Chick-fil-A Bowl
No.9 Ole Miss (9-3) vs. No.6 TCU (11-1)
Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Ga. (71,228)
12:30 PM ET/11:30 AM CT
ESPN
Tess, Brock, Tim, Shannon
Coaches:
Ole Miss
Hugh Freeze: 45 years old, born in Oxford, Mississippi, four years as a head coach. 2011-Arkansas State. 2012-present-Ole Miss. 54-21 (72%). 2-0 in bowls.
TCU
Gary Patterson: 54 years old, Rozal, Kansas, 15 years as head coach all at TCU. 131-45 (74%). 7-4 in bowls.
Refs: ACC, Jerry Magallanes
Weather: Dome
Line: TCU by 3
Analysis:
For the Rebels, it’s about defense and if they can get enough from Bo Wallace and the offense. Ole Miss is number one in the country in scoring defense, giving up just 13.8 points per game. They are 12th in total defense. TCU is 18th in scoring defense allowing 20.3 points and 33rd in total defense. Ole Miss cornerback Senquez Golden is second in the country in interceptions with nine. He trailed only Gerod Holliman of Louisville, who had 14. TCU was second in turnover margin, behind only Michigan State. TCU gained 36 turnovers and lost 18. Ole Miss was tied for 27th with 28 gained and 21 lost.
So the defenses will definitely play a major role. Trevone Boykin is an absolute stud at quarterback for the Horned Frogs. He has completed 279-of-461 passes (60.5%) for 3,714 yards, 30 touchdowns and just seven ints. He has also run for 642 yards and eight TDs. Aaron Green is the team’s leading rusher having run for 854 yards and 8 touchdowns. B.J. Catalon has added 493 yards and 10 TDs. Josh Doctson is Boykin’s favorite target. He has caught 59 passes for 959 yards and 9 sevens. Deante’ Gray has caught 34 passes for 564 yards and eight scores. TCU is 4th in the country in total offense averaging 542.2 yards per game and second in the country in scoring offense at 46.8. But they are facing a formidable group. Ole Miss has 90 tackles for loss which is a top 10 in the country number. Nickel back Tony Conner leads the way with nine for loss of 18, while defensive end Marquis Haynes has 8.5 for a loss of 74 yards.
So, for Ole Miss, it’ll come down to which Bo shows up. As a friend of mine says it can’t be the bad Bo, that’s for sure, and it needs to be better than the good Bo. It needs to be the stellar Bo. Wallace is 219-of-358 (61.2%) for 3,085 yards, 22 TDs and 11 ints. He’s had his moments this season against Alabama and Mississippi State, then he’s had his disasters like LSU, a 10-7 loss and Arkansas, a 30-0 loss. So he’s critical to the Rebels success. His favorite target is Cody Core, who has 38 receptions for 530 yards and six TDs. Ole Miss lost both of their leading receivers, Laquan Treadwell and Vince Sanders, to season ending injuries, but Core and Evan Engram (37-761-2) are excellent targets. Jaylen Walton rushed for 583 yards and five touchdowns. He’s small, but he can make a house call if he breaks through the front line and gets to the second level. He also caught 18 passes for 201 yards and 2 TDs.
Prediction
There’s a lot to like about both these teams. Ole Miss plays lock down defense, but their offense is questionable at times, though it can have its moments. TCU plays outstanding offense and plays pretty good defense too, actually. So I’m going with the more complete team. Should be an excellent game to start off the New Year’s Six.
TCU 30, Ole Miss 28
Vizio Fiesta Bowl
No.20 Boise State (11-2) vs. No 10 Arizona
(10-3)
University of Phoenix Stadium (63,400)
4 PM ET/3 PM CT
ESPN
Sean McDonough, Chris Spielman, Todd McShay
Coaches:
Arizona
Rich Rodriguez: 51 years old, Chicago, 13 years as a head coach; West Virginia (2001-07), Michigan (2008-10) and Arizona (2012-present). 146-97-2 (60% ) 4-4 in bowls.
Boise State
Bryan Harsin: 38 years old, Boise, Idaho, two years as a head coach, Arkansas State (2013), Boise State (2014-present). 18-7 (72%). no bowl record until today.
Refs: Big Ten, John O’Neill
Weather: Retractable roof. Will probably be closed as it’s expected to rain in Phoenix. So no problem with the weather.
Line: Zona by 3
Prediction
I like Zona to get it done here. They played a much tougher schedule and did well with it. Better conference (Pac-12 vs Mountain West), better team.
Zona 42, Boise 30
Capital One Orange Bowl
No.7 Mississippi State (10-2) vs. No 12
Georgia Tech (10-3)
Sun Life Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida (76,100)
8 PM ET/7 PM CT
ESPN
Brent, Jess, Maria
Coaches:
Mississippi State:
Dan Mullen: 42 years old, Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, six years all at State, 46-30 (60%); 3-1 in bowls.
Georgia Tech:
Paul Johnson: 57 years old, Newland, North Carolina, 13 years as a head coach, Navy (2002-07), Tech (2008-present). 164-74 (69%). 3-6 in bowls.
Refs: Big Ten, Dan Capron
Weather: 73, cloudy, 20% rain, wind NNE @ 3 MPH.
Line: State by 6 1/2
Prediction:
I like Johnson and the triple option here to pull off the upset.
Georgia Tech 34, Mississippi State 31
