Cheribundi Tart Cherry Boca Raton Bowl
Akron vs. Florida Atlantic
Alex
Two legendary coaches'.... sons, will face off in Boca Raton as the Zips take on the Fightin' Owls of FAU. Terry Bowden (Akron) and Lane Kiffin (FAU) have lead their teams to very impressive seasons, especially for the Owls, winning the C-USA Championship for just the second time in school history (last was 2007)! Kiffin has his team rolling with a stellar offense that averages just under 40 points per game and nearly 500 yards. Akron gives up over 430 on average, so I'm not liking their odds. Thomas Woodson has been an impressive QB this season, passing for nearly 1,800 yards, but I doubt he'll be able to keep pace with Kiffin's offense. The Owls should win this one easily. FAU 52, Akron 29.
Nate
We all ready to get Kiffin’ed? Lane Kiffin continues his
backwards job slide, but has settled in a seemingly a nice coach at the G5
level. People were laughing at him at the beginning of the season, as his team
got off to a rough start, they’ve won 9 straight, with only one (against also
bowling Marshall) being within one possession. Devin Singletary is one of the
most underrated rushers in the country, finishing with 29 touchdowns. But don’t
count out Jason Driskel, brothers of maligned Florida QB Jeff Driskel, as he
has thrown over 200 yards in his last 4 games. Combine this offense with an
Akron Defense that is known to surrender a lot of yards (they gave up almost
600 in the MAC championship) this should be a blowout.
FAU: 42, Akron: 28
DXL Frisco Bowl
Louisiana Tech vs. SMU
Alex
Statistically, this game is a victory already for the Mustangs. LA Tech doesn't even come close to competing with their offensive firepower, and there's not way the Bulldogs (54th in pass defense) could even imagine slowing down SMU QB Ben Hicks (3,442 yards, 32 TDs & 9 picks) and his horde of wideouts lead by Trey Quinn and Courtland Sutton (both over 1,000 yards receiving and with 12 TDs each). However, the big news with this game is the departure of Mustang Head Coach Chad Morris as he took the Arkansas job just a couple of weeks ago. Having a Head Coach leave can really hurt a team, and that gives LA Tech their best shot at winning. I think losing Morris will hurt SMU, but it won't cripple them. As I stated, Ben Hicks will light up this Bulldog Secondary, and I think he'll be just a little too much in the end. LA Tech keeps it close for a while, but SMU finishes strong to cap a great season. Mustangs 37, Bulldogs 24.
Nate
This feels like it should be an easy game to pick on paper.
SMU comes in with an offence that scores over 40 points a game. They have 2
receivers with over 1,000 yards on the year, and they are playing a team that
is the very definition of “middle of the road” (Seriously, LA Tech is 57th
in total offence, and 65th in total defense, that is bizarre). This
seems like an easy pick. But this won’t discount my rule, and that is don’t
take a team that is replacing their coach. I took Oregon on Saturday, and that
disappointed me, and I won’t make the same mistake. While I don’t think the
loss of Chad Morris is debilitating to the program as a whole, for this game, I
think it will have a great impact. I will stick to this rule for the rest of
the bowl season, don’t take teams that lose their coaches.
Louisiana Tech: 39 SMU: 32
Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl
Temple vs. FIU
Temple vs. FIU
Alex
Statistically, both of these teams give up more points than they score on average, so good luck picking a winner here right?! Ugh, this game is just weird because of the similarities between the two teams. Both in the 50s for Time of Possession, both negative in the turnover margin, heck, both of their QBs have 8 picks each! It's hard to pick in this game, but I'll stick with one of my primary strategies, too much offense. I don't believe Temple has enough offense to keep up with Florida International, so I'll give the edge to the Panthers. Besides, Nate picked Temple, and I don't want to be wrong! Panthers win it 33-23.
Nate
Who likes throwing the football? If you do like passing that
pigskin, this game should be a treat to watch. Mostly because both teams are not great at
defending the air, Florida International ranks 94th in the nation in
pass defense, while Temple is better, sitting at 42nd but still
nothing special. The difference in the game should come from the other units on
the defense, as Temple is top 25 in the nation in sacks with 32 as talented
D-ends Sharif Finch and David Martin lead them. With FIU not being the greatest
protection line in the country (ranking about 50th in sacks allowed)
I expect Temple to do just enough to stymie the Panther attack and take this
game.
Temple: 38, FIU: 21
Bahamas Bowl
UAB vs. Ohio
Alex
Honestly, maybe for just a year, my goal as a coach would be to go 8-4 so I can make it to the Bahamas Bowl, because that just sounds like an awesome week for those guys. Better yet, the newly resurrected football program at UAB get to cap off their 2017 comeback tour with a trip to the Bahamas to take on Fearless Frankie and his Ohio Bobcats. I very rarely pick against my man Frank Solich, but I am today. The primary reason for picking the Blazers in this game, turnovers. UAB has a +4 turnover margin, while Ohio sits at -4. To win games, you need to take care of the ball, and that's what the Blazers do best. They won't put up 50+ on you, but they will methodically move the ball down the field and not make many mistakes. Junior QB AJ Erderly only has 4 picks on the season and completes nearly 62% of his passes. I think Ohio makes a couple of critical turnovers and UAB finishes an incredible season with an incredible win. Blazers 33-28.
Nate
What an incredible story to see UAB back and in a Bowl game.
Technically they are looking for their first bowl game win ever, as they lost
their only other attempt back in 2004. Why I like the story, I don’t think they
get it here. The Blazers rely on Spencer Brown or AJ Erdly to get it down. Ohio
has one of the best rushing defenses in the nation, holding opposing teams to
112 yards per games, holding their opponents to under 100 six times, and when
UAB gets held to under 160 yards, they are 0-3. Not good for the Blazers.
Ohio: 28, UAB: 17
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Central Michigan vs. Wyoming
Alex
Coming into this season, all we heard about from Wyoming was their star QB Josh Allen and how he was going to be a top NFL draft pick if he had a good year. Many people will look at his numbers and wonder why he's a top NFL scout, but they would forget that he lost a majority of his weapons from last season as well. Nonetheless, Allen has only produced 1,658 yards through the air with a respectable, but no where near impressive, 13 to 6 TD to INT ratio. However, his Cowboy company has fought to a well-earned 7-5 record, mostly because of their stellar defense. The Cowboys give up only an average of 17.8 points per game, and have held their last 5 opponents to 17 or fewer. Teams really struggle to move the ball against Wyoming, and I think Central Michigan will understand why come game time. The Chippewas rank 71st in Total Offense, so I wouldn't expect too many points out of them. Hopefully next year Wyoming can put an offense AND a defense together in the same year. They should have a great springboard after this game! Cowboys 31, Chippewas 10.
Nate
Can any of you guess what stat Wyoming leads the nation in?
If you guessed Turnover Margin, then congratulations. Wyoming is sitting at a
plump +16 turnover margin, and that is bizarre. That does not bode well for a
Central Michigan team that has had an inconsistent offense for most of the
year. Wyoming's offense has also been streaky, mostly due to the up and down
health of semi-star QB Josh Allen, but he has indicated that he is right and
ready to go for this game. With Allen back fully, and that takeaway city of a
defense, I think Wyoming does enough to send this slightly disappointing season
out on a high note.
Wyoming: 24, Central Michigan 17
Thanks for reading and be sure to keep up with the rest of our Bowl Predictions! More posts to come!
#CollegeFootballKnowItAll
Alex Fernando
Special Guest: Nate Muhlbach
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