By Will Harris
ESPN.com
Archive

ESPN.com's free College Bowl Mania game will be familiar to those who have played College Pick 'em. The principle is the same: Pick the winner of each game, then rank the games in the order of your confidence in those picks. The twist, of course, is that Bowl Mania requires you to rank 35 games in order of confidence rather than the usual 10. (You also have the option to pick the winners of the game without assigning confidence points.)

You'll always be able to access your entry from the drop-down menu under the fantasy tab on the ESPN.com front page. Play against others from around the country or create your own private group to compete against your friends. The first bowl games are Dec. 17.

Handicapping bowl games can be both easier and trickier than regular-season games. Each team is a known commodity with a full season's body of work to dissect. However, the true stakes of each contest are not always readily apparent.

College football is unique among major sports in that teams compete for something other than the sport's overall championship during the postseason. That "something" is different from bowl to bowl, and each game's prize is not always valued equally by the combatants.

The college football postseason is the only situation in the major sports in which one team that views the game as a meaningless exhibition might be pitted against another team that views it as a championship-type opportunity.

If you understand what the game means to each team and which teams are highly motivated to prepare and play their best, you'll be well on your way to Bowl Mania success... MORE

Will Harris reveals his Bowl Mania picks

Fantasy college football analyst Will Harris states the case for the participants in all 35 bowls, picks a winner and ranks his choices by confidence. Bowl Predictions

If you're looking for more bowl coverage and help to make your picks, check out these links:

• College Football Pick Center Plus
• Pick 'em Predictor
• Harris: Overrated/underrated bowl teams
• Schlabach: Ranking all 35 bowl games
• Bowl preview show
• Overview of all 35 bowls
• Complete 2011-12 bowl coverage

• Watch The Show And Join The Fun

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  Todd McShay and Robert Smith are going to break down the bowl games on ESPN on Sunday, December 11 at 8:30 p.m. Watch the show, see their picks, then make your own selections and compete with them in this Bowl Mania Special group. - Click here

• The Hosts of SportsNation, First Take and Numbers Never* Lie Are Ready

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  What happens when the hosts of Number Never* Lie, First Take and SportsNation team up for College Bowl Mania? A group is formed, filled with intense opinions and analysis, but only one analyst can emerge as the best. Join the group and see where you stack up against some of ESPN's most opinionated. - Click here

• Go Around The Horn

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  Challenge Tony Reali and your favorite "Around the Horn" personalities in College Bowl Mania! Sign up today and see which panelist can predict the bowl season best! - Click here

• Challenge Mike & Mike

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  ESPN Radio's Mike Golic and Mike Greenberg have made their selections for the college bowl season. Think you can pick better than these guys? Prove it and join the Mike & Mike group today. - Click here

• Compete against The Scott Van Pelt Show

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  Every day on ESPNRadio, Scott Van Pelt and Ryen Russillo debate, argue and joke about the world of sports. Now, it's your turn to compete with the duo and prove that your predictions of the college bowl season are the ones to follow. Join the group and compete against them today! - Click here

• Dan LeBatard Is Highly Questionable

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  Dan LeBatard and his father, Papi, appear daily on ESPN2 and address the biggest questions in the sports world. After all the discussions and debates, do you think they can pick all the bowl games correctly? Join the group and find out - Click here