1. Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl: Syracuse vs Minnesota
Thursday, December 29, 2:00, ESPN
ATS Line Minnesota -10
PICK Minnesota
Oh do I so hate giving away double-digit points in a bowl game.
In this flake-fest of an exhibition season, when in doubt, take the underdog, especially if it’s catching ten or more points. But at least in this you should know exactly what you’re getting.
Syracuse won’t have star RB Sean Tucker. That’s okay – he wasn’t used as much as he should’ve been this year – but it’s still going to sting to not having him around. Even with him, Syracuse totally fell off the map over the second half of the season.
It got blown out by ten or more in four straight games before closing with a win over a putrid Boston College team.
And it’s not just Tucker.
Part of the reason for the slide was a defense that was decimated by injuries. That didn’t exactly get better going into this, with a line that’s already thin to go along with a secondary that got hammered by the transfer portal.
On the other side, Minnesota is missing some parts in the secondary, too, but the offensive line is still amazing – John Michael Schmitz is probably the best center going into the draft, and he’s playing – and it’s going to pave the way for Mohamed Ibrahim and the rotation of Gopher backs that will keep on pounding.
At least Ibrahim is expected to play.
The program has won four straight bowl games, PJ Fleck’s team took down West Virginia 18-6 last year, and the Gophers should show up large to this, too.
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Expert Picks Dec 28-Jan 2, NY6, CFP