Chapter 14

I got to say, one of my favorite things to do is to go Bowling. My senior year at Rutgers, my housemates and I would hit up the bowling alley every Thursday night. From 10pm-1am it was $10 all you can bowl, and the bar had drink specials! Sheesh, count me in! There would usually be six to eight of us confirmed, and while we were in class we would draft teams. I was never the first pick, and early on I flirted with last pick, but towards the end of the year I was a solid contributor. It almost felt the more twisted teas we had, the better I got. And yes, I drank twisted teas on Thursday nights in a near empty bowling alley with the boys because #college

Tis the season to the beautiful college FOOTBALL bowl season. Once upon a time, when Rutgers was relevant in football (our first year in the Big Ten) I went to a bowl game with the Rutgers football team. I learned a LOT about bowl season. First off, the teams get extra practices, well because they get an extra game. These practices aren’t fully used to prepare for the game. This is an amazing opportunity for the underclassmen to get reps in practice, to build towards next season. Bowl prep doesn’t really start till you fly out to the destination.

That is also where the vacation begins. It is typical to fly out about four days before the bowl game. For Rutgers, we went to beautiful Detroit. Now, if practices are typically 2 hours, bowl practices felt one hour. Us, and North Carolina had a strict time limit for when we could be on Ford Field. Practices were quick and efficient. When practices were over, well hello freedom! Since I was an equipment manager, and not a player, I had nothing to do. We all got a per diem for food, and balled out on meals! It was pretty fun hanging with ten of my best friends in a city just having the time of our lives. The players still had things to do. They go to all the main attractions of the bowl destination. The Rutgers team went to places like the GM plant. Then when they got back to the hotel, they had plenty of team meetings.

This is the reason why bowl games are very hard to bet on. There is a lot less preparation for the lesser of bowl games, compared to a normal game week. On top of that, it truly felt our opponents, UNC didn’t want to be there. Rutgers got off to a hot start up 23-0 at half! There just tends to be a motivation issue for one team, and it is close to impossible to find out which team that will be before kickoff.

Bowl games are unpredictable. It is pretty much a vacation for the players, and the big motivation is the ring. Even Quick Lane Bowl winners get a ring, equipment managers too!

Recap:
#20 Arizona State (+6) vs. Nevada – Push. Nevada 72 Arizona State 66.
Army (-7) vs. Navy – Push. Army 17 Navy 10.
Browns vs. Panthers Over (47) – Miss. Browns 26 Panthers 20. ONE POINT
Saints (-8) at Bucs – HIT! Saints 25 Bucs 14.
Eagles (+3.5) at Cowboys – Miss. Cowboys 29 Eagles 23 (OT) #refs
Rough week! 2 Pushes, a one-point loss and an overtime loss!

All of that being said, for the next couple of weeks I will be picking every bowl game despite the unpredictability. Let me know what you think, agreeing or disagreeing! Let the games begin.

Saturday Dec. 15

Alcorn State (+8) vs. North Carolina A&T – This new bowl game started in 2015, and is played by the MEAC and the SWAC, or the two predominantly Historically Black Colleges and Universities conferences. A&T has been in this bowl for two out of its first three years, winning both by 7. I like for this trend to continue, as I believe A&T will win again but be in another battle. I will be tuning in to this game, especially for the best halftime show in all the bowls!
North Carolina A&T 31 Alcorn State 25

Louisiana (+3.5) vs. Tulane – The Ragin Cajuns of Louisiana burned me once, winning but not covering in Chapter 10. They still won though! The key for Louisiana will be if they can establish the run early. If they don’t get punched in the mouth early, they will be fine. You do not want Louisiana playing catch-up tossing the ball around. Tulane comes in to this game winning four of its last five! But that is almost slightly deceiving, as the four teams they beat were a combined 8-24 in conference play. They might be hot, but I am not buying the level of opponents they bullied on.
Louisiana 28 Tulane 27

Utah State (-7.5) vs. North Texas – This game should be FUN! Both teams have a great offense led by great quarterbacks. We were introduced early to North Texas, in Chapter 2 thanks to Dante. But as of late, they have barely been winning against inferior opponents. Utah State lost two games this season, both on the road against ranked teams. Their spread it out system allowed quarterback Jordan Love to shine. I personally don’t think it’s a big factor when coaches leave before a bowl game, because at the end of the day it’s a players game. Utah State’s head coach is on his way to Texas Tech, and that is because Utah State has been dominant this season.
Utah State 42 North Texas 31

#21 Fresno State (-4) vs. Arizona State – First off, shout out to Arizona State. Before the start of the season the tasked Herm Edwards to coach the team #YouPlayToWinTheGame and led them to a 7-5 record. It helped having future NFL wide receiver N’Keal Harry on ASU, who wont play in the bowl game to focus on the NFL draft. I feel Fresno State will play with a chip on their shoulders, and so does one of the hottest touts in Union County. “The Undertaker” and I had breakfast earlier this week and we dissected this game. The Undertaker has been hitting everything lately, and has seemed to figure out the system. The main reason we like this game is that Fresno is a “group of five” school, when ASU is a “power five” school. Fresno will want to show they can play with the big boys in this statement game.
Fresno State 31 Arizona State 24

Georgia Southern (-2) vs. Eastern Michigan – Eastern Michigan finished the season hot, going 5-1! Their one loss? It was against Army 37-22. Army runs the triple option offense, and so does Georgia Southern. Georgia Southern will throw it a tad more then Army, but overall, they are a ground team. This is a perfect matchup for them to win this one.
Georgia Southern 24 Eastern Michigan 20

Appalachian State (-7) vs. Middle Tennessee – App State had a phenomenal season, loosing its first game at Penn State by only 7, and only slipping up once more the following 11 weeks. Their coach is off to Louisville, but I don’t think that will affect the Mountaineers. Middle Tennessee is no joke either, but App State’s foundation is still in tact. With their tough defense, and good running game, I expect App state to handle business on an excellent season.
Appalachian State 28 Middle Tennessee 17

Tuesday Dec. 18

UAB (-2.5) vs. Northern Illinois – UAB disbanded their football team for a couple of years after the 2014 season. In 2017 they came back, but lost their bowl game. At 10-3, this is their year to celebrate. They won the C-USA this year thanks to a dominant defense that shut three teams out this season. Northern Illinois did upset Buffalo in the MAC Championship, but watching that game, it felt like Buffalo lost control. I’ll take UAB in a physical battle.
UAB 21 Northern Illinois 17

Wednesday Dec. 19

Ohio (-3) vs. San Diego State – SDSU had a stretch where they won six in a row, but then lost four of their final five. Ohio on the other hand took care of business, losing three tight games, and the other was on the road in Virginia. Papi White, along with having one of the best names in college, is an elite playmaker who will look to cap off his college career with a win. He averages an outstanding 16 yards per touch throughout his career. He is my X-factor for the DXL Frisco Bowl!
Ohio 30 San Diego State 25

Thursday Dec. 20

Marshall (-2.5) vs. South Florida – It seems like just yesterday USF was 7-0 and ranked 21st. Well, it was only two months ago on October 20. That was USF’s last win, as they lost the last five, all by double digits. This team is reeling. Marshall doesn’t really have a strength. They are an average, balanced offense behind a decent defense. I feel this bodes well for them because there is multiple ways they can beat you.
Marshall 27 South Florida 21

Thank you,
Goose