Bowl Games Discussion
StackAttack
Senior Member
Figured it may be a good idea to get a thread up about any and all bowl games people may want to share opinions or insight on. Cant hurt right?
Ill just throw out there the games Im looking at / have a lean on. Opinions may come across as over simplistic, fair warning!
TCU -3 - I posted this a couple days back in my cfb picks thread. Ive come to learn a few things about capping bowl games over the years (granted Im much younger than a lot of people here Im sure). One is obvious. Motivation. So many times in these bowls I see teams that are just plain flat while others come out with their hair on fire. IMO, TCU has a ton to prove in this game. I also believe they are the better team overall, especially with the injuries that Miss has suffered throughout the year. Also...I cant trust Bo. So i like the 3.
Mich St +3 - Im hoping this gets to 3.5. Baylor hasnt seen a defense like this since.....well....you tell me. I know this sort of goes against what I just said about motivation right? If TCU has something to prove shouldnt Baylor as well? Sure, however....and this is just my opinion and I may very well be wrong. I think Baylor has and will have the "we were robbed mentality". Esp with these kids hearing for a month that they were from their fans and media. I just have a feel Baylor wont be as up for this game as TCU will be for theirs. Again, its just a feel and I could be wrong. Also....and more importantly, gimme Dantonio and a month to prepare getting points against a team who never has to play against any real Ds. I have been super high on MSU all year and still believe they are one of the elite teams (yes, you can call me captain obvious if you want).
FLA St +9 / 9.5 - I posted at +8 and honestly have been surprised by the move up. Id love to see 10 or better, Id certainly be betting it again. I still think its going to close at less than 10. My opinion on this one is nothing close to rocket science. I think Oregon and FSU have some similar speed. Oregon wont be turning the corner on these guys and just running away from them like is the case so many times w/ Ore. If you have even close to equal speed and athleticism as Oregon you are better off than 99% of the rest of the country. Top that off with a team that somehow, some way NEVER loses and certainly wont shrink under the bright lights....AND I get more than a score....I cant pass that up.
ND +7.5 - Im torn on this one but leaning ND right now. LSU loves playing close games. Do they ever really blow out good (even above avg) teams? Tigers cant pass the ball and I like Brian Kelly with a month to get ready. Hell find ways for ND to score and be able to keep this a close game.
Miss St / GA Tech - Ive been on GT a bunch this yr and love me some Paul Johnson. HOWEVER....having just a week to prepare for his option is a HUGE difference than having a month. Miss St has the athleticism IMO, to keep the option in check...to an extent. Id love to hear other peoples opinions on this one. I lean GT with the current 7.5. But if it were to drop to less than 7, I may like Miss St.
East Carolina / FLA - Always weird dealing with a team who is undergoing a coaching change in these games. No clue how FLA will respond. Again, would love to hear some input on this one. We all know FLA has the D to stand up to most any O, and I am not real high on EC.
Wisky / Auburn - How does Wisky respond off that ass kicking they just got? I obviously love the Wisky running game, but a lack of a real QB is a concern in a game I could see Auburn turning into a track meet. Edge to AUB in the coaching dept IMO, which if you havent noticed I value very much in the bowls.
Mizzou -5.5 - small lean here for me. Im a big fan of what Minny has done this season, but I think Mizzou may just overpower them and wear them down as the game goes on.
K St / UCLA - I dont love the matchup for K St, but again....love the coaching edge they have in this one. One of the more interesting games of bowl season IMO.
WV / T A&M OVER 64.5 - ??
OK, well I think thats all I got for now. Interested to see what some of the bright minds around here think about all the games.
Ill just throw out there the games Im looking at / have a lean on. Opinions may come across as over simplistic, fair warning!
TCU -3 - I posted this a couple days back in my cfb picks thread. Ive come to learn a few things about capping bowl games over the years (granted Im much younger than a lot of people here Im sure). One is obvious. Motivation. So many times in these bowls I see teams that are just plain flat while others come out with their hair on fire. IMO, TCU has a ton to prove in this game. I also believe they are the better team overall, especially with the injuries that Miss has suffered throughout the year. Also...I cant trust Bo. So i like the 3.
Mich St +3 - Im hoping this gets to 3.5. Baylor hasnt seen a defense like this since.....well....you tell me. I know this sort of goes against what I just said about motivation right? If TCU has something to prove shouldnt Baylor as well? Sure, however....and this is just my opinion and I may very well be wrong. I think Baylor has and will have the "we were robbed mentality". Esp with these kids hearing for a month that they were from their fans and media. I just have a feel Baylor wont be as up for this game as TCU will be for theirs. Again, its just a feel and I could be wrong. Also....and more importantly, gimme Dantonio and a month to prepare getting points against a team who never has to play against any real Ds. I have been super high on MSU all year and still believe they are one of the elite teams (yes, you can call me captain obvious if you want).
FLA St +9 / 9.5 - I posted at +8 and honestly have been surprised by the move up. Id love to see 10 or better, Id certainly be betting it again. I still think its going to close at less than 10. My opinion on this one is nothing close to rocket science. I think Oregon and FSU have some similar speed. Oregon wont be turning the corner on these guys and just running away from them like is the case so many times w/ Ore. If you have even close to equal speed and athleticism as Oregon you are better off than 99% of the rest of the country. Top that off with a team that somehow, some way NEVER loses and certainly wont shrink under the bright lights....AND I get more than a score....I cant pass that up.
ND +7.5 - Im torn on this one but leaning ND right now. LSU loves playing close games. Do they ever really blow out good (even above avg) teams? Tigers cant pass the ball and I like Brian Kelly with a month to get ready. Hell find ways for ND to score and be able to keep this a close game.
Miss St / GA Tech - Ive been on GT a bunch this yr and love me some Paul Johnson. HOWEVER....having just a week to prepare for his option is a HUGE difference than having a month. Miss St has the athleticism IMO, to keep the option in check...to an extent. Id love to hear other peoples opinions on this one. I lean GT with the current 7.5. But if it were to drop to less than 7, I may like Miss St.
East Carolina / FLA - Always weird dealing with a team who is undergoing a coaching change in these games. No clue how FLA will respond. Again, would love to hear some input on this one. We all know FLA has the D to stand up to most any O, and I am not real high on EC.
Wisky / Auburn - How does Wisky respond off that ass kicking they just got? I obviously love the Wisky running game, but a lack of a real QB is a concern in a game I could see Auburn turning into a track meet. Edge to AUB in the coaching dept IMO, which if you havent noticed I value very much in the bowls.
Mizzou -5.5 - small lean here for me. Im a big fan of what Minny has done this season, but I think Mizzou may just overpower them and wear them down as the game goes on.
K St / UCLA - I dont love the matchup for K St, but again....love the coaching edge they have in this one. One of the more interesting games of bowl season IMO.
WV / T A&M OVER 64.5 - ??
OK, well I think thats all I got for now. Interested to see what some of the bright minds around here think about all the games.
Comments
http://www.rgj.com/story/sports/college/nevada/2014/12/08/polian-reward-players-freedom-big-easy/20120221/
over/under 2.5 on players suspended by Wolfpack.
Andersen leaving is a HUGE surprise to me. I see that as a downward step. Not even close to a lateral move. Weird to me.
I posted the same thing, on the surface this move doesn't make sense
Scary when you watch GT run the ball at will on them when they knew it was coming. Oregon can probably run it just as well plus they have a QB that can pass. Even when GT had the ball on their own three yard line they carved up FSU defense with an inept passing game like a hot knife through butter. I see no way Oregon doesn't score at least 90 here.
According to a report from Yahoo's Rand Getlin, Oregon cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu suffered a "serious knee injury" in practice on Tuesday. The school fears it could be a torn ACL.
If it is a torn ACL it's obviously terrible news for both Oregon and Ekpre-Olomu.
Ekpre-Olomu is Oregon's best cover corner, and he was one of three finalists for this year's Jim Thorpe Award, given to the best defensive back in the nation. Not having Ekpre-Olomu available for the Ducks playoff game against Florida State in the Rose Bowl is a huge blow to the defense.
Surprised most Badger fans too. Reports from good sources, that he was simply in over his head. His interactions with the media made him often seem "doltish" The reports that he left because he couldn't get JC transfers and other players, less focused academically seem disingenuous to me because, he knew what he was getting into (academically) when he came here. Lots of excitement over the Chryst hiring, esp with the anticipated staff of Rudolph, Aranda, Bostad, House, Brown and others. I wouldn't bet on the Badgers in the bowl game, not because they won't be ready (Alvarez is ostensibly coaching the team) but because I believe them to be out-talented
I think the main reason he left was because he never felt "comfortable" or "at home" here. He was great with the players and was purportably a "players' coach" He never got comfortable with the media, boosters, fans, or parents, and you could see it with his interactions with any of those groups. He didn't like the party atmosphere (although he isn't a Mormon, he was in that culture for a long time before coming to Madison) that seems to prevail in Mad-Town. Things like the student sections yelling "EAT SHIT and FUCK YOU" back and forth at one another during every home game bothered both he and his wife. A coach at Wisconsin is expected to interact with and support the Wisconsin High School Football Coaches Assn. and he never did that. Alvarez and Bielema had good relationships with that group and it helped to build the proverbial recruiting wall around the state. The first time I met Gary, he said that Wisconsin was a "destination" job for him and he would be here as long as Wis would have him. Oh how things changed in two short years. I believe he had already made his decision to take the Oreg St job before the Badgers played in the B1G Ten championship, and to some extent, it showed. I do think he was a pretty good recruiter and opened some new doors, but again I think the main reason he left was that the just never felt like he "fit-in" here and when the opportunity came to head back west, for him and his family, he jumped at it. Because he is a good, loyal and morale person, I imagine it was a tough decision to leave after he had promised to stay here. Many other "little " things that I did not mention, but IMHO this is the jist of it.
When Fresno State takes the field this postseason, it’ll do so without a veteran piece of its defensive secondary puzzle.
According to the Fresno Bee, Curtis Riley will not play in Wednesday night’s Hawaii Bowl vs. Rice because of a sprained foot. The cornerback sustained the injury in the Mountain West Conference championship game loss to Boise State a week and a half ago.
http://www.omaha.com/huskers/nu-prepares-to-be-shorthanded-at-linebacker/article_6c2e5644-3291-51b6-be40-2689a15cdc69.html
Total drop makes sense now. Thanks Kane
Total and line, the game is now a pick at most places, and Cris just went A&M -1, if there's anyone here who follows WVU and knows anything about their backup, please post whatever info you've got on the guy
I don't think he had a future beyond college anyway, but that many concussions in that short of a time is pretty scary, at this point hopefully for him there aren't any long term issues, and he can live a normal healthy life
http://espn.go.com/college-football/bowls14/story/_/id/12081388/clint-trickett-west-virginia-mountaineers-stop-playing-football-concussions
here is the ESPN link
seems like splitting the duty never works out in these big games. kids play too tentative and fail