Chapter 17

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL !! Let me tell y’all, I was in Buffalo this weekend and I cannot wait to go back! Shout out my EQ buddy Phil for great hospitality, Rochester is a cool city. The party started in Buffalo though! I was feeling good once Clemson dominated Notre Dame! Time to go back to AC, I have something to pick up now! #BillsMafia puts on a good time at their tailgates, it was all worth the hype! I didn’t see any one jump threw a folding table unfortunately, but it was still a great scene. The fans are extremely passionate, and the atmosphere was just different. I am excited to relax and watch some good football on the couch this weekend. Its time to turn down… probably for the whole month. Buffalo did me well, but like a bear, I’m going to sleep all January.

I am not going through all 19 of last week’s College Football Bowl picks, that’s just tedious. You can look back at my article Chapter 16 for that! I will list the New Year’s Six bowls though.

Recap:
Clemson (-13) vs. Notre Dame – HIT! Clemson 30 Notre Dame 3
Alabama (-13) vs. Oklahoma – Miss. Alabama 45 Oklahoma 34
LSU (-7.5) vs. UCF – HIT! LSU 40 UCF 32
Penn State (-6.5) vs. Kentucky – Miss. Kentucky 27 Penn State 24
Ohio State (-6.5) vs. Washington – Miss. Ohio State 28 Washington 23
Texas (+13) vs. Georgia – HIT! Texas 28 Georgia 21
NY6: 3-3
Last week: 9-10
Bowl Season 23-16-2 !!

We have one more college football game but it was a hell of a run! The Korner started on college football. My buddies and I would chill at the local watering hole last season and constantly pick games. Its always been all for fun, and WOW the blog has been super fun. I will continue a weekly blog through the NFL playoffs, but no promises after that. It is much easier to sporadically pick a basketball game on Twitter, and then dive in to a whole article. Maybe I will have to adapt and expand my arsenal with other sports topics besides picking spreads. We’ll worry about that another day! Let’s focus on this slate with a write up on the games with spreads! BOL!

Colts (+1.5) vs. Texans – The Colts are the hottest team in the NFL finishing the season 9-1. I’m not sure what happened a month ago against the Jaguars where the Colts lost 6-0, but besides that they are averaging 31 points in their last nine wins. Andrew Luck in the playoffs has nine touchdowns and twelve interceptions, which is concerning. He hasn’t been to the playoffs since the 2014-15 season, though. The Texans are led by Deshaun Watson. Albeit in college, when the lights got bright in Clemson, Watson elevated his game to a whole new level. Watson is also throwing to, in my opinion, the best receiver in football, Deandre “Nuk” Hopkins. What’s unfortunate for the Texans is that Demaryius Thomas, their #2 receiver is not playing. With the lack of playmakers on offense, the Texans will need to bring it on defense. The Colts have arguably the best offensive line though, so I believe Luck won’t take that many hits. Give me Luck in this one, and its also nice that the Colts have a hall-of-fame kicker to get this late game winner.
Colts 31 Texans 28

Cowboys (-2) vs. Seahawks – When I began to write this article, this was my lock of the weekend. I got off the phone with Unc, who I’ve introduced you to before. Unc is a West Coast legend, who chills in a triangle. From Arizona to Vegas to Los Angeles, they constantly pick his mind, looking for tips! This should be the quickest game played this weekend as both teams pound the rock. The Cowboys are built to pull this one out. Amari Cooper has been below 40 yards the past three games, yet they are 2-1 in that stretch. It’s the playoff time now, and I am sure they will get him back involved. They also have Zeke. Zeke is one of the most gifted runners I’ve ever seen. Way back when, when the Goose worked for Rutgers, I stood next to Zeke when Ohio State came to town. His calves were the size of my thighs, and I am not even exaggerating. Combine that with a Cowboys home field begging to see a home playoff win, I think the Boys pull it out at “Club Jerry World”.
Cowboys 24 Seahawks 20

Chargers (+2.5) vs. Ravens – The Chargers are probably happy they are playing on the road. They play in a tiny soccer stadium in L.A, plus they are 7-1 on the road this year. A couple of weeks ago the Ravens went to L.A, and delivered a beat down to the Chargers. The Ravens run a very unconventional offense, based on a lot of designed runs by Lamar Jackson. While this has been very successful, the Chargers got a test run and I’m thinking have learned from it. The Chargers are too talented on both sides of the ball to lose in the first round. The Chargers offense can hurt you in so many ways. They have a veteran quarterback, a running game that’s a 1-2 punch, and receivers with different skill sets. You want to go up top, go to Mike Williams; you need a first down, look for Keenan Allen over the middle. The Ravens turned their season around when they switched to Lamar Jackson, but the magic ends Sunday.
Chargers 24 Ravens 20

Bears (-6) vs. Eagles – Why oh why do I do this to myself all the time. Last year in the playoffs, I didn’t believe in the Eagles. Wentz got benched this year, and I write them off again. The Eagles are riding high, winning the last three, all led by Foles. Last playoff run though, the Eagles were blessed with home-field advantage. I don’t think they can do it on the road this season. The Bears are beginning to click. They are finally feeding Jordan Howard more, while still using Tarik Cohen in the backfield #ThunderAndLightning. This Bears team is very similar to the Jaguars last season. The defense will have to carry Trubisky (lets remember Bortles had a heck of a playoff run). Trubisky is lucky enough to have one of the best offensive-minded head coaches in the league. Coach Nagy will have a great game script to help the Bears punch the Eagles in the mouth. If Khalil Mack can get to Foles early, it will be a long and quiet flight back home to Philadelphia for the Eagles.
Bears 21 Eagles 13

Clemson (+5.5) vs. Alabama – Do you believe in miracles? Alright, I don’t think Clemson can pull this out, but they can keep it close. Alabama is a machine, straight historic. But Clemson ain’t bad themselves. Clemson has beaten Alabama before in the College Football Playoffs and while he’s young, many say Trevor Lawrence has a higher ceiling then Deshaun Watson. This Clemson defense might be the best run defense Alabama has faced, even without star defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence. Alabama has Tua though, so it won’t be the biggest game changer if the run gets shut down. Trevor Lawrence is a true freshman, but having an experienced Clemson team around him, and Coach Dabo Swinney will definitely help him. This will be a nail biter Monday night, so get your rest over the weekend. You will be tired Tuesday.
Alabama 38 Clemson 34

Thank you,
Goose