It’s Monday afternoon in early December, which means it’s time to get back down to business: NCAA football bowl game odds, of course. Bowl game matchups just appeared yesterday, and some of `em look to be doozies. Although I can’t speak for the amount of viewers who’ll be tuning in to the Meineke Car Care Bowl or the Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl, I DO know that there’s quite a few matchup gems in that list that I won’t be missing, and neither should you.

What does this mean for my fine readership? Picks and previews! And also, for my fellow bitchin-in-the-kitchen sportsfan ladies out there, I’m throwing in a Bowl-themed recipe for each matchup. While not really traditional bowl-snackin’ food, I am a vocal supporter of good food and fun cooking, so I urge you to try these out for either dinner on bowl day, or - why not? - as game-time munchies. Bowl games come but once a year, even though you’ll definitely have your pick. Here’s the best of the lot:

Rose Bowl odds: Penn State vs. USC
USC’s the familiar face in this matchup, having had the most Rose Bowl appearances in history at 32 — and the most wins at 23. For those reasons alone, it might be in your best interest to bet on USC for this New Year’s Day game.
Recipe: Key Lime Cream Cheese Frosted Cupcakes (via Open Source Cupcakes)

Sugar Bowl odds: Utah vs. Alabama
Again, another repeat champion appears: Alabama, who’ve won themselves eight Sugar Bowls in the past. Unsurprisingly, they are the favorite in this matchup, and look to leave Utah in the dust. Follow up your Rose Bowl betting with this game on January 2nd, 2009, and make sure you have some sugary goodies on hand to go with.
Recipe: Linzer Cutout Cookies (via Serious Eats)

Fiesta Bowl odds: Ohio State vs. Texas
Feeling spicy? We’ve got a red-hot Fiesta Bowl pick for you here between Ohio State and Texas. Appropriately, it’s the state closest to the southern border that has the edge in this gridiron battle, so pick the boys of Texas to take this one in Arizona.
Recipe: Fiesta Grilled Chicken (via Allrecipes)

Orange Bowl odds: Cincinnati vs. Virginia Tech
Here’s another bowl game option for you on New Year’s Day, and one that has a more even matchup: Virginia Tech and Cincinnati laying the beats down in Florida. It’s a close one here, but put your money on Cincinnati U. They’ve been looking better this season.
Recipe: Mixed Green Salad with Oranges, Dried Cranberries and Pecans (via Epicurious)

Chick-fil-A Bowl odds: LSU vs Georgia Tech
One of the finer examples of “anybody can have a bowl game named after their franchise,” Atlanta’s bowl game (formerly known as the Peach Bowl) boasts LSU against Georgia Tech this year. As for a pick, I’m gonna go out on a limb (wing?) here and say LSU, if only because they’ve got a longer winning record at 4 victories so far.
Recipe: Peach-Spiced Chicken (via Southern Food)