Will this be the best playoff ever? (Bowl season preview/recap thread)

[michaeljordan_fan]

That was the craziest part of it. I'm pretty sure all of our turnovers were in Oregon territory, too. I give credit where it's due, but we moved the ball at will against them and killed them in TOP.

Yeah, Oregon was missing way too many receivers for that game, which was desperately needed due to the LOS issues.

 

[Across The Field]

Yeah, Oregon was missing way too many receivers for that game, which was desperately needed due to the LOS issues.

I think that game was a good example of why Oregon needed to change it's scheme to keep up with the elites. The direction they're in now is going to bode well for them IMO. I think we are entering a time of Pac-12 dominance for the Ducks and likely a few playoff berths in the coming decade.

 

[963BUSC]

Bowl rankings time!
....

5-star Bowls [like the Langham Hotel in Chicago]:
Outback Bowl: Minnesota vs. Auburn [January 1st, 1:00] (And how about THIS for a fun matchup: It's "Row the Boat" vs. "Ye Ol' Slayers of Alabama". A mature Auburn squad vs. a determined Minnesota.)

4-star Bowls [like the Hotel Grand Pacific in Victoria, British Columbia]:
Rose Bowl: Oregon vs. Wisconsin [January 1st, 5:00] (You just simply can't go wrong with the Rose Bowl from Pasadena. This year, it'll give us the rematch from the 2011 season, and let's hope that it'll be just as good as that game.)
...​

​

Really surprised you would put Minnesota vs Auburn ahead of Oregon v Wisconsin.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Bowl predictions (Part 1-December 20th)

Hey, I'm back! And after a debate about Ohio State in the playoff, it's time to begin what this thread is actually about: Bowl predictions! First, the games on Friday (All times are Eastern):

Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl: Buffalo vs. Charlotte [2:00, ESPN]
(Cool! We get to start the 2019-20 bowl season in the Bahamas! And in this game, we get a team that rarely sniffs a bowl game [Buffalo] taking on a team making it's first bowl ever [Charlotte]. Plus, both teams have star players; Charlotte has RB Benny LeMay [a 1,000-yard rusher] and QB Chris Reynolds [over 2,300 passing yards], while Buffalo has RB Jaret Patterson [over 1,600 rushing yards] and a strong defense.
To me, QB Kyle Vantrease is the key for Buffalo. He's due for a standout game, and when he gets it...)
My prediction: BUFFALO 30-24

Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl: Utah State vs. Kent State [7:30, ESPN2]
(So I looked up the sponsor, and I initially thought that Tropicana had a new smoothie cafe franchise. But nope! It's just a different version of "Panera Bread"... with smoothies. And the closest one to me is in Staten Island.
ANYWAY, let's get back to the game. I initially had Utah State all day, but recently some of their key players [like QB Jordan Love] got suspended for having a controlled substance. Plus, Kent State's QB [Dustin Crum] is pretty accurate. Now all Kent has to do is spruce up their bad defense, and...)
My prediction: KENT STATE 41-35 (...the Flashes get the upset.)

...That's it for Friday! Tune in tomorrow, when I- Oh, god. When I look at Saturday's SIX bowl games.

 

[HuskerOC]

Outside of the CFP, the only games that interest me are Oregon vs Wisconsin. That should be a great game.

Only other would be Okie Lite vs. A&M. I just see the matchup allowing for a lot of craziness to come about.

The nonCFP 1/1/20 games outside of OU/Wisky just aren't that interesting to me.

Auburn shows up, they dominate Minny in the trenches and make it a laugher. Georgia and Baylor is like watching paint dry, and again, not sure Georgia will be all that excited to play. And Michigan and Bama? Horrible matchup on paper. Maybe Socially Awkward Jimbo gets his guys to play and Bama cashes out like other SEC teams this day that aren't playing for much.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Bowl picks (Part 2-December 21st)

The authenticity of what's about to happen to me, you can't replicate on your own. I'm about to go through 6 bowl games in a row... with no rest in between. Wish me luck as I preview and predict Saturday's bowl games! (All times are Eastern)

New Mexico Bowl: Central Michigan vs. San Diego State [2:00, ESPN]
(Despite the weird matchup, I'm being tempted to watch this. Why? Because anything can happen between these two teams. Central Michigan's offense has been doing great in Jim McElwain's 1st year, and it's going up against a strong Aztec defense. Yet SDSU's offense has trouble putting up big numbers...)
My prediction: SAN DIEGO STATE 27-24

FBC Mortgage Cure Bowl: Liberty vs. Georgia Southern [2:30, CBS Sports Network]
(The stat lines for both of these teams are pretty even, so let's focus on motivation. The Liberty Flames has THAT in spades; this is their 1st-ever bowl, after all! And as for the Eagles, they've rebounded from a 1-3 start to make it here. Plus, Liberty hasn't faced a triple-option team all season, but don't you usually have better luck against a triple-option attack when you've had time to prep for it?)
My prediction: LIBERTY 41-34 (I see the Flames offense carrying the day)

Cheribundi Boca Raton Bowl: SMU vs. Florida Atlantic [3:30, ABC]
(2 years ago, Cheribundi had the misfortune of sponsoring the worst bowl game of the season. Now their brand of cherry juice will be on a broadcast network with two 10-win teams going at it. And SMU is very eager to cap off their best season since way back in 1984, and they got the offense to do it. Sadly for them, FAU is basically playing a home game, plus the last time they were in a bowl they won 50-3 and-
Wait, what? Lane Kiffin left FAU for Ole Miss? Well, in that case...)
My prediction: SMU 38-28

Camellia Bowl: Florida International vs. Arkansas State [5:30, ESPN]
(This is one of the bowls I'll be trying my best to ignore. It MAY be a good TV watch, though; Arkansas State's defense is pretty bad, so there should be some points scored. But I'm tempted to fade FIU in this game, mainly because Arkansas State also has a good offense, and I don't think the Panthers can keep up with them.)
My prediction: ARKANSAS STATE 44-35

Mitsubishi Motors Las Vegas Bowl: Washington vs. Boise State [7:30, ABC]
(This is Chris Petersen's final game as Washington's coach, and the Las Vegas Bowl organizers had rolled out the red carpet for him. He's facing his old friends from Boise State, the oddsmakers are making his team the favorite, and Washington's defense is pretty darn good. Not to mention that his QB Jacob Eason wants to leave 2019 on a high note.
Never mind that Washington's scoring offense is actually pretty bad. And that 12-1 Boise State might just be getting a LITTLE angry of not getting any attention.)
My prediction: BOISE STATE 27-24

R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl: Appalachian State vs. UAB [9:00, ESPN]
(Motivation may be an issue for App. State, since Eli Drinkwitz is no longer their coach after he left for Missouri. But I think the Mountaineers has the senior leadership to overcome that. As for UAB, they've feasted on a weak schedule throughout the season, but hasn't done so well against stiffer opponents. However, I'll bet the UAB defense is eager to prove that the 49-6 debacle they went through 3 weeks ago was a fluke.)
My prediction: APPALACHIAN STATE 37-21

...Hey, I did it! Tune in tomorrow, when I'll give you my first bowl rankings!

 

[jwolt92]

I initially had Utah State all day, but recently some of their key players [like QB Jordan Love] got suspended

Not so fast my friend..

Andersen: 'Never any thought' Utah State QB Jordan Love wouldn't play in Frisco Bowl

 

[PIBuckeye]

Honestly, even though fucking Ohio State is in the playoff, I'm kinda happy it's not a Clemson Bama title game again. That shit was getting boring. I like the diversity in teams this year. No double SEC bullshit.

For the record, we whole heartedly appreciate your being a wonderful stepping stone for our program into the upper echelons of the CFP. That yearly "W", I think is helping tOSU.

Merry Christmas!

 

[MAIZEandBLUE09]

For the record, we whole heartedly appreciate your being a wonderful stepping stone for our program into the upper echelons of the CFP. That yearly "W", I think is helping tOSU.

Merry Christmas!

Though, the positive is that next year it looks like I'll be able to easily bet $100 on Ohio State winning the game so I feel less sad when we lose:

 

[BamaDude]

Outside of the CFP, the only games that interest me are Oregon vs Wisconsin. That should be a great game.

Only other would be Okie Lite vs. A&M. I just see the matchup allowing for a lot of craziness to come about.

The nonCFP 1/1/20 games outside of OU/Wisky just aren't that interesting to me.

Auburn shows up, they dominate Minny in the trenches and make it a laugher. Georgia and Baylor is like watching paint dry, and again, not sure Georgia will be all that excited to play. And Michigan and Bama? Horrible matchup on paper. Maybe Socially Awkward Jimbo gets his guys to play and Bama cashes out like other SEC teams this day that aren't playing for much.

I'm less interested in Okie-Lite vs A&M; more interested in Bama-Michigan & Auburn-Minnesota. I also wonder if Georgia will check out against Baylor the way they did against Texas last year. Even if Georgia comes to play, I'm not so sure that the Bears aren't the better team to begin with.

 

[Gatorchip]

Next season will be better with UF rolling in as the #1 seed.

 

[BamaDude]

Next season will be better with UF rolling in as the #1 seed.

This is the college football board. I don't think we have one for college softball.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Bahamas and Frisco Bowl recaps

Now we begin the bowl recaps! And the bowl season started well for both me and the MAC, as Buffalo took home it's 1st-ever bowl trophy in the Bahamas...

Utah State vs. Kent State - Game Summary - December 20, 2019 - ESPN ...and Kent State won this thriller in Frisco. This despite the best efforts from Jordan Love and the Aggies.

Rating for the Bahamas Bowl: 2 stars
Rating for the Frisco Bowl: 3.5 stars

 

[pitman]

Bahamas and Frisco Bowl recaps

Now we begin the bowl recaps! And the bowl season started well for both me and the MAC, as Buffalo took home it's 1st-ever bowl trophy in the Bahamas...

Utah State vs. Kent State - Game Summary - December 20, 2019 - ESPN ...and Kent State won this thriller in Frisco. This despite the best efforts from Jordan Love and the Aggies.

Rating for the Bahamas Bowl: 2 stars
Rating for the Frisco Bowl: 3.5 stars

I think the bus’s hauling USU and Kent defensive teams went to another stadium last night, because there was no defense on either side

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

12/21 bowl recap

To recap yesterday's busy bowl slate, I'm gonna divide things into "winners and losers". First, the bowl games I predicted correctly.

There was the Cure Bowl, where Liberty won a tight contest against Georgia Southern for their most significant win ever.
In the New Mexico Bowl, SDSU's offense FINALLY woke up, as they hung 48 on CMU in a pretty boring game.
In the Camellia Bowl, Layne Hatcher threw 4-TD's (including the game-winner with 4 minutes left) to win a not-bad bowl contest against FIU.
And in New Orleans, App. State weathers a early storm from UAB to finish a wonderful 12-1 campaign.

Rating for the Cure Bowl: 2.5 stars
Rating for the New Mexico Bowl: 2 stars
Rating for the Camellia Bowl: 2.75 stars
Rating for the New Orleans Bowl: 2.5 stars

And now, the bowl picks I got wrong. Oh, those Owls of FAU! They lose their head coach and suspend a few players, yet they STILL shock SMU. And as for Washington, they showed a great effort in smashing Boise State to give Chris Petersen one more win.
So, quick question, Huskies: WHERE WAS THAT EFFORT DURING THE REGULAR SEASON?!

Rating for the Boca Raton Bowl: 2.25 stars
Rating for the Las Vegas Bowl: 2 stars

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Bowl picks (Part 3- December 23rd and 24th)

Folks, today I have a evening full of classic Christmas cartoons and films. Before that, though, I must deal with a couple of bowls taking place over the next 2 days (All times are Eastern, and both games on ESPN):

Today:
Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl: UCF vs. Marshall [2:30]
(Once upon a time, during the decade of the 2000's, Marshall and UCF used to be conference rivals in both the MAC and then Conference USA. Now UCF has moved on to the AAC... and made a lot of money doing so. Now UCF is meeting their old friends in the Gasparilla Bowl... when they REALLY wanted to be in the Cotton Bowl [or at least be AAC champs again].
So motivation may be a problem for the Golden Knights, but their offense should be fine. As for Marshall, their plan to win is pretty simple: Get their own offense cooking early and often.)
My prediction: UCF 44-31

Tomorrow:
Sofi Hawaii Bowl: BYU vs. Hawaii [8:00]
(In the preseason, BYU fans just wanted their team to get another bowl berth to give them hope for 2020. And that's just what the Cougars did; now they're in Hawaii to face an old rival. A rival, by the way, that hasn't beaten BYU since 2001.
Yet Hawaii has surprised a lot of people by making the Mountain West title game. AND their offense has put up great numbers, with QB Cole McDonald and RB Miles Reed the central playmakers. It's all about BYU's defense; they gotta find a way to stop either McDonald or Reed.)
My prediction: HAWAII 38-35

And with that, PLEASE have a Happy Holidays! I'll check back later...

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Bowl recap (12/23 and 12/24)

Hey there, I'm back! Just a quick recap of previous bowls before we move on.
Over in the Gasparilla Bowl, Marshall only had one good quarter, which was not enough against UCF.
And in the Hawaii Bowl, we got a game that started out as a shootout and ended as a defensive fight. And the hometown boys were able to win it. I'm so proud!

Rating for the Gasparilla Bowl: 2.25 stars
Rating for the Hawaii Bowl: 3.75 stars

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Bowl picks (Part 4- December 26th)

Folks, today I'm gonna do something VERY reckless. After I preview today's bowls, I'm gonna go ahead and preview tomorrow's bowls. Yep, I'm typing up 7 previews!

...So, yeah, let's get this over with by looking at today's action (Both games on ESPN):

Walk-On's Independence Bowl: Miami vs. Louisiana Tech [4:00]
(This game has me so confused. Some people think that Miami's superior talent will win out. Others believe that since La-Tech is playing close to home and Miami is coming in unmotivated, the Bulldogs has this covered.
Both of these teams has stars on offense, so that won't decide the winner of this game. So, let me just remind you of when Miami lost to C-USA team Florida International last month. ...Is Manny Diaz and the 'Canes gonna allow C-USA to humiliate them again? NO, BOY!)
My prediction: MIAMI 30-27

Quick Lane Bowl: Pittsburgh vs. Eastern Michigan [8:00]
(This is the easiest bowl game I can predict this year. A 6-6 Eastern Michigan team, against a rugged "Power 5" school like Pittsburgh? Pitt wins this one going away!
...Then again, it would be a REALLY big humiliation for Pitt if they SOMEHOW lose this one.)
My prediction: PITTSBURGH 28-14

...Well, those two were easy. But now the hard part begins...

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Bowl picks (Part 5- December 27th)

And that hard part is predicting the winners of Friday's busy slate. Well, let's get going (All times are Eastern, and all games on ESPN unless noted)!

Military Bowl: North Carolina vs. Temple [12:00]
(This one, I'm having a tough time with. I mean, both UNC and Temple are playing for something here. UNC is shooting for a winning season in Mack Brown's 1st year back in Chapel Hill, while Temple wants to send off their seniors with one more impressive win.
I'm looking at UNC's freshmen QB Sam Howell as the X-factor; he leads the ACC in passing yards, but can he break Temple's solid red-zone defense?)
My prediction: TEMPLE 27-26

New Era Pinstripe Bowl: Michigan State vs. Wake Forest [3:20]
(Hey! It's one of my favorites: The bowl game from Yankee Stadium! But strangely, the match-up doesn't get me excited. These two programs are going in opposite directions: Wake is shooting for it's 4th straight bowl win, while MSU has mostly struggled over the last 4 years.
The bad news for Wake is, their defense sucks. But the good news for Wake is, MSU's offense also sucks. So it's the other end of the equation [Spartans defense vs. the Deacons offense] that'll decide this game. Jamie Newman has to be on point with his passes tomorrow.)
My prediction: WAKE FOREST 27-20

Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl: Oklahoma State vs. Texas A&M [6:45]
(Wow... So 14 players from the Stanford program has now left for the "transfer portal"... Oh! Sorry, my mind wandered for a bit. It's just that... I already know what's gonna happen in the Texas Bowl: Two teams [one from the Big 12, another formally of the Big 12] capable of putting up points heads out there and does indeed puts up a LOT of points. Yet under Mike Gundy, OK State always does it's best when a bowl game arrives.)
My prediction: TEXAS A&M 48-41 (Because I think A&M needs this one just a LITTLE bit more...)

Holiday Bowl: USC vs. Iowa [8:00, FOX Sports 1]
(Finally! We're getting a ranked vs. ranked match-up in a bowl. And it's one of the most intriguing bouts: USC vs. Iowa. We got a contrast of play-styles and a contrast of lifestyles!
...Okay, that sentence sounded bad, didn't it? You know what else is bad? USC's recruiting class. I think it MIGHT have been because of the whole "Will USC keep Clay or not?" drama thing. But now that USC is retaining Clay [for the moment], the Trojans HAS to win this game to try to get those numbers up. Iowa's defense, however, won't make it easy.)
My prediction: USC 29-21

Cheez-It Bowl: Air Force vs. Washington State [10:15]
(Ugh. THIS stupid-sounding bowl again? ...Oh well, at least this game in Phoenix will give us a fun contest. It's high-scoring Wazzu vs. the grounded, 10-win Falcons of Air Force. And the Falcons has the type of run-orientated offense necessary to keep Anthony Gordon and Wazzu off the field and off of the scoreboard.
Thing is, Wazzu has burned me in my bowl picks the last 3 or 4 years. But if their offense gets going, Air Force is gonna have a tough time keeping up...)
My prediction: WASHINGTON STATE 41-30 (Yep, I'm going for the upset. Don't let me down THIS time, Cougars!)

...and I'm done (for now)! And that was easier than I thought it would be. So... I guess I'll see you guys on Playoff Saturday!

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Quick Lane and Independence Bowl recaps

The Independence Bowl was a total dud: Pretty ugly with not much offense, ESPECIALLY on Miami's end. They let me down big time.

Pittsburgh vs. Eastern Michigan - Game Summary - December 26, 2019 - ESPN And it looked iffy for 59 minutes, but Pitt comes through in the clutch to win a surprisingly good game in Detroit.

Rating for the Independence Bowl: 2 stars
Rating for the Quick Lane Bowl: 3.25 stars