Defensive Linemen

Andre Carter was a Pro Bowler last year, but hasn't found much love on the free agent market.

Andre Carter, DE: Last year was the fourth time in Carter’s 11-year career that he has put up double digit sacks, but the Patriots don’t seem to have much interest in bringing him back, probably because of the torn quad he suffered in week 14. The 32-year old former first round pick could definitely provide a pass rush boost if healthy, as evidenced by the four-and-a-half sack game he put up last year against the Jets.

Marcus Thomas, DT: Still only 26 years old, Thomas is still in the prime of his career, but the Broncos opted not to re-sign the 315-pounder after five years with the club. 2011 was the first time the durable Thomas has missed games in his career, so some team will surely come knocking once the war of attrition starts down in the trenches.

Aubrayo Franklin, DT: Franklin is looking for his fourth team after spending 2011 with the Saints and only pedestrian results.  The monster 317-pounder hasn’t missed a game in four years, but is now on the wrong side of 30 and needs to prove he can still plant his roots in the middle of the field to plug up opposing teams’ running lanes.

Linebackers

EJ Henderson will gladly bring the pain for any team that wants his services.

Gary Brackett, MLB: An inspiration to short people everywhere, Brackett was calling the shots in the middle of the Colts defense for both of their recent Super Bowl appearances. Last year, however, Brackett suffered a season-ending injury in week one, and has been purged as part of Indy’s rebuilding efforts. The former undrafted free agent will no doubt make an ideal mentor for a young cat trying to learn the ropes in the middle of a defense.

EJ Henderson, MLB: Another stout middle linebacker who is over 30 and on the market, Henderson was a pro bowler last year on a horrible Vikings team. In each of the last four seasons that hasn’t been cut short by injury, the former two-time All American at Maryland has registered over 100 tackles, including last season when he had 109 stops and three forced fumbles. If you want to see a gruesome leg injury, YouTube Henderson’s broken leg versus the Cardinals a few years back.

Brandon Johnson, OLB: Former Louisville Cardinal Johnson has played in every game for the Bengals over the past four years, but more in a reserve/special teams role. Still just 29, Johnson can probably find a similar niche somewhere in the league, especially as a cover linebacker.

Defensive Backs

Jim Leohnard has been called short his whole life. Now, he is also being called unemployed.

OJ Atogwe, S: Atogwe joined a long list this offseason of Redskins’ free agent signings that fell on their face, as Washington cut the former NFC INT leader after just one season. The 30-year-old Atogwe was steady during his years with the Rams, but things went south once he signed with Washington, and now he finds himself and his 25 career INTs on the open market.

Yeremiah Bell, S: Not to be confused with Jeremiah, Bell has been a rock in the back of the Dolphins defense since coming into the league eight years ago. The former EKU Colonel will be looking to help solidify a needy team’s secondary, as the job market in Richmond, Kentucky is scarce in the summer time.

Jim Leonhard, S: Another proud member of the Midget Mafia, Leonhard was a walk-on at the University of Wisconsin who has worked into a solid NFL player. The 5’8″ fireball has also doubled as a punt returner over the course of his career, but back-to-back season-ending injuries, including a torn patella this past year, has teams balking at signing him just yet.

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Quarterbacks

Vince Young: It seems like eons ago when VY won NFL Rookie of the Year in 2006, as now the former Texas Longhorn can’t even get a contract. After an unspectacular three starts last season with the Eagles, Young is trying to vindicate a career that has gone south since his initial success with the Titans. He got a long look recently from the Bills, but no paperwork has been signed.

Donovan McNabb: Much to Rush Limbaugh’s chagrin, the 35-year-old McNabb is still hoping to catch on with a team after failed experiments the past two seasons with the Redskins and Vikings. The six-time Pro Bowler only appeared in six games last year with Minnesota before Christian Ponder took the reigns, but is looking for another opportunity with a QB-starved squad that may need a veteran.

Running Backs

Surely this stiff arm will help Ryan Grant get a job.

Ryan Grant: Grant has been a two-time 1,000-yard rusher with the Packers, but the former Golden Domer had his 2010 season ended by injury in week one, and last year he gained just 559 yards as part of a RB-by-committee approach. The Pack don’t seem too interested in re-signing the 29-year-old Grant, and he reportedly has an offer on the table from the division rival Lions.

Ronnie Brown: A former first-round pick with the Dolphins, Brown is now a running back on the wrong side of 30 who spent last year with the Eagles gaining only 136 yards. It’s tough to completely write off Brown, who was very productive in his time with Miami and has 39 career touchdowns. Perhaps a training camp injury or perilously thin depth chart will allow Brown to get a job before the season starts.

Wide Receivers

Braylon Edwards: After a lackluster season in 2011 with the 49ers, Edwards finds himself back on the market as a free agent for the second straight offseason. There has never been a question of Edwards’ talent and playmaking abilities, but his diva-esque antics seems to have worn out his welcome everywhere he went, and now he finds himself looking for his fourth team in five years.

Legedu Naanee: After setting a career-high in catches and yards last season in his first year with the pass-happy Panthers, Naanee now finds himself back on the market. The former Boise State Bronco is only 28, and should provide a viable option for a team in need of some more able bodies to run routes.

Tight Ends

Dallas Clark hopes life without Manning starts with a job offer.

Dallas Clark: Clark has spent the last nine years playing pitch and catch with Peyton Manning in Indianapolis, but now that Peyton is in the mile-high club, the 32-year-old Clark is out of a job. Although Clark is just three years removed from a 100-catch season, the last two years he has fought injuries, and he has found the market for his services scarce. A recent visit with the Chiefs is reportedly his only interest since being cut loose from the Colts.

Visanthe Shiancoe: The British-born Shiancoe is another player on this list that is over 30, yet enjoyed an incredibly productive career. The nine-year veteran hasn’t missed a game his entire career, but with the Vikings’ signing of John Carlson, it seems as if Shiancoe may be on the lookout for his third team.

Offensive Linemen

Vernon Carey: The behemoth Carey, who is 340 pounds, hasn’t played football outside the city of Miami his whole life, as the former Dolphin and Hurricane is a Miami native. Carey has spent eight years with the ‘Phins, starting at least 12 games every year at tackle. Now, at age 30, he finds himself most likely looking for a new team, as Miami drafted OT Jonathan Martin early in the 2nd round.

Jeff Faine: At age 31, Faine has proved his worth as a center in the NFL, starting every game he has ever played played over his nine-year career that he wasn’t injured. After spending the last four years in Tampa, Faine finds himself unsigned and looking for work, but it’s hard to believe that a team won’t need a veteran presence in the trenches as they head into training camp.

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The Bengals may try and add some pieces to help out the Red Rifle with their numerous draft picks.

Cincinnati Bengals

Bengals fans were in shock last season when Mike Brown actually pulled a shrewd GM move and got Cincy another first round pick for the team to play with this year in the Carson Palmer deal. Coming off a playoff appearance and now armed with the 17th and 21st overall selections, the Bengals will move to address some of the holes from last year’s team, as well as fill in for some key free agency losses they suffered on defense. A trio of 5th-round picks could also help the team build some more depth.

Cleveland Browns

The Brownies stroll into this weekend with 13 picks, including two (4th and 22nd) in the first round, courtesy of the Falcons moving up last year to take Julio Jones. Cleveland was also one of the league’s biggest beneficiaries of compensatory selections, picking up four additional late-round picks that will have Mike Holmgren scratching his mustache looking for a third-day gem. After being bottom feeders in the AFC North last year, the Browns have all kinds of holes to fill, but most seem to think spicing up an offense that averaged less than 14 points per game will be the team’s #1 priority.

The Hoodie has six picks in the over the first four rounds.

New England Patriots

It’s no surprise that the Pats have once again put themselves in position to fortify their roster through the draft. New England only has six picks this weekend, but all are within the first four rounds. A pair of first rounders and another pair in the second should help Belichick and company strengthen a defense that was a liability at times during their Super Bowl run in 2011. Behind a new hairstylist for Tom Brady, defensive line seems like the A-1 need for the Patriots, who have the 27th and 31st picks in round one.

St. Louis Rams

Things went south in a hurry last year for the Rams, but new sheriff in town Jeff Fisher comes into his first draft with eight picks, including three in the top 39. With Washington trading up to get St. Louis’ 2nd pick, the Rams are now sitting back at #6, as well picks 33 and 39, not to mention a few extras in 2013. When you finish the year 2-14, there are very few spots on this roster that couldn’t use an upgrade, so look for new GM Les Snead to probably just use the “draft the best player on the board” strategy, which loosely translates to “what name did you hit when you threw the dart at the dart board?”

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Steve Smith, WR: Philadelphia Eagles –> St. Louis Rams

Smith is just two years removed from a 107-catch campaign with the Giants, but hasn’t been able to stay healthy over the past two seasons. In 2011, Smith’s season was a microcosm of the Eagles team he signed on with, as his production dipped and a knee injury landed him on IR in December. Although two strait years foiled by knee injuries is probably a red flag to some, the receiver-hungry Rams will definitely take a flyer on the former USC star, who gets a one-year contract and a chance to prove his worth to Jeff Fisher’s Tom Selleck-esque mustache.

Curtis Lofton is leaving Atlanta for a division rival.

Curtis Lofton, LB: Atlanta Falcons –> New Orleans Saints

Since coming into the league four years ago, Curtis Lofton has held it down in the middle of the Falcons’ defense, never missing a game. Lofton’s 147 tackles last year were a career-high, and he also got his first career pick-six in what turned out to be his last game in an Atlanta uniform. While we don’t know how Lofton will fit into the Saints’ linebacking corps, which as of now still features Jon Vilma, his beast-like play should earn him some hefty bounty checks from Saints’ coaches.

Eric Winston, OT: Houston Texans –> Kansas City Chiefs

Winston hadn’t missed a game for the Texans since 2006, and was a starter on the right side this year for a team that had one of the top ground attacks in the league. The 28-year-old Winston was let go with a year left on his contract, however, after failing a physical. KC swooped in and took a chance on the former Miami Hurricane, who will try and pave the way for a Chiefs offense that figures to rely heavily on the running game.

Jason Allen hopes to get a few INTs like one this next season in a Bengals uniform.

Jason Allen, CB: Houston Texans –> Cincinnati Bengals

Corner was one of the Bengals biggest needs coming into the offseason, and the signing of Allen could at least put a band-aid on one of Cincy’s sore spots. A seven-year vet who has 10 picks over the past three seasons, Allen should help complement Leon Hall, who is recovering from a popped achilles. No word yet on what sort of strip-club hazing Pac Man Jones may try on his newest teammate.

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RGIII basically ran 25 mph. That's fast, right?

- 40-yard dash
The mother of all speed drills, players are timed at 10, 20, and 40-yard intervals. While 40-times are considered the holy grail in learning a player’s foot speed, it is interesting that the drill is done with no pads, and in a complete straight line.

- Bench press
Players don’t just max out like one of these guys at the gym, but instead see how many repititions they can get at 225 pounds. This is supposed to get a barometer on a player’s endurance, instead of just how much they can throw up one time. If you don’t think that’s important, Todd McShay will hunt you down and make you listen to his top-10 prospects.

- Vertical jump
Who’s got ups? That’s pretty much the point of this drill, as players start flat-footed then jump and reach for the highest flag possible. Even offensive lineman do this drill, since leaping as high as they can is an essential job requirement.

- Broad jump
Just like on field day back in elementary school, you just stand in one place, and jump as far forward as you can. While explosion is imperative, balance is also key in this drill, as you have to land without a wobble.

- Three cone drill
Cones are arranged in an L-shape, and players have to navigate through in a jagged sort of way, testing an athletes ability to cut on a dime. Seems that this would be an essential drill for defensive backs and running backs to master. Players struggling in this event run the risk of slipping way down Mel Kiper’s big board, which surely causes them to lose sleep at night.

- Shuttle run
Another activity you may have performed back in gym class, the shuttle run is like a mini-suicide drill. Players start in a three-point stance, go five yards, then head back the other way 10 yards, before a pivot and closing it out with a five yard sprint. Lateral quickness and explosion are what the suits are looking for in this one.

Geno Atkins and the Bengals hope for their first playoff win since Bush 1's first term.

Cincinnati at Houston, Saturday 4:30PM ET

The Texans are NFL playoff virgins, making their first appearance in their nine seasons of existence…If Houston is a playoff virgin, the Bengals are the guy who seldom gets laid, as they only have two playoff appearances in the last 20 years and haven’t won a postseason game since 1990…The Bengals original owner, Paul Brown, based Cincinnati’s uniforms off the Browns’ apparel, because, well, he still had their equipment after Browns’ owner Art Modell fired him.

Ndamukong Suh's first playoff appearance means he will be eating more babies than usual this week.

Detroit at New Orleans, Saturday 8PM

Up until a few years ago, the Saints and Lions were equally inept franchises. Until 2000, N’awlins had never won a playoff game, but this will be the Saints 5th playoff appearance in the 21st century, not to mention their Super Bowl title in 2009 when they beat the Colts…While the Lions were a force in the NFL’s early days (four NFL championships before 1958), they have been a joke in the Super Bowl era, as this will be their first playoff appearance in 12 years…The mascot ‘Saints’ derived from the area’s heavy Catholic All Saints Day, helping to explain the city’s incessant boozing and partying that we all hope to someday take part in.  

Atlanta at New York, Sunday 1PM

The Giants get to face the Falcons in the new Meadowlands despite an up-and-down 9-7 year, but the G-Men’s D-line is getting healthy at the right time, putting up 11 sacks over the past two weeks and a 3-1 mark in December…Atlanta came into the league in 1966, but didn’t go to the playoffs until ’78, and their only Super Bowl appearance was Dan Reeves’ ‘Dirty Birds’ squad in ’98…The reason Chris Berman calls them the ‘New York football Giants’ 800 times every ESPN telecast is because they shared the name with the baseball team until 1957, so the owners added ‘football’ to their legal name in hopes of differentiation.

Rookie Von Miller hopes to replicate this scene, except with Big Ben on his back.

Pittsburgh at Denver, Sunday 4:30

These teams have met in the playoffs six times, and five times the winner has went on to the Super Bowl…Both teams are banged up coming into the game, but hobbled Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger will give it a go in an attempt to run his January winning streak to eight…The three colors on the Steelers helmet represents the colors used in the steel making process: yellow for coal, red for iron ore, and blue for scrap steel, although I’m not sure why yellow is used for coal. Can someone help me out on that one??

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Houston QB Case Keenum will try to dish out some southern justice on Penn State.

TicketCity Bowl, Noon ET
#20 Houston (12-1) v. #24 Penn State (9-3)

In just its second year at the Old Cotton Bowl stadium in Dallas, the TicketCity Bowl, although obscurely named, should be an interesting contrast in styles. The Cougars were 12-0 and on their way to a possible BCS bid until Southern Miss upended them in the C-USA title game. Now, Case Keenum and his NCAA-record for touchdown passes get to stay close to home for their bowl, but they will do it without their head coach, who has accepted the Texas A&M job. Jerry Sandusky’s escapades overshadowed a solid season for the Nittany Lions, who used a stingy defense to get within one game of a Big 10 Big1G title shot.

Gator Bowl, 1PM
Ohio State (6-6) v. Florida (6-6)

Two traditional powers will square off in Jacksonville, although both were given a favorable bowl selection after mediocre seasons. The last time these two teams played was the 2006 National Title game, when Urban Meyer and the Gators waxed tOSU. Now, Meyer is on his way to Columbus, but only after Braxton Miller and company try and take out a Gator team that only beat one SEC team after September.

Melvin Ingram and the stout South Carolina D will try and match up against Bo Pelini's huge schnozz.

Capital One Bowl, 1PM
#21 Nebraska (9-3) v. #10 South Carolina (10-2)

Two rushing and defensive-oriented teams will take the field in this one, as the Gamecocks try and get their school record 11th win of the year. The Huskers, who went 5-3 in their first year in the Big 10, are looking for their third strait 10-win season thanks to a rushing attack that averaged over 220 yards/game. Cocks WR Alshon Jeffrey should play in this one, although he had surgery on his hand the day after SC’s final regular season game.

Outback Bowl, 1PM
#12 Michigan State (10-3) v. #18 Georgia (10-3)

Two teams that lost their respective conference championship games get together in Tampa. Sparty lost a heart breaker to Wisconsin in the Big 10 title game to dash their Rose Bowl hopes, but will try to salvage some pride against a Georgia squad that turned an 0-2 start into an SEC East crown. Although Mark Dantonio has enjoyed good success with Michigan State, he has come up empty in bowl games, and the Spartans haven’t gotten a postseason win since 2001. UGA will be making its 15th consecutive bowl appearance, one of the nation’s longest such streaks.

LaMichael James and the Ducks will probably use their one millionth new uniform combination in the Rose Bowl.

Rose Bowl, 5PM
#9 Wisconsin (11-2) v. #6 Oregon (11-2)

Another contrast of styles in Pasadena, as the Badgers will try and get a victory after falling short against TCU in last year’s Rose Bowl. Oregon’s high octane spread attack ran through everyone on their schedule not named LSU, but a late season loss to USC ruined any hopes of a repeat appearance in the national title game. Wisconsin’s offense was equally potent, but their methods were more of a traditional, old-school, ram-rod running game. Badger offensive coordinator Paul Chryst will be coaching his last game as a Badger before heading to Pitt to be their new head coach.

Fiesta Bowl, 8:30PM
#4 Stanford (11-1) v. #3 Oklahoma State (11-1)

The scoreboard figures to be busy in the desert, as two potent offenses get together in a game between two teams who had national title hopes heading into November. For the second strait year, the Cardinal’s hopes were dashed by Oregon, while the Cowboys got nipped in a late-season Friday night upset against Iowa State. Now, Heisman runner-up/NFL Draft “can’t miss prospect” Andrew Luck will try and outduel the 28 year-old Brandon Weeden, who led the OSU offense to an average of over 49 points per game.

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BYU knows how to properly represent the Mormon population.

Armed Forces Bowl, Noon ET
BYU (9-3) v. Tulsa (8-4)

Two teams with zero military affiliation square in an 11AM local kickoff from Fort Worth. These teams used to conference foes in the WAC, but will now meet in a bowl that has typically provided lots of offensive fireworks since its 2003 inception.
How BYU Got Here: In their first year as an independent, Bronco Mendenhall led the Cougars to its seventh strait bowl game. Despite being conference nomads, BYU played many of the WAC and Mountain West teams it has seen in its past. They won eight of nine after getting shellacked by in-state rival Utah on Sept. 17.

How Tulsa Got Here: After a murderous early season stretch that saw the Golden Hurricane play Oklahoma, Okie State, and Boise State, Tulsa reeled off seven strait wins before falling to Houston in a game that would have sent them to the C-USA championship. Head coach Bill Blankenship is in his first year leading the team, as he replaced college football’s newest promiscuous asshole coach, Todd Graham.

Pinstripe Bowl, 3:20PM
Iowa State (6-6) v. Rutgers (8-4)

Yankee Stadium will host its second bowl game when the Cyclones and Scarlet Knights get together. Hank Steinbrenner and his cronies had to be thrilled with the inaugural game last year, when Syracuse knocked off Kansas State in one of the bowl season’s most exciting contests.

How Iowa St. Got Here: Iowa State may only be .500, but shook up the BCS picture in the season’s final weeks when they knocked off Oklahoma State. Paul Rhoads’ crew is never immensely talented, but always seem to be good for a few upsets or rallies during the season. This season was no different, as the Cyclones won four games in which they were trailing in the 4th quarter.

How Rutgers Got Here: While Iowa State’s schedule this season was brutal, the Scarlet Knights faced just one team that was ranked. Still, Rutgers was 8-3 and had a shot at a BCS slot until their final game, when they face planted against UConn. WR Mohamed Sanu set a new Big East record with 109 catches this year.

Music City Bowl, 6:40PM
Mississippi State (6-6) v. Wake Forest (6-6)

Some SEC/ACC action between .500 teams in Nashville as the Demon Deacons try to get their sixth bowl victory in their last seven appearances. The ACC has taken the last two in this series, but Dan Mullen’s crew will be trying to prove that their even record was a product of a brutal schedule.

How Miss. St. Got Here: Consecutive bowl appearances haven’t been seen in Starkville in over a decade, but their romp over Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl gets the Bulldogs in the postseason for the second strait year. RB Vick Ballard was a 1,000-yard rusher in 2011, and has scored 29 TDs over the last two seasons.

How Wake Got Here: The Deacs 6-6 mark doesn’t hold the same weight as the Mississippi State’s identical record from the SEC West, but Wake got some nice early season wins over NC State and Florida State before suffering through a nose dive in the second half of the season. It’s Wake Forest’s first bowl appearance since 2008.

Landry Jones will try and take out his late-season disappointment on the Hawkeyes.

Insight Bowl, 10PM
Iowa (7-5) v. Oklahoma (9-3)

Iowa won a thriller over Mizzou in this game last year, so we’ll see what the Hawkeyes can do for an encore in the desert. Apparently, the frequent increase in our cable bill here in Louisville is helping pay for Insight to be the title sponsor of this bowl game over the past 15 years. Iowa RB Marcus Coker, who had seven 100-yard games this year, has been suspended for this one.

How Iowa Got Here: WR Marvin McNutt was perhaps the best receiver in the Big 10 1G, lighting up defenses for  over 1,200 yards and 12 TDs. Iowa’s midseason victory over Michigan was their most impressive, but the Hawkeyes lost three of their last five. Kirk Ferentz and company will try to win their fourth consecutive bowl game.

How Oklahoma Got Here: Preseason national title hopes continued to rise during the Sooners 6-0 start. A couple upsets and numerous injuries later, however, and the Sooners have to be somewhat disappointed to be playing in this mid-level bowl. Landry Jones and his 28 TD passes will try and get Bob Stoops the ‘W’ over his alma mater.

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Western Michigan QB Alex Carder hopes the 3rd time is a charm against a Big 1G(?) foe.

Tuesday, Dec. 27:  Little Ceaser’s Bowl, 4:30PM
Western Michigan (7-5) v. Purdue (6-6)

$5 Hot and Readys for both teams as they face off at the Little Ceaser’s Bowl in Detroit.  Nothing says college life like some freshly-delivered pizza, so why shouldn’t this franchise sponsor a bowl game pitting a Big-10 squad against a MAC foe.

How WMU Got Here: In their first bowl appearance since ’08, the Broncos get to stay within state lines after going undefeated at home. All-American WR Jordan White was one of the nation’s leading receiver, putting up 127 catches and 16 TDs. After going toe-to-toe in losses with Big-10 Big-1G foes Michigan and Illinois this September, QB Alex Carder and the Broncos should be ready for the Boilers.

How Purdue Got Here: 3rd-year coach Danny Hope gets his first bowl appearance at Purdue thanks to a pair of November victories that got the Boilers to .500 in the conference. Four years ago, Purdue went to this same bowl game, winning a crazy 51-48 thriller over Central Michigan.

Tuesday, Dec. 27: Belk Bowl, 8PM
Louisville (7-5) v. North Carolina State (7-5)

StraitCards.com is all over this preview. Read up here.

Wednesday, 12/28: Military Bowl, 4:30PM
Toledo (8-4) v. Air Force (7-5)

Played at RFK Stadium in DC, this game has only been around four years, and was known as the EagleBank Bowl up until this season. Tim Beckman, who has been head coach at Toledo the last three years, is nowhere to be found, as he has accepted the head job at Illinois.

How Toledo Got Here: An offense that averaged over 42 points/game, including 53+ in November, will try to put an  exclamation point on a season that saw the Rockets go 7-1 in MAC play. Excitement hasn’t been a problem this year for Toledo, as the Rockets played games over the last month that have ended in scores of 63-60 and 66-63.

How Air Force Got Here: One of the nation’s last triple option offenses, the Falcons averaged over 320 yards/game on the ground this year while winning four of their last five. Air Force finds themselves in their fifth strait bowl under Troy Calhoun, but failed to beat any FBS teams with a winning record in 2011.

Cal LB Mychal Kendricks is not a fan of Bevo.

Wednesday, 12/28: Holiday Bowl, 8PM
California (7-5) v. Texas (7-5)

The Longhorns have came to San Diego and conquered the Holiday twice in the last 10 years, but this year Mack Brown meets Jeff Tedford in a match-up of coaches that have lost some of their auras of invincibility over the past few seasons. The Golden Bears were also a part of the Holiday Bowl in 2004 and ’06, beating Texas A&M in 2006 when Marshawn Lynch wore a Cal uniform.

How Cal Got Here: Three November wins put Cal back on track after a 4-4 start, giving Tedford his 8th bowl in 10 seasons at Cal. LB Mychal Kendricks was the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, helping the Bears hang tough after a rough mid-season stretch that saw them lose four of five.

How Texas Got Here: You knew the Longhorns weren’t going to go two strait years without a bowl, but the 7-5 finish has to be modestly disappointing to a fan base that has been used to consistent BCS berths. Late-season attrition at the running back position was one reason for Texas losing three of their last four, but an anemic passing offense also played a part, and Texas will play their first bowl game since losing in the national title game two years ago.

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Poinsettia Bowl: Wednesday, Dec. 21, 8PM
TCU (10-2) v. Louisiana Tech (8-4)

Instead of the big money payout of the BCS, TCU gets 500 grand to head to San Diego and take on WAC champion Louisiana Tech. After derailing Boise State’s title hopes, the Horned Frogs thought maybe they could back door into the BCS fold, but their October loss to SMU was a bit too much for the numbers to swallow. Over 50 years ago, this was an annual game for military academies, but it became defunct and was resurrected in 2005 as a normal bowl game.

How TCU Got Here: For an encore to their 13-0 season in 2010, the Frogs won another conference title this year, albeit after early season losses to Baylor and SMU. It speaks volumes for Gary Patterson and his staff that this season’s two losses are more than they had in the last two years combined.

How La Tech Got Here: After a 1-4 start that saw them cough up three 4th quarter leads, the Bulldogs steamrolled to seven strait WAC wins and a surprise conference title. Good to see Tech rally after some close early season losses to the likes of Houston, Mississippi State, and Southern Miss.

Kellen Moore and the Broncos do not care whether a Sun Devil is a real deity.

MAACO Bowl: Thursday, Dec. 22, 8PM
Arizona State (6-6) v. Boise State (11-1)

For the second year in a row, a missed field goal late cost Boise a possible shot at the title. To rub salt in the wound, the Broncos once again fell to the MAACO Bowl, where they whipped Utah in the 2010 version. While it’s tough to argue with a trip to Vegas, Kellen Moore and company will have to trade the casinos for a shot at lame duck Arizona State Coach Dennis Erickson, who will get to coach the bowl game despite already having his office cleaned out.

How Boise State Got Here: See above. For the 4th time in eight years, no BCS love for the Broncos despite finishing in the top 10. QB Kellen Moore and the senior class will be going for their 50th win, including a perfect 5-0 against schools from the Pac-12.

How Arizona State Got Here: The Devils, who have a potent offense of their own, were 5-1 at one time with victories over USC and Mizzou. But the wheels fell off in November, as ASU dropped their last four, costing Erickson his job after four seasons. Six-foot-eight giant QB Brock Osweiler has the stats to match Boise’s Moore, but hasn’t been as prolific in limiting the turnovers.

Hawaii Bowl: Saturday, Dec. 24, 8PM
Nevada (7-5) v. Southern Miss (11-2)

There are worse places to spend the holidays than Honolulu, where the Wolfpack will battle C-USA champion Southern Miss. It will be the third time Nevada has played in this bowl since 2005. Kudos to Golden Eagle coach Larry Fedora still coaching in the bowl game, despite him taking the North Carolina job for next year.

How Southern Miss Got Here: The Golden Eagles notched a school record 11 wins, upsetting previously unbeaten Houston in the C-USA title game. 2011 was the 18th strait year that So. Miss has put together a winning season, a streak suprassed by only three other FCS programs. QB Austin Davis has broken most of Brett Favre’s passing records, but has yet to to send his first junk pics to a female reporter.

How Nevada Got Here: After going 13-1 last year, the Wolfpack had to rebuild a bit, but still managed a solid mark under coach/Pistol formation originator Chris Ault. The Wolfpack’s seventh consecutive bowl appearance appeared questionable early in the year, but freshman QB Cody Fajardo helped Nevada right the ship.

Mizzou QB James Franklin hates Carolina blue...on Dec. 26th, at least.

Indepedence Bowl: Monday, Dec. 26, 5PM
North Carolina (7-5) v. Missouri (7-5)

Named because its inaugural game was on America’s bicentennial in 1976, the Independence Bowl gets a familiar face in the Tigers, who will make their third appearance in Shreveport under Gary Pinkel. The Heels salvaged some pride for their season after seeing Butch Davis get ousted a few days before the campaign began.

How Mizzou Got Here: Bowl prospects looked bleak when the Tigers were 4-5, but the schedule down the stretch lightened up, and Mizzou reeled off three consecutive wins to get their school record seventh bowl appearance in a row. Mizzou’s rushing offense was one of the nation’s best this year, but RB Henry Josey shredded his knee during a November game against Texas.

How North Carolina Got Here: It was a chaotic opening to the season for the Heels with Davis getting shown the door just before fall camp, but interim coach Everett Withers kept the ship afloat and could get NC to its fourth strait eight-win season.

Dig this preview? Check out Bowl Bonanza, Volume 1.

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