7
Harold Boudreaux	27	4	87%	8
Anisha Bowling	32	5	86%	9
Danny Prevatt	23	4	85%	10
Robb Karovic	9	2	82%	11
Dan Maurer	21	5	81%	12
Gary Magnus	25	6	81%	13
Brian Whittaker	32	8	80%	14
Jeremy Zinn	31	9	78%	15
Marc Caruso	34	10	77%	16
Matthew Anderson	43	13	77%	17
eric sabo	47	16	75%	18
Michael Mancini	67	23	74%	19
Bobby Welles	43	15	74%	20
Rusty Moreno	48	17	74%	21
William J Meleski	84	30	74%	22
Chad Robertus	36	13	73%	23
Gene Winters	80	29	73%	24
Michael Yohay	27	10	73%	25
Buddy Davis	59	23	72%	26
Dan Gill	58	23	72%	27
Cliff Caldwell	47	19	71%	28
plhokie	44	18	71%	29
Dena Gasbraao	52	22	70%	30
Louis Leiwalo	35	15	70%	31
Erik Sweress	28	12	70%	31
Scott Walsky	28	12	70%	31
Jared Roll	7	3	70%	31
Michael Prychodczenko	7	3	70%	31
Butch Domann	73	32	70%	36
Ryan Faulkner	68	32	68%	37
K. McAbier	53	25	68%	38
Jack Hawn	65	31	68%	39
Gleens32	43	21	67%	40
Josh Farnsworth	57	28	67%	41
John Scagliotti	55	29	65%	42
Timothy Divis	61	33	65%	43
Brent Rogers	46	25	65%	44
Shirlene Boudreaux	33	18	65%	45
Benton Knight	34	19	64%	46
Matt Thompson	59	34	63%	47
Stephen Pisklak	36	21	63%	48
Jeff Hamilton	56	33	63%	49
Glenn Garcia	42	25	63%	50

The Las Vegas Bowl

Phil Steele — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 18:05:41 +0000

LAS VEGAS BOWL

OREGON ST VS BYU

Team	Rushing	Passing	Points	TO’s	ST
Oregon State	107	260	30	1.5	••
BYU	93	315	29	1.9	–

Oregon St is just a few plays away from playing in the Rose Bowl but instead fell down to the Las Vegas Bowl. BYU has won 5 of their last 7 games vs Pac-10. The Cougars lost this bowl game last year (Arizona 31-21) and will want to have a better showing. They know this site very well (8th trip since 2005) and their fans travel well to Las Vegas. The Cougars worst performances of this year came when QB Max Hall had heavy pressure but this matchups favors BYU as Oregon St has just 15 sacks and has put little pressure on QB’s.

PHIL’S FORECAST: BYU 33 OREGON STATE 26

The Bowl Confidence Contest

Make sure to check the daily blog every day as we will be posting the standings here after every bowl game is played.

Out of more than 1,200 entries only 11 picked the first 3 games correctly. Gene Winters leads the contest with 80 total points and a 100% win %. In second place is Don Seebold with 77 points who also won all three of his games. In third place is Butch Domann who has 67 points and risked the highest possible points so far with 99.

I have not started off well with 2 points won and 53 lost (4%) but there are 31 bowl games left and there is plenty of time for everyone to rebound that was hurt by the two early upsets.

Sometimes the early leaders are the ones that risked the most on the early bowls and they fall by the wayside as the contest goes on. Sometimes the early leaders in this category will remain at the top through it all. I will also keep track of those that have the best win percentage of their points.

Thanks again to all that have entered. If you have any problems with your points or do not see your name please email Brandon@philsteele.com. Those that submitted yesterday and today before 10am when the contest was officially closed will be included in tomorrow’s blog. Here is the current leader board:

The Top 50 in Pts Won

Rank	Name	Pts Won	Pts Lost	Win %	% Rank
1	Gene Winters	80	0	100%	1
2	Don Seebold	77	0	100%	1
3	Butch Domann	67	32	68%	41
4	Bill Morehead	65	34	66%	42
5	Michael Simmons	64	8	89%	15
6	Bob Knight	63	22	74%	27
6	BOB KNIGHT	63	22	74%	27
8	Mark Walsh	59	34	63%	51
9	Josh Farnsworth	57	0	100%	1
9	Dick Rosser	57	12	83%	21
9	William J Meleski	57	30	66%	43
12	John Roberts	55	0	100%	1
13	Jack Hawn	53	31	63%	52
14	Austin Branscum	51	29	64%	50
15	Joel Blank	50	127	28%	436
16	Matt Thompson	48	34	59%	64
17	Ryan Faulkner	45	32	58%	65
18	Steve Swinehart	44	31	59%	61
19	Frank Scott	43	0	100%	1
19	Steve MacDonald	43	1	98%	12
19	Matthew Anderson	43	7	86%	17
19	Michael Mancini	43	23	65%	45
23	Glenn Garcia	42	0	100%	1
23	Jason Howard	42	30	58%	66
25	Buddy Davis	41	23	64%	48
25	Jerry Jesenko	41	26	61%	55
25	Jerry Jenko	41	26	61%	55
25	Sam Sabella	41	29	59%	63
29	Gary Seay	40	34	54%	94
30	Kevin Parham	39	29	57%	73
30	Kevin Parham	39	29	57%	73
32	Stephen Pisklak	36	17	68%	40
32	Paul Jaffe	36	34	51%	104
34	Dena Gasbraao	35	22	61%	54
34	Leon Rosenblum	35	28	56%	81
34	Sephen Fraher	35	30	54%	95
37	Benton Knight	34	14	71%	35
37	Michael Rougeau	34	19	64%	47
37	Dan Gill	34	23	60%	60
37	William Long	34	24	59%	62
37	Cori Watanabe	34	28	55%	84
37	Dan Wagoner	34	33	51%	108
37	Kevin Henichek	34	42	45%	164
37	Courtney Moeller	34	43	44%	170
37	James Bigley	34	55	38%	239
46	Dan Mullett	33	24	58%	68
46	Patti Lanoy	33	24	58%	68
46	Doug Mayfields	33	24	58%	68
46	Rick Serritella	33	24	58%	68
46	Kevin Dicho	33	25	57%	75
46	Jon Hansen	33	29	53%	97
46	Jim Nalle	33	30	52%	101
46	Joey Novak	33	34	49%	119
46	Joe Martisius	33	35	49%	125
46	Glenn Davis	33	36	48%	134
46	Jeff Hedges	33	40	45%	155
46	Dan Davidson	33	42	44%	172
46	John Homoki	33	43	43%	182
46	Mellquest@comcast.net	33	47	41%	205
46	Travis Akins	33	61	35%	291
46	Sherry Shoup	33	66	33%	312
46	Duston Turner	33	66	33%	312
46	Todd Duncan	33	66	33%	312
46	Dan Defoggi	33	66	33%	312
46	Cory Duns	33	66	33%	312
46	Lyell Marks	33	66	33%	346
46	Ralph Snodgrass	33	66	33%	346

The Top 50 in Win %

Name	Pts Won	Pts Lost	Win %	% Rank
Gene Winters	80	0	100%	1
Don Seebold	77	0	100%	1
Josh Farnsworth	57	0	100%	1
John Roberts	55	0	100%	1
Frank Scott	43	0	100%	1
Glenn Garcia	42	0	100%	1
Geoff Boyle	19	0	100%	1
Phil Townsend	10	0	100%	1
Daniel Salazar	10	0	100%	1
Richard Specht	6	0	100%	1
Matt Deringer	3	0	100%	1
Steve MacDonald	43	1	98%	12
Jason Harris	27	1	96%	13
Dan Maurer	21	2	91%	14
Michael Simmons	64	8	89%	15
Robert Devine	7	1	88%	16
Matthew Anderson	43	7	86%	17
Jeffrey Gans	16	3	84%	18
Harold Boudreaux	21	4	84%	19
Steven Turner	15	3	83%	20
Dick Rosser	57	12	83%	21
Scott Walsky	28	7	80%	22
Anisha Bowling	18	5	78%	23
Zachary Bauer	31	9	78%	24
Jerry Holcombe	6	2	75%	25
Jerry Holcombe	6	2	75%	25
Bob Knight	63	22	74%	27
BOB KNIGHT	63	22	74%	27
Anthony Marcello	31	11	74%	29
Paul Flatt	27	10	73%	30
Frank Elia	8	3	73%	31
Marc Caruso	26	10	72%	32
T Marc	18	7	72%	33
Jim Martindale	22	9	71%	34
Benton Knight	34	14	71%	35
Danny Prevatt	9	4	69%	36
Kevin Purdy	31	14	69%	37
Jeff Grabe	22	10	69%	38
Chip Folendore	15	7	68%	39
Stephen Pisklak	36	17	68%	40
Butch Domann	67	32	68%	41
Bill Morehead	65	34	66%	42
William J Meleski	57	30	66%	43
Rusty Moreno	32	17	65%	44
Michael Mancini	43	23	65%	45
Jason Fry	28	15	65%	46
Michael Rougeau	34	19	64%	47
Buddy Davis	41	23	64%	48
Russ Wilkerson	23	13	64%	49
Austin Branscum	51	29	64%	50

Phil’s Bowl Confidence Contest Picks

Phil Steele — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 18:45:31 +0000

Last year I had a Bowl Confidence Contest that generated a lot of interest on our site and we had hundreds and hundreds of entries. Last year I was at a disadvantage as I posted my plays first and they were up for everyone to see before they made their plays but I was pleased to finish #15 in the contest with 450 total points. If you followed my forecasts on the site last year I hit 24 of the 34 bowls for 71%.

This year we will again have a “Bowl Confidence Contest” and I hope there will be even more participants! It is free to join and like last year I will update two categories after each bowl game. The first category is total points. If you picked a team and they won their bowl you receive the points that you risked. Sometimes the early leaders are the ones that risked the most on the early bowls and they fall by the wayside as the contest goes on. Sometimes the early leaders in this category will remain at the top through it all it all. I will also keep track of those that have the best win percentage of their points. The morning after each bowl game I will list the current leaders in two categories on the website. Like last year we will have great prizes with 1st place getting $250!! 2nd place receives $100 and a set of regional magazines and 3rd place $50 and a set of regionals!!

You can enter the contest by simply clicking on the Bowl Confidence Contest link on the homepage. Just pick who you think will win each of the 34 bowl games. You then award your confidence points to each game. The team you think will definitely win the game would get 34 points and the team who you picked at the bottom which was very tough for you to call would get 1. Please keep the bowl games in order, so we can have them updated every day. Also, please include your name in the text of the email. After you are done filling out the chart just copy it and past it into an email and then e-mail it along with your contact information to Brandon@PhilSteele.com. For each team that wins their bowl game that you picked correctly, you get the confidence points you assigned to them. Those with the highest points are the winners. The first bowl game takes place on December 19th at 4:30 EST and Good Luck!!

When making my picks, I used the Bowl Matchup section where where you will find all 34 bowl games with game-by-game stats, checklists, game recaps and much more. Click on the bowl logo for each game to get all the information you need to become an expert! Start doing your homework now and get your 34 bowl predictions done and email them in!

Also each day during bowl season in my daily blog I will post the current leaders of the contest and give you my forecasts on the bowls taking place that day. My forecasts will include a detailed write-up with a projected box score including rushing, passing and turnovers! Make sure to check the daily blog every day at PhilSteele.com!

HERE ARE MY 2009 BOWL CONFIDENCE CONTEST PICKS!

Date	Bowl Game	Pick	PTS
Jan. 1	Sugar	Florida	34
Jan. 2	Alamo	Texas Tech	33
Dec. 27	Music City	Clemson	32
Dec. 29	Champs Sports	Miami, FL	31
Dec. 20	New Orleans	Southern Miss	30
Jan. 2	PapaJohns.com	South Carolina	29
Dec. 28	Independence	Georgia	28
Dec. 26	Meinke Car Care	Pitt	27
Dec. 24	Hawaii	Nevada	26
Dec. 23	Poinsettia	California	25
Jan. 1	Gator	Florida St	24
Dec. 19	New Mexico	Fresno St	23
Dec. 26	Emerald	USC	22
Jan. 2	Liberty	Arkansas	21
Jan. 1	Outback	Auburn	20
Dec. 31	Armed Forces	Houston	19
Dec. 22	Las Vegas	BYU	18
Dec. 31	Insight	Minnesota	17
Dec. 31	Texas	Missouri	16
Jan. 1	Capital One	Penn State	15
Dec. 31	Sun	Oklahoma	14
Dec. 30	Humanitarian	Idaho	13
Jan. 1	Rose	Ohio State	12
Dec. 29	EagleBank	UCLA	11
Jan. 4	Fiesta	TCU	10
Jan. 5	Orange	Iowa	9
Dec. 31	Chick-fil-A	Virgnia Tech	8
Jan. 7	BCS Championship	Alabama	7
Jan. 2	International	USF	6
Jan. 2	Cotton	Mississippi	5
Dec. 30	Holiday	Nebraska	4
Dec. 26	Little Caesars Pizza	Ohio	3
Dec. 19	St Petersburg	Rutgers	2
Jan. 6	GMAC	Troy	1

2009 Toughest Schedules

Phil Steele — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 19:05:35 +0000

WHO FACED THE TOUGHEST SCHEDULE IN 2009?

What makes my Toughest Opponents Faced rankings far superior to the NCAA method is that mine takes into account 9 sets of power ratings, combines them and factors in every team’s schedule this year. I did this not only for the bowl teams, but for all the NCAA teams & found out which teams played the toughest schedules this year.

RK	Team	RK	Team	RK	Team
1	Mississippi St	41	Purdue	81	UCF
2	Georgia	42	West Virginia	82	Navy
3	South Carolina	43	Texas	83	New Mexico St
4	Virginia	44	Texas A&M	84	Bowling Green
5	Florida St	45	Connecticut	85	Akron
6	Arkansas	46	Syracuse	86	Tulsa
7	Washington	47	Texas Tech	87	BYU
8	Auburn	48	Kentucky	88	Buffalo
9	Oregon	49	Miami, Oh	89	TCU
10	Washington St	50	Kansas St	90	Utah
11	Minnesota	51	Mississippi	91	East Michigan
12	Virginia Tech	52	Pittsburgh	92	San Diego St
13	Oklahoma	53	Memphis	93	Rutgers
14	Baylor	54	NC State	94	Idaho
15	Miami, Fl	55	North Carolina	95	Nevada
16	Arizona	56	Indiana	96	Houston
17	USC	57	Duke	97	SMU
18	UCLA	58	San Jose St	98	Ball St
19	LSU	59	Cincinnati	99	Hawaii
20	Illinois	60	Wisconsin	100	Northwestern
21	Vanderbilt	61	East Carolina	101	Boise St
22	Alabama	62	Nebraska	102	Troy
23	Georgia Tech	63	Penn St	103	ULM
24	Kansas	64	Ohio St	104	Air Force
25	Wake Forest	65	Boston College	105	Louisiana
26	Oklahoma St	66	Marshall	106	Florida Atlantic
27	Tennessee	67	Rice	107	Toledo
28	Iowa	68	USF	108	UTEP
29	Louisville	69	Wyoming	109	Southern Miss
30	California	70	Colorado St	110	WKU
31	Arizona St	71	Utah St	111	North Texas
32	Florida	72	Fresno St	112	Arkansas St
33	Notre Dame	73	Iowa St	113	Cent Michigan
34	Clemson	74	UNLV	114	Ohio
35	Colorado	75	Louisiana Tech	115	Temple
36	Oregon St	76	New Mexico	116	West Michigan
37	Michigan St	77	Michigan	117	N Illinois
38	Maryland	78	Tulane	118	Middle Tennessee
39	Missouri	79	UAB	119	Kent St
40	Stanford	80	FIU	120	Army

According to my ratings Mississippi St faced the toughest schedule. The Bulldogs played 10 bowl teams and faced 3 bowl teams (Georgia Tech, Houston, Middle Tennessee) in non-conference. The NCAA also had Mississippi St ranked #1 so the #1 ranking is much deserved. Army faced the easiest schedule this year and the NCAA had them ranked #119. However, that is where the similarities between the NCAA and my rankings ended. Washington ranked #26 in the NCAA rankings with an opponent win/loss % of 56.3% playing 8 games vs teams with winning records but played my #7 toughest schedule including games against five Top 25 Teams and USC. Per the NCAA, North Carolina faced the #10 toughest schedule with an opponent win/loss % of 58.4% facing 6 teams with winning records but took on 2 IAA/FCS teams (The Citadel and Georgia Southern) so that dropped the Tar Heels to just #55 in our rankings. One of the main reasons between the differences in rankings is the NCAA bases its rankings on pure overall records meaning a 8-4 IAA/FCS team is counted the same as a 8-4 FBS team.

Of the 68 bowl teams, Georgia faced the toughest schedule, playing 9 bowl teams. The Bulldogs non-conference schedule included two New Years Day bowl teams in Oklahoma St (Cotton Bowl) and Georgia Tech (Orange Bowl). The SEC yet again showed they are the best conference in the nation as four of the top five toughest schedules for bowl teams came from the SEC. Coming in last in the rankings was Middle Tennessee as they played just two bowl teams. Northwestern had the easiest schedule for BCS teams coming in at #100. Despite playing in the Big Ten, the Wildcats faced just five bowl teams and their non-conference schedule consisted of Towson (FBS), Eastern Michigan, Syracuse and Miami Oh.

When looking at the bowl match-ups, one of my considerations in picking who will win the game is taking a look at the schedule strength each opponent has faced and I look for the biggest discrepancies between the two teams.

Here are the Top 10 differences between schedule strength for the 2008 bowl games. (Schedule Strength)

1. St. Petersburg Bowl: USF (58) vs Memphis (117) Schedule Difference: 59 Final: USF 41-14 Win
2. Papajohns.com Bowl: NC St (16) vs Rutgers (66) Schedule Difference: 50 Final: Rutgers 29-28 Loss
3. Insight Bowl: Kansas (18) vs Minnesota (65) Schedule Difference: 47 Final: Kansas 42-21 Win
4. Outback Bowl: South Carolina (10) vs Iowa (51) Schedule Difference: 41 Final: Iowa 31-17 Loss
5. Rose Bowl: USC (24) vs Penn St (64) Schedule Difference: 40 Final: USC 38-24 Win
6. International Bowl: Connecticut (48) vs Buffalo (87) Schedule Difference: 39 Final: UConn 38-20 Win
7. Music City Bowl: Vanderbilt (14) vs Boston College (52) Schedule Difference: 38 Final: Vandy 16-14 Win
7. Alamo Bowl: Missouri (32) vs Northwestern (70) Schedule Difference: 38 Final: Missouri 30-23 OT Win
7. Eagle Bank Bowl: Wake Forest (43) vs Navy (81) Schedule Difference: 38 Final: Wake Forest 29-19 Win
10. Sugar Bowl: Alabama (40) vs Utah (76) Schedule Difference: 36 Final: Utah 31-17 Loss

As expected the team that played the tougher schedule went 7-3. The largest difference was the St. Petersburg Bowl which saw USF dominate Memphis 41-14. NC St who had faced the #16 schedule played well despite the 29-28 loss to Rutgers who had the #66 ranked schedule. Kansas who had a much tougher schedule than Minnesota won convincingly 42-21. The Rose Bowl had USC with the largest difference in schedule strength among BCS matchups crush Penn St 38-24 after racing out to a 31-7 halftime lead. Vanderbilt who played a much tougher schedule than Boston College got the upset. Despite the large difference in schedule strength, Alabama lost to Utah 31-17 as the Tide did not give their best effort after having their national title hopes evaporate in the loss to Florida in the SEC championship games.

Here are the Top 10 differences between schedule strength for the 2009 bowl games. (Schedule Strength)

1. Eagle Bank Bowl: UCLA (17) vs Temple (115) Schedule Difference: 97
2. Outback Bowl: Auburn (8) vs Northwestern (100) Schedule Difference: 92
3. Insight Bowl: Minnesota (11) vs Iowa St (73) Schedule Difference: 62
4. Poinsettia Bowl: California (30) vs Utah (90) Schedule Difference: 60
5. Liberty Bowl: Arkansas (6) vs East Carolina (61) Schedule Difference: 55
5. Rose Bowl: Oregon (9) vs Ohio St (64) Schedule Difference: 55
7. Las Vegas Bowl: Oregon St (36) vs BYU (87) Schedule Difference: 51
8. International Bowl: USF (68) vs N Illinois (117) Schedule Difference: 49
9. Emerald Bowl: USC (17) vs Boston College (65) Schedule Difference: 48
9. Little Ceasar’s Pizza Bowl: Marshall (66) vs Ohio (114) Schedule Difference: 48

This year there many more larger differences than last year with 15 games having a difference of 40+ as last year only had 5 such occurrences. UCLA has the #1 tougher schedule edge over Temple as the Bruins faced a tough PAC-10 schedule and their non-conference schedule included a trip to Tennesssee. While Temple played in the MAC.

Northwestern has one of the weakest schedules in the nation (#100) and face an Auburn team that faced the #8 schedule including a tough SEC slate and West Virginia in non-conference play.

Last year Minnesota was on the opposite end of the schedule strength difference as they lost to Kansas 42-21 in the Insight Bowl. This year playing in the same Insight Bowl the Gophers have played the #11 schedule while their opponent Iowa St played just the #73 schedule.

Of the BCS Bowl games, the Rose Bowl has the largest difference in schedule strength with Oregon facing the #9 schedule while Ohio St played just the #64.

The Little Ceasar’s Pizza Bowl features 2 non-BCS teams in Marshall and Ohio, but the Thundering Herd faced a much tougher schedule with 7 bowl teams including Virginia Tech and West Virginia in non-conference. While the conference schedule hurt the Bobcats who did play Connecticut and Tennessee in non-conference.

This year we will again have a “Bowl Confidence Contest” and I hope there will be even more participants! Like last year I will update two categories after each bowl game. The first category is total points. If you picked a team and they won their bowl you receive the points that you risked. I will also keep track of those that have the best win percentage of their points. The morning after each bowl game I will list the current leaders in two categories on the website. Like last year we will have great prizes with 1st place getting $250!! 2nd place receives $100 and a set of regional magazines and 3rd place $50 and a set of regionals!!

You can enter the contest by simply e-mailing your picks and contact information to Brandon@philsteele.com. To enter just pick who you think will win each of the 34 bowl games. You then award your confidence points to each. The team you think will definitely win the game would get 34 points and the team who you picked at the bottom which was very tough for you to call would get 1. For each team that wins their bowl game that you picked correctly, you get the confidence points you assigned to them. Those with the highest points are the winners.The first bowl game takes place on December 19th at 4:30 EST and Good Luck!!

Also make sure to check PhilSteele.com everyday for complete information and coverage on all the bowl matchups. On the homepage click on the Bowl matchups link, where you will find all 34 bowl games. Click on the bowl logo for each game to get all the information you need to become an expert! Start doing your homework now and get your 34 bowl predictions done and email them in.

You Pick the Conference Contest

Phil Steele — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 12:00:31 +0000

On my August 4th & 5th Daily Blogs I went over how the fans were voting Pre-August on each of this year’s conference games. Not only do I find this information very interesting, but being the competitor that I am, I always like to see how I stack up against other folks in their predictions. If you feel the same way, there is still time to enter our “You Pick the Conference” Contest. At the end of the regular season I will announce this year’s winners and prizes will be awarded.

The contest is easy to enter. Just go to the “You Pick the Conference” Contest.

I bring this up today because the polls will be closing on Friday so there is still plenty of time to join. It will probably take 10-15 minutes to go through every game. But if you’re like me and you like a good competition why not weigh in vs all the other regulars here on PhilSteele.com.

As a bonus once you vote for a game you instantaneously see the current poll forest and on this weekend’s blog I will go over the final results of who was voted to win this year’s polls.