Early Bowl Picks

By
I apologize for being absent for about 2 weeks, but it's been a difficult time for me.  I have a lot of running around to do today, so I'm just going to give you my picks through Dec 24.  I do want to point out that I picked Army over Navy, but it was in doubt until the very end.  I will also review my Sun Belt conference pre-season picks, as promised, but not today.  Just a reminder that bowl picks are notoriously difficult to get right.  You never know how 18-22 year-olds will react to the time off, the loss of head coaches and/or assistants, the distractions of the trip, the press clippings, etc., etc.  Who will have kids that get into trouble with the law or with team rules? Who will be motivated by their coach leaving, and who will react the opposite?  My picks are as much of a guess as anyone else's.

Here are my picks:

Troy over N Texas- These are both good teams, but I believe that Troy has the better defense, and just enough offense to win a close one.
WKU over Ga St- The Hilltoppers have had an up-and-down season, as have the Panthers, but Georgia State is not quite in their league.  But I'll be pulling for them!
Boise St over Oregon- Both teams are beset by injuries, so this is a particularly difficult one, but the Broncos historically do well in bowls, and their coaching staff has been stable, so go with them over the Ducks.  Of course the real question is, what garish uniform will Oregon wear for this?
Colo St over Marshall- The Rams have been a good (not great) team, as has Marshall, but I believe the Ram offense will be too much.
Ark St over Mid Tenn- The Red Wolves have had what many consider a disappointing season, but they are good enough to defeat the Blue Raiders.
FAU over Akron- The Owls have had a breakout season, especially on offense, and they should have no problems with a good-not-great Zips team.
Ohio over UAB- The Blazers have had a fee-good season in their return, but the Bobcats are the better team.
Wyoming over C Mich- The Cowboys finished the season strong, and should continue that in the bowl,  Josh Allen goes out with a bang!
Texas Tech over USF- The Bulls have had an outstanding season, but they're not on the level of a Big XII team.  The Red Raiders take a closer-than-expected win.
San Diego St over Army- The Black Knights can certainly win this game, but the Aztecs are the better team with a rushing attack to match Army's.  And a better defense.
Toledo over App St- The Rockets are the class of the MAC, and while Appalachian St tied for the Sun Belt crown, their non-conference record was 1-3.
Fresno St over Houston- The Bulldogs have had an amazing season, while the Cougars have just been ok.  Go with the MWC West Division champs!

That's all for now.  I hope each of you have a wonderful holiday season.  Until next time, may your day and your loved ones be blessed!

Comments

Post a Comment

Most Popular Posts

It's Almost Time!

By
Welcome back!  It's been about 6 months since my last post, and I'm sure my loyal readers (all 3 of them!) have been wondering when I would be back. Football season will be here before you know it! Do you know how I can tell? The preseason magazines have begun to hit the shelves (and my mailbox)! The various conferences will be holding their media days next month, and then the teams will be holding their preseason camps, with the first games being played on August 27, the stupidly named Week Zero.  But I haven't just been sitting around doing nothing for the last few months. Oh, no! I've just completed my preseason Power Rankings, and so will now begin writing my previews of all 131 teams and the 10 conferences, which will take me up until the first games. I will publish my previews according to the following schedule: 7/18     Part I           Teams 131-121 7/19     Part II         Teams 120-111 7/20 ...
Read more

Are You Ready?

By
  Welcome Back! College Football is only 9 weeks away- just 64 days until the 1st games on Aug 24! That means the college football preview magazines are all out, and I've been hard at work assembling data and researching the upcoming season for my previews. Here is what you can expect from me, and when you can expect it. Beginning on Monday, July 15, I will do my individual team previews. I will basically do 10 teams a day (after doing 12 a day for the 1st 2 days- 134 doesn't divide by 10 evenly...) for 2+ weeks, and then 5 a day for the last 4 days (my Top 20). These will take you through August 2. These will be presented in reverse order (from #134 to #1) according to my own preseason Power Rankings.  On August 5, I'll start my conference previews, which will take 2 weeks. 9 1/2 conferences plus Independents equals 10 days.  That takes us all the way to Game Week! Well, sort of. There are only a handful of games on Aug 24, which has the incredibly dumb name of Week Zero...
Read more

More Struggles

By
Growing up, my family attended the Presbyterian Church.  My mom had been a Baptist, and my dad grew up Methodist, so I guess this was a compromise.  I did all the normal kid-at-church things: nursery, VBS, Sunday School, Wednesday Night Suppers,  acolyte, confirmation class, youth group.  I really enjoyed my time, and grew to really appreciate the time spent there. When I went to college, I intended to continue going to church, and even went a few times, but just stopped going.  A big part may have been that Sundays was the only time I could sleep past 7 am, especially in the fall (football games on Saturdays).  And once you stop going, it's easy for things to stay that way. My senior year, I met Jackie in my Educational Psychology class.  After 6 weeks of dating, I proposed, and she accepted.  We were married at her home church in Snellville, St. Matthew's Episcopal Church.  It was my first exposure to the Episcopal Church. We lived in...
Read more