Crimson & Cream Machine Bowl Pick‘em, Bowl Opening Weekend TV Schedule and Live Stream Info

Happy Friday, Sooner fans! We’re less than 24 hours away from the start of bowl season, and we’d love each and every one of you to compete in this year’s bowl pick‘em contest. This year, the prize will be the opportunity to write and publish an article/post on Crimson & Cream Machine. You can write about anything (non-political) as long as you can somehow intertwine it with OU football or basketball. For instance, you can’t write an article about Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama unless you can somehow include some OU football metaphors or compare him to Barry Switzer.

All you have to do in order to join the contest is sign into your Yahoo account and follow this link. For reference the group ID # is 14896 and the password is "ccmachine2016".

Please note that the bowl pick'em is weighed on confidence points. Once you make your selection for the game winner you'll need to choose how many confidence points to wager on that game. I will be participating in the contest, but I will obviously not be eligible to win. There is a limit of one entry per person/email address. In the event of a tie, the tied competitors will submit a potential post to me, and I will pick the winner.

Here are my picks for this Saturday’s games:

Gildan New Mexico Bowl: New Mexico vs. UTSA - I’m actually quite fond of the UTSA Roadrunners. They play in the Alamodome, they regularly host P5 opponents, and he program was built by Okemah, Okla., native Larry Coker. However, New Mexico leads the FBS in rushing with 360.9 yards per game on 6.8 yards per rushing attempt. Pick: I’ve got the Lobos, and I’m throwing 28 confidence points out there.

Las Vegas Bowl: Houston vs. San Diego State - Houston obviously has a lot of talent, and they had a great coach leading the way during the regular season. I’m not sure how the Major Applewhite hire will turn out in the long run, but it definitely did nothing to hurt Houston in this bowl game. Defensive coordinator Todd Orlando, on the other hand, has been mentioned as a candidate to take the same position at Texas under Tom Herman. Will this be a distraction for the Houston defense? If not, this defensive front is talented enough to slow down Donnel Pumphrey. Pick: I’ll take Houston with 10 confidence points.

Camellia Bowl: Appalachian State vs. Toledo - The Toledo Rockets are led by Jason Candle — one of the best young offensive minds in college football. While still an offensive coordinator under current ISU coach Matt Campbell, Candle was mentioned as a candidate for the OU OC job before the Sooners decided on Lincoln Riley. OU definitely made the right decision, but there’s a reason Candle was in the conversation. His team currently ranks fourth in the FBS with 530 total yards per game offensively. Appalachian State, on the other hand, has a defense that ranks 15th in yards per game allowed (326) and seventh in scoring defense (17 points per game). This will be an interesting one to watch. Pick: I’ll take App. State, but with only six confidence points.

Cure Bowl: UCF vs. Arkansas State - After starting the season as a backup, former Sooner Justice Hansen is now entrenched in the starting QB role at Arkansas State. He’s led the Red Wolves to seven wins in their last eight contests. Scott Frost has done good things at UCF this year, but I’m kind of tempted to go with the hot hand here. Pick: I’ll go with UCF, but with only four confidence points.

New Orleans Bowl: Southern Miss vs. Louisiana-Lafayette - This game will feature an outstanding environment, as many have you have seen in the past when the Ragin’ Cajuns have been invited to New Orleans. Both of these fan bases are larger than you might think, and both campuses are within 150 miles of the Superdome. The Golden Eagles are 18th yards allowed per game, while UL-Lafayette is 105th in total offense per game. On the flip side, USM ranks 25th in total offense per game, while the Cajuns rank 40th in yards allowed per contest. Pick: I’ll take Southern Miss with 36 confidence points.