Welcome to Bowl Season! I apologize for the delay as I was unable to get this post out ahead of the South Alabama vs Western Michigan game, but you can check my X post, I did pick the Jaguars! This post will have my predictions for the first week of Bowl Games. I will have a separate post for the first round of the College Football Playoffs. The transfer portal has a lot of players opting out, but I'll do my best to keep up with all the information with each game. There's a lot of fun matchups, so lets get to the picks!
Scooter's Coffee Frisco Bowl
#25 Memphis vs West Virginia
The Mountaineers had a rough road to 6-6, and Neal Brown was let go following the 52-15 loss in their final regular season game against Texas Tech. Memphis ended their season with a big upset win against Tulane to get to 10 wins. They've gone back to back with 10 wins for the first time in program history. Memphis RB Mario Anderson Jr. is the key player to watch in this game. West Virginia ranks 55th in rush defense, allowing around 140 yards per game. Anderson has 1,292 yards and 17 TDs on the ground, running all over opposing defenses. I think he'll have a big night to end his college career on and the Tigers win 31-21.
Boca Raton Bowl
Western Kentucky vs James Madison
Not many opt outs in this game as the Hilltoppers and the Dukes square off in Florida. WKU was smacked 52-12 in a rematch against Jacksonville State for the C-USA Championship, so they're certainly coming in with a bad taste in their mouth. The Dukes have their own bad taste after losing their final two games, including a 35-33 double OT loss to Marshall in the season finale. The Sophomore QB battle should provide a bit of a shootout as both Caden Veltkamp (WKU) and Alonza Barnett III (JMU) both have 20+ TD passes on the season. Barnett has just 4 picks on the season while Veltkamp has 10. Both QBs have good weapons at wideout though, so look for plenty of points. I'll take Barnett and the Dukes with a 44-34 victory.
Art of Sport LA Bowl
Cal vs #24 UNLV
The Golden Bears finished at 6-6 after a lot of hype early in the season, and now take on the Mountain West runner up Rebels from UNLV. Hajj-Malik Williams and crew struggled to move the ball against Boise, but Cal's defense allowed 415 yards and 38 points to SMU in their season finale. Fernando Mendoza is the spark for the Golden Bears, and his dual threat ability could be a big factor in keeping Cal in the game. I like the Rebels in this one though, especially with star receiver Ricky White III. He's torched opposing defenses for more than 1,000 yards with 11 TDs on the season. He'll have a big night and the Rebels win 28-23.
R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
Georgia Southern vs Sam Houston
Despite my preseason prediction, Clay Helton and the Eagles of Georgia Southern had an impressive season to an 8-4 record. They draw 9-3 Sam Houston State in their second FBS season. Not much separates these teams statistically, but sacks and turnover margin heavily favor the Bearkats. Sam Houston is +8 while the Eagles are +1 and the Bearkats have 8 more sacks on the season. However, they also have 10 more portal transfers after K.C. Keeler made the move to coach Temple. With 4 RBs in the portal and their best defensive player in Safety Caleb Weaver, I am leaning toward Clay Helton's squad getting the 36-21 victory.
StaffDNA Cure Bowl
Ohio vs Jacksonville State
The MAC and C-USA Champions square off in a battle of conference champs for the Cure Bowl. The Bobcats haven't lost since mid-October, and QB Parker Navarro has been impressive with 2,169 passing yards, 943 rushing yards and 27 Total TDs. He's thrown 10 picks on the year, so there's some opportunity for turnovers as the Gamecocks have picked 11 this year. They're coming off a big win against Western Kentucky for the C-USA Championship, and the ground game with Tre Stewart has been rolling. Stewart is averaging 6.1 yards per carry and has 23 rushing TDs this season. I like this matchup a lot and this is likely to be one of the more entertaining bowl games of the week. I'll take the Bobcats in a 40-38 thriller.
Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl
Tulane vs Florida
The Green Wave finished their season with back-to-back losses against Memphis and then Army in the American Conference Championship, but did keep ahold of their Head Coach, John Sumrall, who was a popular target for some P4 jobs. The Gators finished with a 3-game win streak against LSU, Ole Miss and rival Florida State, knocking the first two out of playoff contentions. They've battled a tremendous amount of injuries this year, but DJ Lagway looks to be a real deal athlete at QB. Supported by some tough defense, the Gators are heavily favored by 2 scores in this one, but do have quite a few players opting out of this one for the Transfer Portal. Tulane will be without star QB Darian Mensah, who left for Duke following the American Conference Championship, which will certainly limit their offense. Sophomore RB Makhi Hughes will be the focal point as he's rushed for 1,372 yards this season with 15 TDs on the ground. If he can have a big day, I think Tulane can keep this close. Nonetheless, talent wins out and I think we're starting to see what Billy Napier and the Gators are building in Gainesville. Chomp Chomp and GO GATORS as they win this one 30-17.
Thanks for reading my first set of Bowl Game Predictions and be ready for more posts soon, there's still quite a bit of College Football left.
#CFBKnowItAll
Alex Fernando
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