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Big Six Saturday
This Saturday starts the legitimate part of the Bowl Season. Six games will allow us to see just who the serious players are and who are the "alleged" players who will no doubt wager a lot of air on each and every game. It all starts with a way too early St. Pete's Bowl, between a 6-6 UConn against a 9-3 Marshall. The hype about UConn belonging to the AAC and Marshall playing in the lowly C-USA has dropped the point spread to Marshall -4 1/2. Hint: The AAC is 0-2 and C-USA is 2-1 going into this evenings lay in Hawaii. Wager accordingly.
The Sun Bowl features our first Bowl game between two Power 5 opponents. ACC Miami (8-4) plays Pac 12 Washington State (8-4). Miami has a new HC in Mark Richt who will not be on the sidelines, but will be watching and taking notes for next season. Richt will be specifically watching the offense, which has almost everyone returning. Wazzu had a very successful season, if you discount the bookend losses (24-14 to Portland State and a 45-10 blowout at Washington). This team emulates their HC Mike Leach, which means anything can happen.
While that game is on, Southern Miss will tangle with Washington in the "Heart of Dallas" Bowl. That sounds like the name of a salad. Washington (6-6) is a big favorite (8 1/2) thanks to a win over the above mentioned Wazzu at the end of the season. Southern Miss came from nowhere to win 9 games this season. NO doubt that Washington played the tougher schedule, but was it a 8 1/2 point tougher schedule?
The Big 10 swings into action as 6-6 Indiana and 7-5 Duke of the ACC get together in Yankee Staduim for the Pinstripe Bowl. Indiana is a slight (2 1/2) favorite thanks, in part, to Duke's 1-4 finish. It should be noted that Indiana had to defeat both Maryland (3-9) and Purdue (2-10) to get to this game. Both teams can score, and both have questionable defenses at best. The total is a deserving 71.
The Independence Bowl features two 6-6 teams, and what will be a very emotional farewell to a great head coach. Tulsa and Virginia Tech, both at 6-6 will face each other in the final game for Tech Head Coach Frank Beamer. While the vast majority of the nation will be pulling for Tech and Beamer to go out a winner, the books want to take advantage of Joe Pub and have made Tech a 14 point favorite. Really?
If a team is going to be a 14 point favorite, you would think it would be the Pac 10's UCLA (8-4) who plays the Big 10's Nebraska Cornhuskers (5-7). Sure Nebraska will be playing to save face and for some pride, but can they stop UCLA's offense. Probably not, seeing that the Bruins scored 21 or more points in each of their losses. Nebraska's defense has not been real good. 6 1/2 points certainly may not be enough.
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Originally Posted by KSmooth4U
