Motor City: If I can't come up with all the team nicknames in a conference, I feel good in passing them in a bowl. I know this one is Blue Raiders vs Broncos but I'd likely miss 50-75% of the other team names in both the MAC and Sun Belt. Others who study these leagues will likely have a good handle on this game. Lay it on us.
A modest bowl, the Emerald, for UCLA. And for Fla State, who at Bobby's insistence visited Alcatraz, which one wag then said was a good move for the "Criminoles." Ugh.
In the old (pre BCS) days of Terry Donahue, UCLA would show total on-field disinterest in any bowl game but the Rose. Well, the days of the snooty Bruins are long past, and this is a nice bowl for them. My concern is how "up" they may be, after their huge season-ending win over the Trojans. But emotional condition can also be affecting the coast-to-coast travelling 'Noles, who are quite accustomed to playing in January, not in Frisco in December. Bruins are a moderate bet for me, and I can't quite figure why the number dropped from 4.5 to 3.5, and maybe lower at some shops.
Alabama would have been a max bet for me, in the Independence. But not with a fired head coach, and daddy Don castigating the Bama atlentic department during the Jets/Dollphins game for canning his son. The team is being coacched for the bowl by the D Coordinator, and he and all the other assistants are likely spending as much time sending out their resumes for the next job as devising a game plan. And as Bama continues to court an ostensibly uninterested Nick Saban. What a mess. Pass.
I'm max on Rutgers even laying the TD. Sure, they were disappointed over missing out on a BCS game when losing by 2 pts in OT to W. VA.
But they should be up again, since this old school has never won a bowl game, despite playing in the first ever "modern" game of football - like, 140 years ago. K State is just so-so, and with a rookie head coach.
I would have been at least moderately invested in Cal, in the Holiday in Dago. I switched off to low-mod, when the Golden Bears FB went down in practice and is out for the game, He was the lead blocker for star Cal RB Lynch. I'm also down moderately for the over 52.5.
Clemson is another mod bet for me, declining a bit from mod/heavy after their best cb was arrested and suspended. That's not the best news against an efficient passing team like Kentucky. But I do like that the Tigers are, if I remember rightly, the 4th least penalized team in the land, and only Arkansas and Rutgers allowed fewer sacks. Too bad the corner couldnt have stashed his stash until after the game. (When the cop stopped him for traffic and smelled the smell, he asked if there was marijuana in the car. "No," replied the Tiger cb, "we done smoked it all." And English major, no doubt.)
The Sun should shine on Oregon State, and I have them for my max at -3. I think that may rise by game time. I like teams that surge late season, versus teams that tailspin, like Mizzou did. The Beavers also beat USC, somethng I very much doubt Misssouri could do in five tries on their home field.
I'm very light on Houston in the Liberty. Art Briles has done a great job in his stint here. Spurrier says his team was disinterested last year in their bowl, but that he's corrected that fault. Let's see. Also light on the Over
Purdue/Maryland, tough call for me. Others may have some solid views. I'd lean slightly to the Terps,but think I'll just watch.
And finally, moderate bet on Minnesota. Yep, I know, rank of 115 in pass defense,and not much better in the better guage of pass efficiency defence. Sounds like bleak news vs the gunslinging Red Raiders. But I'll take those points on a team that is Numero Uno in Turnover Margin. They lead the land with +16, to T Tech's +2. And they can also toss the rock themselves, and probalby have a better run game than ttech. The Over looks enticing here as well.
Buena suerte a todos.
A modest bowl, the Emerald, for UCLA. And for Fla State, who at Bobby's insistence visited Alcatraz, which one wag then said was a good move for the "Criminoles." Ugh.
In the old (pre BCS) days of Terry Donahue, UCLA would show total on-field disinterest in any bowl game but the Rose. Well, the days of the snooty Bruins are long past, and this is a nice bowl for them. My concern is how "up" they may be, after their huge season-ending win over the Trojans. But emotional condition can also be affecting the coast-to-coast travelling 'Noles, who are quite accustomed to playing in January, not in Frisco in December. Bruins are a moderate bet for me, and I can't quite figure why the number dropped from 4.5 to 3.5, and maybe lower at some shops.
Alabama would have been a max bet for me, in the Independence. But not with a fired head coach, and daddy Don castigating the Bama atlentic department during the Jets/Dollphins game for canning his son. The team is being coacched for the bowl by the D Coordinator, and he and all the other assistants are likely spending as much time sending out their resumes for the next job as devising a game plan. And as Bama continues to court an ostensibly uninterested Nick Saban. What a mess. Pass.
I'm max on Rutgers even laying the TD. Sure, they were disappointed over missing out on a BCS game when losing by 2 pts in OT to W. VA.
But they should be up again, since this old school has never won a bowl game, despite playing in the first ever "modern" game of football - like, 140 years ago. K State is just so-so, and with a rookie head coach.
I would have been at least moderately invested in Cal, in the Holiday in Dago. I switched off to low-mod, when the Golden Bears FB went down in practice and is out for the game, He was the lead blocker for star Cal RB Lynch. I'm also down moderately for the over 52.5.
Clemson is another mod bet for me, declining a bit from mod/heavy after their best cb was arrested and suspended. That's not the best news against an efficient passing team like Kentucky. But I do like that the Tigers are, if I remember rightly, the 4th least penalized team in the land, and only Arkansas and Rutgers allowed fewer sacks. Too bad the corner couldnt have stashed his stash until after the game. (When the cop stopped him for traffic and smelled the smell, he asked if there was marijuana in the car. "No," replied the Tiger cb, "we done smoked it all." And English major, no doubt.)
The Sun should shine on Oregon State, and I have them for my max at -3. I think that may rise by game time. I like teams that surge late season, versus teams that tailspin, like Mizzou did. The Beavers also beat USC, somethng I very much doubt Misssouri could do in five tries on their home field.
I'm very light on Houston in the Liberty. Art Briles has done a great job in his stint here. Spurrier says his team was disinterested last year in their bowl, but that he's corrected that fault. Let's see. Also light on the Over
Purdue/Maryland, tough call for me. Others may have some solid views. I'd lean slightly to the Terps,but think I'll just watch.
And finally, moderate bet on Minnesota. Yep, I know, rank of 115 in pass defense,and not much better in the better guage of pass efficiency defence. Sounds like bleak news vs the gunslinging Red Raiders. But I'll take those points on a team that is Numero Uno in Turnover Margin. They lead the land with +16, to T Tech's +2. And they can also toss the rock themselves, and probalby have a better run game than ttech. The Over looks enticing here as well.
Buena suerte a todos.
