NCAA College Football Bowl Week 2 Picks - Early Games
NCAA College Football Bowl Week 2 Early Games
All times Eastern
Bowl Week 2 (December 20-26)
Results:
Bad Boy Mower Gasparilla Bowl
Granted the Bulls five losses were to good teams - Houston, Tulane, Cincinnati, Temple, UCF - but they were blown out in almost all of them, the closest a 27-17 loss to Temple. South Florida has been switching quarterbacks, and neither has been effective. For the season, the Bulls average 29.2 points per game. In their last five, however, 20.2.
Coin Flip: South Florida
PREDICTION: Thundering Herd 34 Bulls 24
Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl
But, if you want offense, you want the Rockets. Toledo averaged 41.1 points per game, 11th in the nation. They yielded a whopping 30.2, but still managed a 7=5 mark, coming in second in the MAC West at 5-3. The Rockets also played a tougher schedule than the Panthers, losing to Miami (FL), Fresno State, and Northern Illinois, just to name a few. In their seven wins, they never scored fewer than 45 points, so, unless the Panthers really step it up, the Rockets will just soar past them en route to the end zone on multiple occasions.
Coin Flip: Toledo
PREDICTION: Rockets 52 Golden Panthers 35
So, how did BYU get an invite to this game? Duh! Famous Idaho Potato ring a bell? This is a set-up for the 6-6 Cougars to pound upon an unworthy opponent, thus the huge point spread. Just look at BYU's losses and the message is clear: they are a pretty good football team. Here's a taste, Cal 21 BYU 18; Northern Illinois 7 BYU 6; Boise State 21 BYU 16; Utah 35 BYU 27. Oh, yes, and they beat Wisconsin, 24-21, back in September, on the road.
Coin Flip: BYU
PREDICTION: Cougars 42 Broncos 14
Birmingham Bowl
The backfield of QB Brady White and RB Darrell Henderson (1909 rushing yards) is among the best in the country and the Deacon defense better be ready to play hard all day if they expect to stay in this game. Wake is another one of those 6-6 teams that should be barred from bowl games, but they managed to get into the mix by slamming the Blue Devils at Duke, 59-7, in the final game of the season. Some of the losses were to quality teams like Boston College, Notre Dame, Clemson, Syracuse, but they weren't close. If Memphis gets an early lead, it could be all over.
Coin Flip: Wake Forest
PREDICTION: Tigers 48 Demon Deacons 31
On the bright side for Houston, they were fourth in scoring (46.4 ppg) with a balanced run-pass offense. They'll be up against an Army defense that was tied for 13th in scoring defense with Michigan State, at 18 points per game. The Knights are not to be taken lightly. They took Oklahoma to overtime in a 28-21 loss, and bombed Buffalo, 42-13.
Coin Flip: Houston
PREDICTION: Knights 42 Cougars 30
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Bowl Week 2 Late Games
Bowl Week 1: Rick: 5-3; Coin: 4-4
Thursday, December 20
8:00 pm Marshall (8-4) (-3, 51 1/2) vs. South Florida (7-5) - The Thundering Herd came in second in the East division of Conference USA, which doesn't exactly spell quality, bu the losses were well-spaced and a couple of them to ACC teams - NC State and Virginia Tech - were pretty much blowouts. Otherwise, the Herd isn't bad on defense, which should come in handy against South Florida, which has a Jekyll-And-Hyde season, winning their first seven, then losing their final five games as the offense collapsed and the defense couldn't stop a ball rolling uphill.
Friday, December 21
12:30 pm Florida International (8-4) vs. Toledo (7-5) (-4 1/2, 59) - Another entrant into the bowl season from Conference USA is the Golden Panthers of Florida International, second in the East division of their conference, with sizable wins over the likes of Western Kentucky and Florida Atlantic. The Panthers can really light up the scoreboard, averaging 34.6 points per game. The defense isn't bad, allowing 24.7 per outing.
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
4:00 pm Western Michigan (-7-5) vs. BYU (6-6) (-12, 49 1/2) - The Broncos lost three straight down the stretch before miraculously defeating Norther Illinois to end the season, but they were hammered at home by Toledo and Ohio on successive weekends before losing in overtime to Ball State (42-41). This is not a bowl-quality team, which is why they are playing on a Friday afternoon four days before Christmas.
Saturday, December 22
12:00 pm Memphis (8-5) (-3 1/2, 73) vs. Wake Forest (6-6) - The Memphis Tigers were 7th national in scoring, putting up an impressive 43.6 points per game. Their defense left much to be desired, however, allowing an average of 31.5 every game. still, that 8-points-per-game differential earned Memphis an 8-5 record and a 56-41 loss to undefeated UCF in the American Athletic conference championship.
Armed Forces Bowl
3:30 pm Houston (8-4) vs. Army (10-2) (-4, 60 1/2) - This should be a fun one because of the difference in offensive strategies. Army will run the football almost exclusively. The Knights were fourth nationally in rushing yards (3555) and #129 in passing (956 yards), so they will pound the ground game against a Houston defense that is questionable to say the least. The Cougars were lit up in their four losses. Texas Tech scored 63; SMU, 45; Temple, 59; Memphis, 52.
