As I write this, the Quick Lane Bowl has ended. I started the bowl season with success picks, but have run 2-3 in my last five picks. Let's see if I can't recapture the magic.
Wed Dec 28
Military Bowl : UCF Golden Knights (9-4) v #24 Duke Blue Devils : I sniff an upset here, but the starting success of the ACC in these bowl games makes me a bit less concerned. DUKE by six
Liberty Bowl : Kansas Jayhawks (6-6) v Arkansas Razorbacks (6-6) : Speaking of upsets, here's a potential one, especially given the shakystart of the SEC. Still, the inexperience of Kansas in bowl games will be telling, and I have to give the edge to the Razorbacks. ARKANSAS by four
Holiday Bowl : #14 Oregon Ducks (9-3) v North Carolina Tar Heels (9-4) : North Carolina had a great year, but they were a bit shaky at the end. Oregon, after their embarrassing opening loss, really poured it on. The Ducks have a potent offense, which I think will prove to be too much for the Heels. OREGON by 13
Texas Bowl : Texas Tech Read Raiders (7-5) v Ole Miss Rebels (8-4) : I don't care that it is practically a home field advantage for the Red Raiders. Texas teams do not have a great TExas Bowl record, and Ole Miss will just wear down Tech. OLE MISS by nine
Thurs Dec 29
Pinstripe Bowl : Syracuse Orange (7-5) v #21 Minnesota Golden Gophers (8-4) : Ooh this should be a good game! Minnesota has the better offensive firepower, but the Orange have special teams and a tenacious defense on their side. In the end I think the Gophers will precail, but it will certainly be a hostile environment for them. MINNESOTA by eight
Cheez-It Bowl : Oklahoma Sooners (6-6) v #11 Florida State Seminoles (9-3) : While you should never count out Oklahoma, this was a typical year for them. Florida State is a strong team, and should win this one failry easily. FLORIDA STATE by 18
Alamo Bowl : #13 Texas Longhorns (8-4) v #12 Washington Huskies (10-2) : With only one position separating these two teams, this one looks like the closest game, at least on paper. However, these games are not played on paper. Texas has a strong offense, but when that offense sputters, they suffer. The Huskies have a solid defense that can make that offense sputter. WASHINGTON by 13
Fri Dec 30
Mayo Bowl : Maryland Terrapins (7-5) v NC State Wolf Pack (8-4) : While I would love to see the Terps win, picking against the ACC this bowl season does not seem like a wise thing to do. NC STATE by six
Sun Bowl : Pitt Panthers (8-4) v $17 UCLA Bruins (9-3) : On the other side of the ACC, Pitt had an up and down season, while the Bruins were a strong team -- they just faced a few other strong teams in the Pac-12 this year. UCLA by 14
Gator Bowl : #20 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (8-4) v South Carolina Gamecocks (8-4) : Sad to say, Gamecock fans have moved on, cheering their womens basketball team. The Irish sputtered early in the season but finished strong, and that momentum will continue here. NOTRE DAME by 13
Arizona Bowl : Ohio Bobcats (9-4) v Wyoming cowboys (7-5) : The Cowboys could win this game, but you can never be sure which Wyoming team will show up. I like the consistently strong play by the Bobcats. OHIO by 16
Orange Bowl : #8 Tennessee Volunteers (10-2) v #10 Clemson Tigers (11-2) : The ACC Champs face off against a strong SEC team. Clemson overhyped their QB pre-season, and as such was surprised that they didn't win so easily. They became more focused and started winning better, but I think the overwhelming victory in the ACC Championship Game will work agaisnst them, as they will believe too much in their "natural" ability, and fall prey to the powerful Tennessee Vols. TENNESSEE by eight
Sat Dec 31
Music City Bowl : Iowa Hawkeyes (7-5) v Kentucky Wildcats (7-5) : Defense will control this game, as that is the strong point of Iowa and the more complex scheme of Kentucky. Unfortunately for the SEC, they don't like really strong defenses. Kentucky's defense kept SEC opponents on their toes, but it won't be so strange to Iowa. IOWA by six
Sugar Bowl : #6 Alabama Crimson Tide (10-2) v #18 Kansas State Wildcats (10-3) : I think Alabama will sink themselves here. With no National Championship to play for, and so many players vying for NFL positions, I think too many of their star players will sit out this bowl game, allowing the Wildcats to roll over them. KANSAS STATE by 18
Fiesta Bowl : #2 Michigan Wolverines (13-0) v #7 TCU Horned Frogs (12-1) : Let's face it, Michigan just has the better team. TCU has a good record, but that's only because too many Big XII teams had a down year. MICHIGAN by 20
Peach Bowl : #1 Georgia Bulldogs (13-0) v #3 Ohio State Buckeyes (11-1) : Don't count out the Buckeyes. Yes, they trailed at halftime in a few games, and yest they lost big to rival Michigan, and yest their defense isn't what it often is, but this team has perhaps the most potent offense in the country. Their loss to Michigan might be a wake-up call, and remember that Ohio State beat Georgia the last time these two met. I think Georgia has the edge (rightly), but if they slack off at all, or the game is within a single score at the half (because no team makes better halftime adjustments than Ohio State, with the possible exception of Alabama), this game may belong to the Buckeyes. GEORGIA by three
Mon Jan 2
RellaQuest (formerly Outback) Bowl : #23 Mississippi State Bulldogs (8-4) v #22 Illinois Fighting Illini (8-4) : The Bulldogs had a good team this season, but Illinois has one of the toughest defenses in the country. They have back some key tools missing in the last weeks of the season, so they are potent and hungry. ILLINOIS by eight
Citrus Bowl : #25 LSU Tigers (9-4) v Purdue Boilermakers (8-5) : Here's an interesting game, with the SEC runner-up facing the Big Ten runner-up. LSU definitely has the better team, as they beat Alabama. However, if they get cocky, and believe that Purdue doesn't really belong here, the Boilermakers could pull off a couple of their amazing offensive drives and take a lead. LSU by eight
Cotton Bowl : #9 USC Trojans (11-2) v #15 Tulane Green Wave (11-2) : No knock against Tulane, but they are overmatched here. USC by 23
Rose Bowl : #4 Utah Utes (10-3) v #5 Penn State Nittany Lions (10-2) : Here's a fun game. You have the powerful offense of the Utes against the tough defense of the Lions. Normally I'd pick the defense over the offense, but Penn State also has a nasty tendency to cough off the ball at least once a game in important situations, and that might make the difference. UTAH by four
No comments:
Post a Comment