Peach, Orange, Cotton Preview

Houston plays Florida State in the Peach Bowl. Watch out here. Houston has a hot coach in Tom Herman. Houston seems to be a breeding ground for coaches of late (see Briles, Sumlin, etc.). Herman has a good quarterback in Greg Ward Jr. to go against the athletes of Florida State. FSU is without their usual starting quarterback, the transfer from Notre Dame Golson who is out. But they have stud running back Dalvin Cook who could have a big day. Vegas likes the Seminoles by at least 7 points.

The Orange Bowl features Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson versus Oklahoma quarterback (and Austin native [sad/mad face]) Baker Mayfield. Oklahoma lost to Texas. And it really wasn't close. Let me say that again, on a neutral field, Texas beat Oklahoma. Since then they have run over everyone. Coach Bob Stoops is an interesting fellow. He has taken Oklahoma to great heights and then stunned his fan base with some humiliating losses (ain't that right Boise State?). Can Clemson get by the Sooners? Experts seem split. Clemson coach Dabo Sweeney (giggle) somehow gets his guys to play despite being a big old nerd, but it works. He dances, he holds emotional press conferences, and he loves the end of game television interview. Last year the Tigers demolished the Sooners in the Russell Athletic Bowl. This year, Vegas likes the Sooners by 4.

 Michigan State plays perennial power Alabama in the Cotton Bowl. Michigan State had the most incredible victory ever with its blocked punt for a touchdown on the last play of the game against Michigan. Last year the Spartans made an incredible comeback against Baylor in this same bowl game. Alabama has been vulnerable to the big upset in recent bowl appearances when everyone thought they would cruise. Remember last year's semi-final versus Ohio State? Throw in the fact that Alabama has the Heisman jinx factor and who knows, maybe the lucky squad from East Lansing pulls the upset. Look for defense to dominate here.Vegas likes 'Bama by a whopping 10 points.

Belk, Music City, and Holiday Preview

I'll be traveling to New Mexico while these games are being played, so the previews will be short and sweet. The Belk Bowl features NC State and Mississippi State. The cowbells of Mississippi State should ring often as the Bulldogs are led by Dak Prescott their prolific QB one more time. The senior QB should get the win, but the Wolfpack should be playing in front of a friendly crowd. Mississippi State is the 6 point favorite in Vegas.

POOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOR Aggies! Heh, heh, heh. A&M has lost not one, but two quarterbacks in the last two weeks as Kyle Allen and Kyler Murray have transferred. Head coach Kevin Sumlin may start the mascott Reveille at quarterback. Seriously, the Aggies seem to be self destructing, but they are an SEC team. Louisville is the 5 point favorite, but have also played multiple quarterbacks this year. The difference? Louisville's quarterbacks are staying at Louisville. Obviously, the story is if Sumlin can pull the remaining Aggies together to overcome the turmoil. If not, the Cardinals should win handily.

My son's first college football game as a student was watching USC destroy his Arizona State Sun Devils in Tempe on a fall night. USC can look really good, like they did on that September night, and then they can look pedestrian as they have in many other contests. Wisconsin is traditionally a smash mouth program while the Trojans are glitz and glamour. The Holiday Bowl is traditionally a fun contest full of scoring and drama. USC is the 3.5 point favorite. Look for their athletes to dominate the Badgers if they are mentally in the game.

Texas Bowl

This should be an LSU stomp. If you haven't seen Leonard Fournette run, take the opportunity tonight. Texas third string running back Chris Warren broke records for yards gain and touchdowns versus a porous Tech defense. What Fournette can do against them may be scary. Tech has an offense, but LSU usually has a stout defense full of athletes that should be able to limit Tech's passing game. Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes is a typical prolific thrower for the Red Raiders. He is mobile and Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury will let him loose tonight and they will score. But Tech's defense is a dumpster fire and especially weak against the run. LSU runs. They don't pass well. But Fournette should average ten yards a carry. Vegas has Tech a 7 to 10 point underdog. I would take LSU and lay the points.

Russell Athletic Bowl

Well, to preview this is somewhat dangerous as RC and Timothy know more about North Carolina than I do. So, let me tell you about Baylor instead. Baylor is coached by Art Briles. He has quickly established the Bears as a powerhouse in Waco. He was a very accomplished high school coach and made the jump to division one coaching at Houston. Then, he came to Baylor where he recruited speed. He took Robert Griffith III to a Heisman, developed a system which turns out quarterbacks, and is brash enough to back up his bluster.

This year, Briles was set to challenge for a spot in the College Football Playoff. However, his first quarterback Seth Russell broke his neck, his stud back-up quarterback Jarret Stidham got injured too, and then third string quarterback Chris Johnson got hurt as well in the last game of the season (thanks to my Longhorns). But, not only are the quarterbacks a MASH unit, but Baylor's best receiver Corey Coleman and running back Shock Linwood are also hurt. We are not sure what Baylor has left to face North Carolina and their awesome quarterback Marquise Williams. Chris Johnson should be back and there are a lot of athletes at Briles disposal, so Carolina shouldn't be too confident. Briles can coach, but he has definitely some obstacles to overcome. Carolina is the 2 to 3 point favorite currently in Vegas.

Armed Forces Bowl Preview

As I write this the morning after yet another agonizing Dallas Cowboy defeat, I can tell you that 2015 has been one of the worst football seasons in memory for me. So let me tell you why the Cal v. Air Force game is a painful reminder of what a bad season it's been. The third week of the college football season featured my beloved Texas versus Cal. Texas, after being humiliated by Notre Dame the first week, had demoted its offensive coordinator and thrown in a red shirt quarterback against Rice to get a win it could have gotten with a group of kids randomly selected from its largest dorm. The third week opponent was Cal, featuring the NFL ready quarterback Jared Goff. Goff led Cal to a big lead and then Texas, behind its red shirt freshman QB, Jerod Heard, fought all the way back behind Heard's running ability. Heard scored late in the game with the Horns down seven. Seemingly the game would be tied and the game headed to OT with Texas having all the momentum. The crowd was going crazy. Players were hugging each other. Coach Strong (UT's head coach) was elated. Then, the senior place kicker shanked the extra point and Texas lost by one point. The Texas place kicker will remained unnamed, but this is what he looks like:

That is not a photo shop.

Anyway, Air Force runs the triple option which should give Cal's defense, which is bad, fits. Goff should lead a good Cal offense to multiple scores. It should be an offensive shoot out. I picked Cal, but I'll root for Air Force, because of what happened in week three still hurts. I hope they lose because of a missed extra point.

The First Previews: Sun, Pinstripe, Independence, and Foster Farms

We start on Saturday at 2 p.m. Eastern. At one of my favorite stadiums where I have seen a game live, the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas. We have Miami, which our ACC fans will know had a turbulent season in which they fired their coach. They ended the year on a hot streak, however, and their quaterback Brad Kaaya has improved. 

I told you we would start with a pirate in my first blog of the season and here he is. Head Coach Mike Leach was famous for his swashbuckling ways at Texas Tech. With his noted interest in all things pirate, he got the nickname aforementioned. How did the guy who likes to hang out in Key West, Florida, wind up in Pullman, Washington? I have no idea. I do know he runs a pass happy attack. This year's version is run by quarterback Luke Falk. Can Miami stop this offense? We will see. They will have to do it with one of their starting safeties suspended. Washington State is a 2.5 point favorite in Vegas.

Next will be the 3:30 p.m. Eastern tilt in the Bronx at Yankee Stadium. We are going to play mediocre college football in a baseball stadium featuring schools known for their basketball teams. Unlike the snobs in the press who cannot stand these gimmicks, I love it! What else does my middle class ass have to do on the Saturday after Christmas? Nothing. Bring on meaningless bowl games. I'll make it meaningful by gambling on it. 

Quarterback Nate Sudfield leads the Hoosiers to their first bowl game since 2007 and their second since 1993. Duke is in their fourth straight bowl game (you read that correctly). Defense is not supposed to be a premium here so look for lots of passing. Unlike Bobby Knight and Coach K, the coaches for these football teams are offense minded. Indiana is the 3 point favorite in Vegas.

At 5:45 p.m. Eastern, the Independence Bowl will be played in beautiful Shreveport, Louisiana. Tulsa has lost their offensive coordinator and offensive line coach to Texas (good lord I hope they are good), so I will be interested in seeing how well the Golden Hurricane perform against the last Frank Beamer defense. Virginia Tech's coach is retiring after a great career, so you would expect the Hokies to be motivated to see him off with a win. (By the way, Golden Hurricane? In Tulsa, Oklahoma? Never mind.) On most lines, Virginia Tech is a two touchdown favorite.

Tulsa has a receiver named Keyarris Garrett. If he goes off, that could be difficult for the Hokies. The Hokies will look to pound it down the Golden Hurricanes' throats with a tough running game and a stout defense. 

At 9:15 p.m. Eastern we will switch to the Bay Area to watch the Foster Farms Bowl. We will watch a 5 and 7 Nebraska team (that's right they have a losing record; there were not enough 6 win teams for bowls this year) face off against the disappointing UCLA Bruins. Nebraska had one big upset against Michigan State, so they are capable. UCLA has a freshman quarterback in Josh Rosen that has been rather prolific this year. UCLA is therefore a 6.5 point favorite. Nebraska lost four games in the last 10 seconds of their games. UCLA has the Pac-12's leading rusher in Paul Perkins. 

Alert here: RC Smith is the only competitor to pick Nebraska. Big game for the original commissioner.

Should be fun people. Let's get this party started!!! See you at Buffalo Wild Wings.

2015-16 Contest is Here!

Let's get it on!

The day after Christmas we will start. I have many of the picks already in. Charlotte is in (except for Kirsten). San Raphael is in (no cats). We have Tennessee in (right Alec? Tennessee?). We need Jamestown and San Antonio, but I am sure those picks are coming.

The defending champ is getting ready. She reads sports pages from a wide variety of newspapers, blogs, and gambling websites. She makes calls to bookies on the east and west coasts. She has even traveled to a select few locations to watch practices. I await her picks, and shiver in fear at her intellect.

Remember, this contest is for bragging rights only. You can follow the action and results on this blog. Side wagering is allowed, but keep it on the down low.

The Sun Bowl from beautiful El Paso, Texas is first. I cannot wait to tell you all about the pirate. Do not forget live tweeting will start that night as well at @familybowlpool.

Peace, and happy picking. Enjoy Festivus today. Do not hurt anyone during the Feats of Strength.

-The Commish