NCAA College Football Bowl Week 4 Picks - Late Games
NCAA College Football Bowl Week 4 Late Games
All times Eastern
Thursday, January 2
Ticketmaster Birmingham Bowl
Boston College went 4-4 in ACC play and were 6-6 overall, slipping into bowl eligibility by defeating Pittsburgh, 26-19, on the road in there regular season finale. BC's defense is delinquent, allowing, in losses, 41 points to Louisville, 59 to Clemson, 38 to Florida State, and 40 to Notre Dame. On that side of the ball they're prone to mistakes and missed assignments. If Cincinnati's offense gets a lead, this one could be long gone.
Coin Flip: Boston College
Prediction: Bearcats 35 Eagles 20
Indiana will offer plenty of offense. The Hoosiers were surprisingly good, running up an 8-4 record and a 5-4 mark in the Big Ten. They scored an average of 32.6 ppg, and allowed 24.5. Their losses were all to ranked teams. Ohio State and Michigan slaughtered them; Penn State beat the by a touchdown, and Michigan State downed them 40-31. They're good enough to figure out the Vols' defense and ride QB Peyton Ramsey's passing hand to victory.
Coin Flip: Tennessee
Prediction: Hoosiers 31 Vols 21
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
The Ohio Bobcats were 6-6, but can score plenty. They averaged 34.7 points per contest and gave up 27.0. They won road games at Bowling Green, 66-24, and Akron, 52-3, to reach bowl eligibility.
Nevada comes in at 7-5, with a 4-4 mark in the Mountain West. This team allowed 32.1 points per game and will be missing three defensive players, suspended after a fight against UNLV. Ohio should make hay in a big way.
Coin Flip: Ohio
Prediction: Bobcats 48 Wolf Pack 20
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl
Southern Miss has trouble running the ball, but no problem putting it in the air, which should bode them well against a suspect secondary of Tulane (27.4 ppg allowed).
Coin Flip: Tulane
Prediction: Golden Eagles 31 Green Wave 27
Lending Tree Bowl
The Cajuns were 10-3 and romped through their conference slate, losing twice to Appalachian State and a non-conference loss to Mississippi State. The Cajuns put up 38.8 ppg and allowed 19.9. The Redhawks don't look to match up very well. They went 8-5, losing three non-conference games to Iowa, Ohio State, and Cincinnati by large margins.
Coin Flip: Louisiana-Lafayette
Prediction: Ragin' Cajuns 42 Red Hawks 21
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NCAA Bowl Week 4 Early Games
3:00 pm Boston College vs. #21 Cincinnati (-7, 55 1/2) - For the most part, the Bearcats dominated the AAC, running up a record of 10-1 - the only defeat a 42-0 smearing at Ohio State - until running into eventual conference champion Memphis, who topped them 34-24 to close out the regular season, then topped them a week later in the title game, 29-24. The Bearcats finished the regular season at 10-3 and are a squad with good offensive-defensive balance.
Taxslayer Gator Bowl
7:00 pm Indiana vs. Tennessee (-1 1/2, 51 1/2) - The Volunteers were, and still are, an incomplete picture. They opened the season with losses to Georgia State and BYU, won a non-conference game, then were pounded by Florida and Georgia. After defeating Mississippi State and losing to Alabama, 35-13, they won their next five straight to finish the regular season 7-5, and go 5-3 in the SEC. Not bad and a nice turnaround for a very defensive-minded squad.
Friday, January 3
3:30 pm Ohio (-8, 58 1/2) vs. Nevada - Oh, really, this is the best college football can do for a Friday night. Must be why ESPN's ratings are off.
Saturday, January 4
11:30 am Southern Miss. vs. Tulane (-7, 56 1/2) - Tulane's Green Wave was 3-5 in AAC play and finished an uninspired 6-6. On the season, they scored 400 points and gave up 329. Southern Miss went 5-3 in a pretty well-balanced Conference USA and were 7-5 overall. The Golden Eagles whipped Alcorn State and Troy in non-conference games.
Monday, January 6
7:30 pm Louisiana-Lafayette (-14, 55 1/2) vs. Miami (OH) - One has to question the rationale behind playing this game. It's the only game on Monday night other than basketball and hockey, and follows Sunday's NFL wild card games, so it is probably going to be a letdown. Judging by the match-up of the Miami Red Hawks, champions of the Mid-America conference, and the Rain' Cajuns from Louisiana - runner-up in the Big South - it's like a small conference championship game.
