2014 Rambling Sports Bowl Part 3 CFB Preview

The best of the best. These are the bowls we wait all year for and that should make for a great couple of days. Enjoy them while they last because they will be gone quickly.

Wednesday, December 31st, 2014:

Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl (4): Ole Miss (63.94) vs TCU (45.13), 12:30 pm ESPN, This may end up being the best and most entertaining of the bowl games. TCU comes in with one of the best offenses in the country, not without hiccups, and a defense that has been honed by Gary Patterson to slow down spread offenses. Hugh Freeze and co. are look for redemption and a win over TCU in the Peach Bowl would be a great place to start and clean some of the blemish off the sheen of the program. Power Pick: Ole Miss by 18.81 My Pick: TCU 48-35 Line: TCU -3

VIZIO Fiesta Bowl (10): Arizona (70.09) vs Boise State (34.25), 4:00 pm ESPN, I've seen a lot of people a little skeptical of the match-up and whether Boise State has what it takes to stick it out for the entirety. I think so, Arizona is good but very flawed and outside of Scooby Wright, has a propensity for lapses. Boise has been very good on offense once again but the defense will need to play their best game if they are going to hang or beat the Wildcats. Power Pick: Arizona by 35.84 My Pick: Arizona 31-28 Line: Arizona -3

2014 Rambling Sports Bowl Part 2 CFB Preview

Alright I've screwed with part two and three a bit and decided to lump all the non-New Years Eve and New Years Day games plus Kansas State-UCLA. I thought there was a clear delineation between the games below and the next set of games. So I got side-tracked Christmas week after leaving part 2 too long and didn't get this done before the December 27th games.

Monday, December 29th, 2014:

AutoZone Liberty Bowl (18): West Virginia (27.69) vs Texas A&M (63.00), 1:00 pm ESPN, A match-up of air raid masters who cut their teeth at Houston before moving up in the college football hierarchy. Neither team played a ton of defense but the Mountaineers showed some moxie on the defensive side of the field. That is except for Myles Garrett who has been an absolute beast of a freshman defensive end and a fine replacement for Jadeveon Clowney for freak of the year. Power Pick: Texas A&M by 35.31 My Pick: Texas A&M 48-45 Line: West Virginia -1.5

Russel Athletic Bowl (7): Oklahoma (62.91) vs Clemson (51.92), 4:30 pm ESPN, This is a match-up of a team with playoff aspirations preseason and a team that may be underrated due to a thrashing from number 3 Florida State or may just be a good team that played no one else. I know Oklahoma has the talent advantage, and with Watson out I don't see how Clemson can put up enough points to beat the Sooners. Power Pick: Oklahoma by 10.99 My Pick: Oklahoma 31-27 Line: Oklahoma -4

2014 Rambling Sports Bowl Week 1 CFB Preview

Bowl season is here and it certainly is the most wonderful time. This preview covers the games from 12/20 to 12/26 and there are some fun games, some duds and some that I just don't know what's gonna happen. Enjoy it while it lasts because soon football will be gone.

Saturday, December 20th, 2014:

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl (35): Nevada (24.78) vs Louisiana (23.25), 11:00 am ESPN, Nevada-Louisiana this is a fairly evenly matched game if not the most exciting match-up. There are usually some fireworks in New Orleans and this year should be no different. Power Pick: Nevada by 1.53 My Pick: Nevada 24-21 Line: Nevada -1
Gildan New Mexico Bowl (33): UTEP (-2.44) vs Utah State (21.06), 2:20 pm ESPN, UTEP meets Utah State one state over to in a showdown of a Miners team that is a bit of a surprise and a Utah State team that has started four quarterbacks this season. Power Pick: Utah State by 23.50 My Pick: Utah State 31-20 Line: Utah State -10
Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl (12): Colorado State (28.47) vs Utah (51.91), 3:30 pm ABC, This is one of my favorite under the radar games and unfortunately with NFL games this Saturday it is going to be buried. Colorado State is down their head coach who went to Florida but this is one of the best mid-majors against a very good major conference school. Power Pick: Utah by 23.44 My Pick: 28-24 Line: Utah -3
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (32): Western Michigan (-7.87) vs Air Force (10.53), 5:45 pm ESPN, Western Michigan is a lot of fun and a great story of this college football season. They are also terribly underrated by my power ranks. Air Force is a team of pilots who don't put the ball in the air all that often. This one isn't gonna rival the NFL games but it should be some fun on commercials. Power Pick: Air Force by 18.40 My Pick: Air Force 24-21 Line: Western Michigan -1.5
Raycom Media Camellia Bowl (37): South Alabama (5.19) vs Bowling Green (11.85), 9:15 pm ESPN, South Alabama was pretty good in the Sun Belt this year and took advantage of a power shake up. Bowling Green finished second in the MAC even without their starting QB for most of the year. I think BGSU is better but this games strikes me as one that gets funky. Power Pick: Bowling Green by 6.66 My Pick: Bowling Green 24-20 Line: South Alabama -2.5

Monday, December 22nd, 2014:

Miami Beach Bowl (9): Memphis (24.44) vs BYU (24.32), 2:00 pm ESPN, Another great game and it's a stand alone on Monday afternoon in Miami. Memphis and Justin Fuentes took the country by storm making a second straight bowl game. BYU lost Taysum Hill but haven't been as bad as expected. This should be slugfest and a great one to watch this early in bowl season. Power Pick: Memphis by .12 My Pick: Memphis 21-20 Line: Memphis -2

Tuesday, December 23rd, 2014:

Boca Raton Bowl (24): Marshall (34.14) vs Northern Illinois (40.07), 6:00 pm ESPN, I may have put this game too low between the MAC champ and the C-USA champ. Both were by far the best team in their respective conferences. NIU has the better defense and the difference in offense isn't enough to make up for it. Herd with a second loss in 3 tries in a close but fun loss to the Huskies. Power Pick: Northern Illinois by 5.93 My Pick: Northern Illinois 38-35 Line: Marshall -10
San Diego County Credit Union Pointsettia Bowl (25): Navy (28.18) vs San Diego State (16.80), 9:30 pm ESPN, I want to get hyped for this game it's a solid match-up but with Marshall-NIU up before it and the late game on a Tuesday, my give a fuck is busted. It could be interesting so keep an eye but don't lose sleep pre-Christmas. Power Pick: Navy by 11.38 My Pick: Navy 38-21 Line: San Diego State -2.5

Wednesday, December 24th, 2014:

Popeyes Bahamas Bowl (31): WKU (19.60) vs Central Michigan (16.52), 12:00 pm ESPN, This is the slog of bowl season, the Christmas Eve games. There just isn't much to do on this it's a game and should get you through the early afternoon lull but that's about it. Power Pick: WKU by 3.08 My Pick: Central Michigan 23-20 Line: WKU -3

Hawaii Bowl (36): Fresno State (15.72) vs Rice (14.09), 8:00 pm ESPN, Woo Christmas Eve in Hawaii, and oh yeah we got a football game to play. Not much else to say neither of these teams is as good as they were last year. Power Pick: Fresno State by 1.63 My Pick: Fresno State 28-24 Line: Rice -2

Friday, December 26th, 2014:

Zaxby's Heart of Dallas Bowl (38): Louisiana Tech (.69) vs Illinois (25.46), 1:00 pm ESPN, ZAXBY's in a bowl that references hearts and not heart attacks. Illinois squeaked into a bowl game and gets a nice match-up and a fairly good chance at a win. Power Pick: Illinois by 24.77 My Pick: Illinois 17-14 Line: Louisiana Tech -6
Quick Lane Bowl (20): North Carolina (37.43) vs Rutgers (37.59), 4:30 pm ESPN, The last of this weeks interesting games are a pair of Power 5 squads that were enigmas all year. Rutgers started well, lulled and then finished strong to land in this spot. North Carolina lost to East Carolina early but rebounded nicely in a mediocre ACC. This should be a really even match-up and at worst a good hangover watch. Power Pick: Rutgers by .16 My Pick: North Carolina 21-20 Line: North Carolina -3
BITCOIN St. Petersburg Bowl (29): UCF (34.45) vs NC State (16.26), 8:00 pm ESPN, This one is a look to the future as both teams had good enough seasons but neither is where they hope to be soon. UCF took a small step back in the first year post-Bortles and should be even better next season. NC State was a surprise and needs to build off of a surprising year. Power Pick: UCF by 18.19 My Pick: UCF 38-24 Line: UCF -2

Rambling Sports 2014 CFB Bowl Rankings

Best of the Best

1) AllState Sugar Bowl: #1 Alabama vs #4 Ohio State

2) Rose Bowl Game Presented by Northwestern Mutual: #2 Oregon vs #3 Florida State

3) Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic: Baylor vs Michigan State

4) Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl: Mississippi vs TCU

These are pretty self-explanatory. The two semifinals should be pretty good games, the other two have Big XII co-champs against the second or third best teams from power conferences.

Good Not Great Bowls

5) Capital One Orange Bowl: Mississippi State vs Georgia Tech

6) Belk Bowl: Louisville vs Georgia

7) Russell Athletic Bowl: Oklahoma vs Clemson

This is where it becomes muhc more about the eye of the beholder and story lines. Oklahoma was a huge disappointment and we still don't know how good Clemson is or could have been. Mississippi State-Georgia Tech is a match-up of  ACC runner up and the second best team in the SEC West. Louisville-Georgia has only one thing Bobo vs Grantham.

Above Average, Should Be Entertaining

8) Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl: Notre Dame vs LSU,

9) Miami Beach Bowl: Memphis vs BYU,

10) VIZIO Fiesta Bowl: Arizona vs Boise State,

11) Valero Alamo Bowl: Kansas State vs UCLA,

12) Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl: Colorado State vs Utah, 

13) Hyundai Sun Bowl: Duke vs Arizona State,

14) National University Holiday Bowl: USC vs Nebraska, 

15) Outback Bowl: Auburn vs Wisconsin,

16) Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl: Missouri vs Minnesota, 

17) AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl: Arkansas vs Texas,

This set of games is a smorgasbord of disappointing or good power five teams squaring off against similar power five teams or against very good group of five teams. I think I'm most excited about Memphis-BYU, Arizona-Boise State and Colorado State-Utah. The rest of them are good games that we've come to expect from mid-tier bowl games.

Mediocre But Intriguing

18) AutoZone Liberty Bowl: Texas A&M vs West Virginia,

19) Foster Farms Bowl: Maryland vs Stanford,

20) Quick Lane Bowl: North Carolina vs Rutgers,

21) Birmingham Bowl: East Carolina vs Florida,

22) TicketCity Cactus Bowl: Oklahoma State vs Washington,

23) Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl: Houston vs Pittsburgh,

24) Boca Raton Bowl: Marshall vs Northern Illinois,

25) San Diego County Credit Union Pointsettia Bowl: Navy vs San Diego State,

26) Military Bowl Presented By Northrop Grumman: Virginia Tech vs Cincinnati,

27) TaxSlayer Bowl: Iowa vs Tennessee,

28) Duck Commander Independence Bowl: Miami (FL) vs South Carolina,

This is a group of meh that has a chance to be fun and isn't scraping the bottom of the barrel. A&M-WVU, UNC-Rutgers and Marshall-NIU all have shootout potential. Maryland-Stanford, ECU-Florida, Houston-Pittsburgh, Navy-San Diego State and Virginia Tech-Cincinnati all include two opposite strategies. The remainder are power five on power five games with mediocre teams.

Your Gonna Watch, Don't Deny It

29) BITCOIN St. Petersburg Bowl: UCF vs NC State,

30) New Era Pinstripe Bowl: Penn State vs Boston College,

31) Popeyes Bahamas Bowl: WKU vs Central Michigan,

32) Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Western Michigan vs Air Force,

33) Gildan New Mexico Bowl: UTEP vs Utah State,

34) GoDaddy Bowl: Toledo vs Arkansas State,

35) R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl: Nevada vs Louisiana-Lafayette,

36) Hawaii Bowl: Fresno State vs Rice,

37) Raycom Media Camellia Bowl: South Alabama vs Bowling Green,

38) Zaxby's Heart of Dallas Bowl: Louisiana Tech vs Illinois,

These are bottom of the barrel games Penn State-Boston College, the low level ones might be fun but it's always a crap shoot.

2014 Rambling Sports Week 15/Conf. Champ Preview

Tuesday, December 4th, 2014:
#57 UCF (31.60) at #62 East Carolina (22.52) (3.55), 6:30 pm ESPN, Memphis wrapped up the AAC with their win last week but UCF and ECU still have pride and showing off for the bowls to do. UCF has flown under the radar in the first year post Bortles and Storm Johnson but they've performed better than almost anyone expected without their two biggest offensive contributors gone. East Carolina took the country by storm early in the season with a great non-conference season but they weren't able to take that level of play into the conference season. I think UCF pulls off the upset in a shootout, but with UCF getting the key stop midway through the third quarter to take the lead for good. Power Pick: UCF by 5.53 My Pick: UCF 31-24 Line: ECU -5

Friday, December 5th, 2014:
MAC Championship Game: #100 Bowling Green (13.00) vs #76 Northern Illinois (38.67) (Detroit), 6:00 pm ESPN2, We get a rematch of last season's Bowling Green upset in the MAC Championship Game and Northern Illinois's fifth straight title game. Northern Illinois, much like UCF has done a great job in replacing a quarterback that was most of their offense last season, along with a new coaching staff. Bowling Green lost it's stud QB early but has limped their way through the season to this point. This one should be a bit of a slog but #MACtion is always worth watching. Power Pick: Northern Illinois by 25.66 My Pick: Northern Illinois 27-20 Line: Northern Illinois -6.5
Pac-12 Championship Game: #28 Arizona (70.09) vs #2 Oregon (93.54) (Santa Clara), 8:00 pm FOX, Arizona tries to make it three straight over the Oregon Ducks. This one comes down pretty simply for me, Oregon was without left tackle Jake Fisher in the first match-up and he has been the biggest difference for Mariota and this year's Ducks defense. Arizona is a very good team and should keep it close but I just think Oregon looks like a completely different team than the one seen in the loss earlier this year. Power Pick: Oregon by 23.45 My Pick: Oregon 48-38 Line: Oregon -13

Saturday, December 6th, 2014:
#87 Iowa State (12.35) at #4 TCU (44.10) (3.69), 11:00 am ABC, Not in Ames, not concerned for TCU who is tied with Baylor for the conference lead. Power Pick: TCU by 35.44 My Pick: TCU 52-20 Line: TCU -33
Conference USA Championship Game: #55 Louisiana Tech (1.74) at #19 Marshall (33.35) (2.25), 11:00 am ESPN2, Louisiana Tech heads to Marshall to take on a Thundering Herd team that lost it's first game of the season last week. Marshall is the far superior of the two teams in this game, but back to back poor performances cause me pause. If it was just a team resigned to not getting a New Years Six bowl who wants to win the conference, then I'm way too conservative. If they just lost with that realization then they might not even win this game. Power Pick: Marshall by 33.85 My Pick: Marshall 31-28 Line: Marshall -12.5
#80 Houston (33.50) at #54 Cincinnati (21.07) (3.04), 11:00 am ESPN, See above: Cincy is UCF and Houston is ECU. I'll take the 6-1 team, but this time at home and in a shootout. Power Pick: Houston by 9.40 My Pick: Cincinnati 41-38 Line: Cincinnati -7
#127 SMU (-18.68) at #104 Connecticut (-19.10) (2.91), 11:00 am CBSSN, Don't not watch this game it will be atrocious. Put parental block on CBS Sports Network if you have it. Power Pick: Connecticut by 2.50 My Pick: SMU 21-20 Line: Connecticut -12
#75 Oklahoma State (30.52) at #10 Oklahoma (65.25) (4.99), 2:30 pm FOX Sports 1, Bedlam doesn't have the gravitas of the last couple of seasons but it does pit an enigma versus the college football equivalent of a rabid animal trapped in a corner. (An underdog rival during a disappointing season.) Oklahoma State keeps this suprisingly close before coming up short in Norman. Power Pick: Oklahoma by 39.72 My Pick: Oklahoma 38-28 Line: Oklahoma -21
SEC Championship Game: #31 Missouri (74.04) vs #1 Alabama (64.30) (Atlanta), 3:00 pm CBS, Missouri makes a surprise return to the SEC Championship in a season they lost at home to Indiana (Yay SEC East!!). Alabama has been a very effective and efficient in year one of the Lane Kiffin era whilst also taking heat every other week. Alabama is the far superior team and I expect them to pull away from the Tigers in the second half. Not unlike last week. Power Pick: Missouri by 9.75 My Pick: Alabama 38-27 Line: Alabama -14.5
#66 Temple (-6.42) at #103 Tulane (5.65) (1.25), 6:30 pm ESPN2, Only watch this game if the SEC Championship is decided and Kansas State-Baylor hasn't started yet. Power Pick: Tulane by 13.32 My Pick: Tulane 24-21 Line: Temple -3
#18 Kansas State (43.52) at #11 Baylor (62.71) (3.40), 7:00 pm ABC, Kansas State heads to Baylor and this one comes down to two things. First, Bryce Petty's health. After suffering a concussion he still hasn't looked 100% in practice. Second, is Baylor's pride and want, to score a boatload of points in a last ditch effort to get into the playoffs. Power Pick: Baylor by 22.59 My Pick: Baylor 45-23 Line: Baylor -8
Big Ten Championship Game: #13 Wisconsin (49.65) vs #3 Ohio State (65.71) (Indianapolis), 7:17 pm FOX, Wisconsin continues to have no passing game and one of the best rushing attacks in the country. Ohio State just lost their second starting quarterback for the season. Ohio State is more talented but the Badgers have made impressive strides on a defense that lost more than most to graduation. I think Urban takes enough pressure off the new guy and Wisconsin goes stagnant for another third quarter to squander the lead late in a faux upset. Power Pick: Ohio State by 16.06 My Pick: Ohio State 31-28 Line: Wisconsin -4
ACC Championship Game: #12 Georgia Tech (44.53) vs #8 Florida State (87.74) (Charlotte), 7:00 pm ABC, Georgia Tech heads to Charlotte to take on a vulnerable but difficult to kill Florida State team that really needs Jameis to bust out of this slump before the CFP. Georgia Tech was a suprise and should keep it reasonably close but the talent gap is just too large. Power Pick: Florida State by 43.20 My Pick: Florida State 38-24 Line: Florida State -4
Mountain West Championship Game: #108 Fresno State (16.80) at #26 Boise State (33.08) (3.42), 9:00 pm CBS, Boise's run is pretty amazing the last couple of decades in it's rise to prominence and it's consistency through multiple coaching changes. This may not have been the prettiest season but they are on the verge of another confererence championship and the group of 5 big six bowl appearance. Last college football system this was a recipe for disaster and whomever gets the Broncos is gonna be pissed. Power Pick: Boise State by 19.70 My Pick: Boise State 38-16 Line: Boise State -22