In one way, there is no pressure on Connecticut when the Huskies represent the Big East against Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl. Nobody expects anything other a than Sooner stomping, and the momentum behind the calls for playoffs to replace the BCS to become overwhelming.

And people are correct in that expectation. Connecticut is an under-whelming 8-4 for the season, and is only in the Fiesta Bowl in the first place because Miami played in the Big East ten years ago, when the BCS was set up and everybody thought that a Big East title would always be worth something.

Well, no it’s not. Not anymore. Oklahoma has had a great season to get to a BCS Bowl in the first place, and the only blight on Bob Stoops’ career résumé is the tendency of his teams to blow it in Bowl games. Stoops will ease his pain in Glendale on New Year’s Day – Oklahoma -17 against Connecticut with Sports Interaction is the pick.

Sports interaction opened with TCU as the favorite for the Rose Bowl but since the line went up we’ve seen a lot of money on Wisconsin. It’s easy to see where that’s coming from.

TCU has put together its second back to back undefeated perfect season but the Horned Frogs disappointed in last year’s Fiesta Bowl and the general opinion remains that Big Ten teams are harder to beat than Tennessee Tech, UNLV and New Mexico.

TCU is aware of that, and that’s why the Horned Frogs are joining the Big East. In the meantime, the points and TCU’s performance in the Fiesta Bowl last year is too much to resist. Wisconsin +3 against TCU in the Rose Bowl is the pick.

The Michigan State Spartans always have a chip on their shoulder, and the Capital One Bowl against Alabama in Orlando gives them a chance to deal with that. Alabama is a ten point favorite despite the fact that the Tide are 9-3 and the Spartans are 11-1 and seven spots above ‘Bama in the rankings.

Alabama is a great team but it’s not one firing on all cylinders, while the Spartans have had a great year and have a whole lot of motivation to prove a point to the rest of the Big Ten, to say nothing of the country. The points are too good to resist – Michigan State +10 against Alabama with Sports Interaction is the pick.