December 27 8:30 ESPN Music City Bowl - Clemson vs. Kentucky

8-5 Clemson, despite a 233-yard game from C.J. Spiller, came up one drive short from FINALLY making it to a long anticipated BCS bowl game in their 39-34 ACC championship loss to Georgia Tech although based on the conference’s rivalry week performance you, like myself, were probably watching the Texas-Nebraska game and hoping for another BCS meltdown. While Clemson didn’t do themselves any favors losing to a very average South Carolina team 34-17 in the battle of the Palmetto state, but they were still only a Bobby Bowden desperation plea from spending New Year’s in sunny Jacksonville or at the very least having a New Year’s eve showdown with a more nationally prominent Tennessee. Speaking of Tennessee, 7-5 Kentucky FINALLY had a legitimate chance to snap a 25-game losing streak against the hated Vols, coming off a shocking 34-27 win in Athens in which Kentucky couldn’t have played a more perfect game, but, unlike Georgia, Tennessee’s didn’t self-destruct, but held on to a gutsy 30-24 road win, denying Kentucky their first New Year’s bowl game since the days of future number one pick and NFL bust Tim Couch. Prediction time now: Clemson has not beaten a team with a winning record since mid-October (Miami), historically falls apart at the end of the season, and this year’s seniors have lost three straight bowl games (Nebraska, Auburn, and Kentucky). Kentucky managed to lose at home to Mississippi State and then drop their regular season finale to Tennessee, but somehow won at Auburn and at Georgia. The good news is this game is not in Lexington and although C.J. Spiller should have been invited to New York for the Heisman Trophy presentation, this Kentucky defense, if only because it plays in the SEC, will play more like TCU and South Carolina did and not like the ACC’s defenses to keep the usually high-powered Clemson offense in check. Because of this, expect Kentucky’s own triple threat Randall Cobb to outplay Spiller and capture the bowl MVP and lead the SEC to another victory against the overrated ACC. Clemson’s the betting favorite, so yeah don’t worry about the points and take Kentucky.