T1B

The better teams are already assigned. Screwball, this doesn't concern you at all.

Wisky gets Miami in the Orange Bowl. Both probably feel they have something to prove, but I like our chances. A lot.

Wisky 27
Miami 13

Ohio State vs USC. Script Ohio vs Tribute to Troy. Classic matchup.

Would be much more fitting if this was being played at sunset in Pasadena. Even so, would be kinda cool to tee it up at the old Cotton Bowl stadium. Even better, winner could advance to the next playoff round. Ok, so not getting any of those. Meh.

I like OSU’s chances in this game. I think they have the advantage in the trenches, really just a matter of Barrett being able to limit his bonehead plays. Coaches need to let him throw downfield like in the B10 CCG. Talent all over the field. Buckeyes owe the Trojans a smackdown after the ‘08 and ‘09 games.

Jsc810 wrote:LSU vs Notre Dame in the Citrus Bowl.

Depends on which LSU team shows up, the one that lost to Troy or the one that beat Auburn.

Same with Notre Dame. The one that boat raced USC or the one that looked like a MAC team playing Miami. Either way, I don't give a fuck. I just hope Brian Kelly dies in a grease fire. Or retires. Either way, I'll be happy.

L45B wrote:Ohio State vs USC. Script Ohio vs Tribute to Troy. Classic matchup.

Would be much more fitting if this was being played at sunset in Pasadena. Even so, would be kinda cool to tee it up at the old Cotton Bowl stadium. Even better, winner could advance to the next playoff round. Ok, so not getting any of those. Meh.

I like OSU’s chances in this game. I think they have the advantage in the trenches, really just a matter of Barrett being able to limit his bonehead plays. Coaches need to let him throw downfield like in the B10 CCG. Talent all over the field. Buckeyes owe the Trojans a smackdown after the ‘08 and ‘09 games.

USCs Defense has a chance to get healthy. If they had stayed that way all season, they would be ranked near the top. USC squeaks out a win (as long as Darnold doesn't try to get cute and throw to a buckeye or two.)

Michigan State vs Washington State in the Holiday Bowl. Some MSU fans were bummed because they were expecting a New Year's Day bowl game, but I would rather play a top 20 team in primetime than a boring, unranked South Carolina squad in the Outback Bowl, that nobody will be watching because there are two better games going on at the same time (Auburn/UCF, ND/LSU).

As for the game itself, not really a great match up for MSU. Their strength is stopping the run and Washington State tends to prefer the forward pass. In large quantities.

I saw an early line of WSU -3, and if I was an objective bettor, I would jump all over the Cougs. But who knows. I thought Wash State would ass-hammer Minnesota in the bowl game last year, and that did not happen.

Meh, I don't romanticize the Rose Bowl the way you do. It lost its meaning when the #1 B1G team and the #1 Pac 12 team stopped playing in it every year. It worked out that way this year, but most years it doesn't.

That's what I'm saying. This year's "Rose Bowl" features an SEC team and a Big 12 team. It doesn't mean dick anymore.

MgoBlue-LightSpecial wrote:That's what I'm saying. This year's "Rose Bowl" features an SEC team and a Big 12 team. It doesn't mean dick anymore.

If it meant dick, at least Papa Willie would watch.

Since the spread opened at Oregon -5.5, and in one day has been bet up to -7.5, I'd say that doesn't bode well for Boise State...

Even with an interim coach.

UCF hopefully will beat Auburn for all the reasons Buttsie alluded.
My guys will want to go out undefeated.
Then they can saddle-up and head to Lincoln.
Hey, it’s all I got considering the disaster that is the Corncrib.
Welcome home Frosty. We’ve been waiting far too long.

schmick wrote:Who the fuck wants to go to dallas? No Disneyland, No Lawrys,

88 and jsc seem like peppy fun dudes but I didn’t know there was a shortage of their kind there

Stanford vs. TCU in the Alamo Bowl. TCU at -2 right now.

I think it's a great match up, runner up in Big 12 vs runner up in PAC 12, but really don't know what to expect. Prolly a lot more TCU fans will show.

i also like the Stanford-Tcu game.

Gary paterson is ready to line and play hat on hat football like david shaw.

Sooner internet fans are way overconfident against UGA. i don't like that.

If Peters can go, I'd feel confident with Michigan beating the Cocks. No Clowney to kill any unsuspecting running backs this time around.

Rice isn’t in a bowl so whatever.

I always like seeing non traditional teams in and especially winning the Rose Bowl to get the traditionalists all worked up. Bama has more Rose Bowl wins than some PAC 12/Big 11 team have appearances. They have more Rose Bowl wins than something like 14 of the traditional members while Texas has more wins than 9 or so of the traditional members.

Left Seater wrote:Rice isn’t in a bowl so whatever.

I call bowlshit.

^^^^^^^^^^

Well done sir, well done.

Left Seater wrote:Rice isn’t in a bowl so whatever.

I always like seeing non traditional teams in and especially winning the Rose Bowl to get the traditionalists all worked up. Bama has more Rose Bowl wins than some PAC 12/Big 11 team have appearances. They have more Rose Bowl wins than something like 14 of the traditional members while Texas has more wins than 9 or so of the traditional members.

Those wins all came before there was any official, or even "traditional" tie-in with the B1G or its predecessors.

Mikey wrote:

Left Seater wrote:Rice isn’t in a bowl so whatever.

I always like seeing non traditional teams in and especially winning the Rose Bowl to get the traditionalists all worked up. Bama has more Rose Bowl wins than some PAC 12/Big 11 team have appearances. They have more Rose Bowl wins than something like 14 of the traditional members while Texas has more wins than 9 or so of the traditional members.

Those wins all came before there was any official, or even "traditional" tie-in with the B1G or its predecessors.

2004 and 2005 were before any official or even "traditional" tie-in with the B1G or its predecessors? Huh, so this traditional matchup is a decade old at best? Interesting.

My bad. I was referring to Alabama. Didn't see where you mentioned Texas.

And BTW, the Zona's didn't join until 1978 and the flyovers didn't join until 2011.

Yup got all that. The point still stands though.

Boise +7.5 was the lock of the bowl season.

I expect USC to lose by 40 because California can't produce enough talent, and have to pick up recruits from Oregon.

MgoBlue-LightSpecial wrote:Boise +7.5 was the lock of the bowl season.

agree.

#2 lock was Bill Snyder against UCLA. a team that lost it's coach (who sucked anyway) and have a new big time coach name (and we'll see....if Chip wants to do the real work).....a star player Rosen who almost never elevated his team to a big win against some crazy Snyder recruited team concept/punt team 2 star Kansas juco 2nd chance assholes who don't make mistakes....

i don't really do "conference strength".....but i would also bet against the Pac going in as a principle.

I'm not a believer in the Pac....living here in Colorado. i've been watching football for 40 years and the Pac is not so hot no matter how much they and locals want you to believe.

same in basketball.

i might be wrong but that's what i see.

i did agree with Mikey that Stanford-TCU was one of the best matchups of the bowl slate.

Several times during the season I expected Wisky to lose, and except for tOSU, they won. Now, I have really good feelings about playing Miami, so they'll probably lose. I expect one lost Jonathan Taylor fumble and 3 Hornibrook INTs.

King Crimson wrote:
I'm not a believer in the Pac....living here in Colorado. i've been watching football for 40 years and the Pac is not so hot no matter how much they and locals want you to believe.

same in basketball.

I think you're biased and overreacting.

The PAC is often among the top 2 in overall strength in football. Maybe not so much this year.

IMO, Sagarin Ratings are flawed (but probably the best of the computer rankings). Deeply flawed. But with the large sample size, they're as good a way as any to compare conferences.


1 ACC-ATLANTIC (A) = 80.04 80.77 7 ( 1)
2 BIG TEN-EAST (A) = 79.74 79.92 7 ( 2)
3 SEC-WEST (A) = 79.34 79.36 7 ( 3)
4 PAC-12(NORTH) (A) = 77.77 74.78 6 ( 5)
5 BIG 12 (A) = 74.99 73.60 10 ( 8)
6 PAC-12(SOUTH) (A) = 74.93 75.08 6 ( 4)
7 BIG TEN-WEST (A) = 74.17 73.96 7 ( 6)
8 ACC-COASTAL (A) = 73.19 73.75 7 ( 7)
9 AAC WEST (A) = 69.84 69.41 6 ( 10)
10 SEC-EAST (A) = 69.76 71.47 7 ( 9)


Using straight analytics, the PAC becomes the best conference this year. The teams at the bottom matter just as much as the teams at the top. And while the PAC's top teams weren't juggernauts, there was only one truly feeble team in the conference (as the Beavs are wont to be). Everyone else was able to field a competitive team every week, and OOC performance was very good.

But I also agree that "conference strength" discussions miss the mark. It varies so much from year to year, but it's rare to hear such a discussion, be it football or hoops, that doesn't lean on "cred" from previous seasons. PAC hoops routinely puts 7 teams in the Tourney... that doesn't mean they aren't a pile'o'poo this season.

Goober McTuber wrote:Several times during the season I expected Wisky to lose, and except for tOSU, they won. Now, I have really good feelings about playing Miami, so they'll probably lose. I expect one lost Jonathan Taylor fumble and 3 Hornibrook INTs.

If this were any other bowl game, I would feel good about throwing down some bitcoin on the Badgers. Seems the U has played up a level or two in its backyard this year, especially when the bright lights are on (i.e. Notre Dame). Here's hoping I'm wrong, but I think the Canes take it 34-17.

Miami might win, but how do you have that offense dropping 34 on that defense? There would have to be a lot of turnovers.

SEC! SEC! SE...errrr maybe not.



I want a WAR CLEMSON T-Shirt.

sagarin is the metric that is least to do with actual results.

to call that "straight analytics"...is kind of funny.

even still......none of that says the pac is better than middling.

as i type, tOSU is 3 scores whipping USC. who actually thinks clay helton is good? sam darnold is good....but helton?

MgoBlue-LightSpecial wrote:Miami might win, but how do you have that offense dropping 34 on that defense? There would have to be a lot of turnovers.

As Goober mentioned, Hornibrook is good for at least one pick per game.

Nonetheless, I would probably back off a little bit on my earlier prediction, as it was coming from an image of complete home field advantage for the U.

But thinking about both fan bases for a minute, probably more realistic to assume Badgerfan will have more seats filled up.

Hopes of a clean record in bowls rest on Michigan on Monday.

If you're a conference honk...do you take a perfect record in bowl games or would you rather have your conference champ make the playoff (and lose) and see the balance of the conference go .500 in bowls?

I think a playoff appearance is more of an individual team accomplishment. If you're pro-conference...you like seeing the teams out of your league beating similar teams from other conferences.

The national title is the top prize of course. I think as a fan of an individual team...I'd like the conference title win and a playoff berth over being concerned what the 7th place team in the league does in their bowl game.

Dantonio has gotten (and deserves) some praise for his turnaround year and for his overall resume. I think just being a bowl team is nice to an extent but I'd like to see Michigan get to (and win in) Indy and make the playoff. That's a season-long accomplishment compared to going 8-4 and winning a bowl game. You want to make the playoff...you settle for a bowl bid. I put making the playoff on the same plane as going to a Final Four in basketball.

B1G East is gonna be a meat grinder next year. MSU and UofM return a whole bunch. PSU loses a lot including Barkley, but they return McSorley, and they've been recruiting well. OSU is OSU.

Hey Michigan...Big Ten has a chance to go 8-0 in bowl games (all against Power 5 teams)...don't fuck it up!

Ahhh who am I kidding...it would be hilarious, and perfect, for the skunk weasels to claim the conference's sole loss. Go Cocks!