Welcome to Bowl Season football friends! Boise State and Washington started things off with the Bucked Up LA Bowl this past weekend, won 38-10 by the Huskies. Now we move into a full week of Bowl Games as we honor some great seasons for teams across the nation. It's the time of year where we learn about a number of random companies you never knew existed as they tie their sponsorship to a bowl game. This week's post will also include prediction on the FCS semi-final games (which unfortunately do not include either of my South Dakota teams this year), along with the first round of the College Football Playoffs at campus host sites. So many great games to get to, so here are all my predictions!
Current Bowl Record: 1-0
Bowl Game Predictions:
Troy vs Jacksonville State - IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl
Our first bowl game of the week gives us the Sun Belt and C-USA runner-ups with the Trojans and the Gamecocks. Both teams fell short in the conference title games, but have a lot to be proud of with 8-5 seasons for Gerad Parker (2nd Season) and Charles Kelly (1st Season). Troy was eaten alive on the line of scrimmage against James Madison, giving up 8 sacks and 14 tackles for loss to the Dukes. The Gamecocks average 2 sacks per game and 5.6 tackles for loss per game, so they could look to win the line of scrimmage early. Offensively for Jacksonville State, they'll be handing it off to Junior RB Cam Cook. He's racked up 1,659 yards with 16 TDs on the ground, averaging 5.6 yards per carry and has been held under 100 yards just twice this season. I think he'll rumble the Gamecocks to victory 30-21.
Old Dominion vs South Florida - StaffDNA Cure Bowl
The Monarchs finish 9-3 on the season with 2 of those losses being to Playoff teams in Indiana and James Madison. This team has put up points all year, ranking 29th in scoring offense with 32.7 points per game. South Florida was a heavy favorite to get a Playoff bid, but late season losses to Memphis and Navy knocked them out of contention. Head Coach Alex Golesh is off to Auburn, but former Buckeye star wideout and now star OC Brian Hartline will be the new man in charge following the Bowl Game. Unfortunately, neither team will have their star QBs as Colton Joseph (ODU) and Byrum Brown (USF) have both opted out of this game, with Joseph looking to transfer. Both players were the leading passers and rushers for their respective squads, so we'll get a good look at what both teams could look like next year with a lot of younger players in the mix. Old Dominion has other pieces of their offense still playing, so I'll give them the nod 27-20.
Louisiana vs Deleware - 68 Ventures Bowl
The Deleware Blue Hens are bowling for the first time in their FBS careers, heading to Mobile, Alabama to take on the Ragin' Cajuns. It's been an up and down season for both squads, but Louisiana ended the year with 4 straight wins to become bowl eligible at 6-6. Neither team has much to hold their hat on defensively, so we could see some points in this game. The Ragin' Cajuns have a strong run game with 3 different runners posting over 600 yards and multiple TDs on the ground. I'm hoping the Blue Hens put up a fight, but the ground game from the Ragin' Cajuns will be too much to handle. Louisiana 37, Delaware 24.
Missouri State vs Arkansas State - Xbox Bowl
One of the best bowl trophies/sponsors in the field, the Xbox Bowl features another FBS newcomer, Missouri State against Arkansas State. A bit of a boarder war is set for battle in Frisco, Texas as the Red Wolves and Bears look to finish the year strong. Missouri State lost their final two games of the season while Arkansas State pulled off a 1 point win on the road at Appalachian State to get to a bowl game. Bears' Head Coach Ryan Beard is off to Conway, South Carolina to coach the Chanticleers, so Arkansas State may have a leg up as the Bears will be without their head man. I've really enjoyed watching Missouri State throughout the season though, and I'll cheer them on for a bowl win. Everyone gets an Xbox, but only the Bears get the victory 23-20.
Kennesaw State vs Western Michigan - Myrtle Beach Bowl
The Owls have made an incredible turnaround following their first FBS season, going from 2-10 to 10-3 and winning the CUSA title. They'll match up against the Broncos from Kalamazoo who won the MAC Championship. I always love seeing the G6 conference winners paired up for a bowl game, and this should be an entertaining one. Both QBs bring a dual threat element for defenses to watch out for, but Amari Odom (Kennesaw State) favors the passing attack while Broc Lowry (Western Michigan) favors the ground game. Both players matchup very well statistically, even in the sack category with 17 each. If they can keep their jerseys clean in the backfield, we should see some impressive improvising for big plays. The Owls are more prone to bust one open, posting 65 plays for 20+ yards on the season. I'm excited to see these two offenses, but give me Kennesaw State for a big program win in the Myrtle Beach Bowl. Shoutout to Broc Lowry who has been fantastic in his Sophomore year, I look forward to watching him in the future. Owls 36, Broncos 28.
Memphis vs NC State - Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl
The last of our "regular" bowl games for the week feature two spoiler teams who helped knock out others from playoff contention. NC State finished the year strong, knocking off Georgia Tech and winning 3 of their last 4. Memphis fell short after spoiling USF's season, losing 3 straight to Tulane, ECU and Navy. Their head man, Ryan Silverfield is headed to Arkansas, but NC State will be without star RB Hollywood Smothers. You never know who's going to play motivated in Bowl Games, but NC State usually shows up week in and week out, even with a down year. Wolfpack win 31-20.
FCS Playoff Predictions:
Illinois State at Villanova
The fighting Red Birds are on a historic run through the FCS Playoffs, having knocked out the #1 seeded Bison of NDSU on their home turf, and then following that up with a 42-31 win on the road at UC Davis (avenging last year's playoff loss). Illinois State is looking for their second ever National Championship appearance, having lost the other one to NDSU in 2014. Villanova comes into the semifinals after pulling back-to-back upsets of their own against #5 Lehigh and #4 Tarleton State. The Wildcats and the Red Birds have two fantastic QBs, so I expect a shootout. Starting with Villanova, Senior Pat McQuaid has 2,893 yards with 23 TDs and just 3 picks on the season. His go-to target is WR Luke Colella with 73 catches for 1,013 yards and 8 TDs. To anchor the ground game they rely on a trio of running backs who have amassed 2,322 total yards together with 22 touchdowns. Illinois State will certainly have their hands full, but look to give some firepower back the other way. Senior QB Tommy Rittenhouse has more than 3,000 yards to his name this season with 34 TDs and 11 picks. Victor Dawson grinds it out on the ground with 5.1 yards per carry and star wideout Daniel Sobkowicz is the redzone threat with 16 TD catches on the season. I would certainly recommend tuning into this game, the FCS playoffs have been electric. I'm going with the Red Birds in a magical season to beat Villanova 38-36.
Montana at Montana State - Brawl of the Wild (2.0 - Playoff Edition)
One of the best rivalries in all of college football is set to take place for the second time in a month as the Grizzlies and Bobcats meet for Brawl of the Wild, playoff edition. Despite over 100 years of history and 124 previous meetings, this will be the first in the postseason. These two FCS programs always get so close, but can't seem to close the deal on a championship. Montana State fell short last year by 3 to the Bison of NDSU and also lost in the championship in 2021 to NDSU. Montana was in the middle with a 2023 championship loss to my home state Jackrabbits of SDSU. Now, with their rival across from them, there's a spot waiting in the National Title game for only one. Starting with the Griz, this is one of the best offenses in all of football. Averaging 42.3 points per game, they're led by Sophomore QB Keal'l Ah Yat and Junior RB Eli Gillman. Ah Yat has nearly 4,000 passing yards in his first year as a starter, throwing for 32 touchdowns with just 8 picks and adding another 7 scores on the ground. Gillman is a workhorse in the backfield, currently sitting at 234 carries and averaging 6.1 yards each time he's handed the rock. It's hard to keep him out of the endzone with 22 total TDs this season. As for the Bobcats, they won the first meeting on the road, but now get to host this one at home. Their offense isn't far behind, averaging 37.4 points per game, but the defense is where they excel. Allowing just 17.6 points per game, they give up just 33% of third down conversions and are +16 in turnover margin. Montana is right behind with +14, but something the Bobcats love to do is let their defense put up points. They've got 4 defensive touchdowns this season, including a pick 6 against the Griz in the last meeting. This is a must watch if you're a college football fan, the rivalry and trophy make it all the better. I'm going to implement my rule for this one, you never want to play a team twice. Honoring the shared mascot of Standing Bear High School where I coach, let's go Griz! Montana defeats Montana State 27-24 in the Brawl of the Wild 2.0.
College Football Playoff 1st Round:
#9 Alabama at #8 Oklahoma
#10 Miami at #7 Texas A&M
#11 Tulane at #6 Ole Miss
#12 James Madison at #5 Oregon
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