Tag: College Football Predictions

College Football Expert Picks, Predictions Bowl Games December 16-19

College football expert picks and predictions for the bowl games from December 16th through the 19th along with Army-Navy

College football expert picks, predictions for all of the bowl games from December 16th through the 19, along with Army vs Navy

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* next to the pick means the team will win, but not cover.
Click on each game for the game preview and CFN Prediction

Bowl Game College Football Expert Picks 
Army vs Navy | Bahamas: Miami Univ vs UAB
Cure: UTSA vs Troy | Fenway: Cin vs Louisville
Celeb: NC Cen vs JSU | New Mex: BYU vs SMU
LA: Fresno St vs Wazzu | LTree: Rice vs USM
Vegas: Florida vs Oreg St | Frisco: UNT vs Boise St
Myrtle: UConn vs Marshall | Results So Far

Bowl Schedule, Predictions | Ranking all 41 Bowls
CFN Experts Picks: Bowls December 16th-19th

Army vs Navy

Line: Navy -1.5, o/u: 32.5

Eric Bolin, RazorbacksWire.com: Army
Evan Bredeson, CornhuskersWire.com: Army
Tony Cosolo, ColoradoBuffaloesWire.com: Army
Jeff Feyerer, CFN: Navy
Pete Fiutak, CFN: Navy
Cami Griffin, LonghornsWire.com: Navy
Dan Harralson, VolsWire.com: Army
Phil Harrison, BuckeyesWire.com: Navy
Jeremy Mauss, MWwire.com Army
Kevin McGuire, NittanyLionsWire.com: Navy*
Big Game Ben Niewoehner, CFN Navy
E, CFN Army
Tyler Nettuno, LSUTigerswire.com Army
Zack Pearson, TarHeelswire.com Navy
Johnny Rosenstein, SportsBookWire.com: Navy
Nick Shepkowski, FightingIrishWire.com: Army
Scott Steehn, WinnersandWhiners.com: Army
Joe Vitale, UGAWire.com: Navy
Clucko the Chicken (a coin flip), CFN: Army
CONSENSUS PICK: Army

CFN Experts Picks: Bowls December 16th-19th

NEXT: Miami University vs UAB Expert Picks Predictions

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Boise State vs North Texas Frisco Bowl Prediction Game Preview

Boise State vs North Texas game preview, prediction, and breakdown for the Frisco Bowl on Saturday, December 17

Boise State vs North Texas prediction, game preview, odds, how to watch. Frisco Bowl, Saturday, December 17

Boise State vs North Texas Frisco Bowl Prediction Game Preview

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Boise State vs North Texas How To Watch

Date: Saturday, December 17
Game Time: 9:15 ET
Venue: Toyota Stadium, Frisco, TX
How To Watch: ESPN
Record: Boise State (9-4), North Texas (7-6)
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Boise State vs North Texas Frisco Bowl 5 Things To Know

Frisco Bowl Prediction, What’s Going To Happen, History

– Boise State probably deserved a bigger spotlight – not to bowl shame – but the Mountain West tie-ins weren’t anything amazing. It might have missed out on the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl with the Mountain West Championship loss to Fresno State, but there’s a shot at the first ten-win season since 2019 – that’s a long drought for this program.

After a midseason change of quarterbacks and offensive coordinators, the running game became dominant, the defense was among the best in the nation, and this is a chance to show off in the late night game at the end of a LONG day of football.

– North Texas also lost its conference championship game – dropping the Conference USA title to UTSA 48-27 – but even with a relatively successful year and a bowl appearance, the program sacked head coach Seth Littrell. Veteran head man Phil Bennett will take over for this, and then Washington State receivers coach Eric Morris will step in. Part of the problem for Littrell was …

– North Texas has been awful in bowl games. It lost its last five and seven of eight since 2002. Not only have the Mean Green lost in the recent post-season, they got trucked in four straight blowouts. The program is just 2-10 all-time in bowls starting with a loss to Nevada in your 1947 Salad Bowl. But …

– Boise State hasn’t exactly been a killer in this things lately. The first bowl appearance was in 1999 under head coach and now offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter. After winning four straight and getting out to an 11-5 bowl start up until 2016, the Broncos have lost two of their last three, weren’t able to play in the 2018 First Responder, and last year got hosed when UCLA had to back out of the Holiday at the last second. This is the team’s first bowl game since 2019. They haven’t won one since 2017.

– The Frisco Bowl has been a tad rocky so far, to be nice about it. This is the fifth time the game has been played with the 2020 version canceled, and the other four … they weren’t anything great. Kent State’s 51-41 win over Utah State in 2019 was a fun shootout, but that’s as close a game as there out of the four.

CFN Bowl Expert Picks: Dec 16-19 | Dec 20-27

Why Boise State Will Win The Frisco Bowl

Defense. Yeah … North Texas doesn’t really do that.

It’s 124th in the nation in total D, it has a hard time getting off the field, and worst of all in this, it struggles against the run. There isn’t enough pressure delivered into the backfield to generate enough big plays.

It played one Mountain West team this year, and got run over by UNLV for 365 yards in a 58-27 loss.

Boise State picked up the running game with 316 yards in a late September win over San Diego State, ran for 316 more yards in the win over Fresno State the following week, and everything kept on rolling from there. On the year the team is 7-0 when running for 148 yards or more.

North Texas allows 188 rushing yards per game. However …

Why North Texas Will Win The Frisco Bowl

North Texas has enough of an offense to be a problem for the Broncos.

The run defense isn’t going to slow down George Holani and company from getting their yards, but the Mean Green ground game needs to rip off big runs of their own.

They have a veteran in quarterback Austin Aune who can keep things moving with his midrange passes, but it needs to be the rotation of several good young running backs that has to keep grinding. Boise State doesn’t allow a slew of big, gashing runs, but it’s just 3-3 this season when giving up 150 yards or more.

North Texas hit that mark in every game but three, and lost all of them. In the other ten games it’s 7-3 when it’s able to control things a bit.

Boise State has had its breakdowns at times, and it suffered a power outage in the Mountain West Championship with just 321 yards of total offense. The team is 1-4 when failing to get to 325 yards, but …

Frisco Bowl Prediction, What’s Going To Happen, History

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Rice vs Southern Miss LendingTree Bowl Prediction, Game Preview

Rice vs Southern Miss game preview, prediction, and breakdown for the LendingTree Bowl on Saturday, December 17

Rice vs Southern Miss prediction, game preview, odds, how to watch. LendingTree Bowl, Saturday, December 17

Rice vs Southern Miss LendingTree Bowl Prediction Game Preview

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Rice vs Southern Miss How To Watch

Date: Saturday, December 17
Game Time: 5:45 ET
Venue: Hancock Whitney Stadium, Mobile, AL
How To Watch: ESPN
Record: Rice (5-7), Southern Miss (6-6)
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Rice vs Southern Miss LendingTree Bowl 5 Things To Know

LendingTree Bowl Prediction, What’s Going To Happen, History

– There weren’t quite enough eligible teams, so the bowl types had to dip into the APR (Academic Progress Rate) among the five-win teams and Rice was on top of the list. It’s not exactly coming in rolling, losing its last three games and four of its last five, but the energy and interest will be there. The program caught a break, and it’ll play like it.

– Southern Miss isn’t exactly rolling into this, but it was able to get the job done with a win over ULM to break a three-game losing streak and get bowl eligible. It’s not going to bring a high-powered offense, but it has a way of keeping games close.

– It’s USM’s first bowl appearance under head coach Will Hall and the program’s first post-season game since 2019. However, it hasn’t won one since taking down Louisiana in the 2016 New Orleans, and it’s 3-6 since winning the 2008 New Orleans.

– This is just the 13th bowl appearance for Rice, going 7-5 in the first 12. It’s the first appearance wince beating Fresno State in the 2014 Hawaii, going 3-1 in the last four bowls after a four-bowl losing streak that reached back into the 1950s.

– The bowl has gone through a few transformations when it comes to the name – the game had six different name changes since 1999 as it settled into LendingTree at the end of the 2019 season – and it’s way overdue for a good game. The first three LendingTrees were all decided by double-digits, and there hasn’t been a close version since Troy beat Ohio 28-23 in the 2016 Dollar General. To make this worse, seven of the last eight games have been relative blowouts.

CFN Bowl Expert Picks: Dec 16-19 | Dec 20-27

Why Rice Will Win The LendingTree Bowl

Again, Southern Miss isn’t going to crank out a whole lot of offense to put this out of reach. It struggles on third downs, the offensive line is too leaky, and there are way, way, way too many turnovers.

They chilled out late with just two in the last three games, but before that the offense gave it away multiple times in five straight. The Rice offense could use the help.

The Owls should always have the ball. They’re great at controlling the tempo and winning the time of possession battle, and Southern Miss – partly because of the problems on third downs – only keeps the ball for 28:40 a game.

Owning the running game on both sides is a must. Rice is 0-6 vs FBS teams when allowing more than 155 yards and 4-1 when it doesn’t. Southern Miss hit the 155-yard mark just four times.

But about those turnovers ….

Why Southern Miss Will Win The LendingTree Bowl

Southern Miss had a turnover problem throughout the season, but that’s nothing compared to the problems Rice had. It gave it up 30 times on the year with 13 coming in the last four games.

The fumbling is bad, the interceptions are worse and overall the team was dead last in the nation – tied with Northwestern – for the most giveaways.

The Southern Miss defense might not be a rock, but good things happen when it stops the run – the team is 5-1 when it allows fewer than 150 rushing yards.

It all stems from one of the nation’s best pass rushes. All of that pressure is the last thing the Rice offense needs. Get in the Owl backfield, force mistakes.

LendingTree Bowl Prediction, What’s Going To Happen, History

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BYU vs SMU New Mexico Bowl Prediction Game Preview

BYU vs SMU game preview, prediction, and breakdown for the New Mexico Bowl on Saturday, December 17

BYU vs SMU prediction, game preview, odds, how to watch. New Mexico Bowl, Saturday, December 17

BYU vs SMU New Mexico Bowl Prediction Game Preview

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BYU vs SMU How To Watch

Date: Saturday, December 17
Game Time: 7:30 ET
Venue: University Stadium, Albuquerque, NM
How To Watch: ABC
Record: BYU (7-5), SMU (7-5)
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BYU vs SMU New Mexico Bowl 5 Things To Know

New Mexico Bowl Prediction, What’s Going To Happen, History

– It’s the last game for BYU before being off to the Big 12 next season, and SMU would love to show the conference what it’s missing. As is, the matchup has the potential to be fun offensive show depending on the parts still around – more on that in a moment – and worth the watch if and when the Miami-Buffalo game gets dull. This will be rolling as the NFL day finishes up.

– BYU was a relative clunker in last year’s Independence Bowl loss to UAB. It lost two of its last three bowl games and five of its last eight, but head coach Kalani Sitake is 3-2 in the post-season in his six seasons.

– It’s a nice way to end SMU head coach Rhett Lashlee’s second season. His team won four of the last five games, the offense showed off a ton of passing firepower, and the program will be jacked to get to play in this after the last two bowl games were canceled including last year’s Fenway against Virginia. SMU hasn’t won a bowl since taking down Fresno State in the 2021 Hawaii.

– The New Mexico Bowl has normally been a home for a Mountain West team, but BYU ended up being the fit. The Mountain West won the last four and seven of the last nine, and none of games were particularly amazing. Last year’s 31-24 Fresno State win over UTEP was okay, but there hasn’t been a ton of scoring since Colorado State’s 48-45 win over Washington State in 2013. This New Mexico Bowl should change that.

– It’s just the fourth time these two programs will meet – BYU is 3-0. The last time was a 19-16 Cougar win back in 1997, but if you’re interested at all in the history of college football, the 1980 Holiday Bowl – a miraculous 46-45 comeback victory led by BYU QB Jim McMahon – continues to be among the greatest bowl games of all-time.

CFN Bowl Expert Picks: Dec 16-19 | Dec 20-27

Why BYU Will Win The New Mexico Bowl

Run, run, run, and keep on running.

SMU might have a big-time offense that scores in bunches and takes teams out of their gameplans, but BYU should be able to get that big offensive line going right away and get physical.

RB Christopher Brooks came back after missing two weeks and ripped off 266 yards averaging close to eight yards per pop in the final two games – this will be his game to dominate.

On the other side, time of possession is relatively meaningless because of how quick SMU the passing game works. There’s a big problem with that – you have to beat BYU on the ground.

The Cougars are 7-0 when allowing fewer than 205 rushing yards and 0-5 when allowing more. SMU only hit the 200-yard mark three times, and all came against mediocre-to-awful run defenses.

There’s one big question mark, though, that could affect all of this …

Why SMU Will Win The New Mexico Bowl

BYU has a massive injury concern at quarterback. Jaren Hall was brilliant all year throwing for close to 3,200 yards with 31 touchdowns and just six picks, and he was second on the team in rushing. He’s very, very questionable – and most likely out – with an ankle injury which means the Cougars might have to turn to …

Uhhhhhh. That’s a great question if Hall can’t go. No one else on the roster has thrown more than one pass this year.

SMU is going to be more concerned about its own offense. Yeah, SMU wins when it runs well, but it wants to throw and throw some more. BYU was able to hold up in wins over Stanford and Utah Tech – allowing over 300 passing yards in each game – but it’s 2-4 when allowing 220 yards or more.

SMU seems like it gets 220 passing yards on the first drive – the loss to Cincinnati was the only time it didn’t get there.

BYU doesn’t have a problem keeping up the pace if the passing game works and the points are flowing, but this is probably going to be a back-and-forth fight. That means …

New Mexico Bowl Prediction, What’s Going To Happen, History

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Jackson State vs North Carolina Central Cricket Celebration Bowl Prediction Game Preview

Jackson State vs North Carolina Central game preview, prediction, and breakdown for the Cricket Celebration Bowl on Saturday, December 17

Jackson State vs North Carolina Central prediction, game preview, odds, how to watch. Cricket Celebration Bowl, Saturday, December 17

Jackson State vs North Carolina Central Cricket Celebration Bowl Prediction Game Preview

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Jackson State vs North Carolina Central How To Watch

Date: Saturday, December 17
Game Time: 12:00 ET
Venue: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA
How To Watch: ABC
Record: Jackson State (12-0), North Carolina Central (9-2)
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Jackson State vs North Carolina Central Cricket Celebration Bowl 5 Things To Know

Cricket Celebration Bowl Prediction, What’s Going To Happen, History

– Coach Prime has one more game at Jackson State. Deion Sanders has cranked it up as the new head coach at Colorado, instantly making it one of the hottest programs in college football – at least when it comes to the attention along with the interest from potential transfers. It’ll be TC Taylor’s job once this is over, but first …

– Sanders has some unfinished business. Last year’s Jackson State team got to the Celebration Bowl with a high-powered offense along with an 11-1 record and a whole lot of swagger. Oliver Pough’s South Carolina State team had other ideas on the way to a dominant 31-10 win. This time around, Sanders and his Tigers are trying to finis off a perfect season.

– This time around it’s North Carolina Central that’s trying to take down the might Jackson State team. It lost two early games – including a 26-24 loss to South Carolina State – before finding its footing on the way to a strong 9-2 season and the MEAC title.

– North Carolina Central won two Black College Division II national titles in the mid-2000s – and split one in 1954 – before making the move up to the MEAC in 2010. The 2016 team got to the Celebration Bowl but lost to Grambling State, meaning the pressure is on now because ….

– The MEAC is 5-1 in Celebration Bowl over the SWAC. That loss by the Eagles is the MEAC’s lone blemish. No matter what, expect a whole lot of scoring, a whole lot of offense, and one of the most entertaining all-around games on a Saturday loaded with bowls and key NFL matchups.

– CFN Expert Picks: Bowl Games December 16th-19th

Why Jackson State Will Win The Cricket Celebration Bowl

The offense gets all the headlines – along with the head coach – but it’s the defense that’s been able to take the team to a whole other level.

The Tigers have the best defense in the FCS, allowing just 233 yards and 11.2 points per game thanks to a killer pass rush that averages an FCS-best 3.9 an outing. The pressure will keep on coming, but that’s not a concern on the other side.

North Carolina Central will bring the offense, but it doesn’t generate nearly enough of a pass rush to bother Shedeur Sanders and a passing game that doesn’t hit a whole lot of big plays, but spreads it around and keeps on coming averaging close to 300 yards per outing.

Relentless, the Tigers can take over fast if the offense gets clicking right away. However …

Why North Carolina Central Will Win The Cricket Celebration Bowl

The great Jackson State defense was pushed a wee bit by Southern in the regular season finale.

The Tigers were never in any real danger, and they generated three picks, but they were also run on a bit and gave up a season-most 217 passing yards. Now they have to deal with NCCU QB Davius Richardson who threw for close to 2,500 yards with 24 touchdowns and ran for 691 yards and 13 scores.

Richardson is a big playmaker of an offensive weapon, he’s got a strong back in Latrell Collier to take some of the heat off, and no one in the FCS was better at keeping the chains moving on third downs.

No, the Eagles don’t have Jackson State’s pass rush, but they hold tough in the red zone, are great against the run, and they come up with the big plays that should be there against an attack that turned it over 20 times this year.

Cricket Celebration Bowl Prediction, What’s Going To Happen, History

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Washington State vs Fresno State Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl Prediction Game Preview

Washington State vs Fresno State game preview, prediction, and breakdown for the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl Presented by Stifel on Saturday, December 17, 2022

Washington State vs Fresno State prediction, game preview, odds, how to watch. Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl Presented by Stifel, Saturday, December 17

Washington State vs Fresno State Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl Presented by Stifel Prediction Game Preview

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Washington State vs Fresno State How To Watch

Date: Saturday, December 17, 2022
Game Time: 3:30 ET
Venue: SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles, CA
How To Watch: ABC
Record: Washington State (7-5), Fresno State (9-4)
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Washington State vs Fresno State Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl Presented by Stifel 5 Things To Know

Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl Presented by Stifel Prediction, What’s Going To Happen, History

– There’s a good chance this is the best bowl game of the first weekend. The Mountain West had a rocky season overall, and winning this won’t make everything all better, but it would be a huge narrative-boost to get a nice win over a good Pac-12 team. The Bulldogs lot to Oregon State and USC back in September.

Washington State had a strong season, beat Wisconsin, and whacked around a miserable Colorado State from the Mountain West. This is a different sort of Wazzu team under head coach Jake Dickert – more defense with lots of toughness and big plays – and it’s got a whole lot of talented parts. However …

– This is a bowl moment for Dickert and Washington State. The program hasn’t been great in bowl games lately – it’s just 8-9 all-time and 1-4 since a 2015 Sun Bowl win over Miami – with last year’s 24-21 Sun Bowl loss to Central Michigan one of the mini-shockers of the bowl season.

Not to conference shame, but another loss combined with a Cheez-It Bowl loss to Air Force in 2019 under the late Mike Leach, and this would make it three straight bowl losses to Group of Five programs. On the flip side …

– Fresno State has won three straight bowl games including two of them under Jeff Tedford. It’s his first season back at the helm after coaching the program from 2017 to 2019, he won the 2017 Hawaii Bowl over Houston and the 2018 Las Vegas Bowl over Arizona State. Last year’s team was able to slip past UTEP 31-24 even though it was in a transitional phase with head coach Kalen DeBoer off to Washington.

– It’s just the second LA Bowl. The inaugural version was canceled in 2020, and last year Utah State surprised Oregon State 24-13 in one of the bigger curveball wins of the bowl season.

– Not that one bowl win would make much of a difference in the business world of expansion, however, for a Pac-12 that needs to find more options and more schools to boost up the strength and media packages, a Fresno State win would go a long way to helping the perception of the school to potentially be part of the mix.

CFN Bowl Expert Picks: Dec 16-19 | Dec 20-27 

Why Washington State Will Win The Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl Presented by Stifel

Washington State has a reputation as a high-flying offensive program that gets into wild and crazy shootouts. That’s not really what the 2022 version does.

The passing game is fine and the offense is good, but there’s more of a focus – at least over the second half of the season – on not turning the ball over and balancing out the attack.

This isn’t exactly Army when it comes to running the ball, but the ground game hit 130 yards or more in three of the last four games to go along with more of a steady than sensational passing attack. That’s good, but the O might have to do better – more on that in a moment.

Cameron Ward hasn’t thrown an interception in the last five games and just one in the last seven, the O is automatic in the red zone, and good things happen when the ground game works – the team is 5-1 when coming up with more than 75 rushing yards. Fresno State has only allowed one team – San Jose State – to under 87 yards on the ground.

On the other side, Washington State gets pressure in the backfield, it’s solid against the run, and it’s good enough on third downs. However …

Why Fresno State Will Win The Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl Presented by Stifel

Jake Haener is as good a quarterback as the defense will have seen outside of Caleb Williams and Michael Penix Jr.. He missed four games in the middle of the season, the team was able to tread water, and everything kicked in when he returned.

The Bulldogs are on an eight-game winning streak, Haener hasn’t thrown a pick and tossed 11 touchdown passes in his last five games, and he’ll keep the pressure on a Washington State defense that allowed 200 passing yards or more in every game but three. However, all three of those games were losses.

Washington State struggles more against running teams, going 1-5 when allowing more than 121 yards and 6-0 when giving up fewer. Fresno State prefers to wing it around a bit, but it can grind it out, too, averaging 125 yards per game.

On the flip side, Fresno State is 8-0 when allowing fewer than 178 rushing yards, and Washington State as only run for more than that once.

Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl Presented by Stifel Prediction, What’s Going To Happen, History

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Florida vs Oregon State SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl Prediction Game Preview

Florida vs Oregon State prediction, SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl game preview, odds how to watch Saturday, December 17, 2022

Florida vs Oregon State prediction, game preview, odds, how to watch. SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl, Saturday, December 17, 2022

Florida vs Oregon State SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl Prediction Game Preview

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Florida vs Oregon State How To Watch

Date: Saturday, December 17, 2022
Game Time: 2:30 ET
Venue: Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, NV
How To Watch: ESPN
Record: Florida (6-6), Oregon State (9-3)
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Florida vs Oregon State SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl 5 Things To Know

SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl Prediction, What’s Going To Happen, History

– It’s the first Power Five vs Power Five matchup of the bowl season, and both teams have a whole lot to prove. Florida is trying to avoid a losing season under first year head coach Billy Napier, and the program needs to close strong after dropping two straight to close the regular season.

Oregon State comes in rolling on a three-game winning streak taking down six of its last seven games. That’s all great, but it’s the nine-win team against the .500 club. It’s the College Football Playoff’s No. 14 team vs one that lost to Vanderbilt. The expectations are on to beat the SEC team. Jonathan Smith was just given a nice new contract worth over $30 million, and now …

– Oregon State has to win one of these bowl things after clunking in last year’s LA Bowl. It was stopped by Utah State 24-13 in the program’s first bowl appearance since the 2013 Hawaii. How special is this? The Beavers are 1-3 in bowl games since beating Pitt 3-0 in the 2008 Sun Bowl, and a win would give them their first ten-win season since 2006.

– Let’s just say the last two bowl games didn’t go well for Florida. The team was missing most of its parts in the rough blowout loss to Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl to close out the 2020 season, and last year it suffered the indignity of losing to UCF 29-17 in the Gasparilla Bowl.

– The Las Vegas Bowl could use some fun. Last year’s 20-13 Wisconsin win over Las Vegas was technically close, but it was hardly gripping, the 2020 game was canceled, and before that five of the six games and ten of the previous 12 were decided by double-digits.

– Not only is this the first meeting between the two programs, but this is the first time Oregon State faced an SEC team since losing to LSU 22-21 to open the 2004 season – Missouri was in the Big 12 when the two played in 2006.

Including the Fiesta Bowls in Tempe, this is the furthest west the Florida program has been since losing to Troy Aikman and UCLA in the 1987 Aloha Bowl in Hawaii. It beat the eventual Pac-12 champion Utah in the opener. That was the first game against a current Pac-12 team since losing to Washington 34-7 in the 1989 Freedom Bowl.

CFN Bowl Expert Picks: Dec 16-19 | Dec 20-27 

Why Florida Will Win The SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl

The running game should still be okay.

The Gators will be missing star QB Anthony Richardson – he caught NFLitis and opted out – but most of the other key parts are around for the offense. The offensive line won’t have guard O’Cyrus Torrence – also preparing for the next level – but overall it’s good enough to pound away for the combination of Montrell Johnson and Trevor Etienne.

Oregon State’s run defense has been terrific all season long, but it shouldn’t take much to get control in this. The Beavers lost in two of the three games when they allowed 160 yards or more, and Florida has only been held under that four times.

Can Jack Miller get the job done? The former Ohio State Buckeye has talent, he’s more of a pro-style passer than Richardson, and the Gators are getting help from the time off with the receiving corps getting bay more options.

The Florida offense should work, but …

Why Oregon State Will Win The SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl

Yeah, you don’t get better by losing Anthony Richardson.

He’s a special talent with the upside to potentially be a top ten overall pick as the wild card in the 2023 NFL Draft – think a potentially faster Josh Allen with a little bit of time. He’s not alone. Five Gators so far have opted out, and all hands need to be on deck to deal with this Beaver team.

It’s not flashy, but it’s rock-solid with a balanced offense, a great O line, and a defensive front that might not generate much of a pass rush, but holds up well against the run – OSU finished second in the Pac-12 against the run.

Steady matters in this. Florida’s defense is miserable at coming up with third down stops, the run D sometimes doesn’t show up, and Oregon State should be able to pound away.

The Beavers are 8-0 when running for over 175 yards. Florida allows 176 rushing yards per game and is 2-5 when allowing 175 or more.

SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl Prediction, What’s Going To Happen, History

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5 Best College Football Bowl Predictions Against The Spread December 16-19 Games

5 best college football bowl predictions and picks against the spread and point totals for the first run from December 16th to the 19th

5 best predictions for this the early bowls. What are the best bets and picks for the bowl games from December 16th through the 19th?  

5 Best College Football Bowl Predictions December 16-19 Games

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Bowls Dec 16-19 | Dec 20-27 | NFL Week 15
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Bowl games require a completely different skill set when it comes to figuring out the best picks against the spread and the slightly off point totals.

Especially this year, it’s like trying to figure out NFL preseason games. Who’s playing, who’s going to try, who has the most interest?

And every time you think you have a game that closely represents a big regular season showdown, something always goes wrong.

But there’s a flip side to that. Figure out where the public is leaning based on what happened during the regular season, and combine that with the always-massive overreaction to even the slightest bit of injury or opt-out news, and there’s a chance to clean up.

I’m not going to lie, though. This bowl season is going to be rough. As I always advise, never, ever parlay, and that goes triple for these games.

That doesn’t mean I can’t have a 3-for-5 day at the plate for the first ten bowls of the season.

Merry bowling, everyone.

Because this first one is probably rolling by the time you get to this, go ahead and apply all of this to the second half lines in …

Click on each game for the game preview

5. HomeTown Lenders Bahamas Bowl: UAB vs Miami University

Friday, December 16, 11:30 am, ESPN 
POINT TOTAL 45
PICK Over

Here’s where this might get tricky – Miami University is missing way too many offensive players off a team that didn’t exactly light it up during the regular season.

There are a few ways to look at all the opt-outs, transfers and injuries in these games. Either it’s going to be a disaster without no offensive continuity, or coaches are just going to throw everything at the wall and see what sticks.

Or, one team is about to get obliterated.

Miami might not have a strong enough O line or passing game, and UAB doesn’t have its new head coach Trent Dilfer quite yet. However, the Blazers are relatively intact, they like outgoing head coach Bryant Vincent enough to play hard for him.

If this UAB offense gets rolling, it’s more than capable of handling at least 30 of the 45 points on the total by itself even against a good RedHawk D. It’s going to be up to Miami University’s offense – held together by duct tape and a few prayers – to help just a little bit.

30ish to 15ish will get this done. In the first seven Bahamas Bowls, four went over 45, last year’s hit it, and one came close at 44, and one got to 40.

Now, if this doesn’t work and you think I’m even more of an idiot by the time you get to this piece, it’s bowl season. Shake it off – there are always more bowls on the way.

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UTSA vs Troy Duluth Trading Cure Bowl Prediction Game Preview

UTSA vs Troy prediction, Duluth Trading Cure Bowl game preview, odds how to watch Friday, December 16, 2022

UTSA vs Troy prediction, game preview, odds, how to watch. Duluth Trading Cure Bowl, Friday, December 16, 2022

UTSA vs Troy Duluth Trading Cure Bowl Prediction Game Preview

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UTSA vs Troy How To Watch

Date: Friday, December 16, 2022
Game Time: 3:00 ET
Venue: Exploria Stadium, Orlando, FL
How To Watch: ESPN
Record: UTSA (11-2), Troy (11-2)
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UTSA vs Troy Duluth Trading Cure Bowl 5 Things To Know

Duluth Trading Cure Bowl Prediction, What’s Going To Happen, History

– None of the College Football Playoff games match up conference champions. This is the only bowl of the season that does. It’s about as close as possible to being a representative of a big regular season game with two 11-win teams that come in without any big transfers or head coaching changes – but UTSA lost offensive coordinator Will Stein to Oregon. It’s the Sun Belt vs Conference USA for bragging rights in what should be one of the best bowls of the bunch.

– It’s the first bowl under Troy head coach Jon Sumrall, and he has to keep the post-season run going – the program has been outlasting in bowls lately. Troy was 1-3 in its first four, but since 2010 it won its last four. It hasn’t been to one since beating Buffalo in the 2018 Dollar General. On the flip side …

– UTSA is still searching for its first bowl win. It’s 0-3 since first getting to the 2016 New Mexico Bowl – losing to New Mexico – and it lost the last two seasons under head coach Jeff Traylor. Last year it dropped the Frisco Bowl to San Diego State 38-24.

– The Cure has been a bit of a catch-all bowl when it comes to affiliations and matchups over its seven-year-run, and that’s a good thing – the games have been fantastic lately, The first four were all decided by double-digits, but they weren’t awful. The last three have all been close, the 37-34 Liberty overtime win over Coastal Carolina might have been the best bowl of 2020, and last year the Chanticleers beat Northern Illinois in a 47-41 thriller.

– The Sun Belt was all about the addition of new programs and the big splashy start with a slew of upset wins. Troy rose above the pack and rolled Coastal Carolina for the Sun Belt title. It’s coming in on a ten-game winning streak, just like UTSA.

The Roadrunners started 1-2 – coming this close to beating Houston in the opener – but they dominated the rest of the way with  a high-powered offensive style scoring 30 or more since losing 41-20 to Texas.

CFN Experts Picks: Bowls December 16th-19th

Why UTSA Will Win The Duluth Trading Cure Bowl

Even with the changes at offensive coordinator, the show goes on thanks to veteran Frank Harris. One of the best all-around quarterbacks in the country, he hits 71% of his passes, doesn’t make a ton of mistakes, and he’s a dangerous runner with 588 yards and nine scores – he keeps the chains moving. On the flip side, the Troy O has big problems on third downs.

Relentless, UTSA doesn’t miss on its chances to take advantage of good drives, and it’s balanced enough to hit the great Troy defense in a variety of ways. The ground game hit 200 yards in five of its last six games, the passing attack threw for 220 or more in every game but a blowout over Rice, and Troy has to deal with all of it.

The Trojans might have a good enough offense to have their moments, but they can’t get behind. Not only do they have to keep up, but they have to prepare for a flurry – UTSA can score in a hurry when down.

Why Troy Will Win The Duluth Trading Cure Bowl

The defense stepped up big when it had to.

Granted, it lost to Appalachian State early in the season on a deep ball – sort of a Hail Mary, but not quite – in the last loss of the season, but it came back to shut down Marshall, stopped South Alabama in a huge 10-6 win on the road, and held down just about everyone else. It finished the season eighth in the nation in scoring defense helped by a great pass rush that should keep the pressure on Harris.

The offense wasn’t just along for the ride, but it wasn’t all that consistent. There’s a passing game good enough to push past 300 yards if needed. the ground game over five yards per carry in the finishing three games, and now it gets a UTSA defense that’s not totally awful, but doesn’t generate any pass rush.

Trojan QB Gunnar Watson threw for 318 yards in the Sun Belt title game against Coastal Carolina on just 12 completions – he’ll connect on a few big plays.

Duluth Trading Cure Bowl Prediction, What’s Going To Happen, History

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UAB vs Miami University HomeTown Lenders Bahamas Bowl Prediction Game Preview

UAB vs Miami University game preview, prediction, and breakdown for the HomeTown Lenders Bahamas Bowl Championship Week game on Friday, December 16

UAB vs Miami University prediction, game preview, odds, how to watch. HomeTown Lenders Bahamas Bowl, Friday, December 16

UAB vs Miami University HomeTown Lenders Bahamas Bowl Prediction Game Preview

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UAB vs Miami University How To Watch

Date: Friday, December 16
Game Time: 11:30 am ET
Venue: Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium, Nassau, NP
How To Watch: ESPN
Record: UAB (6-6), UAB (6-6)
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UAB vs Miami University HomeTown Lenders Bahamas Bowl 5 Things To Know

– It’s one of the funkier bowl games with the pressure of being first to get rolling. The matchup was determined weeks ago – with both teams needing time to prep everything for the trip to the Bahamas. The winner finishes with a winning season, the loser doesn’t. For either of the two programs that were supposed to be in the mix for their respective conference championships and weren’t, 7-6 wouldn’t be a bad way to finish.

– It’s just the sixth bowl appearance for UAB, not counting the 2020 Gasparilla Bowl that got canceled. It’s 2-3 in bowls after winning the 2021 Independence last year over BYU.

– Miami University is 8-5 in bowls and 1-2 under head coach Chuck Martin, winning the Frisco Football Classic last season over North Texas 27-14. However, seven of first 13 bowl appearances came in 1986 or earlier with the Martin era representing four of the programs bowl games since 2010.

– The Bahamas Bowl has generally been solid. Two times it’s been among the best bowls of the season, wasn’t bad three times, got canceled in 2020, and was totally miserable the two of the three game the MAC team won incising Ohio’s 41-6 win over UAB in 2017.

– UAB doesn’t have any key transfers yet, but the coaching situation is in a holding pattern with Trent Dilfer set to take over once this is done. Bryan Vincent will remain on for the bowl. Miami University QB Brett Gabbert was in the transfer portal and then he wasn’t, but he’s been hurt most of the year. Aveon Smith has been the main man outside of a few games in the middle of the season.

HomeTown Lenders Bahamas Bowl Prediction, What’s Going To Happen, History

Why Miami University Will Win The HomeTown Lenders Bahamas Bowl

The RedHawks come into this playing well, winning three of their last four games including a clutch 18-17 performance over Ball State to get bowl eligible.

They don’t have a high-powered attack, but they’re good for around 200 passing yards per game without a slew of big mistakes – just one interception in the last six games – and they’re at their best when they get the ground game rolling.

They lost to Buffalo when the rushing attack rocked, but that’s been it for being on the wrong side when they’re powering away. Led by QB Aveon Smith and a rotation of young backs, Miami is 5-1 when running for 120 yards or more and 1-5 when they don’t.

The UAB run defense has been a disappointment finishing 94th in the nation partly because the line doesn’t do much of anything to get in the backfield. The team is 2-5 when allowing more than 140 yards and only allowed fewer than 120 four times.

CFN Experts Picks: Bowls December 16th-19th

Why UAB Will Win The HomeTown Lenders Bahamas Bowl

The Miami offense isn’t going to crank up 45 points with any sort of high-flying craziness. It’s about controlling the clock, running well, and not making any big mistakes. The problem with that is the inability to keep things moving – they’re awful on third downs.

UAB has the ability to crank up the points fast and turn the lights out. It might be inconsistent, but it was able to keep up in the 44-38 loss to UTSA, hung up 41 on North Texas, and overall stepped it up over the final month when it needed to go on a run to get bowl eligible.

Yes, Miami can run, but UAB has the star of the show in the nation’s leading rusher, DeWayne McBride. He averaged 155 yards per game, ran for a 1,713 yards despite missing the opener and getting stuffed by LSU.

Miami’s run defense led the MAC and should be able to hold up a bit, but …

HomeTown Lenders Bahamas Bowl Prediction, What’s Going To Happen, History

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