With the first Bowl game underway, let's look at the rest of the first slate of games:
Tuesday Dec 17
Frisco Bowl : #19 Memphis Tigers (10-2) v West Virginia Mountaineers (6-6) : This was a strange matchup, and will likely be a one-sided game. MEMPHIS by 24
Wed Dec 18
Boca Raton Bowl : Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (8-5) v James Madison Dukes (8-4) : The Dukes can be a tough team, and the Sun Belt has a great record in bowl games. JAMES MADISON by 18
LA Bowl : Cal Golden Bears (6-6) v #21 UNLV Running Rebels (10-3) : While this is practically a home game for Cal, UNLV isn't making a long trip, and they have a strong team coming. UNLV by 17
Thurs Dec 19
New Orleans Bowl : Georgia Southern Eagles (8-4) v Sam Houston BearKats (9-3) : It is tough for a newly promoted team to win their first bowl game, but the BearKats have had a phenomenal year, and I think a win here will cap it off. SAM HOUSTON by eight
Fri Dec 20
Cure Bowl : Ohio Bobcats (10-3) v Jacksonville State Gamecocks (9-3) : The Bobcats had a good year, but the MAC teams seem to struggle in bowl games. JACKSONVILLE STATE by 13
Gasparilla Bowl : Tulane Green Wave (9-4) v Florida Gators (7-5) : Florida has a long history with the bowls, but it has not always been a successful one. Tulane has a good team that consistently puts pressure on their opponents. Florida is not so consistent. TULANE by 16
Mon Dec 23
Myrtle Beach Bowl : Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (6-6) v UTSA Roadrunners (6-6) : Both teams had their ups and downs this season, but Coastal tends to do better in high profile games. COASTAL CAROLINA by ten
Idaho Potato Bowl : Northern Illinois Huskies (7-5) v Fresno State Bulldogs (6-6) : The Huskies have the better record, but too often the MAC folds in bowl games. FRESNO STATE by eight
Tues Dec 24
Hawaii Bowl : South Florida Bulls (6-6) v San Jose State Spartans (7-5) : Traveling to Hawaii, and spending time on the island, can be distracting for some teams. San Jose State has been here before, so they will be better prepared. SAN JOSE STATE by nine
Thurs Dec 26
Detroit Bowl : Pitt Panthers (7-5) v Toledo Rockets (7-5) : Pitt doesn't have a great bowl record, and neither do MAC teams. Have to look at the teams. Pitt had tougher opposition this year, and held their own. PITT by eight
Copper/Cactus Bowl : Rutgers Scarlet Knights (7-5) v Kansas State Wildcats (8-4) : Let's face it, Rutgers is a bowl novice, while the Wildcats have tons of experience. It doesn't hurt that the Wildcats will have tons of friendly fans there. KANSAS STATE by 16
Mobile Alabama Bowl : Arkansas State Red Wolves (7-5) v Bowling Green Falcons (7-5) : The Red Wolves have a great bowl record. Not so the Falcons. ARKANSAS STATE by nine
Fri Dec 27
Armed Force Bowl : Oklahoma Sooners (6-6) v #25 Navy Midshipmen (9-3) : Navy shocked American Athletic champ Army, and they did it by wearing down the team used to wearing down others. The Sooners will wear down quickly. NAVY by 15
Birmingham Bowl : Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (7-5) v Vanderbilt Commodores (6-6) : Vandy rarely gets to a bowl, so I'd love to see them win, but the Yellow Jackets defense will make that tough. GEORGIA TECH by 13
Liberty Bowl : Texas Tech Red Raiders (8-4) v Arkansas Razorbacks (6-6) : The Razorbacks can be tricky, but the Red Raiders have been playing tricky football for far longer. Their pounding defense will make things very tough for Arkansas. TEXAS TECH by 16
Holiday Bowl : Syracuse Orange (9-3) v Washington State Cougars (8-4) : Ooh, this is the first game that I'm having real trouble picking! These two teams are both good, and match-up very well on paper. When it comes to bowl games, though, Syracuse doesn't have a good recent history. WASHINGTON STATE by six
Las Vegas Bowl : USC Trojans (6-6) v Texas A&M Aggies (8-4) : The Aggies gave a hard time to some tough SEC teams. The Trojans were just off this season. TEXAS A&M by 12
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