Paul's Picks Bowls 2

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Welcome Back!

So far, I am 6-1 in the bowl games, which I think is not too shabby!  Generally, if anyone is above 50% in predicting the bowl games, that's pretty good.  Or pretty lucky.  Because predicting bowls is fraught with difficulty.  There are coaching changes, academic suspensions, behavior suspensions, players not playing to prepare for the NFL Draft, injuries, and a host of other issues, not the least of which are the location of the game and the focus level of the players.  Which team will be more motivated?  Take the Quick Lane Bowl, for example.  The game is in Detroit, which is closer to Minnesota, but the Gophers just suspended 6 players.  Will that galvanize the team?  Or will it weaken it?  Then again, Georgia Tech is playing their last game under Paul Johnson.  Will that motivate them?  Or will they be distracted?  And how will the new redshirt rule affect the bowls?  I expect to see a lot of freshmen who played in 3 or less games get playing time.

Anyway, let's get started.

Thursday, December 20
Marshall vs USF (Gasparilla Bowl-Tampa)- The Thundering Herd ended the regular season with a loss at Va Tech, but went into that game having won 5 of 6.  The Bulls started the season 7-0, but ended it on a 5-game losing streak.  I think that losing streak continues.  Marshall wins.

Friday, December 21
FIU vs Toledo (Bahamas Bowl)- The Panthers had an up-and-down season (mostly up!), and ended it by winning 5 of their last 7.  The Rockets won 4 of their last 5, and all 5 of their losses were to teams with a winning record.  Both teams fell just shy of winning their division.  I think FIU is the slightly better team.  Panthers win.

Western Michigan vs BYU (Idaho Potato Bowl- Boise)- The Broncos began the season by losing their 1st 2 games (to Syracuse and @Michigan), then reeled off 6 straight wins before losing 3 of their last 4.  The Cougars finished 6-6, but played a much more difficult schedule, and 4 of their losses were by 7 points or less.  BYU wins.

Saturday, December 22
Memphis vs Wake Forest (Birmingham Bowl)- The Tigers began the season at 4-4, then won 4 straight before losing the AAC title game to UCF.  The Demon Deacons began the season strong before fading near the end, though they routed Duke in their finale.  This should be a high scoring affair, with Memphis pulling it out in the end.

Houston vs Army (Armed Forces Bowl- Ft. Worth)- This is a virtual home game for Houston.  The Cougars started 2018 7-1, but only won 1 of their last 4, mainly due to injuries.  The Black Knights finished the regular season at 10-2, and won their last 8 games.  Army should win a low-scoring game.

Buffalo vs Troy (Dollar General Bowl-Mobile)- The Bulls won 9 of their first 10 before losing 2 of their last 3, including the MACCG to NIU.  The Trojans just missed making the SBC championship game, losing to App St in their finale.  These are 2 quality teams.  Troy wins a close one.

Hawai'i vs La Tech (Hawai'i Bowl)- The Bulldogs are another team that started strong and faded toward the end, losing their last 2, and 3 of their last 4.  The Rainbow Warriors are in a similar position; they won 6 of their 1st 7, then lost 4 straight before winning their last 2.  This is basically a home game for Hawai'i, and they rarely lose on the Island.  UH wins.

That's it for now.  On Monday, look for the next installment of my TWIF Notes.  I'm going to take Tuesday off due to it being Christmas Day and all.  On Wednesday, I'll have my picks for the Wednesday through Saturday games.  Don't forget to follow this blog and leave a comment, and please share with your friends.  Until next time, may you and your loved ones be blessed!


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