It was refreshing this past Saturday when one of the least popular college bowl games, in my opinion, ended up being one of the most exciting, emotional and dramatic games of the day.
The Camellia Bowl, won by Georgia Southern over Eastern Michigan on a last-second field goal, was just an amazing game to watch and a game that captured what this college bowl season is all about.
Hopefully there’ll be more games like that in the coming days and weeks..
We have eight bowl games to look at this week so let’s get right to them.
Wednesday
Frisco Bowl – Ohio (-2.5) vs San Diego State: The Aztecs finished what was supposed to be a promising year with back-to-back losses at home vs. Hawaii and UNLV. They do own a good run defense and Ohio likes to run. But the Bobcats have a QB in Nathan Rourke who can also get it done in the air, having thrown for 2,225 yards and 22 TDs. Ohio looks to have the offensive power to win it. OHIO
Thursday
Gasparilla Bowl – Marshall (-2.5) vs. South Florida: The Thundering Herd has been just that in bowl games, going 11-1 SU and ATS in its last 12 postseason appearances. After a 7-0 start, South Florida lost their last five games of the regular season, so momentum isn’t on the side of the Bulls. Look for the Marshall defense to get the win. MARSHALL
Friday
Bahamas Bowl – Florida International (+6.5) vs. Toledo: What a difference a head coach can make. Scott Frost did it at UCF and Butch Davis is doing it at Florida International. FIU narrowly lost its last game of the year, 28-25, but still won two of their last three games. Toledo was very good at home but not so successful on the road. FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL
Potato Bowl – BYU vs. Western Michigan (+13): If Western Michigan could beat fellow bowler Northern Illinois, they can hang with BYU, which has gone 0-4 SU and ATS in its last four bowl games. Broncos head coach Tim Lester has been an ATS winner when getting double digit vs non-conference going 4-1 ATS. WESTERN MICHIGAN
Saturday
Birmingham Bowl – Wake Forest (+3.5) vs. Memphis: Really like the ‘dog in this spot with Memphis blowing a 38-21 halftime lead in their last game vs undefeated UCF, which outscored them 35-3 in the second half. Wake Forest comes into this game with momentum, having ended the season with a resounding 59-7 win over Duke. WAKE FOREST
Armed Forces Bowl – Houston vs. Army (-3.5): The Army and their great running game along with their smothering defense in the Armed Forces Bowl is a no-brainer and we remember it took Oklahoma OT to beat them. ARMY
General Bowl – Buffalo vs. Troy (+2): Troy will have the stands full of supporters with the game in Mobile. The Troy defense was great most of the year but did stumble late. We see them coming up huge in this spot. TROY
Hawaii Bowl – Louisiana Tech (+1) vs. Hawaii: This bettor will be sound asleep when these two meet. Tech played LSU close, losing late 28-21, and we think they are very excited to be in this game. Our scout in New Orleans tells us that they will have a big contingent making the trip. LOUISIANA TECH
Last week: 2-2
Season: 35-48-1