The bowls continue to roll on my friends! As we slide on in to the new year, so do the bowls. New Year's Eve Eve and New Year's Eve both feature some great bowls. After last night, I'm at a not to shabby 9-4. My Western and Lousiville picks really came back to bite me. With all these games in the next few days, I need to do better if I want to have a respective record. I've now centered my inner Chi and I'm ready to let these picks loose!
Th BYU Cougars (9-3) and the Tulsa Golden Hurricane (8-4) clash in the battle for the Armed Forces Bowl. One of the key players for the Cougars is the QB Riley Nelson. Nelson started the year as the second string, but as Jake Heaps struggled, it was Riley's time. He has lead BYU to prosperity by throwing 16 touchdowns this year. Another factor is that BYU will be hot coming into this game. They have won eight of their last nine games. Tulsa will need to rely on their star running back Trey Watts. He has been a force on the ground and in the air. Watts sets up a lot of the Hurricanes touchdowns and doesn't hit pay dirt often. G.J. Kinne will also have to play extremely well if the Golden Hurricanes want to win today. The quarterback has thrown 25 touchdowns this year, but the 12 picks have really been the story. I expect BYU to come out hot, but then start to cool off. Tulsa will keep it close, but I have to go with the Cougars in a close one.
The Pinstripe Bowl features the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (8-4) and the Iowa State Cyclones (6-6). Rutgers have a major threat in the air and his name is Mohamed Sanu. He caught 109 passes for 1,144 yards with 7 TDs and is a huge play threat. This is even more impressive when you look at the men throwing him the ball. Rutgers have two quarterbacks who have combined for 21 touchdowns and 16 interceptions! If the Scarlet Knights are forced to throw it a lot, they might be in trouble. Iowa State has had similar QB issues. Their two quarterbacks have combined for 16 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. The positive spin for the Cyclones is that have a solid run game. They average 181.2 rushing yards per game which is good enough to be ranked 35th in the Nation. James White has gotten the majority of the carries and has amassed 701 yards and 8 touchdowns. The run game will need to be in full swing if Iowa State wants to have a chance. The key to this game will be Iowa State's ability it hang onto the ball. The Cyclone have turned it over 32 times (2nd Worse in the nation). This will definitely be an issue because they are taking on a defense who has 31 takeaways (5th best in the nation). I see the Scarlet Knights forcing the turnovers they need to and winning 31-28.
The Music City Bowl has an interesting game this year. It pits the Mississippi State Bulldogs (6-6) and the Wake Forest Demon Deacons (8-4). Seriously folks? I'm not spending much time on this one. The Bulldogs will dominate this one. They play in the SEC! The Bulldogs six losses came to teams with a combined record of 61 and 13. Chris Relf will face a far less superior secondary than many of the ones he has faced this year. Vick Ballard will have a great day running and will really be able to add to his 1,000 yard season. The only factor Wake has going for them is Tanner Price. The QB has thrown 20 touchdowns this year and nearly 3,000 yards. Even if he has a great day, it will be hard for the Deacons to keep up with the Bulldogs offense. Remember, Wake was destroyed by Vanderbilt on the last week of the season 41-7. I see the Bulldogs cruising through this one 31-10.
Iowa (7-5) meets Oklahoma (9-3) in the Insight Bowl. To me, this is the most interesting game of the day. A Big10-Big12 match up is a great measuring stick for both conference. When Oklahoma fell out of the National Title race, I'm sure they wouldn't have minded going bowling in Arizona. This wasn't exactly what they had in mind. To Sooner Fans, this season has to be a bit of a disappointment. If the Sooners want to make their fans happy, Laundry Jones will have to lead his team to a win. I see him having no problem in doing so. The Sooners have one of the nation's top offenses and average 532.1 yards a game and over 40 points a game. Laundry Jones will be able to find all his wide receivers in a porous Iowa secondary. The Oklahoma defense also has a great advantage. They have recorded 37 sacks this season and will make minced meat against a Hawkeyes line who let in 26 sacks this season. The one big threat the Hawkeyes have is their passing game. Wide out Marvin McNutt is ranked 10th in the nation in receiving yards and will probably go deep more than once in this game. The QB James Vandenberg has thrown for 23 TDs and has also taken care of the football. Even with the passing threat, Iowa won't stand a chance. Oklahoma has too much talent on the defensive side to lose. I see the Sooners winning 41- 17.
Thanks for reading!
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