College football is back this year with, as they say, a vengeance. Last season was pretty much a bust with the Wuhan Virus disrupting things and even before that with all the silly protests that were breaking out everywhere about this, that, and nothing. Many of us lost interest in sports altogether, including me. I personally still won't watch pro sports. Just not interested and likely won't be in the future. College? Different story. That being said, here are my predictions, analysis, and betting lines.
Bahamas Bowl - Toledo vs MTSU
Toledo had a fairly good season in a what turned out to be a very unpredictable and wide-open MAC conference. They have a 3-0 streak going, came close to beating the "powerful" Notre Dame squad, and played NIU, the MAC champion, a very close game. MTSU, competitive in the woeful CUSA, had some decent wins. Toledo should take this one. The game might be worth tuning in to watch
Toledo -9
Cure Bowl - NIU vs Coastal Carolina
This will be a good one NIU, for the most part, handled their MAC schedule very well, the hiccup with WMU notwithstanding. They lost to Kent State early, but revenge was theirs when it mattered in the rematch. Pretty good ball club all around. For a while there Coastal Carolina looked like it would win the Sun Belt and, for a time, they were ranked nationally. A couple of somewhat surprising losses took them out of the running. These two teams are a good match up and it should be fun to watch.
NIU -2
Boca Raton Bowl - WKU vs Appalachian State
WKU lost in the CUSA championship to a probably under rated UTSA squad at the Alamodome. Appalachian State let the Cajuns beat them 2 times this season, Once it wasn't even close. That said, App State is the better team here and should win. Might get ugly
App State -11
New Mexico Bowl - UTEP vs Fresno State
. Fresno State had a good season, came close against Oregon, lost on the road to a fair Hawaii team, and could not get over the hump with Boise State. A 3-loss season which might, and perhaps should have ended with the Bulldogs running the table. UTEP had a pretty good season and was very competitive in CUSA. Fresno State is the better team here and should win fairly handily. The Bulldogs are a top 25 team in my opinion.
Fresno State -10
Independence Bowl- BYU vs UAB
UAB did not have any real notable wins during the season but did have at least one loss of note. They were competitive in CUSA and is a team that could and should have a better record. BYU played anywhere and everywhere it seems. They handled their business for the most part against ranked opponents, the loss to Baylor notwithstanding and allowed themselves to fall against a probably under rated Boise State squad. On paper, they should handle this one in fairly easy fashion. UAB should not be able to keep up but I would wager (and will) that UAB will be up for this game and BYU will be wondering why they aren't playing in a more prestigious bowl or a highly ranked opponent. It might be closer than some think.
BYU -8
Lending Tree Bowl - Liberty vs EMU
There are too many bowls and this one certainly falls into the "why is this a bowl" category. That said this might be a decent game. Liberty is on a 3-game skid and their only win of note is against UAB. There are also some notable losses, particularly against ULM. EMU was competitive in the MAC with 4 losses. Liberty is probably, may be, could be, etc. the better team here and, if I was a betting man, would go with them for no real particular reason.
Liberty -4
Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl (the what?) Oregon State vs Utah State
OK, Jimmy must be making some real bank to have his name associated with this one. Kind of a stupid name for a game, but what the heck. The game looks like a pretty good match up. Oregon State comes in at 7-5 while Utah State comes in with a 10-3 record. It is arguable whether the PAC 12 is any tougher than the Mountain West. There are some who would say the Mountain West is really the tougher conference. I would spend my money picking Utah State here.
Utah State -7
New Orleans Bowl - Louisiana vs Marshall
The Cajuns have had a darn good season and have been good enough the last few years that their coach is off to "greener" pastures (as they say) Louisiana is hands down the best team in the state this season and, right now, it would be interesting to see them play at top 15 opponent. That said, the opponent is Marshall. The Herd was competitive in CUSA and I would not count them out of this one either. The Cajuns are the much better team, but the game has to be played. We will see.
Louisiana -10
Myrtle Beach Bowl - ODU vs Tulsa
Tulsa made a bit of noise in the AAC and scared more than a few teams that they finally lost too. They are on a three-game run including a victory over SMU. ODU, after a horrible start, is on a 5 game streak. That is pretty impressive in college football these days for anyone. Still, both teams are 6-6. Should a 6-6 team really even qualify for a post season game? No matter. The game will be played. Go with Tulsa here.
Tulsa -4
Idaho Potato Bowl -Kent State vs Wyoming
I think this bowl should be renamed the "Blue Field Bowl" but no one asks. This may be a good game. Kent State, the MAC runner up, had a pretty good season and did win one against the conference champion, The rematch at Ford Field did not go their way though and so they end up here. Actually, this may be a more prestigious bowl than the one NIU is playing in. The game has been around for a while. Wyoming is no stranger to playing on the blue field and usually things don't work out so well for them here. That said, the resident team is not who they will be facing. Good thing. They lost that one. The Cowboys, 6-6 have had an up and down season but it is notable that they took care of the MAC champion earlier in the year (as did Kent St one of two times). This one is a pick, but I will go out on a limb and say Wyoming will be the winner.
Wyoming -2
Frisco Bowl - UTSA vs SDSU
Now here is one to watch. UTSA almost ran the table and were ranked at one time. The regular season ending loss to UNT derailed their national attention for the most part. Are the Roadrunners overrated or under rated? That will be a question that might be answered here. SDSU is a good football team and are currently ranked. Who will win this one? I would say that UTSA, but that loss to UNT, and the way they let WKU storm back and almost catch them in the CUSA Championship game make me wonder a bit. Conversely, SDSU loss to finish out against a good Utah State squad makes one wonder if the Aztecs are up for the challenge. But, then again, their only other loss was to a good Fresno State team. The WAC is a tougher conference than CUSA and SDSU has faced tougher opponents. Go with SDSU here. That said, whoever wins deserves to be ranked. Perhaps both teams do anyway regardless of the outcome.
SDSU -7
Armed Forces Bowl - Army vs Mizzou
Might be a good game. Army did pretty good this season and is currently at 8-3. The game vs Navy has yet to be played and West Point is favored. 8-3 (9-3,8-4 however it plays out) is considered a very good season for Army football. Mizzou comes in at 6-6, beat the teams they were expected to beat, except for perhaps Boston College, and lost the ones most figured they would. The do play an SEC schedule which means they have seen tougher foes than West Point. Army still has their big game yet to play vs Navy. That one is much more important to them probably than a bowl game. Pick the Tigers.
Mizzou -4
Frisco Football Classic - Miami (OH) vs UNT
Two bowl games in Frisco? This one is not to be confused with the Frisco Bowl but it is played in the same town, field, etc. etc. Not real sure this one should even be played but since it will be...Miami (OH) competitive in the MAC vs UNT, which became competitive in CUSA. Both come in at 6-6. Someone has to win.
UNT -7
Gasparilla Bowl - UCF vs Florida
Florida 6-6 did not have the type of season that they expect. Some of the UCF folks probably think the same thing. This may or may not be a good game. UCF is probably right now the better of the two squads, but their schedule does not measure up to what Florida has to face in the SEC. UCF by a couple.
UCF -3
Hawai'i Bowl - Hawaii vs Memphis
How many times have the Warriors been in the Hawai'i Bowl? Seems like quite often. Memphis, their opponent comes in at 6-6. The Tigers have had signature wins over Mississippi State and SMU. They also struggled a good bit but some of their losses were by very narrow margins. It could be argued that they should be coming in at 9-3 instead of 6-6 but their inability to close out is cause for concern. The Warriors actually come in with a losing record at 6-7 (the extra game due to the travel thing), and do not really have any signature wins. They actually played NM State twice. Makes one wonder why another school should have been interested in this game and accepted a bid. The Wuhan Virus restrictions are pretty heavy in Hawaii so travel for fans from the mainland may have been taken into consideration. Beautiful place but who needs a hassle. Right? Some folks would forgo the game just because of that perhaps. That said, the game must be played. This is another home game for the Warriors so some would place their money with them. I would opt to do the opposite.
Memphis -7
Addendum - This game was cancelled due to the Wuhan Virus. This is getting really stupid.
Camellia Bowl - Ball State vs Georgia State
This is another one of those games that there really seems to be no need for. Of course, these bowl games, no matter how minor (or seemingly ridiculous) do bring money into the community and that has to be taken into consideration. The teams? Well, Georgia State has had a pretty good season this year for just having come up from IAA err FCS fairly recently. They did handle their cross-state rival and were pretty competitive in the Sun Belt. They are also on a 3-game streak which helps their cause. There will be confidence there. Ball State weighs in at 6-6. They had a signature win over Army and came very close to upending NIU. Other than that, they were middle of the pack MAC. I would go with Georgia State here
GSU - 9
Quick Lane Bowl - WMU vs Nevada
Does everyone in the MAC go to some kind of bowl or other? It sure seems so. WMU comes in at 7-5 and 4-4 in conference. They have signature wins over conference champion NIU and non-conference Pittsburgh. They are possibly a better team than their record indicates. Nevada 8-4 enters this game with wins over Boise State and SDSU on their resume. The too, may be a better team than the record indicates. This is near a pick I think but I might go with Nevada here.
Nevada -3
Military Bowl - Boston College vs ECU
ECU comes in at 7-5 and was competitive in their league. Boston College, at 6-6 did not compete well in the ACC at all. ECU is the better team and the AAC is the better conference this season. I would put my money on the Pirates.
ECU -9
Well another one cancelled due to the Wuhan Virus "threat."
Birmingham Bowl - Auburn vs Houston
This will essentially be a home game for the Tigers, but will they want to be there would be a good question to ask. Houston, a very good AAC team, gets a chance here to show what they can do against a pretty good SEC opponent. Houston should be up for this game, and despite the partisan crowd, will make a good showing. It might be close.
Hou -5
First Responder Bowl - AF vs Louisville
I first left this one off, too damn many of these "bowl" games to keep up with. For not real particular reason here I will go ahead and pick AF here. Louisville is down this year.
AF -3
Liberty Bowl - Texas Tech vs Miss State
Mike Leach gets to face his old school when the Bulldogs face off with the Red Raiders. Tech is Tech as usual. Never can really figure out what they will do or are capable of on any given week. The same can really be said for Mississippi State. This will be a home game for the Bulldogs as we can be sure their fans will travel the fairly short distance to Memphis. They are also the better team, unless of course the Raiders bring their "A" game. You just never know.
Miss State -8
Holiday Bowl - UCLA vs NC State
This game has been around for a while and has some pretty good match ups. This isn't one of them. Go with NC State here despite it being a home game for the Bruins. It should be noted however that the PAC 12 is marginally better than the ACC right now.
NC State -10
Another Wuhan Virus cancellation. It is a shame NC State could not get another opponent. At this point, it wouldn't have mattered who it was. Was Rice available?
Guaranteed Rate Bowl (the what?) WVU vs Minnesota
Did this game used to be called something else? I don't remember. Whatever. WVU with a 6-6 record is just not a very good team this year. The Gophers come in with a better record and should win here.
Minnesota -9
Fenway Bowl - SMU vs Virginia
SMU looked for a while there like they just might make it all the way in the AAC. They fell off somewhat but are still a very dangerous team for anyone outside of the top 15 to face. Virginia, not terribly competitive in the ACC comes to the table with a 6-6 record and is on a 4-game skid. Smart money would be with SMU.
SMU -11
Addendum - Another Bowl cancellation this time from the People's Republic of MA. To be fair, apparently VA wanted to cancel due to Wuhan Virus "concerns."
Pinstripe Bowl - Virginia Tech vs Maryland
What is up with the cold weather bowls that have sprung up of late? No matter really. This game features two average teams. Maryland is in the tougher conference by far (at least this season) and is the better team. VA Tech did come close against Notre Dame (an over rated team as usual) and that might be their main selling point. Maryland, another 6-6 team, started off strong but it pretty much went downhill from there. This is a pick but I might, just might go with the Terps here, Why? Tougher schedule.
Maryland -2
Cheez It Bowl - Clemson vs Iowa State
This one might be pretty good. Clemson is not the team they have been of late and their entire conference is, for lack of a better word, just plain bad. At least this season. Plus, the Tigers might not really want to be here considering the recent success in big time college ball. Iowa State is usually happy just to get an invite somewhere decent and has faced a tougher schedule. Still, Clemson might be the better team here and could sneak by. It probably depends on the motivation of the Clemson players. Iowa State will be motivated. We will see
Clemson - 4
Alamo Bowl - Oregon vs Oklahoma
This is a major bowl and neither team wants to be here. Both squads believe they deserve better. They don't. The winner will depend on who wants to be here at all. Oklahoma is the better team but they probably just don't really want to play. We will see
Oregon -5
Duke's Mayo Bowl - NC vs SC
Well at least both teams are regional and that will help attendance. The game is in Charlotte so it could be considered a home game for the Tar Heels. This is really kind of a ho hum match up. Hmmm I would go with SC due to having played in the tougher conference. No other reason than that really.
SC -6
Las Vegas Bowl - Wisconsin vs Arizona State
Arizona State looked like they might be the real deal for a bit as did Wisconsin, Both teams are probably disappointed somewhat that they are playing in this one, although it has become a pretty good bowl game. Wisconsin has faced a tougher schedule and will win here.
Wisconsin -10
Gator Bowl - Wake Forest vs TAMU
Both teams had pretty good seasons really. There are still a lot of questions about the WF squad, I think. Which team will show up? The Aggies did take down the Tide earlier in the season and that is always an accomplishment, and the rest of the schedule was tougher. I would go with the Aggies.
TAMU -8
Addendum - It appears the Aggies are not going to be playing this game due to a Wuhan Virus "outbreak." Question I would like answered, is it mainly the starters? Could they not play the scrubs if there was no major outbreak anong that group? No matter. As of this writing, it seems that Rutgers will be the like opponent. Rutgers has a losing record and has not had any practice so they will likely have trouble competing here. One never knows though. At least it appears there will be a game. I won't place a line on this game.
Sun Bowl - Washington State vs Miami
This is a bowl that has been around a long time although, much like the Liberty Bowl and Independence Bowl, is considered to be a lower-level bowl game. That is until every 6-6 team in the nation it seems gets an invite to some other post season shindig or other. Miami was expected to do better and may even be a factor nationally. It didn't happen. WSU comes in at 7-5 and 6-3 in conference and that is often considered to be a very good year around those parts. I will put my money on Washington State.
WSU - 8
Addendum: Miami has dropped out due to the Wuhan Virus, or fear of getting their clocked cleaned. One or the other. It appears that Central Michigan will step up here with no fear.
CMU -3
Cotton Bowl - Cincinnati vs Bama
This will be one to watch and the winner gets to play for all the marbles. It irks the championship "committee" that they have to place the Cats in this one. They truly hoped for Notre Dame or anyone to give them an excuse to keep them out of this. Of course, the whole system is a corrupt sham but that is a topic for another day. OK. Alabama has more talent. That goes without saying. They proved that last week with a complete thrashing of Georgia. Folks say that this Tide squad is not quite as good as some in the recent past. Maybe so, maybe not. Cincinnati is not "just happy to be here" as they say. They come to win and prove that the so called "group of five" conferences play some damn good football and deserve more respect. They will fall just short here and lose this one, but they have shown some stuff.
Bama -13
Arizona Bowl = Central Michigan vs Boise State
This could be a pretty good game. Or not. Boise State is a better team than their record presents. What about CMU? They are on a 4-game streak and that says something in any conference. It is not a terribly interesting match up to me but it will be for some. I would go with the Broncos here.
Another Cancellation due to Wuhan Virus "concerns." It appears that Central Michigan will make the move to the Sun Bowl after Miami opted out.
BSU - 9
Orange Bowl - Georgia vs Michigan
Whoever wins here will play for the National Championship against, most likely (but far from certain), Alabama. Michigan showed that they are back, at least for this season, as did Georgia. The beat down that Georgia took against the Tide last week has folks talking. For a while it seemed like everyone just assumed Georgia was it and that was that. Not so fast. Michigan will win this one. It could be close.
Michigan -6
Outback Bowl - Arkansas vs Penn State
Arkansas finally had a season where they were very competitive in the SEC. That doesn't usually happen. They played Bama tough and the game was closer than the score. This Hogs team is for real. Is Penn State? The Big Ten, this season, is pretty darn good but the Lions did not do as well as they hoped for in conference play. Arkansas is the better team, but will that be enough for the win. Going out on a limb here to pick PSU to eeeck this one out.
PSU -1
Fiesta Bowl - Oklahoma State vs Notre Dame
This year, like usually, Notre Dame is overrated. Not as much as in most seasons though. Oklahoma State has again proven to be the better program in Oklahoma and they are certainly a better team than the Irish. The game has to be played to find out for sure and this will be a big one. Go with the Cowboys here.
Oklahoma State -12
Citrus Bowl - Iowa vs Kentucky
This is one of the most interesting match ups of the post season. Iowa was totally embarrassed in the Big Ten championship game against the, in my opinion, the eventual national champion. With that being said, the Hawkeyes are for real and a darn good football team. Kentucky has had a much better than average season in the SEC and have proven to be a tough opponent for anyone. Talent might favor Iowa but the SEC schedule is, top to bottom, somewhat, but only by a small fraction, than the Big Ten this season. I will pick Iowa for the win.
Iowa -9
Rose Bowl - Ohio State vs Utah
Another good match this one is. Ohio State had a legitimate shot at playing for it all and Utah outperformed the competition, with one exception in PAC 12. They did not do so good in non conference play however going 1-2 with their lone non conference win against an FCS school. Ohio State is the better team, but they wanted, and might have had it all. They may not be up for this one like they should be. That would be stupid, this is the Rose Bowl after all, but in the current system.....
OSU -8
Sugar Bowl - Ole Miss vs Baylor
This will be a great game or it least it should be. These are some darn good football teams. Both have played top notch competition this season so won't be startled by facing another good squad. Baylor may have the edge here and I will go with them. Whoever wins we do know one thing certain. New Orleans will be rocking.
Baylor - 6
Texas Bowl - LSU vs Kansas State
LSU comes in at 6-6 and that just won't do for Tiger fans. Many of them might not even be interested in this game enough to travel although Houston has enough LSU fans in the city to fill the stadium. Kansas State has had an up and down year and was humiliated by a just plain bad Texas team to end the season. They might, just might, have something to prove. Of course, so do the Tigers. This will be a good one and I will go out on a long limb here and go with KSU.
KSU -6
Till next time.
BC
