1. #1
    RPP
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    Picks for EVERY Bowl game

    It's the most wonderful time of the year, folks. That's right, it's bowl season. I'm going to use this thread to track my picks. Follow along or comment if you feel like it. Let me know if you tailed one of my plays or heck even if you faded me. Best of luck everyone.

    On a side note, you might notice the first few previews were pretty long. I'm going to try and condense it to just a paragraph going forward.

    New Mexico Bowl
    Temple v Wyoming: This one looks like a total mismatch. Both teams love to run and will pound the ball. Neither can pass very well. The key difference is that Temple has a very stout run defense and will keep the Cowboys out of the end zone. The Wyoming defense allowed 290 yards or more on the ground five times this year. Temple's offense ought to get a minimum of 300 on the ground and something closer to 400 wouldn't be shocking. The Owls have put together a good year with eight wins and I would be very surprised if they didn't get their first bowl win in the history of the school here. Look for a 10+ point victory.

    Pick: Temple -10 or better
    Grade: A


    Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
    Utah State vs Ohio: The Ohio offense can FLY. They racked up 500+ yards four times this year and at least 400 on 10 different ocassions this year. They are balanced enough to do a bit of everything, but they will always look to run first. The defense for this team is OK against the run and can be vulnerable to a strong passing team. Their marquee win was against Temple. They lost the Mac Championship game by a FG to Northern Illinois after a great defensive showing. The Bobcats have won nine times in 2011.

    We all saw what the Aggies can do at the start of the year as they went on the road and nearly knocked off the reigning BCS champions Auburn. A few games later they lost a heartbreaker to BYU and then crushed Wyoming by 44. That would serve as their top win this year. The offense is balanced enough to pass and throw, but they will get started on the ground. At times they were prolific getting 448 yards against Auburn and 548 against Wyoming.The defense is a bit crazy. They gave up 450 yards to lowly Idaho and 500 to Nevada, but shut down WAC champions Louisiana Tech.

    Both of these teams have had strong seasons, but at the end of the day I'm taking the Aggies. Utah State has a powerful rushing attack and has faced better teams this year. On a side note, this game will be played on Boise's "smurf" turf.

    Pick: Utah State -3.5 or better
    Grade: B


    R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
    Louisiana v SDSU: This should be renamed the garbage collector bowl as both teams won eight games, but combined to win just two games against winning teams with SDSU beating Air Force and Louisiana taking down FIU.

    The Ragin' Cajuns have done a terrible job running the ball most of the year, but especially so in their last three games. QB Gautier can air the ball out and most of their work will be done in the air. The defense isn't very good so LA will need to put up lots of points.

    SDSU plays stout defense most of the time, but the offense isn't always there. They scored just 18 points aginast 3-9 Colorado State.

    I don't see a clear advantage for either team, but LA will likely be playing in front of a friendly crowd. I can't play this game, but with a gun to my head I'd go with Louisiana.

    Pick: Lousiana +4 or better
    Grade: D


    Beef o Brady Bowl
    FIU v Marshall: The Panthers of FIU will be playing this game in their home state. They have fielded a veteran team that won eight games this year. The defense is rock solid and will stop Marshall in their tracks. The offense can work through both the air and on the ground. I just don't see Marshall scoring many points in this game and for that reason I love FIU. This game is a slam dunk at its 3.5 point spread.

    Pick: FIU -6 or better
    Grade A+


    Poinsettia Bowl
    TCU vs L Tech: Gary Patterson deserves a medal for winning 10 games with this team. He had back very few starters this year and most of us thought TCU would be a punching bag. They own wins over SDSU, BYU, Wyoming, Air Force and Boise State. They gave a good Baylor team a heck of a game on the road to start the year too. The offense can do it all. They beat Boise State despite getting only 33 yards on the ground. They made up for that with 473 through the air. the defense has been solid all long, especially against the run.

    L Tech isn't as bad as you might think. They went 8-4 this year and held Houston to 35 points which is big as that team is #1 in the FBS at 50.8 PPG. Their best wins were against Utah State and Nevada. This is a team that can really stop the run, but sometimes struggles in the secondary. I'm going to go against the grain and call for them to keep this one close enough to cover as I like them to give TCU fits offense and stop the run well enough to have them punting often.

    Pick: Louisiana Tech +10 or better
    Grade: B

  2. #2
    RPP
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    Las Vegas Bowl

    ASU vs Boise: Boise is not half as good as their record makes them look. ASU can go score for score with them. I'm a bit worried Moore might exploit the ASU secondary, but 14 is a lot of points for them to cover. Taking the Sun Devils with the 2 TDs here.

    Pick: ASU +14
    Grade: B


    Hawaii Bowl
    So Miss v Nevada: Teams cannot run the ball on So Miss, and Nevada loves to pound it. Something has to give and that is the key matchup. I think So Miss wins the battle and therefore the game. Looks to be a low scoring event so I'm going to take a stab at the under.

    Grade A+ on UNDER 61

  3. #3
    RPP
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    1-0 thus far!

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