Welcome to the 2023 Bowl Season football fans! Time for wacky bowl names and wondering who is opting in or out. Regardless of that, we have a lot of great matchups to watch as we work our way to the College Football Playoffs. I've got all the bowl predictions you need below, so read on and enjoy some postseason college football.
Conference Championship Record: 7 - 3
Overall 2023 Season Record: 193 - 61 (75.98% Correct)
Myrtle Beach Bowl
Georgia Southern vs Ohio
The Eagles just snuck into the post season with a 6-6 record, but did lose their final four games. Their air-raid offense ranks 14th in the nation, and despite Senior QB David Brin's 16 interceptions, he's got 22 TDs and completes around 65% of his passes. For the Bobcats, they'll be looking for some new faces on offense to step up as QB Kurtis Rourke, RBs Sieh Bangura & O'Shaan Allison, WRs Miles Cross and Tyler Walton along with a long list of other players are all in the transfer portal and will not be playing. The starting QB, top two rushers (3 with Rourke) and two of the top wideouts are all going to be missing from an offense that averaged nearly 350 yards per game. Give me Georgia Southern with a big game passing and forcing turnovers against an inexperienced offense. Eagles 27, Bobcats 17.
Cricket Celebration Bowl
Howard vs Florida A&M
Statistically, the Bison and the Rattlers are very similar stats, but with an impressive 11-1 season, the Rattlers are a heavy favorite in this game. These are not teams I'm very familiar with, but I'll give the nod to Florida A&M. Rattlers 35, Bison 14.
R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
Jacksonville State vs Louisiana
The Gamecocks enjoyed a strong season in their first on as a Division 1 FBS program. Both them and the Ragin' Cajuns have had a number of close games this season. Louisiana just made a bowl game by winning their final game of the season. There's not a whole lot that separates these two statistically, but the turnover margin could be a big factor. The Gamecocks are +9 while the Ragin' Cajuns are -3, so I'll use that for my key factor of the game. Jacksonville State wins 29-24 with some key turnovers.
Avocados from Mexico Cure Bowl
Miami (OH) vs Appalachian State
Both the Redhawks and the Mountaineers made their conference championship games, but only Miami (OH) came out with the title. App State fell 49-23 to the Trojans of Troy, while the Redhawks put on a defensive clinic to beat the Rockets 23-14. Their ground game is quite a force to slow down as well with Sophomore RB Rashad Amos averaging 5.1 yards per carry and with 12 TDs on the season. Junior QB Joey Aguilar leads the Mountaineer offense with more than 3,500 passing yards and 33 TDs with just 9 picks. He could be under a lot of pressure though as the Redhawks have 34 sacks this season. I think they will cause enough pressure to make life difficult for the Mountaineers. Miami (OH) wins 27-20.
Isleta New Mexico Bowl
New Mexico State vs Fresno State
The Aggies have just a short road trip to Albuquerque as they get to play a bowl game in their home state. Fresno State comes in at 8-4, but lost their last three games of the season. The Aggies couldn't quite keep pace with Liberty in the Conference USA Championship, but still had a very strong season at 10-4 themselves. A big win on the road at Auburn was the primary highlight for Jerry Kill and his squad. The QB battle is what you'll want to watch for in this one. Mikey Keene for the bulldogs has over 2,500 yards with 21 TDs and 9 picks on the season. On the other side, Diego Pavia leads the Aggies in both passing and rushing as he's totaled nearly 4,000 yards this season and racked up 32 total TDs. He'll be a handful for the Bulldogs to slow down and I like the Aggies to win in their home state. New Mexico State 31, Fresno State 21.
Starco Brands LA Bowl
UCLA vs Boise State
Another team that doesn't have have to travel far for their bowl game is the Bruins of LA. Down by LAX they'll take on the Broncos of Boise State in Inglewood. Unfortunately, there's not many Broncos left for them to play. Boise State has been hit hard by the transfer portal as their QB and top receiver are both gone. UCLA has their own holes to fix though as Freshman QB Dante Moore left, but most other pieces of their offense remain and QB Ethan Garbers has a good amount of playing time this season already. Bruins need a positive note to end on for Chip Kelly spark things up for next year. UCLA wins 30-21.
Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl
Cal vs Texas Tech
The Golden Bears and Red Raiders square off for a late night shootout. Both squads ended up at 6-6 on the season and have many players in the transfer portal, but most of their key players are still here. This is a really fun matchup between two teams that were somewhat sneaky in their respective conferences, but couldn't quite get over the hump. The rushing attack for both teams will be fun to watch as Cal's Sophomore RB Jaydn Ott has 1,260 yards with 11 TDs on the season and Texas Tech's Tahj Brooks has 1,446 with 9 TDs. Texas Tech ranks 122nd in the nation for turnover margin at -8, and despite them being one of my dark horse teams in the Big XII this season, I'm siding with the Golden Bears. Winners of 3 straight to end the season and make a bowl game. They're on a roll and they beat the Red Raiders 34-27.
Famous Toastery Bowl
Western Kentucky vs Old Dominion
The Hilltoppers and the Monarchs both have a lot of players in the portal, but most starters are still with the team. WKU is led by Senior QB Austin Reed, who has 3,340 passing yards with 31 TDs to 11 picks. Old Dominion is ranked 87th in pass defense, so they have a difficult task ahead slowing down the air raid from Big Red and the Hilltoppers. Combine that with the fact that WKU has given up just 9 sacks all season and you have a big win for the Hilltoppers. WKU 33, Old Dominion 24.
Scooter's Coffee Frisco Bowl
UTSA vs Marshall
The Roadrunners had another great season, but fell short of the conference championship after a tough loss to Tulane. Marshall was up and down on their way to a 6-6 record, and with the transfer portal taking not only their QB but multiple other players from both sides of the ball, it's likely to end on a sour note. UTSA QB Frank Harris is fun to watch and I think he'll wrap up his collegiate career with a big night. Roadrunners win 38-20.
Roofclaim.com Boca Raton Bowl
South Florida vs Syracuse
The Orange look to be on the rise, but a mediocre season following the injury to star QB Garrett Shrader really put a damper on what could have been. A bowl win would point them in the right direction as they take on the Bulls who also have been very hot and cold. USF Freshman QB Byrum Brown does have over 3,000 yards passing with 23 TDs though, so the Syracuse defense will have their hands full. Success for the Orange lives in the ground game though, and Sophomore RB LeQuint Allen should take care of that with his 4.7 yards per carry and 9 TDs. USF ranks 72nd in the nation in rush defense, so he has opportunity for a big day. Orange beat the Bulls 26-10
Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl
Georgia Tech vs UCF
The final game on this slate features the passing attack of Georgia Tech (I'm confused as well) against the rushing attack of UCF. The Yellow Jackets have moved away from the old Triple Option game for a few years, but Sophomore QB Haynes King really made their new offense stand out this year with 2,755 passing to go with a 26 to 15 TD:INT ratio. For the Knights, Senior RB RJ Harvey is the player to watch. He's been a PROBLEM for opposing defenses this season racking up nearly 1,300 yards on the ground with a 6.1 average and 16 TDs, which is tied for 6th in the nation. The Yellow Jackets rank 131st in the nation against the run, so look for Harvey to have a big night. UCF wins with the ground attack 28-17.
The Perfect Parlay:
1. Georgia Southern covers -3.5 against Ohio
- As mentioned above the Bobcats entire offense (more or less) is in the transfer portal along with some key defensive players. They do rank 7th against the passing attack, but without key weapons on offense they won't be able to score many points. Eagles win by 4 or more to cover.
2. UCLA covers -4.5 against Boise State
- Similar to Ohio, the Broncos are missing a majority of their offense in the transfer portal. Combined with UCLA looking to open up the offense in preparations for 2024, I expect them to cover the spread with ease.
3. UTSA moneyline over Marshall
- Covering the -13 spread on this game isn't far out of reach for the Roadrunners, but if you'd like to bet on the safer side you can go with the moneyline. Marshall is hurt by the portal in key positions (this will be a very good betting metric for bowl season if it works) and the Road Runners have an offense that can score quickly. Frank Harris has a big night to cap off his career and UTSA wins.
Thanks for reading my predictions on the first slate of bowl games! Enjoy some post season college football and look for a BIG TIME recruit to flip to Nebraska next week. GO BIG RED!
#CFBKnowItAll
Alex Fernando
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