Here’s a look at tomorrow’s slate:

TaxSlayer Gator Bowl

Them Dawgs (No.23) (8-4) vs. Nebraska (8-4)

EverBank Field, Jacksonville (67,164)

Noon ET/ 11 AM CT

ESPN2

Mike Patrick, Ed Cunningham and Jeannine Edwards

Refs: Pac 12, Michael Batian

Coaches: Mark Richt, Georgia: 13 years, 126-44 (74%); Bo Pelini, Nebraska, six years, 57-24 (70%)

Surface: Grass

Weather: Showers, 60%, 61 @kickoff, wind E @3

Line: Georgia by 9

Should be an interesting matchup of excellent running backs. Ameer Abdullah, who went to Homewood High School in Birmingham, has rushed for 1,568 yards and eight TDs. He’s averaged 130.7 yards on the season. Of course, the Dawgs have the awesome Todd Gurley, who rushed for 903 yards in just nine games–he struggled with some injuries–but ran for 122 and three TDs in an awesome performance against Ga Tech in the season finale for the Dawgs. He’s fantastic as we know. Hutson Mason filling in for Aaron Murray, who had the terrible luck of a torn ACL in the next to last game of the season, completed 22-of-36 for 299 and two TDs with one int against Tech. Hutson did a real nice job. Hutson needs a good game tomorrow as the Dawgs look towards next year with excitement if Hutson can produce. Safety Josh Harvey-Clemons and backup cornerback Sheldon Dawson, a good player, are suspended and will not play. Still like Gurley, Mason and the Dawgs to get this done. This was a very young defense this year in Athens. The future looks bright in 2014. It starts tomorrow in Jacksonville. Could be lower scoring though because of the rain. Nebraska without starting quarterback Taylor Martinez, who is out with an injury.

Dawgs 31, Cornhuskers 21

 

Heart of Texas Bowl

North Texas Mean Green (8-4) vs. UNLV Runnin Rebels (7-5)

Dallas, Cotton Bowl (92,100)

Noon ET/11 AM CT

ESPNU

Clay Matvick, Matt Stinchcomb and Dawn Davenport

Refs: MAC, Ron Snidgrass

Weather: 55, sunny, wind SSW @ 11

Line: North Texas by 6 1/2

Mean Green 37, UNLV 30

Capital One Bowl

No.8 South Carolina Gamecocks (10-2) vs. No.19 Wisconsin

Badgers (9-3)

Citrus Bowl Stadium, Orlando (70,000)

1 PM ET/Noon CT

ABC

Dave Pasch, Brian Griese and Luges

Coaches: Ball Coach, 24 years, 218-79-2 (73%), Bowls: 9-10; Wisconsin: Gary Anderson: 39-34 overall in five years, 9-3, first year at Wisconsin, bowls: 1-1

Refs: Pac 12, Jay Stricherz

Surface: Artificial

Weather: 40% chance of showers, 66 @ kickoff, wind NE @ 9 MPH

Line: Whisky by 1

These are two solid football teams with good running games, particularly Wisconsin’s, though Mike Davis of South Carolina is a stud. Davis ran for 1,134 yards and 11 TDs. But the Badgers have two guys who can rack up the yards. Melvin Gordon has rushed for 1,465 yards on 8.1 yards per carry. Senior James White has rushed for 1,337 yards and 15 TDs. But I still like Davis, the tough as nails Connor Shaw and Ball Coach to get it done in an SEC-Big Ten showdown. Should be a good game.

South Carolina 28, Wisconsin 24

 

Outback Bowl

Iowa Hawkeyes (8-4) vs. No.14 LSU Bengal Tigers (9-3)

Raymond James Stadium, Tampa (65,857)

1 PM ET/Noon CT

ESPN

Tirico, Gruden and Lisa (Monday Night football crew)

Coaches: The Hatter, 13 years, 9 @ LSU. 122-45 overall (73%), 94-24 @ LSU (80%), 6-5 bowls; Iowa: Kirk Ferentz 108-78, 6-4 bowl

Refs: Big 12, Greg Burks

Surface: Grass

Weather: 40% chance of showers, 65, wind NE @ 11

Line: Bengal Tigers by 8

Like Jeremy Hill’s 1,185 yards and 11 TDs and Jarvis Landry’s 75 catches for 1,172 yards and 10 TDs and Odell Beckham’s 1,117 yards and 8 TDs in this one. I like freshman quarterback Anthony Jenningsm who will play in place of the injured Zach Mettenberger, who had a good year and is looking at the NFL draft next, once he rehabs his knee. Jennings came in against Arkansas when Zach got hurt and did an excellent job completing six of 10 passes for 99 yards and the game winning touxhdown, a 49-yard toss to Travin Dural, in a 31-27 LSU win. The Hatter is so much fun, and he wins 80% of his game, so he’s gettin it done in Baton Rouge. Fun guy. Like the Hatter tomorrow.

LSU  31, Iowa 20

 

The 100th Rose Bowl

No.4 Michigan State Spartans (12-1) vs. No.5 Stanford

Cardinal (11-2)

5 PM ET/ 4 PM CT/ 2 PM Pacific

ESPN

Brent, Herbie and Heather

Refs: Big 12, Mike Defee

Surface: Grass

Weather: Sunny California, 75, 0% rain, Wind w @ 4

Line: Stanford by 6 1/2

A few breaks here or there and these two teams had a chance to play for it all. David Shaw and Mark Dantonio are excellent coaches at Stanford and Michigan State respectively. Both teams play physical defense and grind it out with the run game on offense. Both teams have excellent backs. But the Spartans are without their defensive leader linebacker Max Bullough and that hurts. Plus, even with Bullough playing, I don’t think the Spartans can hang with this outstanding, powerful football team. A lot of broadcasters are saying what a close game this is going to be, but I don’t agree. Stanford with Tyler Gaffney and the running game and that awesome defense will control this game. Like the Cardinal to win handily.Michigan State hasn’t seen a physical, athletic team like this in the Big Ten.

Stanford 24, Michigan State 14

 

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl

No.6 Baylor Bears (11-1) vs. No.15 Central Florida Knights

(11-1)

University of Phoenix Stadium, Phoenix (63,400)

8:30 PM ET/7:30 CT

ESPN

Sean McDonough, Chris Spielman and Shannon Spake

Refs: SEC, Tom Ritter

Surface: Grass

Weather: 68 clear, wind 3 MPH

Line: Baylor by 17

This line is right and will be worse for UCF. Art Briles has done an excellent job at Baylor and Texas or the Redskins would be smart to hire him,m particularly the Redskins who have his former pupil, RGIIi as the starting quarterback. He helped RGIII win the Heisman Trophy and Griffin needs somebody to straighten him out. He’s been a head case. Maybe he’s always been, but Briles knew how to coach him up. George O’Leary’s done an excellent job at UCF, but this is going to be a long night for him and his team.

Baylor, 55, UCF 28

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Advocare V100 Bowl

Boston College Eagles (7-5) vs. Arizona Wildcats (7-5)

Independence Stadium, Shreveport, Louisiana (65,000)

12:30 PM ET/11:30 AM CT

ESPN

Broadcasters: Tom Bart, John Congemi and Niki Noto (hyper)

Refs: Mountain West, Alan Eck

Surface: Artificial

Weather: Partly cloudy, 42 @ kickoff, 0% rain, Wind ENE 3 MPH

Line: ‘Zona by 7

After Arizona State flopped last night against Texas Tech (a 37-23 loss), I’m starting to believe less in the PAC 12 and more in the Big 12. Two good running backs in this one, Andre Williams of Boston College who ran for more than 2,000 yards this season and 17 touchdowns, and ‘Zona’s Ka’Deem Carey who ran for 1,716 yards and 17 touchdowns too. I like Carey and the Wildcats to get it done here even though I’ve lost some faith in the Pac-12.

Rich Rod-Zona 31, Boston College 28

Hyundai Sun Bowl

Va Tech Hokies  (8-4) VS. UCLA Bruins (9-3)

Sun Bowl Stadium, El Paso, Texas (51,500)

2 PM ET/ 1 CT

CBS

Verne, Gare, Wolf

Refs: Big 12, Scott Novak

Surface: Artificial

Weather: 50 @ kickoff, sunny, wind, 2 MPH SW

Line: UCLA by 7 1/2

I really like Frank Beamer. He does an excellent job for the Hokies and Bud Foster is an excellent defensive coordinator. I looked at the recruiting rankings and he’s doing well in recruiting. He’s one of these guys like S and Ball Coach, you want to see stay in the game as long as possible. But I gotta go against the venerable coach today, though his team will be competitive.  I think Jim Mora at UCLA is a high quality coach as well and the future is very bright out there with him in charge. I’ll say Beamer and his good defensive unit are going to compete hard today, but I like Mora and quarterback Brett Hundley (2,845 passing yards and 22 touchdowns, 67.8% completion percentage) to get it done over Beamer and quarterback Logan Thomas, though I’ve always liked Thomas even though he’s erratic at times. Va Tech just doesn’t have enough offense in this one.

Bruins 28, Hokies 20

 

AutoZone Liberty Bowl

Rice Owls (10-3) vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs (6-6)

Liberty Bowl Stadium, Memphis (61,1008)

4 PM ET/3 CT

ESPN

Bob Wischusen, Rod Gilmore and Quingt Kessenich

Refs: ACC, Ron Cherry

Surface: Artificial

Weather: 44 @ kickoff, sunny, Wind no factor (1 MPH NW)

Line: State by 7

Rice has had a fantastic year winning the conference USA title with a win over a good Marshall team that throttled Maryland last week in the Military Bowl (31-20), but I’m going to go with State and quarterback Dak Prescott. Dak is a runner and a good passer. State has played good defense all year for the most part. Their 17-10 Egg Bowl victory over Ole Miss was special. Like the Bullies to get the job done here.

State 28, Rice 20

 

Chick-fil-A Bowl

No.24 Duke Blue Devils (10-3) vs. No.21 Texas A&M

Aggies (8-4)

Georgia Dome, Atlanta (71,228)

8 PM ET/7 CT

ESPN

Rece, Jess, Dave, Sam

Coaches: A&M: Kevin Sumlin, two seasons at A&M: 19-6; six seasons overall (four at Houston):  54-23; Duke; David Cutcliffe: six seasons at Duke: 31-43; 12 overall (six at Ole Miss) 75-72.

Refs: American Athletic, Jeff Maconaghy, confirmed

Surface: Artificial

Weather: Dome, 70

Line: A&M by 13

David Cutcliffe is another veteran coach who I really think a lot of. He did an exceptional job at Ole Miss and got a raw deal there and has done a terrific job in building Duke football to a highly respectable program. He was also key in getting Peyton Manning back on the football field during his neck issues. Denver is certainly glad Cutcliffe had a hand in that. But I can’t deny Johnny Football here. He’s just too much for the Blue Devils to handle. He’s auditioning for an NFL job, he’s going to go pro after this season. Manziel has completed 270-of-391 passes (69.1%) for 3,732 yards, 33 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. He has better overall numbers than he did last year when he won the Heisman and led A&M to an 11-2 season. Kevin Sumlin is a high quality coach as well. Love this guy. A&M is recruiting very well and is positioned to challenge ‘Bama and AU and LSU in the west for the next several years if Sumlin stays. Like the Aggies to get it done pretty big here.

A&M 49, Duke 30

 

Bowl record: 12-7

Against spread, bowls: 10-9

Overall: 137-50 (73%)

 

 

Here’s a look at the other three bowl games today.

Franklin Mortgage Music City Bowl

Ole Miss Rebels/Black Bears (7-5) vs Georgia Tech Yellow

Jackets (7-5)

LP Field,. Nashville (68,798)

3:15 PM ET/2:15 CT

ESPN

Talent: Mark Jones, Brock Huard and Jessica Mendoza

Refs: Big 12, Reggie Smith

Surface: Grass

Coaches: Ole Miss: Hugh Freeze, second season, 14-11. Georgia Tech: Paul Johnson, sixth season, 47-31.

Weather: Mostly cloudy, 39 @ kickoff, 10% rain, Wind N 4MPH

Line: Ole Miss by 3

Ole Miss is averaging 30.4 points per game while the Ramblin Wreck is averaging 36.6. Ole Miss gives up 24.2 per game and Tech gives up 22.7. Ole Miss suffered a heartbreaker @ Mississippi State, 17-10, in overtime to close out the season, while Tech suffered their own heartbreaking loss, 41-34, in double overtime to Georgia at Atlanta. Bo “Sunshine” Wallace triggers the Rebels offense at qb. Sunshine has completed 261-of-405 passes (64.4%) for 3,09o yards, 17 TDs and nine ints. Wide receiver Laquon Treadwell is one of his favorite receivers. Treadwell caught 67 passes for 557 yards and five TDs. The other is Donte Moncriefm who caught 53 passes for 825 yards and five  TDs as well. Running back I’Tavius Mathers rushed for 505 yards and 3 TDs this season while the electric Jeff Scott ran for 493 yards and two TDs. Ole Miss’s best player on defense is linebacker Denzel Nkemdiche, who was hurt some of the year–he only played in nine games. Nkemdiche had 34 tackles on the season. His brother, Robert, a defensive end for the Rebs and the number one player in the country last year coming out of high school, had 29 tackles and eight for loss. Denzel is 5’11”, 207 and Robert is a massive 6’5″, 294.

Georgia Tech runs the triple option and their leading rushers are David Sims (846 yards, 11 TDs) and Robert Godhigh (694 yards and six TDs) Quarterback Vad Lee runs well too, he finished with 489 yards and eight TDs. Lee can throw it OK. He completed 77-of-163 passes (47.2%) for 1,414 yards, 10 TDs and nine ints. He did have a good game against Georgia passing the ball particularly in the first half. Godhigh and DeAndre Smelter are the leading receivers with 21 catches apiece. Godhigh had 420 yards receiving and two TDs, while Smelter had 345 yards receiving and four TDs. The Jackets are led on defense by senior defensive end Jeremiah Attaochu (6’3″, 242), who had 15.5 tackles for loss of -91 yards and 12 sacks for -83. He was tied for fourth in the country in sacks.Defensive tackle Adam Gotsis (6’5″, 277) had 13 tackles for loss and five sacks. The Jackets had 13 ints on the season.

Final Call:

Looks like another good game coming up. Georgia Tech gave the Dawgs everything they wanted and could have won that game, they led 17-0 in the first half. Still like Ole Miss to pull this one out, but expecting a closely contested game.

Ole Miss 31, Tech 30

 

Valero Alamo Bowl

No.10 Oregon Ducks (10-2) vs. Texas Longhorns (8-4)

Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas (72,000)

6:45 PM ET/5:45 CT

ESPN

Talent: Brad Nessler, Todd Blackledge, Holly Rowe

Whistles: ACC, Dennis Hennigan

Surface: Artificial

Coaches: Oregon: Mark Helfrich, first season (10-2); Texas: Mack Brown, 16th season, 166-51 (76%).

Weather: Indoors

Line: Ducks by 14 1/2

Final call:

The Quack Attack and quarterback Marcus Mariota and D’Anthony Thomas and all their weapons will send Mack Brown packing with an L, unfortunately for him. Charlie Strong would be a strong candidate for the Texas job, but he may not want to deal with the Longhorn Network and that soap opera out there.

Oregon 45, Texas 30

 

National University Holiday Bowl

Texas Tech Red Raiders (7-5) vs. No.14 Arizona State Sun

Devils (10-3)

Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego (71,294)

10:15 PM ET/9:15 CT

ESPN

Joe Tessitore (Tess), Matt Millen and Maria Taylor

Refs: SEC: Matt Austin

Surface: grass (Joe Namath’s favorite)

Coaches: Arizona State: Todd Graham, second season, 18-8; Texas Tech: Kliff Kingsbury, first year, 7-5.

Weather: 62, clear, 0% rain, wind N @ 2 MPH

Line: ‘Zona State by 14 1/2

Final Call:

Kliff KIngsbury has done a good job at Texas Tech having the the Red Raiders ranked as highly as 10th in the country midway through the season. But they don’t play great defense and their starting quarterback has transferred. Todd Graham has done an excellent job at Arizona State and they should have a big night tonight in San Diego.

Arizona State 48, Texas Tech 28

 

Record:

Bowls: 9-6

Against the spread in bowls: 9-6

Overall: 134-49 (73%)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I will have the other three bowls today in a later blog that will come out at around 11 AM.

Here’s a look at the first bowl of the day, an interesting one:

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl

Navy Midshipmen (8-4) vs. Middle Tennessee State Blue

Raiders(8-4)

Amon G. Carter Stadium, Fort Worth, Texas (50,000)

11:45 AM ET/10:45 CT

ESPN

Broadcasters: Beth Mowins, Joey Galloway and Paul Carcaterra

Whistles: Mid American Conference (MAC): Mark Kluczynski, lead ref

Surface: Grass

Coaches: Navy: Ken Niumatalolo, 6th year: 48-30; MTSU: Rick Stockstill, eighth year: 51-48

Bowl records: Navy: 7-10-1; MTSU: 1-2

Weather: Sunny, 36 @ kickoff, 0% chance of rain, wind, NW @4 MPH

Line: Navy by 6 1/2

Navy is led on the ground and through the air, though not as prominently as on the ground, by sophomore quarterback Keenan Reynolds, who’s from Antioch, Tennessee. Reynolds is 5’11”, 185, but is very quick and has run for 29 touchdowns this season; which is  second in the country behind Colorado State’s Kapri Bibbs, who finished his season with 31 in his and his team’s victory over Washington State in the New Mexico Bowl. Reynolds ran for 1,260 yards, and while he didn’t throw it a lot, he was OK in the passing game, completing 65-of-121 passes (54%) for 1,038 yards, eight TDs and two interceptions. Reynolds set an NCAA record for rushing touchdowns in a single game with seven against San Jose State in the Midshipmen’s 58-52 triple overtime victory. He also ran for 240 yards in that game. His 29 rushing TDs broke the single season marks for touchdown runs by quarterbacks set by Navy’s Ricky Dobbs and K-State’s Collin Klein, both of whom had 27. MTSU will have their work cut out stopping Reynolds. The Midshipmen don’t  rely on a lot of other guys in the ground game. Running back Chris Swain rushed for 398 yards and four TDs. Their leading receiver for TDs is Matt Aiken who pulled in only two. Casey Bolena led Navy with 13 receptions for 164 yards but 0 TDs.

On defense, inside linebacker Cody Peterson (senior, 6’3″, 228) leads the team in tackles with 135, which is tied for fifth in the country. He also had 5 1/2 tackles for loss and a sack. The other inside backer, DJ Sargenti (6’1″, 216), posted 103 tackles and six for loss of -20. Star linebacker Chris Johnson had 78 tackles and was tied for the team lead in interceptions with three along with free safety Parrish Gaines and freshman cornerback Brendon Clements.

Navy averages 34.3 points per game and gives up 25.9.

For Middle Tennessee State, senior quarterback Logan Kilgore (6’3″, 206) has completed 197-of-322 passes (61.2%) for 2,289 yards, 16 TDs and 11 ints. His leading receiver is senior Tavarres Jefferson (5’9″, 206) who has caught 41 passes for 532 yards and five TDs. Senior wide out Kyle Griswould has caught 36 passes for 359 yards and four TDs. The Blue Raiders leading rushers are Jordan Parker (6’1″, 220 sophomore) who has 741 yards on 145 carries (5.1 yards per carry) and six TDs, and junior Reggie Whaley (5’7″, 171), who has 631 yards on 93 carries (6.8) and three TDs. If Whaley  he gets some daylight in the open field he has a chance to house it. The Blue Raiders leading tackler is sophomore linebacker T.T. Barber (6’1″, 215) who has 112 stops on the season with 10.5 for loss of -41 yards. Safety Kevin Byard is next with 92 tackles and five interceptions, two he’s returned for touchdowns. Barber and linebacker Stephen Roberts also have interception returns for TDs. Roberts (senior, 6’3″,236)  has 60 tackles, four for loss.

The Blue Raiders are averaging 30.9 points per game and giving up 26.4. They’ve allowed 125 yards rushing per game.

Final Analysis:

This should be a very good game with two pretty potent offenses and a prolific player in Reynolds. The Blue Raiders can score some points and they have some 300 pounders on their offensive line and some pretty big guys up front on defense, so Navy will be at a disadvantage in size, but they usually are. I like this to be a high scoring game and for Reynolds to get the job done at the end and the Naval Academy to squeak this one out over a pretty good Blue Raiders team. It’s been a good season for both teams. Both coaches doing stellar jobs at places where it’s not easy to win eight in the regular season.

Navy 37, Middle Tennessee State 35

Predicted yesterday the Fighting Irish to defeat Rugters  in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl today @ noon ET/11 AM CT on ESPN, 31-27.

Here is a look at today’s game with predictions:

Bowls: 6-5; Against spread, Bowls: 6-5: Overall: 131-48 (73%)

Rough day yesterday going 0-3. Will get better.

 

Belk Bowl

North Carolina Tar Heels (6-6) vs. Cincinnati Bearcats (9-3)

Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, N.C. (73,298)

3:20 PM ET/2:20 CT

ESPN

Talent: Carter Blackburn, Danny Kanell, Allison Williams

Refs: C-USA: Steve Barth, head stripe

Surface: Grass

Weather: 56 @ kickoff Cloudy, 10% rain, with a 30% chance of showers later in the second half, wind, minimal, 2 MPH

Line: UNC by 2 1/2

Cincy is led by a good quarterback, Brendon Kay, who has completed 247-of-360 passes (69%) for 3,121 yards, 22 touchdowns and 11 ints. He took over for Munchie Legeaux, who was injured and out for the year in game two. Kay has done an excellent job; highly confident in his abilities. Hosey Williams is the Bearcats leading rusher having rushed for 609 yards and four TDs. Tion Green has rushed for 409 yards and seven TDs. The Bearcats leading receiver is Shaq Washington, who has caught 75 passes for 747 yards and one TD. Anthony McClung has caught 68 passes for 908 yards and 5 TDs, and wideout Chris Moore has caught 43 passes for 599 yards and 9 TDs. The Bearcats leading tackler is linebacker Greg Blair (6’2″, 252, senior), who’s posted 96 on the season with 6.5 for loss of 33 yards. Defensive end Silverberry Mouhon (6’4″, 248 sophomore) has 10.5 tackles for loss of -58 yards and 9.5 sacks for -56, which is good for 17th in the country. Cornerback Devin Drane leads the team in interceptions with three. The Bearcats are averaging 33.3 points per game on offense and giving up 19.5 on defense, 12th nationally.

UNC is averaging 32.2 points per game and giving up 25.1. Quarterback Marquise Williams is 107-of-184 (58.2%) for 1,765 yards, 10 TDs and five ints. His leading receiver is Eric Ebron, who has 55 catches on the season for 895 yards and three TDs. Sophomore wide receiver Quinshad Davis (6’4″, 205) has 47 receptions for 724 yards and 10 TDs. Safety Tre Boston leads the Heels with 85 tackles and  also leads them in interceptions with four. Senior defensive end Kareem Martin (6’6″, 265) is tied for sixth in the country in tackles for loss with 20 for -100 yards. Martin is tied for eighth in sacks with 11 for -82. North Carolina is 50th in the country in turnover margin having gained 19 and lost 17, while Cincy is tied for 97th, gaining 20, but giving up 26.

Final Analysis:

This should be an excellent game with two pretty high powered offenses, a solid defense in Cincy’s and a dominator on UNC’s defense in Martin. I like Cincy’s defense a little better and I also like Kay, Cincy’s signal caller, to get this done for Tubby.

Cincy 31, UNC 27

 

Russell Athletic Bowl

Miami Hurricanes (9-3) vs. No.18 Louisville Cardinals (11-1)

Rankings are BCS rankings.

The Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium, Orlando, Florida ( 70,000)

6:45 PM ET/5:45 CT

ESPN

Talent: Bob Wischusen, Rod Gilmore and Quint Kessenich

Refs: Big Ten: Mike Cannon, lead ref

Surface: Artificial

Weather: 73 @ kickoff, mostly cloudy, 10% rain throughout game, wind ESE 10 MPH

Line: Louisville by 4 1/2

Louisville is third in the country in scoring defense, allowing only 12.4 points per game. Miami is 60th, allowing 26 points per game. The Cardinals average 35 per game on offense and the Hurricanes put up 35.9 per game. The Cardinals are led by awesome signal caller Teddy Bridgewater, who has completed 268-of-382 passes (70.2%, second in the country) for 3,523 yards, 28 touchdowns and only four interceptions. Bridgewater, a 6’3″, 205 junior, will in all likelihood enter the draft after this season, and he has a chance to be the top player drafted, probably by the Houston Texans. He’s got a chance to be a big time quarterback at the next level. He sure has been in college. This will be another audition for Bridgewater and he also wants to lead his team to their 12th win of the season. Senior wide receiver Damian Copeland leads the team in receptions with 52 for 690 yards and five TDs, but junior DeVante Parker (6’3″, 209) has caught 46 passes for 743 yards and 11 TDs. Parker is Bridewater’s go-to guy when he wants to get it in the end zone. Junior running back Dominique Brown (6’2″, 216) leads the Cardinals in rushing with 783 yards and eight TDs. Senior linebacker Preston Brown (6’2″, 260) leads the team in tackles with 91, and has 10.5 tackles for loss of 45 yards along with 3.5 sacks. Senior defensive end Marcus Smith (6’3″, 252) has 16.5 tackles for loss of -104 yards and is second in the country in sacks with 12.5 for -95 yards. Sophomore cornerback Charles Gaines (5’11”, 174) leads the team in interceptions with five. He has returned one for  a 70 yard TD. Gaines also has a punt return and a kickoff return for TDs.

The ‘Canes really got a tough break when leading rusher Duke Johnson was lost for the season with an injury in the eighth game of the season after rushing for 920 yards and six TDs in the first eight. But Johnson is a sophomore and will be back next year. Sophomore Dallas Crawford (5’10”, 194) has taken Johnson’s place in the starting lineup and has done an excellent job running for 523 yards and 12 TDs. Quarterback Stephen Morris has completed 186-of-317 passes (58.7%) for 2,868 yards, 21 TDs and 12 interceptions. Morris can be erratic at times, but can be good too. Morris’s favorite receivers are Allen Hurns (6’3″, 195 senior), who has caught 60 passes for 1,138 yards and 6 TDs, and freshman Stacy Coley (6’1″, 180), who has caught 30 passes for 559 yards and seven TDs. Sophomore Herb Waters has caught 28 passes for 406 and five TDs. Junior linebacker Denzel Perryman (6’0″, 240) leads the Canes in tackles with 104, and has five tackles for loss. Senior defensive end Shayon Green (6’3″, 254) leads the team in tackles for loss with 10.5 for -30 yards. Cornerback Tracy Howard leads his squad in interceptions with four, one for a TD. Coley has returned a kick for an 88-yard TD and also has a punt return for a TD. Exciting player.

Final Analysis:

This is another excellent matchup between two offensive juggernauts and a good defense in Louisville’s. I can’t go against Bridgewater and the ‘Ville defense in this one. A good quarterback and a good defense are hard to beat.

Louisville 41, Miami 34

 

Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl

Kansas State Wildcats (7-5) vs. Michigan Wolverines (7-5)

Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona (71,706)

10:15 PM ET/9:15 CT

ESPN

Talent: Sean McDonough, Chris Spielman, Shannon Spake

Refs: Pac-12, Land Clark, lead ref

Surface: Grass

Weather: 60 @ kickoff, 0% rain, wind WNW @ 2 MPH

Line: K State by 6

Michigan will be without starting quarterback Devin Gardiner who broke his foot in the Ohio State game but still threw for 451 yards and four touchdowns as the Wolverines came close to knocking off the Buckeyes, losing 42-41. Freshman Shane Morris will get his first start. The Wolverines will count on running back Fitz Toussaint (646 yards 11 TDs) and wide out Jeremy Gallon (80 catches, 1,284 yards and nine TDs) to help out the freshman signal caller. Michigan is led on defense by junior defensive end Frank Clark (6’2″, 273) who has 12 tackles for loss of -38 yards and 4.5 sacks. Cornerback Blake Countess is tied for sixth in the country with six interceptions, one of those for a TD. For Kansas State, which hasn’t won a bowl game since 2002, they’ll employ a two quarterback system with Jake Waters as the passer (138-of-233, 59.2%, 15 TDs, nine ints) and Daniel Sams as the runner (764 yards rushing, 11 TDs). Running back John Hubbert has rushed for 968 yards and nine TDs, and wide receiver Tyler Lockett has 71 receptions for 1,146 yards and eight TDs. Senior linebacker Blake Slaughter leads the team with 103 tackles, six for a loss of -23. Slaughter also has three sacks. Junior defensive end Ryan Mueller (6’2″, 245) is seventh in the country in sacks with 11.5 and 11th in tackles for loss with 18.5 for -82 yards. Defensive backs, Dante Barnett, Dorrian Roberts and Ty Zimmerman each have three interceptions to lead the team.

Final analysis:

Both teams haven’t had the type years these programs have been used to through the years, but this should be a nice matchup of traditional programs. Like 74-year old Bill Snyder and his Wildcats to get it done with a more potent offense and a solid defense.

K State 35, Michigan 24

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today’s Bowl games

Military Bowl

Maryland Terrapins (7-5) vs. Marshall Thundering Herd (9-4)

Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, Annapolis, Maryland (34,000)

2:30 PM ET/1:30 CT

ESPN

Mike Patrick, Ed Cunningham, Jeannine Edwards

Refs:Mountain West- Dan Romeo

Surface: Artificial

Weather: 42, Sunny @ kickoff, 0% rain, Wind S @ 9 MPH

Line: Marshall by 2.5

I’m going with the better conference in this one. I liked Bowling Green last night and they played Pitt from the ACC. Pitt just had more physicality and had been through tougher wars than Bowling Green. I say the same thing happens here. Randy Edsall is a good football coach at Maryland, C.J. Brown ran for 12 TDs and threw for 11. Marshall’s Rakeem Cato threw 36 TD passes. Maryland has been hit hard by injuries the last couple of years. They’ve had an up and down year, but they beat Virginia Tech, 27-24, Nov. 16th, and then beat North Carolina State on Nov. 30th, 41-21. I like Edsall, Brown and the Terps to get it done. Don’t think the Thundering Herd has enough defense.

Maryland 35, Marshall 31

 

Texas Bowl

Syracuse Orange (6-6) vs. Minnesota Golden Gophers (8-4)

Reliant Stadium, Houston (71,500)

6 PM ET/5 CT

ESPN

Mark Jones, Brock Huard, Kaylee Hartung

Refs: SEC, Matt Moore

Surface: Artificial

Weather: 56, cloudy at kickoff, 10% rain, wind NE @ 5 MPH

Line: Minnesota by 4

I don’t think this will be a high octane offensive game. Minnesota has a good running game and had quality Big Ten wins over Penn State and Nebraska. I like the Big Ten over the ACC in this one.

Golden Gophers 28, Orange 23

 

Fight Hunger Bowl

Brigham Young (8-4) vs. Washington Huskies (8-4)

AT&T Park, San Francisco (37,000)

9:30 PM ET/8:30 CT

ESPN

Dave Pasch (get ready to be annoyed), Brian Griese (good guy), and Tom Luginbill (Luges-good guy)

Refs: C-USA, Clay Martin

Surface: Grass

Weather: 55, mostly cloudy, 0% rain, Wind North @ 2 MPH

Line: Huskies by 3.5

I’m looking forward to this one. The Huskies had a good year under Steve Sarkisian, but he left for USC and Chris Peterson has taken over. Peterson will not be coaching in the bowl game though, as former Washington quarterback Marques Tuiasosopo will be the coach. I like the future for the Huskies program with Peterson in charge–actually think it’s an upgrade in coaching because Peterson is fantastic– but I like this BYU team. I’ve liked them all year. I say BYU pulls off the upset since Washington does not have their coach in place yet and BYU plays some good defense and that will slow down the Washington attack enough. The Huskies offense is led by quarterback Keith Price ,who threw for 2,843 yards and 20 TDs against five ints. Running back Bishop Sankey is a stud as he ran for 1,775 yards and 18 TDs. But I look for BYU linebacker Kyle Van Noy (6’3″, 245)  to have a big game. I see him as a very good next level player. He is a senior. Excellent football player. He had 16 tackles for loss of -61 and four sacks. Is a dominant player. Linebacker Uani’ Unga is fourth in the country in tackles with 136. Quarterback Taysom Hill ran for 1,211 yards and nine TDs and threw for 19 more. This is a good football team. You can’t totally slow down the Huskies, but BYU plays good defense and will do enough along with their offense to pull this one out. Should be a fun game to watch.

BYU 34, Washington 30

 

Tomorrow

New Era Pinstripe Bowl

Rutgers (6-6) vs. Notre Dame (8-4)

Yankee Stadium, New York, New York (50,287)

Noon ET/11 AM CT

ESPN

Chris Fowler, Jesse Palmer, Paul Carceterra

Refs: MAC, Don Willard

Surface: Grass

Weather: 45, Sunny, 0% rain, Wind, SW @ 13 MPH

Line: ND by 14

This may be a better game than you think. I watched Rutgers beat Arkansas in September and was pretty impressed with their team. Don’t think they’ll beat the Irish, but the Scarlet Knights will make a game of it.

Notre Dame 31, Rutgers 27

 

Record: Bowls: 6-2; Against the spread in bowls: 6-2; Overall: 131-45 (74%)

Tomorrow’s games:

Will have write ups for the Belk Bowl (North Carolina vs. Cincy), the Russell Athletic Bowl (Miami (Fl) vs. Louisville) and the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl (Michigan vs. Kansas State) tomorrow (Saturday) around 10-10:30 AM CT (11-11:30 AM ET) as we continue on to New Year’s Day bowls, BCS bowls and all that comes in between, with key games before, on, and after New Year’s Day  involving SEC and BCS conference schools. The Crimson Tide in the Sugar Bowl on Thursday, January 2nd, against OU @ 8:30 PM ET/7:30 CT on ESPN, and AU playing in the BCS national championship game against Florida State at the Rose Bowl on Monday, January, 6th, @ 8:30 PM ET/7:30 CT on ESPN. Will have a lot more on both those games. Should be an epic 10 days. Will have it all on the blog. After tomorrow will have bowl writeups for Monday’s games on Sunday and continue through the week.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Little Caesars Pizza Bowl

Pittsburgh Panthers (6-6) vs. Bowling Green Falcons (10-3)

Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan (65,000)

6 PM ET/5 PM CT

ESPN

Dave Lamont, Ray Bentley and Niki Noto

Surface: Artificial

Refs: Sun Belt Conference: Head ref: Chuck Lewis, will have official listed tomorrow if there is a blown call

Weather: Indoors, 70

Line: Bowling Green by 7

Bowling Green looked for real to me in their dismantling of Northern Illinois in the Mid American Conference Championship game. Northern Illinois for the second year in a row was overrated, but I was impressed with the Falcons domination. They were so good this year that it earned coach Dave Clawson a job at Wake Forest after the MAC championship game. Adam Scheier will be the interim head coach as Dino Babers will move over to the Bowling Green sideline next year. Babers comes over from Eastern Illinois. Scheier did a very solid job with the special teams and tight ends and the team looks to be in good hands for this game. The Falcons are led by quarterback Matt Johnson, who completed 217-of-337 passes (64.4%) for 3,195 yards, 23 touchdowns and seven ints. He’s a really good player. Running back Travis Greene rushed for 1,555 yards and 11 TDs this season and wide receiver Shaun Joplin pulled in 48 catches for 822 yards and three scores. True freshman wide receiver Ronnie Moore had 26 catches for 535 yards (20.6 yards per catch) and seven touchdowns. He’s a gamebreaker. The Falcons were fifth in the country in scoring defense allowing just 14.8 points per game. Linebacker D.J. Lynch (5’11”, 244, junior) led the teams in tackles and tackles for loss with 78 and 7.5 for -23. Defensive backs BooBoo Gates and Ryland Ward led the team in interceptions, both getting two. Pitt is led by Coach Paul Chryst who is 12-14 in two years at the helm. Running back Isaac Bennett ran for 795 yards and seven Tds. RB James Conner added 579 yards and 7 scores. Quarterback Tom Savage completed 230-of-376 passes (61.2%) for 2,834 yards, 21 TDs and nine ints. True freshman wide receiver Tyler Boyd had a big year with 77 receptions for 1,001 yards and seven TDs. Senior Devin Street added 51 catches for 854 and seven TDs as well. Senior defensive tackle Aaron Donald led the country in tackles for loss with 26.5 for -130. He also added 10 sacks for -73. Defensive back Ray Vinopal led the defense with three ints.

Final Analysis:

I really liked the Bowling Green team when I watched them overwhelm the overrated Huskies of Northern Illinois. They’re legit. Northern Illinois isn’t but they are. I’m looking at a convincing win by the Falcons in this one.

Bowling Green 38, Pitt 27

 

Poinsettia Bowl

Utah State (8-5) vs. No.23 Northern Illinois? Are you kiddin me? NI is 12-1

Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California (71,294)

9:30 PM ET/8:30 CT

ESPN

Joe Davis, Mike Bellotti, Cara Capuano

Surface: Grass

Refs: Pac-12, Shawn Hochuli (Father, Ed, is an NFL head ref and has some serious Howitzers for arms)

Weather: 67 @ kickoff, 0 % rain, wind NE 7 MPH

Line: Utah State by 2

Utah State is led by first year coach Matt Wells who did a nice job this year after serving as offensive coordinator under then coach Gary Anderson, who is now the head coach at Wisconsin. Dave Garretson took over at quarterback in October when starter Chuckie Keeton was hurt and completed 109-of-180 passes (60.6%) for 1,325 yards, nine TDs and five ints. Running back Joey DeMartino ran for 1,078 yards and 12 TDs, and the wide receivers are very good led by the electric Bruce “JoJo” Natson, who pulled in 56 catches for 384 yards and two TDs and also ran for three. He’s not big, but a lot of fun to watch. He’s a burner. Travis Reynolds (51-832, 4 TDs) and Travis Van Leeuwen (50-638, 3 TDs) are also excellent. Wide receiver Brandon Swindall had five TD catches this year. Their defense was 7th in the country in scoring defense allowing only 17.3 points per game. Linebacker Jake Doughty was second in the country in tackles with 140. Keith Smith of San Jose State was tops in the country with 159. Doughty also had 10.5 tackles for loss and two sacks. Linebacker Zach Vigil added 115 tackles and 12.5 for loss. Defensive back Nevin Lawson led the team with four ints. For Northern Illinois it’s the overrated Jordan Lynch leading the way. Lynch completed 233-of-369 passes for 2,676 yards, 23 TDs and seven ints. He also ran for 1,881 yards and 22 scores. His numbers were good, but in the biggest game of his life against Bowling Green, he was a bust. He finished third in the Heisman and that was laughable.

Final Analysis:

I don’t trust Jordan Lynch and Coach Rod Carey of Northern Illinois and I like the Utah State program. Utah State gets it done here.

Utah State 35, Northern Illinois 30

 

 

 

Oregon State (6-6) vs. Boise State (8-4)

Where: Aloha Stadium, Honolulu (50,000)

8 PM ET/ 7 CT

ESPN

Steve Levy, Looooou Holtz, and May Day; Maria Taylor on the sidelines

Weather: Hawaii, are you kiddin me? 80, perfect

Maybe a Barack Obama sighting possible if he’s come over for his 17 day vacation

Stripes: ACC, Gary Patterson, head ref

Line: Oregon State by 3

Oregon State is led by Coach Mike Riley while Boise State will be coached by Bob Gregory for this game before Bryan Harsin takes over in 2014. Harsin is coming from Arkansas State after being offensive coordinator at Boise State under Chris Peterson before taking the revolving door that is the Arkansas State job last year. Peterson is now at Washington.

Oregon State:

Quarterback Sean Mannion has completed 376-of-570 passes (66%) for 4,403 yards and 36 touchdowns against 14 interceptions. His favorite target is wide receiver Brandin Cooks, who won the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s top receiver. Cooks caught 120 passes for 1,670 yards and 15 TDs. Terron Ward is OSU’s leading rusher with 467 yards on 104 carries and four  TDs. Storm Woods has rushed for 37o yards and five TDs. OSU’s leading tackler is junior safety Tyrequek Zimmerman, who has 93 tackles on the season. Cornerbacks Rashaad Reynolds and Steven Nelson lead the team and are tied for the PAC 12 lead for interceptions with six. Nelson, Ryan Murphy and Sean Martin all have returned an interception for a TD this season. OSU is tied for fifth in the country in interceptions with 19. OSU scores 34.5 points per game and allows 32.1, 95th in FBS.

Boise State:

Boise State suspended starting quarterback Joe Southwick for a violation of team rules at the hotel they were staying at. Southwick contested the suspension, but it looks like it held up. So junior Grant Hedrick will get the start and he’s been good. Hedrick is 135-of-198 (68.2%) for 1,443 yards, 15 TDs and five ints. The Broncos have a good starting running back in Jay Ajayi, who has rushed for 1,328 yards and 17 TDs.  Matt Miller is an excellent receiver with 77 receptions for 934 yards and 11 TDs. On defense, junior defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence is a beast at 6’3″, 245. Lawrence has 19.5 tackles for loss of 98 yards and 10.5 sacks.

Final Analysis:

Boise State is always  competitive. They had it really going a couple of years ago, but slipped off a little bit this year, but I still like their program a lot. They’ll be charged up and this backup quarterback, Grant Hedrick, has some good numbers. But I like the Pac 12 in this one. I looked at some comparative scores and they both lost to Washington; Boise State in the first game of the season, 38-6, and OSU, on Nov.23rd, 69-27. Oregon State did beat San Diego State, 34-30, on Sept. 21, and Boise State lost to San Diego State, 34-31, on Nov.23. I’ll just have to go with the better offense here because both defenses are OK and have some good players, but I expect Oregon State to throw it around a little better. Plus, OSU is really battle tested having played in the ultra competitive Pac 12 this season. They took Oregon to the wire and almost knocked them off @ Oregon, losing 36-35 on Nov.29th. So I’ll go with Mike Riley and his Oregon State team here. But not by a lot. Should be a really good game.

Oregon State 38, Boise 34

 

Bowl record: 4-1; Overall: 129-44 (75%)

 

 

 

 

Beef O’Brady’s Bowl

Ohio Bobcats (7-5) vs. East Carolina Pirates (9-3)

Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Fl. (40,473)

2 PM ET/1 CT

ESPN

Broadcast team: Beth Mowins, Joey Galloway, Paul Carcaterra

Coaches: East Carolina: Ruffin McNeill (four years, 29-22; 1-2 in bowl games); Ohio: Frank Solich (nine years at Ohio; overall: 124-68, 4-6 bowl games)

Weather: Indoors, around 70 degrees

Refs: Mountain West Conference: Rick Loumiet, referee, Frank LeBlanc, side judge, Christopher Alston, back judge, Kevin Matthews, umpire, Matt Mills, side judge, Doug Moore, head linesman, Nick Lane, field judge, and Robert Wucetich, replay official.

Line: East Carolina by 14.5

East Carolina has had a good year but lost its final game to Marshall, 59-28, while Ohio defeated Marshall, 34-31, on September 14th. The Pirates are paced by junior quarterback Shane Carden (6’2″, 218), who has completed 358-of-504 passes (71% leads the country) for 3,866 yards (sixth in FBS) 32 touchdowns (eighth) and 1o interceptions. Tailback Vintavious Cooper (senior, 5’9″, 200) leads the ground game with 955 yards on 205 attempts (4.9 yds per carry) and 11 TDs. Junior wide receiver Justin Hardy (6’0″, 186) leads the team and is fifth in the nation in receptions with 105 for 1,218 yards and eight TDs.The Pirates defense is headlined by senior linebacker Derrel Johnson (6’2″, 264), who finished the regular season with 79 tackles, 13.5 for loss and 7.5 sacks. Senior safety Damon Magazu (5’11”, 204)  leads the team in interceptions with four. He also was second on the team in tackles with 75. The Pirates average 40 points per game and give up 25.2.

The Bobcats average 28 points per game and give up 26.7. Senior signal caller Tyler Tettleton (6″0″, 207) has completed 209-of-331 passes  (61%) for 2,633 yards with 20 TDs and nine interceptions. Beau Blankenship, a 5’9″, 206 pound senior, has rushed for 844 yards and five TDs. Wide out Donte Foster, a 6’1″, 205 pound senior, leads the team with 63 receptions for 858 yards and six TDs. Sophomore linebacker Ben Russell (6’1″, 230) is the team leader in tackles with 82 and has 7.5 tackles for loss and three sacks. True freshman defensive end Tarrel Basham leads the team in tackles for loss with 8.5 for -50 and sacks with 6.5 for -46. Senior cornerback Travis Carrie leads the defense in interceptions with four for 103 yards. He’s returned two for touchdowns.

Final Analysis:

I like the numbers for both of these teams. They’ve had good years on both sides of the ball. Interestingly, Ohio has won their last two bowls, the Independence Bowl over La. Monroe last year, 45-14, and the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl over Utah State two years ago, 24-23.  East Carolina has lost their last four bowl games, the 2008 Liberty Bowl to Kentucky, 25-19, the 2009 Liberty Bowl to Arkansas, 20-17, the 2010 Military Bowl to Maryland, 51-20, and the the 2012 R+L Carrier Bowl to La. Lafaytette, 43-34. Their last bowl win came in 2007 over Boise State in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl, 41-38. In 2011, they finished 5-7. Even though the bowl numbers look better for Ohio, I like Shane Carden and the Pirates offense to get the job done here with their explosive play ability.  I just don’t see Ohio, though they are a hard-working, blue collar, Rust Belt team, stopping this offense. Like the Pirates offensive arsenal to lead them to the Beef O’Brady’s trophy.

East Carolina 45, Ohio 30

 

Record: Bowls: 3-1 bowls; overall in 2013: 128-44 (74.44%)

 

What a beautiful time of the year. Love the bowls. 35 games on the slate over the holidays and into the new year with the  game that’ll decide it all, the VIZIO BCS National Championship, on Monday, January 6, 2014 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on January 6th at 8:30 PM ET/7:3o CT on ESPN with Brent, Herbie and Heather on the call. The No.2 Auburn Tigers (12-1), with their high octane running game and explosive passing game led by Nick Marshall and Tre Mason and a dominating offensive line, face Jameis Winston and the offensive juggernaut that is the Noles of Florida State (13-0). FSU plays some pretty good defense too, and AU has made plays when it’s counted on defense. The Auburn defense will be severely tested on January 6th. FSU’s defense will have their hands full as well. Will have more on the game in the next couple of weeks leading up to it.

Also, on Thursday January 2nd, the Crimson Tide (11-1) with Heisman finalist A.J. McCarron and a host of offensive weapons and a defense that was second in the country in scoring defense (11.3 ppg) and fifth in total defense (allowing 274.7 yards per game) will face an Oklahoma team that finished the season 10-2 and punctuated their season with a huge Bedlam upset of Oklahoma State, 39-24. Should be fun at the Allstate Sugar Bowl in New Or-leans on Jan.2nd, @ 8:30 PM ET/7:30 CT on ESPN with Brad, Todd and Holly on the call.

In the meantime, there are some excellent matchups in the prelims to the BCS bowls. Here’s a look at the four games going today with the New Mexico Bowl leading it off, followed by the Las Vegas Bowl, then the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl and finally the New Orleans bowl tonight to finish off the day’s action. Should be a fun, exciting day of football.

After heavy research (serious about that), deep meditation, and some extensive soul searching, here are previews and predictions of today’s games. Will have a lot to talk about over the next three and a half weeks. Let’s get it started.

Bowl record last year: 25-10 (71%);

Overall record this season: 125-43 (74%)

 

Today’s games:

Gildan New Mexico Bowl

Colorado State Rams (7-6) vs. Washington State Cougars (6-6)

University Stadium, Albuquerque, New Mexico (39,224)

2 PM ET/1 CT

ESPN

Broadcasting team: Mark Jones, Brock Huard, Jessica Mendoza

Weather: 41 @ kickoff, partly cloudy, wind, NW, 14 MPH

Refs: SEC crew: Ken Williamson, head ref

Line: Washington State by 6

I really like Jim McElwain’s coaching style. He reminds me a lot of that S style of coaching with a power running game and a physicality on both sides of the ball. Of course he was S’s offensive coordinator from 2008-11 and was part of two national championship teams (2009 and 2011). Mike Leach is a very good offensive coach and his teams always play hard. For Colorado State, they are led by running back Kapri Bibbs, who has rushed for 1,572 yards and second in the nation in rushing touchdowns with 28. He averages 6.2 yards per carry. Quarterback Garrett Grayson has completed 266-of-428 passes (62.1%) for 3,327 yards and 21 touchdowns against 10 ints. Wide receiver Rashard Higgins leads the team with 64 receptions for 795 yards (12.4 yards per catch) and six touchdowns. The offensive line averages 302 across the front. On defense, defensive end Shaquil Barrett has recorded 20.5 tackles for loss of 98 yards, fourth in the country. Barrett also has added 12 sacks for a loss of 77 yards, tied for third in the country. Barrett is a 6’2″, 250 pound senior. Junior middle linebacker Max Morgan (6’1″, 225) leads the team and is 10th in the country with 129 total tackles. Free safety Trent Matthews (6’3″,210) has picked off four passes for 25 yards.

The Cougars rely on quarterback Connor Halliday. He was 412-of-656 for 4,187 yards and 28 TDs against 21 interceptions. Gabe Marks is Halliday’s go-to receiver. Marks has caught 69 passes for 770 yards and six TDs. Marcus Mason leads the Cougars in rushing with 424 yards and two touchdowns and a 5.1 average yards per carry. The defense is led by senior free safety Deone Bucannon (6’1″, 215) who has 109 tackles and five interceptions for 102 yards on the season. Defensive tackle Xavier Cooper (6’4″, 303, sophomore) leads the team in sacks with 4.5 for 19 yards and tackles for loss 13 for 37 yards. Sophomore defensive end Kache Palacio (6’2″, 225) has added four sacks for -29 yards and 6.5 tackles for loss of 35 yards.

Final analysis:

This is a good matchup of power football versus throw it around, high tempo football. Colorado State gave Alabama a pretty tough game despite losing, 31-6,  on Sept. 21, while Washington State gave Auburn a good game the first game of the season, losing 31-24 though Auburn wasn’t nearly the team they are now. I like the running game with  Kapri Bibbs and a physical offensive line and defense to lead the Rams to victory.

Colorado State 34, Washington State 28

 

Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl

Fresno State Bulldogs (11-1) vs. USC Trojans (9-4)

Sam Boyd Stadium, Vegas (40,000)

3:30 PM ET/2:30 CT

ABC

Rece, Jess Palmer and Dave Pollack on the call

Weather:57, sunny @ kickoff, wind, NNW @ 4 MPH

Refs: American Athletic Conference-Tracy Jones, head ref

Line: USC by 6

Fresno State’s Derek Carr leads the country in passing yards with 405.5 per game and has thrown for a nation leading 48 touchdowns. He has completed 70% of his passes (424-of-605) and has thrown only seven ints. His leading receivers are Davante Adams who has pulled in 122 passes for 1,645 yards (second in the nation) and 23 touchdowns (leads the nation). Isaiah Burse may even be more exciting. He has caught 94 passes for 987 yards and five touchdowns, and he is explosive, both in receiving yards after the catch and in the punt return game. Josh Harper has 79 receptions for 1,011 yards and 13 TDs. The running game is led by Joh Quezeda who has rushed for 787 yards and six TDs. USC features a solid running game led by Tre Maddon (703 yards and three TDs) and Javorius Allen (609 yards and 12 TDs). Allen is the key guy with starter Silas Redd out for the game. Quarterback Cody Kessler has completed 214-of-331 passes ( 64.7%) for 2,623 yards, 16 TDs and six ints. Linebacker Devon Kennard leads USC with nine sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss. For Fresno State, linebacker Ejiro Ederaine leads the Bulldogs with 10 sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss.

Offensive coordinator Clay Helton will coach the Trojans as Steve Sarkisian gets settled in for recruiting and next season. Coach O packed it up when he wasn’t selected as the head coach for next year. Fresno State is led by Tim DeRuyter, who is in his second season and led the Bulldogs to a 9-4 mark last year with a loss to SMU in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl, 43-10.

Final Analysis:

It’s the Facebook of football (Fresno State) versus the IBM of football (the men of Troy). I like the old school, power football to get it done in Vegas.

USC 34, Fresno State 27

 

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl

Buffalo Bulls (8-4) vs. San Diego State Aztecs (7-5)

Bronco Stadium, Boise, Idaho (37,000; the blue field)

5:30 PM ET/4:30 CT

ESPN

Clay Matvick, Matt Stinchcomb, Dawn Davenport

Weather: 31, mostly sunny, wind NW @ 6 MPH

Refs: Sunbelt Conference: Jeff Hilyer, lead ref

Line: San Diego State by 2

Buffalo is more used to playing in the cold weather. Running back Branden Oliver leads the Bulls with 1,421 yards rushing and 15 TDs on the season. Quarterback Joe Licata has completed 220-of-372 passes (59.1%) for 2,628 yards and 21 TDs against seven ints. Alex Neutz is the Bulls leading receiver with 58 receptions for 947 yards and 11 TDs. Buffalo is led on defense by d end Khalil Mack who has 19 tackles for loss on the season for -98 yards. He also has 10.5 sacks for -79 yards. Mack has added three ints on the season. I watched Mack against a good Bowling Green team that won the MAC title and wasn’t overly impressed. He didn’t really dominate like I expected him to. So we’ll see how he does against the San Diego State line.

The Aztecs are led by running back Adam Muema who has rushed for 1,015 yards this season and 12 TDs. Quarterback Quinn Kaehler has completed 60 percent of his passes (217-361) for 2,796 yards, 17 TDs and nine ints. Ezell Ruffin is an explosive receiver with 63 receptions on the season and three TDs. He averages 88.4 receiving yards per game. Ruffin is very dangerous after he catches the ball. Linebacker Nick Tenhaeff leads San Diego State  with 13 tackles for loss of 54 and five sacks for -37 yards.

Final analysis:

The colder weather favors Buffalo, but I like the Aztecs’ offense and a pretty good defense under coach Rocky Long. Long is kind of a man of few words, in interviews at least, but he does a good job with his team and I like him over Jeff Quinn and his Bulls team. Should be a pretty good defensive game here.

San Diego State 28, Buffalo 24

 

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl

Tulane (7-5) Green Wave vs Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns (8-4)

Mercedes-Benz Superdome (72,003)

9 PM ET/8 CT

ESPN

Mike Patrick, Ed Cunningham, Jeannine Edwards

Weather: 70 degrees (indoors)

Refs: Big Ten, Dave Witvoet head ref

Line: Tulane by 2.5

Quarterback Terrance Broadway of La-Lafayette, who broke his arm Nov.30 in a 31-28 loss to La Monroe, is questionable tonight, but Tulane coach Curtis Johnson expects him to play. Before his injury , Broadway threw for 19 TDs and ran for another eight. Leading rusher Alonzo Harris has run for 868 yards and 13 TDs. If Broadway doesn’t start, Nick Haack will get the call. Haack has completed 21-0f-35 passes for 224 yards with one TD and one int. He started and played the entire final game against South Alabama, which La-Lafayette lost, 30-8.  In the loss to La-Monroe, Broadway threw three ints, with a couple of costly ones.

Tulane is 19th in scoring defense in the country allowing just 21.2 points per game. The Ragin Cajuns are 68th at 26.9. The Green Wave are 16th in rushing defense and 72nd in pass defense, but are tied for 13th in the country in interceptions with 17. The Ragin’ Cajuns are 53rd in rush defense, and 82nd in pass defense. The Green Wave are 26th in the country in total defense and the Ragin’ Cajuns are 58th. Nick Montana is the quarterback for Tulane, and he’s been banged up a little bit. But he’s expected to play. Montana is 153-of-288 (53%)  for 1,654 yards and 14 TDs against nine ints. Montana is, yes, the son of the great Joe. If Montana can’t start, Devin Powell will be the Tulane signal caller. Powell is 50-of-89 for 458 yards with five TDs and four ints. Orleans Darkwa is a powerful running back who ran for 780 yards and nine TDs for the Green Wave. The Green Wave beat La Monroe on the road, 31-14, on Sept. 28th.

Final analysis:

Like the job second year coach Curits Johnson–a New Orleans native and previous New Orleans Saints receivers coach under Sean Payton–is doing. Like the job Mark Hudspeth–who was previously at North Alabama before taking over the Ragin’ Cajuns program in 2011–is doing Hudpeth took North Alabama to three Division II national semifinal games and has won the last two New Orleans Bowl games at La-Lafayette. That’s impressive. He’s a coach on the rise, but with Broadway not 100 percent even if he starts and Tulane’s running game and defense, I like the Green Wave to get the job done tonight at home in the Big Easy.

Tulane 34, La Lafayette 31

 

Bowl previews kickoff again Monday with the Beef O’Brady’s Bowl pitting Ohio (7-5) and East Carolina (9-3) slated for Monday at 2 PM ET/ 1 CT.