5 best predictions for this the early bowls. What are the best bets and picks for the bowl games from December 21st through the 24th?
5 Best College Football Bowl Predictions December 21-24 Games
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Expert Picks
Bowls Dec 20-27 | Dec 28-Jan 2, NY6, CFP
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Results So Far: 76-66-1
Bowl Season: 2-3
My goal was hit 3-for-5 in the first round of the 5 Best Bowl Predictions Against The Spread.
I roped two doubles off of fat beach balls down the middle of the plate – the over on the Celebration Bowl and the under on whatever the hell that Fenway Bowl between Louisville and Cincinnati was – and I hit a rocket shot for a hard out with UAB and Miami University coming two yards away from the over.
However, I’m shaken by looking at a called strike three right down the middle of the plate thinking Florida would give Oregon State a game in the Las Vegas, and one of my sure things of the bowl season – Boise State destroying North Texas in the Frisco – was an embarrassing strikeout with a pulled muscle at the end.
I apologize for not pumping up one of the easiest calls of the bunch – Marshall over UConn by 10.5 in the Myrtle Beach – so I’ll try to make up for it with this round of seven bowls to choose from between December 21st and December 24th.
Oh, but I only need one of them for two of the picks.
Happy Holidays everyone. Seriously. You and everyone else deserve to kick back, eat way too much, and watch a whole lot of mediocre football for next several days.
I’m tired of joking around. I’m getting these five right starting with …
Click on each game for the game preview
5. Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl: Air Force vs Baylor
Thursday, December 22, 7:30, ESPN
ATS Line Baylor -4
Pick Air Force
I’m not going to get into the why on this from a technical game analysis standpoint. Let’s make it simple.
Air Force and head coach Troy Calhoun are terrific in bowl games.
Calhoun had a bit of a rough start in his long tenure going 2-4 in these things, but since taking out Western Michigan in your 2014 Famous Idaho Potato, he and the program have gone 4-1 winning three straight including the last two against Power Fivers Louisville and Washington State.
Air Force doesn’t have anyone of note taking off or transferring, and the losses for Baylor are relatively minimal. However, the Bears did shake up the coaching staff a bit firing defensive coordinator Ron Roberts. That might not be a plus for Air Force, though, for one big reason.
Baylor head coach Dave Aranda appears to be handling the defensive coaching duties, and that’s why I’m not going overboard here. He’s way too good.
On the flip side, there’s a lot of fixing to do for a defense that was miserable at coming up with third down stops and didn’t generate enough pressure up front. There’s that, and Baylor needs to control the clock and the tempo – no one controls the clock and the tempo against Air Force.
All of that, and Air Force should be relatively healthy. When this team had all the parts, it worked. When it was banged up, it struggled.
Again, I’m not 1000% in love with this – Air Force came up with a whole lot of wins against a whole lot of bad teams – but I’m in deep like. So let’s try this …
