In addition to the Grandaddy of Them All, seven other Big 12 teams have accepted bowl bids:

PlainsCapital Fort Worth Bowl: Kansas vs. Houston

No doubt who the home crowd will favor. Both teams have the same record, 6-5. While I can’t say much for Houston, Kansas looks to be a program slowly turning its fortunes around. They won bowl eligibility in the final game of the season against Iowa State. Winning this bowl could do a lot for the Jayhawks program.

Champ Sports Bowl: Colorado vs. Clemson

Whew! After a 30-3 thrashing at the hands of the Huskers and two maulings by the Longhorns, I don’t know if Colorado has anything left. An unofficial poll on the Champs Sports Bowl home page has Clemson winning this one 90 to 9% (give or take) and they are entering on a high note. Still, Colorado is a wounded animal and I bet they’ll put up a fight.

MasterCard Alamo Bowl: Nebraska vs. Michigan

Oh how the mighty have fallen!

As if their loss in this year’s Rose Bowl set the tone, Michigan went from highly ranked championship contender to #20, with losses to Notre Dame, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Ohio State. Meanwhile, Nebraska hasn’t been the same since Tom Osbourne left. The Huskers needed that win over the Buffs to possibly save Callahan’s job.

Should be a good matchup between two storied programs with a lot to prove.

Pacific Life Holiday Bowl: Oklahoma vs. Oregon

Once again, the matchup features a Pac-10 team that got the cold shoulder from the BCS (That Ohio State-Notre Dame matchup was too good to pass up). Last year it was Cal…and they were summarily manhandled by the Red Raiders. I look for the same thing to happen this year. Why? Two words: Adrian Peterson.

Independence Bowl: Missouri vs. South Carolina

Let’s face it: it should have been Mizzou in the Big 12 Championship. With a talented QB in Brad Smith, the Tigers could have gone a lot further. As with Kansas, winning this bowl could do a lot for the Tigers, especially against Steve Spurrier’s Gamecocks.

EV1.net Houston Bowl: Iowa State vs. TCU

Or maybe it should have been the Cyclones in Houston representing the North. They’re another program that could benefit from a bowl win. But TCU is talented and I suspect the Horned Frogs will come away with a win.

AT&T Cotton Bowl: Texas Tech vs. Alabama

It’s a shame about the Red Raiders. They could have been in the BCS, if it wasn’t for a loss to Oklahoma State in the dying seconds of the fourth quarter. Of course, the same could be said about the Crimson Tide. They had everything going for them, but a loss to LSU brought them down to Earth. As far as I’m concerned, this is one of the best non-Rose Bowl matchups. I might have to watch this one.