Sunday, December 30, 2018

Vindy's Picks 2018-19 Bowl Predictions: Part III

GRIDIRON SQUAD RESCUES HISTORIC EVENT 
 
PASADENA, California (UPI)…After excessive water-levels put the kibosh on the annual re-enactment of George Washington’s 1776 traversing the Delaware River, the Washington Huskies, in town this week for the Rose Bowl, revived the event and conducted the crossing. Leading the way was QB Jake Browning, sporting the uniform, wig and hat! The UDUB flotilla transported the starting players, coaches, cheerleaders and equipment-managers across nearby Arroyo Seco, approximately 3,000 miles away from where the original trek took place, then marched eight-miles (in fake snow) to engage the Russians...um...Thespians...er...Hessians! 
 
Unable to gain any traction, we went 5-8 in Part II (12-14-1, .462), but remain within striking-distance. Called for intentional-grounding as the picks didn’t make it past the Corona-lime-of-scrimmage and only a cocktail-server in the vicinity are... 
THE WEBER KID’S 2018-2019 BOWL PREDICTIONS PART III: DA’ HAT-TRICK 
(Respondin’ to da’ Domino’s Dinner Bell!) 
 
DEC. 31  
MILITARY BOWL PRESENTED BY NORTHRUP GRUMMAN (@ Annapolis, MD) 
Cincinnati (-6) over Virginia Tech: No faith in Hokies’ ability to stay this close this time and at 6-6 SU, are just here via scheduling 9and defeating Marshall) earlier this month to make-up up for hurricane-cancelled home-game vs. ECU (whom they would’ve likely beaten anyway). Bearkats back in a bowl for first time since poor-effort in 2015’s 42-7 loss to the Aztecs. Cincy lost just twice vs. ten victories (at Temple and at UCF), winning once by fewer than 5 ½ (34-30 vs. fellow-bowler Ohio). Tech was money-searing 4-7 ATS and haven’t finished with less than 7 wins since 2-8-1 record in 1992, also the most-recent time it failed to make the post-season (for those of you scoring at home, that’s 26 years!)...UC 27 VT 17 
 
HYUNDAI SUN BOWL (@ El Paso, TX) 
Pittsburgh (+4 ½) over Stanford: UPSET PICK OF DA’ “WEEK”...Pitt got smoked by CFP #2 Clemson in ACC championship game, but SU ain’t Clemson. 2017 Heisman-bridesmaid Bryce Love managed just a third of his 2017 production and will forgo this contest to prep for the pro-draft. That makes the Trees one-dimensional behind Sophomore QB Costello’s 3400+ pass-yards, with a ratio of 3 TD-passes and a toss ending-up in the hands of the opposition. Pitt’s so-so at #73 on pass-D, conceding 24 aerial-cores and securing 9 interceptions, with 29 sacks. Pitt’s attack is better-balanced and fell in extras at Our Lady a week-after beating Syracuse in overtime. Both clubs own strong-kickers, so 4th-Downs will probably result in far-more FG-attempts than conversion-tries, so we’d favor a slight-look “under 52”...Panthers 28 Cardinal 21 
 
REDBOX BOWL (@ Santa Clara, CA) 
Michigan State vs. Oregon (“over 48”): This year’s Quicksand Bowl. Sparty dropped two of last three, including 9-6 outright defeat, giving the Nebraska Buskers the last of their trio of wins, ahead of post-season-eligible triumph over the Scarlet Naughts (whose only field-victory came in season-opener victory against one-win Rutgers, owner of solo-dubya that came vs. Texas State), and allowed paltry-18 ppg-against and Mallards went 3-3 SU over final half-dozen. Ugggh. However (comma), Drakes, who lit the scoreboard fer 20 at Wazzou (who coughed-up 23.1 ppg), also hung 30 on #5 SDSU scoring-defense (15.5 ppg) and 42 at Berkley (#23 @ 21.3 ppg)...Quack Attack 33 State 24  
 
AUTOZONE LIBERTY BOWL (@ Memphis, TN) 
#24 Missouri vs. Oklahoma State (“under 74”): Mizzou went “under” in 6 of final 8 regular-season tilts and held 4 of last 5 opponents to 17 or fewer. Cowpokes went “over” in 7 of 11, with 5 beyond 74 ½.  State’s beaten 13 of past 15 non-Big 12 foes and has covered 9 of last 10 non-conference tries, but momentum favors the Tigers, who ended the year on a 5-1 SU/4-2 Spread-streak, while OKSU floundered to 2-5 outright skid and are unimpressive 24-22-1 ATS over past four campaigns. MU got blown-out of last year’s Texas Bowl by the Steers...Mizzou 37 OKSU 23 
 
SAN DIEGO COUNTY CREDIT UNION HOLIDAY BOWL (@ San Diego, CA) 
Utah (-7) over Northwestern: Fans in the stands in San Diego should favor the Utes, who with victory, will match first 10-win season since 2015 and whose last non-conference straight-up defeat was 2012. Both clubs lost their respective conference-championship matches...Utah by 7 to UDUB, Wildcats by a boatload to the Buckeyes. NW does get some respect for 3-point loss to Michigan and 10-point loss to Notre Dame, but...Utah 27 N-Dub 17 
 
TAXSLAYER.COM GATOR BOWL (@ Jacksonville, FL) 
NC State vs. #21 Texas A&M (“under 56”): Aggies 24 Wolfpack 23 
 
JAN. 1 
OUTBACK BOWL (@ Tampa, FL) 
#18 Mississippi State (-7) over Iowa: Bulldogs 23 Hawkeyes 12 
 
VRBO CITRUS BOWL (@ Orlando, FL) 
#16 Kentucky (+6 ½) over #13 Penn State: Wildcats three-time thousand-yard-rusher Benny Snell Jr. will play. Unfortunately, former Nittany Lion RB Saquan Barkley will be busy breaking 1200+ yards this Sunday for the NY Giants. Da’ Alma Mater began 3-1 ATS (4-0 “over”) but sallied-forth 6-1-1 “under” for the duration (though mere four games under 47). State took three consecutive games on the scoreboard to close-out the regular-season, but just against down-Wisky, Rutgers and Maryland. Traditionally a hoops-school, upstart-Kentucky can tally inaugural DD-SU victory outing since 1977! A review of 2018 shows Bluegrass Kitties beating fellow-ranked-bowler Mississippi State by 3 TDs, fellow-bowlers Gamecocks by two scores and over also-bowler Florida by 11 on the road. The glitch?!...17-point demise at home-fer-da'-holidays Rocky Top?! Won’t call the upset, but not surprised by it...Happy Valley 20 KY 17 
 
PLAYSTATION FIESTA BOWL (@ Glendale, AZ) 
#11 Louisiana State (-7 ½) over #7 Central Florida: Knights have reeled-off 25 (count ‘em, 25!) consecutive scoreboard-wins (with very nice 18-5 against the spread)! Total-wise, we’re not swayed by the Bengals-Aggies 7OT marathon and note, minus that anomaly, LSU grudgingly-allowed just north of 16 ppg-against. On the other side of the line-of-scrimmage, UCF toppled all but one foe (Memphis by 31-30) by DD, bangin’ da’ ‘board for more-than-44 ppg.  Tigers have gone down just once to a Group-of-Five squad...24-21 to Troy...in Baton Rouge...in 2017 when Trojans lone defeats came at Boise State and surprisingly at home vs. South ‘Bama. Golden Paladins’ win-streak and bowl-victory over Auburn last year will be bulletin-board material in the LSU locker-room!...Geaux Tigers 30 UCF 22
 
ROSE BOWL GAME PRESENTED BY NORTHWESTERN MUTUAL (@ Pasadena, CA) 
#5 Ohio State (-6 ½) over #9 Washington: Dissed by the CFP committee, though it’s tough to erase the one-stumble...29-point demise at Purdue...Buckeyes will endeavor to send Urban Meyer to his next occupation a winner over a PAC-12 opponent in not-bad consolation-prize Rose Bowl. Huskies entered campaign having lost just a single non-conference contest in each of the previous three seasons and quickly went down vs. Auburn in the opener. Two NC SU losses in a year would be news-indeed. Sled Dogs went 4-8 ATS despite 10-3 outright tally, including loses by 3 at Oregon and 2 at Berkley. We think OSU would have handled both those opponents at any venue by at least a TD. Having said that, State got lucky a couple times itself, getting past da’ Alma Meter by 1, Nebraska by 5 and the Box Turtles by 1. OSU has been triumphant 4 times in last 5 on neutral sites and should send Urban Meyer to his new-position a winner...THE Ohio State University 27 UDUB 13
 
ALLSTATE SUGAR BOWL (@ New Orleans, LA) 
#14 Texas (+13) over #16 Georgia: Horns 5-1 ATS last half-dozen neutral-site matches. ‘Dawgs wanted CFP...Joja’ 34 Steers 29 
 
BETWEEN DA’ HASHMARKS
 
Knuckle-head of Da’ Week goes to LSU LB Devin White for providing his opponent bulletin-board material by calling UCF’s national championship claim “embarrassing” and a “media stunt”. Might be true, nonetheless...shut-up and play ball! 
 
Earlier in the week, Pittsburgh wide-out offered a mea culpa for committing the turnover that sealed the Saints’ victory with under a minute to-play last Sunday. The receiver further blamed the miscue on evil Jamaican magic AKA “bad Ju-Ju"! 
 
The Oakland Raiders’ practice-squad includes Cayson Collins, a veteran of Fed-Ex! Players and coaches are relying on the (position) to get the ball there “absolutely, positively by the two-minute-warning"!
 
In a follow-up to our Part II lead story, the LSU Bengals hoops squad will feature a recording of Roy Orbison or Linda Ronstadt crooning “Blue Bayou” next week vs. ‘Bama! 
 
Currently under-fire for its controversial-lyrics, the classic-tune...“Baby, it’s bowls outside!” 
 
Wish We Had It Back: Uh-huh, we designated Temple –3 ½ over Duke as “wish”-pick after noting the Blue Devils beat the line in 15 of previous 18 games outside the ACC! 
 
Black Shirt: We tailor the terrific-tee for Arkansas State K Blake Grupe fer getting one FG-try blocked and missing another by a country-mile, allowing Reno (+1 ½) to beat the Red Wolves 16-13 in OT!  
 
Vindy’s Bowl Predictions Part III Best Bets: Part II: 2-2 Season: 34-33-1 (.507) 
Cincinnati-Va. Tech “under 53 ½”, Missouri –9 over Oklahoma State, Mississippi State-Iowa “under 42”, Ohio State vs. Washington “under 57 ½”   
 
On the horizon...one final-appearance of da’ Picks to offer some thoughts on the National Championship game and...left-over hash! (Yes, we know that’s redundant!)