COLUMN: Better late than ...

     I had two thoughts when the realization hit that Mark and I had gotten a late start on picking college football bowl games this year.

     First, did anyone really care who Mark and I thought would win the Cure bowl between Tulane and Louisiana?

     And second, if the Iowa Legislature passes sports wagering in the upcoming session, a year from now we could be betting on these turkeys.

     Enough of that: Here are my trusted but never-to-be-wagered-upon picks for the remaining bowl games this season.

     Frisco (which, amazingly, is not in San Francisco): San Diego State.

     Gasparilla: South Florida.

     Bahamas: Florida International. The weather fits more closely.

     Idaho Potato: Western Michigan.

     Birmingham: This city will have one of the nation’s few remaining greyhound racing tracks (along with Dubuque and four others), after the catastrophic referendum that will close all of the 11 Florida tracks by the end of 2020. Hang in there, guys. By the way, I’m taking Memphis.

     Armed Forces: I haven’t been paying attention. Didn’t realize Army has won the Army-Navy game three straight years. Army wins here too.

     Dollar General: Buffalo, for no apparent reason.

     Hawaii: I’ll take the home team, Hawaii.

     First Responder: Boise State.

     Quick Lane: Minnesota beat Wisconsin this year for the first time in 15 years. Gophers should win here, too, right?

     Cheez-It: Still waiting for the Bugles Bowl. Imagine the hats. I’ll take TCU.

     Independence: Temple will pick Temple.

     Pinstripe: A rare year when Wisconsin teams don’t win everything in sight. Even the Packers lost Sunday (fire the coach!). I’ll take Miami here.

     Texas: Baylor.

     Music City: I’ll try Purdue. After all, the Boilers did the world a favor by beating Ohio State.

     Camping World: West Virginia.

     Alamo: Cyclones have a way of beating good teams. I hope they don’t lose their coach. Iowa State wins here.

     Belk: Virginia.

     Arizona: Nevada has the shorter trip.

     Military: Cincinnati.

     Redbox: Tough call. I’ll go Oregon.

     Liberty: Liberty-liberty-liberty. Liberty. You know, the commercial. Missou.

     Holiday: Northwestern should beat Utah, right?

     Taxslayer: Texas A&M.

     Sun: Stanford.

     Outback: I don’t recall when I’ve heard and read so many complaints about an 8-4 season. I still don’t think Iowa fans realize how good they have it. I’ll take Iowa.

     Citrus: Penn State in a romp.

     Peach: Michigan in another romp. Sorry, Wayne Manternach.

     Rose: Unfortunately, Ohio State will play its guts out for its outgoing coach. And win.

     Fiesta: An eight-team playoff would eliminate the injustice Central Florida has endured the past two years. I’ll take UCF.

     Sugar: Georgia.

     Orange (national semifinal): Sadly, Alabama. Not what I want, but what will probably happen.

     Cotton (national semifinal): Maybe both of these teams are overrated. I’ll take Clemson.

     National championship: Horseplayers would call this a “chalk bet,” but I have to go with Alabama.