With no shot to finish Part I in its entirety prior this weekend's bowl-season kick-off, we simply offer a few thoughts and score-predictions on Saturday's slate of five contests...
SAT. DEC. 16
R&L NEW ORLEANS BOWL (@ New Orleans, LA)
Troy (-7) over North Texas: Fun Belt champion Trojans posted second-consecutive 10-win season while losing just a pair...acceptable defeat at Boise to start the campaign and a surprising home-loss to South 'Bama later on. Mean Green went 9-4 straight-up. Both covered 4 of 6 away from the friendly-confines. Troy was dismal 1-6 as chalk, but 5 of those were double-digit lines. We prefer Trojans' signature-victory 24-21 over the Bayou Bengals at Baton Rouge over UNT's best-win 52-49 in Denton over Army while in revenge-mode for 38-31 demise vs. West Point in the 2016 Heart of Dallas Bowl...Troy 34 North Texas 24
AUTONATION CURE BOWL (@ Orlando, FL)
Western Kentucky (-6 ½) over Georgia State: Despite 'Toppers coughing-up over 35 ppg over last six games and being beaten by the better-teams on the schedule, Joja' State doesn't qualify as such and we can't in all good conscience back a team that hit the board for 10 or fewer five times on the year. Panthers' home-triumph over very-solid Memphis earlier musta' come with Criss Angel on the sidelines...WKY 31 GSU 19
LAS VEGAS BOWL (@ Sin City, NV)
#25 Boise State (+7) over Oregon: Ducks' star rusher Royce Freeman has decided to protect his assets ahead of the NFL Draft and will ride the pine for this one. A couple other Mallards may follow suit by game-time. Broncos hope to get a couple of injured players back on the field before it's over. Drakes went dormant for mid-season four-game slump before taking and covering three of last four to get here. After winning 10, but beating the line in just three last season, Broncos have 8 spread-wins to-date, but haven't recorded trademark-victory over a Power Five squad. State just missed in 47-44 loss at Wazzou in September and could garner the upset here. Further distracting Oregon is Willie Taggart's departure to coach at Florida State...a fact that was publicly-lambasted by an O-lineman...Pond People 37 Boise State 34
GILDAN NEW MEXICO BOWL (@ Albuquerque, NM)
Marshall (+5 ½) over Colorado State: UPSET PICK. Both clubs stagger into this one, with Rams, once thought a contender for Group-of-Five berth in New Year's Six contest, falling three times in last four tilts and Marshall on the wrong-side of scoreboard in four of last five. State has gone 0-3/0-3 past three post-season outings. Herd put seven in the win-column in 2017 and go bowlin' for first time since 2015. Rams suck on neutral sites, losing last five tries outright, including 17-3 at hands of rival-Bison in Denver earlier this year. Marshall covered all four non-conference games on the season and is on a roll following last year's three-win "effort". Vindy owns a few GILDAN-made sweatshirts himself and hopes to get a free one bearing the logo of...Marshall 27 CSU 24
RAYCOM MEDIACAMELLIA BOWL (@ Montgomery, AL)
Arkansas State vs. Middle Tennessee State ("under 63 ½): Best guess for "wish we had it back". Previous trends suggest the majority (even if simple-majority) of early bowl melees result in chalk-and-over and Red Wolves yielded 43 at Nebraska, 44 at Sudden Methadone and (GASP!) fitty at Weeziana-Monroe. Nonetheless, ASU finished "under" in five of final six matches while Blue Raiders ended up below the total in eight of their first nine...Arkansas State 29 MTSU 24
No worries, we'll return in full-regalia on December 18 to present the rest of Part One!
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