More Bowl Picks

We are now four bowls into the bowl season and I'm a respectable 3-1. So far, we have been treated to a defensive battle, some pretty high scores and some decent games. The best part is that it can only go up from here! The same cannot be said for my bowl record. Let's see if it will go up after my latest picks.

The New Orleans Bowl - East Carolina vs Louisiana Lafayette
This bowl features  two 8-4 teams that are pretty balanced. ECU have an electric QB in Shane Carden. The sophomore has nearly 2,900 passing yards this year with 21 touchdowns. He has the ability to extend plays as well as gain a few yards on the ground. The other man to watch out for on the Pirate offense is Justin Hardy. He is Carden's favorite target hauling in 83 balls for 10 touchdowns. The big issue with ECU is their lack of a rushing attack. They average just under 135 yards a game and can't seem to pound the ball when they need to.
Louisiana-La is the more complete team. They have a balanced attack of both passing and rushing. The Ragin' Cajun offense is ranked inside the top 50 for both categories. The best part about this offense is Terrance Broadway. He is the star QB for the Cajuns and is a dual threat. I would expect him to add to his 24 total touchdowns this weekend through the ground and air.
This game will come down to defense. While neither team has a great defense, Louisiana-La's has looked to be the better of the two. I think the Cajun defense will cause enough issues to disrupt Carden while benefiting from some home cooking. They will win the game by a score of 36-29.

The Las Vegas Bowl- Boise State vs Washington
This should be an interesting game to watch. There is a lot riding on this game for both teams. Washington needs to win this game to carry some momentum into next year if they want to compete in the Pac-12. They also want to try to erase a some of the bad impressions they made last year after a 67-56 shellacking by Baylor. Boise State needs this game to establish that there is a 'new' Boise State. After Kellen Moore left, a lot of people lost interest in this team. Boise will need to show that they are still the giant killers we know them as. It will be a tough task Boise because they will have to defend Husky QB Keith Price. He hasn't been quite as explosive as last year, but the junior did throw for just over 2,400 yards this year with 18 touchdowns. His issues has been giving the ball away. He had 11 interceptions this year and any time he has thrown two in a game, the Huskies have lost. Besides that, the Huskies have a decent running game and a pretty impressive defense.
Many people may say the Boise State is weak, but they were 7 points from going undefeated  They needed 4 in the MSU game and three in the SDSU game for wins. Boise State has moved on from the Kellen Moore era by the means of Joe Southwick. He has thrown for nearly 2,500 with 17 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. .The running game is where the Broncos win games though. D.J. Harper is the main man on the ground and he had a stellar 1,000 plus yard season with 15 touchdowns. I expect him to get plenty of running lanes against the Huskies and dominate the game. The Bronco defense will take care of the rest of the game. They have allowed and average of 14.9 points per game. They will contain Keith Price and nail down this game for the Broncos. I think Boise State will win this game 21-10.

The Hawaii Bowl - Fresno State vs SMU 
This is another one of those interesting battles between lower conference teams. Fresno State are the favorites in this on, like they should be. Out of the Mountain West, they went 9-3 with loses to Oregon, Boise State and Tulsa. If there are such things as good losses, I would say those all qualify. The passing game is definitely what sets the Bulldogs apart. QB Derek Carr has a pair of sharp eyes and is incredibly good at taking care of the football. His 68.1 % passing percentage comes with 311 completions for 3,742 yards, 36 touchdowns, and only 5 interceptions. He will be the main threat for the SMU defense. Carr is assisted by his favorite wide receiver, Davante Adams, and his running back Robbie Rouse. Both have over 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns in their respective positions. Needless to say, the Bulldogs have options on offense. There's proof of that in their 69-14 beat down of Colorado. The defense is much of the same. They allow an average of 22.8 points per game and allowed a high of 42 points this season, but that was against Oregon.
SMU comes in looking not so fearsome. They have a 6-6 record and a pretty mediocre in every category  They will pose the biggest threat through the air. QB Garrett Gilbert has over 2,700 yards and 14 touchdowns, but he also has 13 interceptions. He is a dual threat QB, so expect him to extend some plays and possibly score some points on the ground. Besides that, the ground game is pretty bad for the Mustangs.  Their defense is good, but is has seldom taken down a big team.
To make a long story short, I'm not going to pick a team that lost to Tulane (2-10). SMU was unlucky when they got in this bowl because Fresno State should be in a higher bowl, but settled with this. I see a blow out here with Fresno winning 47-7.

Little Caesars Bowl - Central Michigan vs Western Kentucky
Here is my pride and joy, the Chippewas. They come in with a 6-6 record and a three game winning streak. They aren't impressive in either the running or passing game, but QB Ryan Radcliff is the man to watch. He has thrown for nearly 3,000 yards this season with 20 touchdowns. He has improved the interception count from previous years (only 9 this year) and that can be accredited to the offensive line who has cut down on the amount of sacks Radcliff has had to suffer. The run game will be spear headed by Zurlon Tipton who had 19 touchdowns this season. The run game won't shock anyone, but it will get the runs it needs late in the game. The Chippewas defense has been torched a few times this season, but it really seemed to settle in during the final weeks of the regular season.
Western Kentucky is in it's first ever bowl game. They joined the Sun Belt in 2009. They are 7-5, but it is a very strong 7-5. The Hilltoppers won at Kentucky and were the only conference loss for Arkansas State, the eventual conference champion. WKU's losses have come from #2 Alabama and four teams with a combined record of 27-21. They have a wonderful running game spearheaded by Antonio Andrews. Andrews has run for over 1,600 yards and 11 touchdowns. He will be a major threat to the Chippewas. WKU's tandem set of wide outs, Willie McNeal and Jack Doyle will also be issues. They aren't the biggest threats, but when the running game gets going, they become dangerous off play action and in the red zone.
As much as I want to pick my Chippewas, I think WKU's running game will be too much for them. Something else that scares me is the Hill Topper defense. It held the mighty Alabama Crimson tide to 35 points. Central couldn't even score on Michigan State (via the offense) and they always seem to have to hope that they out score opponents instead of stopping them defensively. It will be a battle, but WKU will come out on top 35-26.

Thanks for reading and enjoy the games!