Hello Football Friends! My apologies on missing the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl in my picks yesterday, but I did have Wazzu winning that one. Regardless, this post will cover the next few days of Bowl Games and get us over to the weekend. Enjoy!
Bowl Record: 5 - 3
CFP Record: 3 - 1
Bowl Game Predictions:
Toledo vs Louisville - Bush's Boca Raton Bowl
The Rockets come into Bowl Season on a 4-game winning streak, looking to knock off a Power 4 opponent to end their season. Jeff Brohm and the Cardinals stumbled quite a bit to end the year, falling in 3-straight games to Cal, Clemson and SMU, knocking them out of ACC contention. Combining that with the rumors of Michigan going after Jeff Brohm as their new Head Coach, this game could be one to watch as an upset. The tricky piece for the Rockets is running their team without Head Coach Jason Candle who is off to UConn, and Defensive Coordinator Vince Kehres who was hired by Syracuse. Since Jeff Brohm is still with the Cards, I'll give them a nod. Look for Miller Moss to put up big numbers to end the season, Toledo ranked 7th against the pass this year, but we'll see how things go without their DC. Louisville gives Brohm some reasons to stay with a 33-21 win.
Western Kentucky vs Southern Miss - New Orleans Bowl
The Hilltoppers offensive production has not been what it used to be just a few seasons ago, but they've managed to reach a bowl game for the 7th consecutive year and now have 12 of the last 14 seasons. An impressive feat for WKU, and they get to take on the Golden Eagles of Southern Miss. The team that finished last in the Sun Belt a year ago was 1 win away from going to the Conference Championship. Former Marshall Head Coach Charles Huff can be thanked for that, but he's now the former Southern Miss Head Coach as he's accepted the job at Memphis. The Golden Eagles are lead by star QB Braylon Braxton, who played for Huff both at Marshall and this year at Southern Miss. He's thrown for more than 5,700 yards in his career including a career high 2,796 this season to go along with 23 TDs and 7 picks. He's looking to break 3,000 yards passing against the Hilltoppers 69th ranked pass defense. Western Kentucky suffered a number of injuries throughout the season, most notably to QB Maverick McIvor. We'll likely see Rodney Tisdale Jr. at QB, but there is a chance McIvor can come back, not having played since October 14th. Neither team has much of a run game to lean on, but the Golden Eagles are +12 in turnover margin while the Hiltoppers are -5. Give me Southern Miss to win 38-33.
UNLV vs Ohio - Scooter's Coffee Frisco Bowl
The stories with the Frisco Bowl start with the Ohio Bobcats firing head coach Brian Smith who was promoted to HC after being moved up from the OC position last year. The current OC, Kevin Johns will be running the show for the bowl game, and the University is expected to make a coaching hire afterwards. The Bobcats finished tied for 2nd in the MAC, but the tiebreaker gave Miami (OH) a bid to the conference title game despite the Bobcats having the head-to-head win. QB Parker Navaro is the player to watch in green as his dual-threat ability has given opposing defenses headaches all season. He's accounted for 22 total TDs with more than 3,000 total yards of offense. He's supported by Senior RB Sieh Bangura, who's averaging 5.6 yards per carry with more than 1,200 yards and 14 TDs. On the other sideline, UNLV has been living on the edge all season long with a 5-1 record in one-score games. Head Coach Dan Mullen has done well in his first season back on the sidelines, leading the Rebels to a 10-3 record with an appearance in the Conference Title game (via tiebreaker). Junior QB Anthony Colandrea leads the way with 3,275 yards and 23 TDs. He's thrown just 8 picks, but also has some dual-threat ability rushing for 9 TDs and 621 yards. This game should be one of the most entertaining of the week with these two QBs, so be sure to tune into this game. I like both programs a lot, but with a Head Coach being fired, there's a lot of distractions in Ohio right now. I'll take the Rebels 37-31.
Cal vs Hawaii - Sheraton Hawaii Bowl
It's a Island reunion for Christmas Eve as Cal Interim Head Coach Nick Rolovich (former Hawaii HC) and QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele (Hawaiian Native) return to the islands to take on the fighting Rainbow Warriors, who are led by Timmy Chang, coaching at his alma mater. This should be a very entertaining game, both teams looking to end the season on a high note. Cal fired Head Coach Justin Wilcox after a bad loss to Stanford, but bounced back to end the season by knocking SMU out of the ACC Championship. Hawaii was a bit up and down this season, falling short in some games toward the end of the year. However, they've posted their best season since 2019 with an 8-4 record. This game will feature two freshman QBs with a group of wide receivers that can rip secondaries to shreds. The Rainbow Warriors rank 10th in passing this season while Cal isn't far behind at 23rd. The big stat I'm watching in this game will be who can convert on 3rd down. Hawaii is holding opponents to around 35% conversions while Cal's defense is holding teams to 41%. If these QB's can keep the chains moving, the team that does that the best will win. I've enjoyed watching both of these teams over the season, and am looking forward to their jumps next year. Hard to go against the home team on Christmas Eve though, give me Hawaii with a 30-28 win over Cal.
Central Michigan vs Northwestern - GameAbove Sports Bowl
The Wildcats and Chippewas meet in Detroit for somewhat of a home bowl game for Central Michigan. Both teams ended the year on a sour note, losing to Toledo and Illinois, but a bowl win could certainly help end the season on a high. Preston Stone makes his final start of his college career, looking to add to his 2,174 yards and 14 TDs. He'll need to be careful with turnovers as he's thrown 12 picks already this season and the Chippewas are +8 in turnover margin on the season with 12 picks themselves. Central Michigan's offense doesn't have much to hang their hat on, and Northwestern's defense doesn't give up much, allowing just 20.9 points per game. I'll lean on a BIG 10 defense to win the game here, so give me the Wildcats 24-14.
New Mexico vs Minnesota - Rate Bowl
The Gophers head out to the desert to take on the Lobos coming from one state over. New Mexico has had an absolutely magical season under first year Head Coach Jason Eck. The Lobos were gutted after last season, losing their coach and all their best players. However, they responded by posting a 9-3 record and missing the Mountain West Championship because of a tiebreaker. Jason Eck has this team riding high, looking for their 10th win of the season. Minnesota comes in at 7-5, led by Freshman QB Drake Lindsey who's thrown for 2,235 yards with 16 TDs and just 6 picks. The Gopher defense has been spotty at times, and although I want to see the BIG 10 do well, it's hard to go against the Lobos this year. They're on a six-game win streak and I expect them to make it seven. Give me the Lobos to beat the Gophers 31-27.
Florida International vs UTSA - SERVPRO First Responder Bowl
The FIU Panthers have found themselves in a bowl game for the first time since 2019. Willie Simmons has done wonders in his first season, going 7-5 and finishing the year on a four game win streak. The Road Runners were great at home this year, knocking off Tulane, and East Carolina, but struggled at times on the road. This game will be in their home state, but don't discount FIU. Both squads have fantastic Senior Running Backs, so look for a heavy dose of the ground game early on. Robert Henry Jr. from USTA has 1,045 yards with 9 TDs and a 6.9 yard per carry average to his name, while his counterpart, Kejon Owens from FIU has 1,298 yards with 11 TDs and 6.3 yards per carry average. The difference maker in this game looks to be USTA QB Owen McCown. He's thrown for 2,700 yards with 27 TDs and just 7 picks on the season. I imagine this one will be a high-scoring affair, but I'll take the Road Runners to edge them out. Meep Meep for a 38-35 victory.
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