On a more positive note, it's bowl season. Time for me to make some picks!
Saturday, December 19th
Celebration Bowl (11 AM CT on ABC)
Alcorn State v. North Carolina A&T. Don't think for a second that I know anything about these two FCS schools. I took a look at the schedules played so far and went with who I thought had stronger results.
Pick: Alcorn State.
New Mexico Bowl (1 PM CT on ESPN)
Arizona v. New Mexico. After a stellar redshirt freshman season, 'Zona QB Anu Solomon has suffered multiple concussions this season and I'm not really sure why they would throw such a promising QB into this game, considering it's such a weak bowl game for the Wildcats. Also injured are Arizona's two players better than Solomon, RB Nick Wilson and LB Scooby Wright III. Those two are likely to play in this game however and no matter how incapable the backup QB might be, their opponent is still (ironically enough) New Mexico. New Mexico beat Boise State once. That's all I have on them other than they have had zero consistency offensively or defensively.
Pick: Arizona.
Las Vegas Bowl (2:30 PM CT on ABC)
Brigham Young v. Utah. Once the Utes lost star RB Devontae Booker, there was no hope for them to reach any widely-respected bowl games. What people did not expect was for them to drop 3 games after looking like such a force through October. The defense is still one of the strongest in the nation but, can Utah get anything going offensively? Probably not against BYU as the Cougars are almost identical to Utah defensively and are only more pass-reliant and able to be so on offense. This is BYU Head Coach Bronco Mendenhall's final game at the school before he takes over at Virginia and emotions are sure to be intense but, I still think with the long layoff between games, Utah will be more than prepared for whatever Mendenhall, the BYU defense and QB Tanner Mangum throw at them.
Pick: Utah.
Camellia Bowl (4:30 PM CT on ESPN)
Ohio v. Appalachian State. The Mountaineers of Appalachian State have yet to be challenged and win this season with losses to Clemson and Arkansas State. Meanwhile, Ohio has lost to lesser opponents like Buffalo and lost by a field goal to a struggling Minnesota team. The one player that will be a deciding factor with his performance is Ohio QB Derrius Vick. Vick's scrambling ability could cause havoc for a team that was already torn apart by Deshaun Watson back in September.
Pick: Ohio.
Cure Bowl (Sponsored by The Cure?) (6 PM CT)
San Jose State v. Georgia State. San Jose State went 5-7. Georgia State went 6-6. I'm not wasting any time talking about or watching this bowl of turds.
Pick: Georgia State.
New Orleans Bowl (8 PM CT on ESPN)
Arkansas State v. Louisiana Tech. Louisiana Tech was two plays away from an undefeated season until their SEC game (v. Mississippi State, Final: 20-45) and then Southern Mississippi embarrassed Terry Bradshaw's former school in the C-USA West Championship 58-24. Arkansas State started out 1-3 (with losses to USC, Missouri and Toledo) and has since gone undefeated themselves. The Red Wolves' offense has been unstoppable since September as their schedule has gone soft (more Sun Belt Conference opponents). In terms of conferences, Conference-USA might be horrid defensively but, the Sun Belt doesn't even have an identity because it's so anonymous in the grand scheme of college football. At least Louisiana Tech has former Florida QB Jeff Driskel.
Pick: Louisiana Tech.
Monday, December 21st
Miami Beach Bowl (1:30 PM CT on ESPN)
Western Kentucky v. South Florida. It only took the entire regular season for the committee to finally acknowledge the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers as a top 25 team after an entire season of me shoving them down people's throats (BECAUSE BRANDON DOUGHTY IS THE BEST PROSPECT AT QB IN THIS YEAR'S UPCOMING DRAFT). The defense has stepped up in both the C-USA East and C-USA Championships. The South Florida Bulls are an average AAC team whose only blemish after September was a loss to then-ranked Navy. The Quarterback, Quentin Flowers is extremely inconsistent and I would expect Running Back Marlon Mack to add plenty on to his 1,273 rushing yards against a weak run defense.
Pick: Western Kentucky.
Tuesday, December 22nd
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (2:30 PM CT on ESPN)
Akron v. Utah State. Twenty-fifth year senior (that's only a slight exaggeration) QB Chuckie Keeton is finally healthy in time for a Utah State bowl game in what should be his final college game. It's good that he's back because their defense hasn't been able to do jack for weeks. Akron's defense has at least shown flashes with Linebacker Jatavis Brown leading the way. Akron's offense is tied for 96th in the nation and there's nothing about this team that should excite anyone. I would avoid this bowl game at all costs except that after all Chuckie Keeton has been through (injuries), I'll still get pulled right back in watching the Chuckie goodbye tour.
Pick: Utah State.
Boca Raton Bowl (6 PM CT on ESPN)
Temple v. Toledo. Two overachievers for much of the season, the Owls and Rockets head down to Boca Raton, Florida for the only night-game on Tuesday. Temple has looked really good all year long and their only bad loss was to 8-4 South Florida with the other coming against Notre Dame and Houston. Toledo has had a wildly inconsistent season including some brutal performances from QB Phillip Ely. I haven't trusted Toledo in a while and I'm not picking up that nasty habit again.
Pick: Temple.
Wednesday, December 23rd
Poinsettia Bowl (3:30 PM CT on ESPN)
Boise State v. Northern Illinois. In previous college-related posts, I had my info wrong on who Northern Illinois's Quarterback actually was. Well, it's Tommy Fiedler (who got destroyed in the MAC Championship) and he has the opportunity to maybe prove himself against cult-favorite Boise State. Sadly, this game will not take place on the smurf turf as each bowl must be on a neutral field (in this case: San Diego). The Broncos have had their own problems this year with attempting to replace RB Jay Ajayi (now a Miami Dolphin). Boise State's one huge loss was a surprising 25-52 drumming by Utah State but, the real shocker of their season was a 24-31 soul-crusher by New Mexico that registered as one of the biggest upsets in college football history. This defense is not what it once was and the offense is not lighting up teams the way they used to but, it's not like the Huskies' fall from grace has been any prettier.
Pick: Boise State.
GoDaddy Bowl (7 PM CT on ESPN)
Georgia Southern v. Bowling Green. After opening the season with a 0-44 dud against West Virginia, it's pretty incredible that the Georgia Southern Eagles made it to a bowl game, let alone an 84 record. This is a match-up of two polar opposite gameplans with Georgia Southern run game being ranked first in the nation while the Bowling Green Falcons sit at third in passing yards. I do not believe I have ever seen an entire Georgia Southern game because they are such an irrelevant team in the grand scheme of things and it is not like they had #MidWeekMACtion to keep me entertained on dreary Wednesday nights. Bowling Green was there for me on Wednesday nights, feeding my college football addiction. I owe them this pick.
Pick: Bowling Green
Thursday, December 24th
Bahamas Bowl (11 AM CT on ESPN)
Middle Tennessee v. Western Michigan. The Western Michigan Broncos put up a very real fight in week one versus Michigan State but, has lost two of their last three (to Bowling Green & Northern Illinois). Middle Tennessee has a fun QB named Brent Stockstill that has won four straight over a bunch of irrelevant C-USA teams (plus Marshall, an actually decent team). This is a match-up between two 7-5 teams so, don't exert yourself thinking about who to pick if you are also doing the Capital One Bowl Mania challenge, I'm certainly not.
Pick: Middle Tennessee.
Hawaii Bowl (7 PM CT on ESPN)
San Diego State v. Cincinnati. San Diego State went 10-3 this year in the Mountain West conference while Cincinnati struggled to get to 7-5 in the AAC. The Cincy Bearcats' defense is one of the shakiest in the country and the Aztecs are known for their strong rushing attack led by RB Donnell Pumphrey so, expect Pumphrey to have a huge game no matter the final score. Meanwhile, the Aztecs' defense is 10th in Yards Allowed in the nation and Cincinnati QB Gunner Kiel healed up from his concussion just in time as the Bearcats will need him to have any chance at winning this game.
Pick: Cincinnati.
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| Aaron Doster - USA TODAY Sports Unlike their opponent, Cincinnati actually has some balance on offense with RB Hosey Williams. |
Saturday, December 26th
St. Petersburg Bowl (10 AM CT on ESPN)
Connecticut v. Marshall. Connecticut lost to Missouri. They suck.
Pick: Marshall
Sun Bowl (1 PM CT)
Miami (FL) v. Washington State. If Washington State's 10-45 loss to Washington is any sign of how ready the Cougars are for bowl season, then they are not ready for this game. Miami has had quite the roller-coaster season with a head coaching change, wins over Duke and Pitt and a loss to Cincinnati. Miami's defense is not the same level of defense that they have played in past seasons and WSU QB Luke Falk should have a decent enough game against them to keep the game interesting but, I never trust Mike Leach (WSU's Coach) in these situations and neither should anyone else.
Pick: Miami (FL)
Heart of Dallas Bowl (1:20 PM CT on ESPN)
Washington v. Southern Mississippi. Watching the Conference-USA Championship, I saw a very balanced Southern Miss team with no defense (Oh hello, welcome to C-USA). That type of team has a real shot at beating an inexperienced Washington Huskies team. Washington has had a very up-and-down season adjusting to an entirely new freshman backfield. Chris Peterson's team has won their past two games a combined 97-17 over Oregon State and Washington State but... it's Oregon State and Washington State. One of those teams is a real team (Washington State) and Mike Leach's gameplan blew up in his face. The Golden Eagles of Southern Miss haven't won any huge games this season but, they looked pretty spiffy against Louisiana Tech last month.
Pick: Southern Miss.
Pinstripe Bowl (2:30 PM CT on ABC)
Indiana v. Duke. Indiana and Duke do not wear pinstripes and yet, they will both partake in the Pinstripe Bowl because they both finished with mediocre records and when it comes to naming bowl games, only sponsorship matters. Replacing QB Anthony Boone and WR Jamison Crowder turned out to be no small task for David Cutcliffe as the Blue Devils dropped four consecutive in-conference games before winning their last regular season game over Wake Forest. Indiana also lost big by dropping six consecutive this year after losing Tevin Coleman to the NFL.
Pick: Indiana.
Independence Bowl (4:45 PM CT on ESPN)
Tulsa v. Virginia Tech. In one of the hardest non-big-name bowl games to pick, Frank Beamer coaches his final game for Virginia Tech against the aerial attack of Tulsa. The Hokies struggled to stay relevant all season long until Beamer announced his retirement after 29 good years at the school and they made a last-minute push for bowl eligibility. Tulsa solely relies on the arm of QB Dane Evans and that gave the Golden Hurricanes (stupid name) a 6-6 record with six wins over bad teams and six losses to decent or better teams. There were really no upsets in the making this season for Tulsa and despite everyone favoring Tech, I'm still going with the G'Canes (let's get that to catch on).
Pick: Tulsa.
Foster Farms Bowl (8:15 PM CT on ESPN)
UCLA v. Nebraska. Much like last season's Stanford-Maryland game, this year's Foster Farms Bowl features an above-average Pac-12 team and a mediocre to just plain bad Big Ten squad. Luckily for entertainment's sake, Nebraska has been able to keep most of their games close and exciting during an otherwise horrid 5-7 season. The Cornhuskers would typically stand a chance against a true freshman Quarterback but, Josh Rosen is not just a run-of-the-mill true freshman. UCLA should sweep the floor with Nebraska and then throw that team where it belongs... in the traaaaaash.
Pick: UCLA.
Monday, December 28th
Military Bowl (1:30 PM CT on ESPN)
Pittsburgh v. Navy. After winning six of their first seven, the Pitt Panthers were a ranked team and looking like one of many rising teams in the ACC. Sadly, each team must play conference games and Pittsburgh dropped three of their final five with starting RB James Conner sidelined with a Torn ACL. RB Qadre Ollison has done a heck of a job replacing Conner even though obviously, the offense was never quite the same. Navy snuck out a win this past weekend over their Army rivals and only fell twice to two top-25 teams in Notre Dame and Houston. The triple-option offense has given plenty of teams havoc and Pittsburgh's defense is not any better than half the defenses that the Midshipmen have faced.
Pick: Navy.
Quick Lane Bowl (4 PM CT on ESPN)
Central Michigan v. Minnesota. Minnesota is another terrible 5-7 team from the Big Ten that made a bowl game because the NCAA ran out of .500 or better teams to place in bowl games. The Golden Gophers are one QB away from a decent team and probably an 8-4 record at minimum. The one thing that separates Minnesota from the field of mediocrity is that they were forced to make a coaching change mid-season when Jerry Kill retired due to health issues. In steps Tracy Claeys and the team has lost four of their past five. Not exactly an inspiring tale of overcoming adversity but that win over Illinois is... something? Central Michigan is hoping that they won't have to rely on blind luck like they did in last season's Bahamas Bowl. If they do, maybe they won't go for the two-point conversion this time and settle for overtime.
Pick: Central Michigan. (PS: Their QB, Cooper Rush, is fun to watch)
Tuesday, December 29th
Armed Forces Bowl (1 PM CT on ESPN)
California v. Air Force. In yet another clash of playing styles, the 2nd ranked rushing team (Air Force) faces off against the 5th best passing team in America (California) and defense will be the story in Fort Worth for Sonny Dykes and Troy Calhoun's teams. The Falcons rely entirely on their running game as they are another triple-option offense while NFL prospect QB Jared Goff is the story on the Golden Bears' side of the field as it should be his final game for the team.
Pick: California.
Russell Athletic Bowl (4:30 PM CT on ESPN)
North Carolina v. Baylor. FINALLY, a fun one that every college fan will watch (if possible). North Carolina had their best season in something other than basketball possibly ever (slight exaggeration) with an 11-2 football team that finished as the runner-up in the ACC. Meanwhile, Baylor was using a Wide Receiver at Quarterback in their last game of the season, a 17-23 disaster of a loss to Texas. Thankfully for fans of the Bears, 2nd-stringer Jarrett Stidham is back in at QB and they actually stand a chance versus the Tar Heels. Unfortunately for fans of the Bears, Defensive Coordinator Phil Bennett's side of the team has not lived up to their hype or potential and stopping players like QB Marqise Williams and RB Elijah Hood is a much tougher job than it was in 2014, just ask Clemson. NC's defense is still strong and this will certainly be the deciding factor as they try to bend but not break for a majority of this early Tuesday evening game.
Pick: North Carolina.
Arizona Bowl (6:30 PM CT)
Nevada v. Colorado State. The Arizona Bowl is a new bowl that some evil scientists generated in a lab somewhere. The game features two Mountain West teams in the 6-6 Wolfpack of Nevada and the 7-5 Rams of Colorado State. This game might be unwatchable which I would assume is why they aren't listed to face off on any national networks right now. Good luck to those of you who have any type of interest in this game as it will be sure to disappear quickly.
Pick: Colorado State.
Texas Bowl (8 PM CT on ESPN)
LSU v. Texas Tech. Kliff Kingsbury's Red Raider team might have one of the worst defenses in the nation. Luckily, the offense is a polar opposite with the arm of QB Patrick Mahomes, the speed of WR Jakeem Grant and occasionally RB Deandre Washington does something good so LSU's defense might want to be alert during most of this bowl game. The Tigers typically don't have to worry about defense as that has been a strength of theirs for a very long time. Leonard Fournette might have fallen out of the lead for the Heisman race but, he might go off for 300 in this one as it's not like QB Brandon Harris has been tearing apart every defense in the south.
Pick: LSU.
Wednesday, December 30th
Birmingham Bowl (11 AM CT on ESPN)
Auburn v. Memphis. Remember when Jeremy Johnson was getting sleeper hype and Auburn had a real shot at winning the SEC? Yeah, me either. Memphis can take on an SEC team as proven by their October victory over Ole Miss. Auburn doesn't deserve a bowl game even though they finished 6-6. They just suck.
Pick: Memphis.
Belk Bowl (2:30 PM CT on ESPN)
NC State v. Mississippi State. Neither of these two teams have been able to establish much of a ground game or a defense around superstar college Quarterbacks. The last we saw of NC State's Wolfpack, they were taking North Carolina to their limit in a 45-34 shootout loss. Mississippi State finished one game better than their opponent in a better conference and barely sneaked past Auburn early in the Bulldogs' season. Both teams play exciting brands of football and this final score should be in the vicinity of a 48-45 game.
Pick: Mississippi State.
Music City Bowl (6:30 PM CT on ESPN)
Texas A&M v. Louisville. After dropping the first three games of the season, Bobby Petrino's Louisville Cardinals went on an impressive 7-2 run, finishing 5-3 in conference play. There isn't a ton to look at offensively with this team as most of the talent like D-Lineman Sheldon Rankins is on defense. Texas A&M is currently going through their fifth divorce with a Quarterback since the Manziel-era and the energy around that team shouts "disaster".
Pick: Louisville.
Holiday Bowl (9:30 PM CT on ESPN)
USC v. Wisconsin. Paul Chryst's first season went pretty well considering expectations were for a 9-3 or 10-2 season and the Badgers did finish 9-3 despite missing RB Corey Clement for much of the season due to injury. Come to think of it, going 9-3 with Joel Stave continuing his trail of mediocrity is really impressive. USC might be Wisconsin's biggest challenge defensively all season as Cody Kessler and WR JuJu Smith-Schuster are an underrated combo that nobody is talking about compared to past Trojan offenses. USC has already announced an extension for no-longer-interim Head Coach Clay Helton and the players are riding an emotional high coming into bowl season despite recent losses to Oregon and Stanford.
Pick: USC.
Thursday, December 31st
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| Jim Dedmon - USA TODAY Sports Can Clemson live up to their #1 seeding? Find out on New Year's Eve! |
Houston v. Florida State. Houston was a nice story out of the AAC this season until they lost to Connecticut in a result nobody saw coming. Now, at 12-1, Greg Ward Jr. is ready to pull off a major upset of long-time powerhouse Florida State. In case you did not believe in the Cougars yet, they did do a damn good job of proving themselves by winning three of their last four over Navy, Memphis and Temple. The Seminoles lost twice this season, once to #1 Clemson and the other time due to final-play blocked field goal returned for a touchdown by conference rivals Georgia Tech. One could even argue that the only reason Florida State isn't sniffing the final four is because Jimbo Fisher couldn't make up his mind on which Quarterback to use multiple times throughout the season.
Pick: Florida State.
Capital One Orange Bowl (3 PM CT on ESPN)
Oklahoma v. Clemson. The Clemson Tigers are the last undefeated team remaining in college football. The Sooners lost to Texas once. I don't think any expert analyst has been able to define why exactly Oklahoma dropped a 17-24 game against the Longhorns but, it happened and I have not forgotten that. Clemson only has one win over a tough out-of-conference opponent and that was a two-point victory over Notre Dame in QB Deshone Kizer's third start. Call me crazy but, the ACC is not quite as good as the Big 12 despite the rise of Clemson and North Carolina added to the continued success of Florida State. Clemson's offense might seem unstoppable but, given the extra time to prepare, I'm sure Oklahoma will come up with some way to stop Deshaun Watson from unleashing a shootout.
Pick: Oklahoma.
Cotton Bowl (7 PM CT on ESPN)
Michigan State v. Alabama. Defense versus defense and running game versus a balanced offense. This will be low-scoring, possibly a bore, the Derrick Henry game or the LJ Scott game. Connor Cook is easily the most overrated Quarterback in college right now and even though he might translate to the NFL better, he's still not strong enough to take apart a Nick Saban/Kirby Smart defense. If Michigan State wins this game, it will be because of the hot hand (or in this case, legs) of LJ Scott, who reminds me of a super raw Ladanian Tomlinson (not controversial at all). As far as Alabama's offense goes... One time in NBA Live back in the day on Playstation 2, I scored 109 points on my dad with Earl Boykins and still managed to lose because sometimes even very strictly riding the hot hand does not mean you will win even though the player stays en fuego all game long. In Alabama's case, their Earl Boykins is Derrick Henry. Hopefully, their defense is better than mine was.
Pick: Alabama.
Friday, January 1st, 2016
Outback Bowl (11 AM CT on ESPN2)
Northwestern v. Tennessee. Once 3-4, nobody saw Tennessee finishing the season ranked. Despite the weaknesses of their final five opponents, a five-game winning streak is a five-game winning streak. Looking back on it, the Volunteers dropped three very understandable losses to #2 Alabama, #4 Oklahoma and #19 Florida (when they still had QB Will Grier). They still lost to Arkansas and beat some ugly teams in ugly games so, this team might not be 3-4 anymore but, they simply lucked out from scheduling by winning five straight. Northwestern has an awesome defense and a freshman QB that they can't quite trust in such a big game yet. Eventually, the Wildcats will need to pass and my assumption is that Tennessee will be ready for that.
Pick: Tennessee.
Citrus Bowl (12 PM CT on ABC)
Michigan v. Florida. Florida has not been even halfway decent since losing QB Will Grier to a suspension as he was the Jenga piece keeping that ship afloat.
Pick: Michigan.
Fiesta Bowl (12 PM CT on ESPN)
Notre Dame v. Ohio State. In the "Highest Viewership Bowl", the much-hated Fighting Irish face off against the much-hated Buckeyes as 70% of the nation roots for a giant meteor to strike the field so that there are no winners. Ohio State is still basically the team that won the national title last season and Notre Dame is relying on a ton of backups due to the rash of injuries suffered early on in 2015.
Pick: Ohio State.
Rose Bowl (4 PM CT on ESPN)
Stanford v. Iowa. Watching Iowa play Michigan State in their final game of the season, it felt like I was watching one of the four best teams in the nation lose based on one less-than-tremendous defensive drive. I don't know why it felt so unfair but, I guess this just means I fully support the playoffs expanding to 8 teams. This game is the match-up of the two best non-playoff teams (ranking-wise) and I have serious doubts that either of these teams could have beaten Ohio State. Stanford is overrated even though RB Christian McCaffery is worth the hype and so much more. The rest of this Cardinal team has shown zero consistency and their two loses (to Northwestern and Oregon) are shining examples of that. I don't think I truly trust either team 100% but, the Hawkeye defense has given me enough proof to believe in Iowa.
Pick: Iowa.
Sugar Bowl (7:30 PM CT on ESPN)
Oklahoma State v. Ole Miss. Assuming Mason Rudolph is healthy enough to Quarterback the Cowboys, this has the potential to be a really awesome game featuring a ton of NFL prospects. Of course, that also depends on whether or not Ole Miss D-Lineman Robert Nkemdiche is eligible to play after "falling from a 4th story window to the 3rd story balcony". Oklahoma State has never had the most stifling defense despite a bunch of NFL prospects and Ole Miss and their seemingly dozens of good receivers should make for an interesting match-up with shootout potential.
Pick: Oklahoma State.
Lesser Importance Bowl Games happening between the first round of 4 and the championship
Saturday, January 2nd
TaxSlayer Bowl (11 AM CT on ESPN)
Penn State v. Georgia.
Pick: Penn State.
Liberty Bowl (2:20 PM CT on ESPN)
Kansas State v. Arkansas.
Pick: Arkansas.
Alamo Bowl (5:45 PM CT on ESPN)
Oregon v. TCU.
Pick: Oregon.
Cactus Bowl (9:15 PM CT on ESPN)
West Virginia v. Arizona State.
Pick: Arizona State.
Monday, January 11th
National Championship Game
Oklahoma/Clemson v. Michigan State/Alabama.
In my first attempt at picking this whole "College Football Playoff" thing, I chose both first round winners incorrectly. This year I took a risk and chose the #4 seed and the least-exciting team in the final four (Alabama) to face off for that sexy cylindrical football trophy. Baker Mayfield versus Derrick Henry is not a match-up that will garner much attention outside of the die-hard college football/Bama/Oklahoma fans. Ultimately, the most enticing match-up for me would probably be Michigan State versus anyone even though I'm not thrilled by any of these teams (thanks Iowa).
Pick: Alabama 34 - Oklahoma 20.
Yawn, just another trophy for the Nick Saban trophy case. Maybe I should have picked someone other than the Crimson Tide to win another championship after last season's disaster but, who else can anybody trust among these final four teams? That defense is miles ahead of Oklahoma's and this would be the perfect scenario for Derrick Henry to carry the ball 40 times to victory.
Enjoy the bowl season! and just because the championship game doesn't entice you, that does not mean that there isn't another bowl game out there for you.
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| Get pumped, Nicholas. |
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