NCAA College Football Bowl Week 3 Picks - Late Games
NCAA Bowl Week 3 Late Games
All times Eastern
Saturday, January 2
Gator Bowl
The Kentucky Wildcats don't even have a very good basketball team this season, so it stands to reason that their football team was something of a joke, finishing 4-6 in an all-SEC schedule, the wins coming exclusively over teams with losing records.
What the Wildcats are doing against an 8-3 NC State squad is a question for the bowl committee, if there even is one. The Wolfpack's wins may not be all that impressive, but they did win, including their last four straight. Looks like another humbling loss for the SEC here.
Coin Flip: NC State
Prediction: Wolfpack 34 Wildcats 24
The Rebels went 4-5, and over nine games, scored 366 points and allowed 363. Sure, they can light it up, but they give it up pretty well. Indiana is a ranked opponent that went 6-1, losing only to Ohio State, 42-35, and finished their season with a backup QB with a 14-6 win over Wisconsin.
The Rebels allowed 40.3 points per game, the Hoosiers, 19.4. Indiana should light them up.
Coin Flip: Indiana
Prediction: Hoosiers 47 Rebels 27
Iowa State should conclude a sensational season in which they went 8-3 overall, losing the Big 12 championship game to Oklahoma, 27-21, with a solid defense (21.8 ppg) and an offense that can move the ball through the air and ground effectively. Breece Hall, the Cyclone's main running back, will likely finish the season the nation's top ground gainer (he needs just 31 yards to pass UTSA's Sincere McCormick).
This looks like a resounding victory for Iowa State.
Coin Flip: Iowa State
Prediction: Cyclones 38 Ducks 24
North Carolina went 8-3, but only their 31-17 defeat by Notre Dame was anything close to a blowout. Their other two losses were both close and on the road, 44-41 at Virginia, and, 31-28, at Florida State.Their offense is potent, averaging 43 points per game (6th nationally) and will give the Aggies fits. The Tar Heels Achilles Heel is on defense, and the Aggies will be sure to exploit them.
Looking like an inter-conference shoot-out, the seven points North Carolina is getting may prove to be sweet.
Coin Flip: North Carolina
Prediction: Aggies 42 Tar Heels 38
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Bowl Week 3 Early Games
12:00 pm #24 NC State vs. Kentucky (-2 1/2, 52) - No wonder the Gator Bowl is being played on the 2nd of January. You'd need a hangover to watch this early entry of post-celebratory non-contests.
Outback Bowl
12:30 pm Ole Miss vs. #10 Indiana (-6 1/2, 66 1/2) - OMG! Ole Miss is one of the worst defensive teams in the country! Why are they even allowed to play a bowl game?
Fiesta Bowl
4:00 pm #25 Oregon vs. #12 Iowa State (-4 1/2, 57 1/2) - This is a little more like it. Even though Oregon was only in the PAC-12 championship game because Washington was disallowed on COVID grounds, they did manage to top USC, 31-24. Their 4-2 record includes notable losses at Oregon State and California. One has to question the Ducks' motivation here.
Orange Bowl
8:00 pm #5 Texas A&M (-7, 67 1/2) vs. #14 North Carolina - The Aggies just missed out on making the national championship playoffs (which, incidentally, should be expanded to at least six, if not eight, teams) by losing to Alabama, 52-24, back on October 3rd. The week after that, they upended the Florida Gators, 41-38, and then won their six remaining games by wide margins over suspect SEC teams, though wins over LSU (20-7) and at Auburn (31-20) suggest quality.
