#1: New Mexico Bowl

The first of the 2011 bowl games kicks off at 1:00 p.m. this coming Saturday in Albuquerque, featuring the Temple Owls and the Wyoming Cowboys.  The game trophy is pictured here (excised from the game website).  It is a piece of Zia pottery about 20 inches tall.  The Zia are a native American tribe indigenous to the Albuquerque area, and the rendering of the sun with those spikes radiating from its surface is referred to as a Zia sun.

Don't you feel superior to everyone around you now that you have those morsels of information?

I'm rowing upstream on this first game, taking Wyoming straight up at    +220.  Temple is a 6 1/2 point favorite, but I think this is one of those "the wrong team is the favorite" situations.  Here's why.

While both teams are sporting 8-4 won/lost records, reviewing their schedules and taking a look at who delivered the four losses to each of these teams explains the choice.  The  Mountain West Conference Cowboys were beaten by #20 Nebraska (38-14), Utah State (63-19),  #18 TCU (31-20) and #7 Boise State (36-14).  The Utah State game is the only lopsided loss--and the one you probably wouldn't have selected, given those four opponents from which to choose a mismatch. 

Temple is a member of TwoGun's favorite conglomeration, the MAC.  Temple lost this season to Penn State (14-10), Toledo, Bowling Green and Ohio (the same Ohio who will face none other than Utah State in the Idaho Potato Bowl right after this game, symmetry, love it).  Temple had some big wins (back to back shutouts, Ball State 42-0 and Buffalo 34-0), but doesn't have any W's over big time opponents.  Looks to me as if the Cowboys have played better competition all year long, and that will carry the day for them in Albuquerque.

So that's the choice.  Ye pays yer money and ye takes yer chances.  1:00 p.m. on ESPN.