JimmySingh sent me this email with his early bowl thoughts and leans and Sabert and I added a few quick thoughts of our own. The bowl lines have just recently come out, so please let us know what you guys are think and who you like.

 

Washington State -10.5

JimmySingh: I think they should be motivated to finally get to a bowl, they played tough in Pac 12, defense is solid and offense can get rolling. Look for momentum, should be too much for average Colorado State team.

Pez: Wazzou should definitely be motivated and they have a decent front seven. However Colorado State will also be motivated and depending on the status of stud RB Kapri Bibbs, I would make them out to be the potential running dog. Could be a shootout. Double digits seems generous, especially with the way the Ram offense has played down the stretch, but I will wait for the total before making a decision. Lean CSU.

Sabert: I think this is too many points to give a Washington State team. Colorado State can score. Washington State’s offense is not as good as many assume, and their defense is weak as well. 

ECU -13.5

JimmySingh: ECU played a poor game vs Marshall but Marshall outplayed themselves and by looking at the CUSA championship game, that was a game Marshall was looking at. I have not been impressed by anything Ohio does. Speed and Skill is all favouring ECU here. usually MAC teams can win the line of scrimmage but I dont see it here. I am not sure of the motivation for either team. The line is too high here for me at -13.5. no play.

Pez: I don’t really know enough about either team to form a strong opinion yet. However as a dog player I am always attracted to DD in bowl games, especially when two non-BCS schools face off against each other. I would guess that the talent level between these two teams is pretty even.

Sabert: Ohio shouldn’t have made a bowl – I’m surprised they did. They looked so bad down the stretch. ECU is a very solid team. Think they blow them out. 

Oregon State -4

JimmySingh: Does Oregon St care? Going to Hawaii is a great trip but will the team be focused. They played ok in the Alamo bowl last year and this is most of the players 2nd bowl game and they haven’t won one. Might be nice to get a Bowl win. What does Boise St do without Petersen. Must be a little bit of shock to them, he has been a staple there and do players look to transfer etc. Boise was down this year and without HC should lose if Oregon St cares. Oregon St on a massive losing streak, might want to end season on high note. the line is good here at -4…i need to see motivation here, i am not worried about line going far away from here.

Pez: I always like to look at teams “limping” into their bowl games because as you said, they want to end the season on a high note. I know I am a PAC 12 homer, but the league was unbelievably good this year and with a 9-game conference schedule they literally “cannibalized” each other. So their are some really good 3, 4, 5 & 6 loss PAC 12 teams that will be going to bowl games and facing inferior competition. Beavers should have a big coaching advantage. Both teams at their best and Oregon State is a TD+ better than Boise State.

NIU -1

JimmySingh:  I don’t love this game but Utah St strength is their defense and they could shut down Northern Illinois. NIU wont give much resistance on defense. Need to check Utah St QB, he was hurt Saturday night. At NIU I think this is a good line. No bet.

Pez: I look to fade teams that have had their BCS dreams crushed and I always like getting the better defense with points (or point in this game), but will have to wait and see what the Utah State QB situation looks like. 

Marshall PK

JimmySingh: They didn’t look ready in the CUSA game but they still have a good team. Has Maryland packed it in? This also could be the healthiest Maryland has been since the start of the year. I am not in love with this game. I was expecting Marshall to open over a TD dog, so at a PK it is a no play to start.

Pez: I lean Maryland at this point. Marshall’s defense is terrible. Motivation always important in these bowl games, but almost impossible to determine. Why won’t Maryland be motivated to finally go bowling with Edsel?

Minnesota -3.5

JimmySingh: I was very impressed with Minnesota, they played hard in every game this year. They played Wiscy and Mich St tough down the stretch. I think this team will be ready for a bowl game. I haven’t been impressed with Cuse at all, one dimensional to me, QB Hunt has been poor most of the season and Minnesota does good to stuff the run … line opened at Minny -3.5…looking to get a -3 and will bet it.

Pez: Agreed, Minnesota has had a solid season and will be looking to atone for last year’s bowl loss. 

Oregon -13

JimmySingh: If Oregon cares, they beat up on Texas – Oregon caring is a big problem. However, Mariota is coming back and they literally should return 70% of their starters. WR Huff, CB Ekpou and De’Anthony Thomas may leave early. Huff is senior. If Helfrich can use this game to build for next year, Oregon could come out strong. Maybe seeing the name “Texas” might be enough. Texas might want to send out Mack Brown out right. Oregon can be beat by physical run game and Texas can do that. Will they do that though? Case McCoy is garbage and will make mistakes when he is down. Line opened at -11.5 and is creeping up. I cannot bet it due to motivation issues.

Pez: This game reminds me a little of the Texas – Baylor game. The Texas D played pretty well, but Case McCoy and the Texas passing game were a joke. Another game where both teams limp into their bowl game, however I would give the slight motivational edge to Oregon. They really played poorly down the stretch and may be motivated to end the season on a good note, whereas Texas lost the Big 12 title and a BCS bowl birth in the last game of the season. No way I give DD here, but reluctant to take Texas at this point.

Arizona -8

JimmySingh – Arizona – 8: RB Battle but I have Arizona as the better team. Andre Williams was nice but he got alot of yards against bad teams. BC isn’t explosive like Pac 12 offenses and Arizona should be ready for them. On the other hand, Arizona speed should be too much for BC. line opened at -8…would like to see under a TD. This game is at 1230 EST, 9:30am PST…could be a tough one to wake up for Arizona.

Pez: Two good running backs for sure, but with BJ Denker improving at QB, I lean Arizona. Might be a good game to look at the over when the totals come out. Arizona’s defense is improved, but it still isn’t anywhere near elite. BC is capable of scoring points … scored 34 against FSU. Possible shootout here.

UCLA -11

JimmySingh: Good matchup, but I think UCLA will find enough ways to score on Virginia Tech and UCLA has enough players on defense, (Barr, Jack) to shut down the inept Virginia Tech offense. However  with UCLA opening as a bigger favorite than I thought, it’ll probably make me stay away. No bet here.

Pez: UCLA should win this game, but like yourself, DD is too many for me at the moment. Possible under play. UCLA’s defense is more than capable of playing well against mediocre offenses like Virginia Tech.

Sabert: Not sure how Va Tech scores here at all. 

North Texas – NL

JimmySingh – North Texas – currently NL:  good matchup here. I wanted to take North Texas because its their first bowl game and they should be fired up but UNLV first bowl game for players and program in a long time. Game is in Texas and North Texas should bring some fans to the game. I like North Texas defense to be the dominant unit in this game. Really wished North Texas got an unmotivated opponent however.

Pez: I don’t know enough about North Texas to give an opinion at this time. UNLV offense really improved down the stretch, but defense is still question mark. Definitely agree that both teams should have little trouble getting motivated here.

Sabert: Would probably take anything under 10 points here. They have an offense a bit better than UNLVs, and their defense is VERY good. 

Stanford -3.5

JimmiySingh: I like Stanford a lot. I think Michigan St may have prep issues with DC Narduzzi potentially leaving. Also, this is their first Rose Bowl game in a long time, going to California and being part of the all the traditions could make the players less focused. Stanford has been there and done that and they are usually a well prepped team. Being the 100th Rose Bowl could give Stanford enough motivation if they lack it from being there last year. Mich St has had player issues a couple of years under D’antonio leading up to Bowls. I also feel Mich St wont be able to move the ball on Stanford at all. They were able to get some power runs on Ohio St but should get stuffed vs Stanford. I think Stanford could wear down Mich St on defense and hit Montgomery on some long passes. Also Stanford knows how to exploit great defenses with tight ends etc.  Special teams in favour of Stanford with Montgomery. I bet Stanford -2 and -2.5…biggest bet of bowl season so far.

Pez: 🙂

Sabert: Think this is a team similar to Mich St. Great defense, okay offense. Stanford has a better offense though, and that’s the difference maker.

Alabama -17

JimmySingh: If they care, they should beat up Oklahoma. I dont see Oklahoma being better than them anywhere on the field. I just am not sure how much Alabama cares. Does Saban have them ready? Line is 17, good line, no bet.

Pez: At 17 it’s either OU or nothing for me.

Missouri -3

JimmySingh: I think Missouri should be motivated. They do return a lot back next year and could be nat title contenders again. Cotton Bowl at  Jerry’s World should be a big enough venue to be motivated. I think they are much better football team than Oklahoma St. Motivation is the only factor for me. Oklahoma St faces the same issue. Also Gundy rumours to Texas could hurt Pokes. Missouri -3. I bet this as well.

Pez: Both teams blew BCS chances so motivation could be an issue for each team. No opinion at this moment.

 

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A few more bowl thoughts from Sabert:

USC: I like USC here. Look what they have done to good passing attacks. Fresno’s D is pathetic, and USC should be fired up to play with their new coach. I would imagine they don’t want to lose to in state little brother Fresno State.

Buffalo: San Diego State is decent up front against the run, but I think Buffalo is the much better team here and has played a much tougher schedule.

Bowling Green: Much, much better team. Have played some good opponents close. Like them here.

Miss St: I like them here. Rice is a bit overrated from crushing Marshall. Miss St. is a different beast I think. Depends on Dak Prescott health though.

Clemson: Not sure how OSU is favored here. Like Clemson.

Ball State: Not a fan of Arky State at all. Think they are pretty poorly coached, and that poor coach may be leaving.

Kansas State: Besides the OSU game, Michigan looked BAD all season. They are extremely overmatched from a coaching perspective. Kansas State improved all season.

FSU: See: Bama vs. Notre Dame, BCS Champ Game 2012. Gus will get his points, but FSU is Bama 2.0. More athletic and a lot more skilled. Crazy to say.