N CAROLINA vs TEXAS A&M
When: 1/2/2021 8:00 PM
Where:

TV: 8:00 PM
LINE: -7
PREDICTION: TEXAS A&M, N CAROLINA

Oddsmakers currently have the TEXAS A&M listed as -7 point favorites versus the N CAROLINA, while the game’s total is sitting at 67.5.

Motivation could be a huge factor for the Orange Bowl participants as No. 13 North Carolina collides with No. 5 Texas A&M on Jan. 2 in Miami.

Texas A&M (8-1) was one spot away from making its first appearance in the College Football Playoff. Instead, the Aggies will go to the Orange Bowl for the first time since a 1944 loss to LSU.

Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher said his team shouldn’t be frustrated by the CFP rankings.

“You get in, you get out, and you’ve got to move on,” Fisher said. “You go to the future, and listen, we get an opportunity to play in the Orange Bowl, like I said, one of the great bowl games in the history of this (sport).”

The Aggies were second in the Southeastern Conference’s West Division behind top-ranked Alabama, which delivered the lone blemish on the Texas A&M record. Since then, they’ve won seven straight games.

North Carolina (8-3) tied for fourth place in the Atlantic Coast Conference, but the Tar Heels are the highest-rated team in the league other than CFP selections Clemson and Notre Dame. With the ACC’s tie-in with the Orange Bowl, that reserved a spot for North Carolina.

“There will never be a team that will be more excited about coming to the bowl game than ours,” coach Mack Brown said.

The Tar Heels and Aggies have never previously met. All in the past decade, Texas A&M has faced the other three ACC teams from the state of North Carolina in bowls, defeating Duke (2013 Chick-fil-A Bowl) and North Carolina State (2018 Gator Bowl) and losing to Wake Forest (2017 Belk Bowl).

Fisher said his team shouldn’t need to draw motivation or express anger by the CFP committee decision.

“I hope we’re doing our job as a football team and what we want to do and accomplish as a program because that’s what we do at A&M,” Fisher said. “It’s to play great football when the next game steps up, whatever the circumstances, whatever the consequences.”

Both teams are coached by men who’ve guided national championship efforts at other schools and have directed quick turnarounds in their current jobs.

North Carolina running back Michael Carter, who was part of a record-setting rushing duo with Javonte Williams, receiver Dyami Brown and linebacker Chazz Surratt all announced the day after the bowl pairings were announced that they would skip the bowl to prepare for the NFL Draft. Carter rushed for 1,245 yards and nine touchdowns this season, Brown became the first player in school history with two 1,000-yard receiving seasons and Surratt is the top pro prospect on the defense.

North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell has a connection to Fisher, who was involved in initial recruiting contact with the strong-armed thrower while he was still Florida State’s coach. Howell later pledged to play for Florida State before altering his decision and stay in his home state to suit up for the Tar Heels.

“He is a tremendous football (player), tremendous leader but he’s not the only guy they got,” Fisher said.

Texas A&M has a stellar quarterback with Kellen Mond, whose four-year credentials include school records. This year, he has 19 touchdown passes with three interceptions. Running back Isaiah Spiller has rushed for 993 yards and seven touchdowns.

Brown is familiar with Texas A&M’s program because after leaving his first stint as North Carolina’s coach he had a long-term run as the Texas coach.

“This will be a tremendous challenge for us but one that we’re looking forward to because it just gives us another opportunity to see how far we need to go to get where they are,” Brown said. “… What you want is verification to your players and your staff that what you’re doing is working, and they’re reaping a reward at the end of the second year that most people don’t get a chance to do.”

North Carolina was in position for this bowl bid by winning in Hard Rock Stadium, where the Orange Bowl will be played, in its Dec. 12 regular-season finale with a 62-26 upset of Miami. Carter and Williams combined for 544 rushing yards in the game, setting a Football Bowl Subdivision record for a twosome.

This is North Carolina’s first time slotted for the Orange Bowl. The Tar Heels will make their first major bowl appearance since the 1950 Cotton Bowl.

This marks the school-record 12th consecutive year that Texas A&M heads to a bowl, though it’s the school’s first appearance in a CFP-era New Year’s Six bowl.

“I think it shows the trajectory we’re on and what we’re trying to accomplish, that we are being relevant in the national conversations and where we’re going,” Fisher said.

Fisher’s coaching bowl record is 7-2, including a 2-0 mark in Orange Bowls with Florida State (defeating Northern Illinois in 2012 and Michigan in 2016). Brown has been to the Orange Bowl twice, both as an assistant coach (with LSU and Oklahoma).

Following a pair of nine-loss seasons under Larry Fedora that prompted the rehiring of Brown, North Carolina is in the postseason for the second year in a row.

“Our guys are very excited to be where we were two years ago to now,” Brown said. “A&M has been in this neighborhood before. This is new for us. So we’re not familiar with this, but we’re learning each week something new.”

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OLE MISS vs INDIANA
When: 1/2/2021 12:30 PM
Where:

TV: 12:30 PM
LINE: -7
PREDICTION: INDIANA , OLE MISS

Oddsmakers currently have the INDIANA listed as -7 point favorites versus the OLE MISS, while the game’s total is sitting at 66.5.

Indiana is looking to make the most of its second straight bowl trip to Florida when it faces Ole Miss at the Outback Bowl in Tampa on Jan. 2.

The Hoosiers, No. 11 in the CFP rankings, were spurned from a New Year’s Six Bowl bid in the Fiesta Bowl based on Iowa State being ranked one spot ahead of them. Indiana (6-1) posted its most Big Ten wins since 1987 and its highest AP ranking (No. 7) since 1968.

“It’s another chip on our shoulder,” Indiana coach Tom Allen said. “Something to go out and prove.”

Indiana hasn’t won a bowl game since 1991, a string of five straight bowl losses. Last year, at the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Fla., the Hoosiers let a 13-point lead slip away in the final five minutes in a 23-22 loss to Tennessee.

The game will be a homecoming for 10 Indiana players from the Tampa Bay area, including All-Big Ten linebacker Micah McFadden (Tampa Plant HS), All-Big Ten wide receiver Whop Philyor (Tampa Plant) and All-Big Ten safety Jamar Johnson (Sarasota-Riverview).

Allen, too, has Tampa ties, having started his high school coaching career there and serving a one-year stint as defensive coordinator at USF in 2015.

Quarterback Jack Tuttle will make his second career start for the Hoosiers after passing for 140 yards and two TDs in Indiana’s 14-6 win over Wisconsin on Dec. 5. Indiana had its final two games of the season canceled due to a COVID-19 outbreak within the team that involved 28 players and coaches.

Ole Miss (4-5), under first-year coach Lane Kiffin, was among the best offenses in the SEC this season, ranking first in the conference in rushing (217.67 yards per game), third in scoring (40.7 points per game) and third in passing (344.8 yards per game).

“The big play is definitely a huge emphasis for them,” Allen said. “They live off those. The deceiving part is that they also rush for 220 yards per game.”

Ole Miss will be playing in its first bowl game since the 2016 Sugar Bowl, a game in which it beat Oklahoma State 48-20.

The Rebels are led by starting quarterback Matt Corral, who has passed for 2,995 yards with 27 TDs and 14 interceptions on the season. But Corral will be without two of his top targets for the second straight game, as wide receiver Elijah Moore and tight end Kenny Yeboah opted out for the NFL draft.

Without both standout receiving threats, Corral struggled in his last start, throwing five interceptions in a 53-48 loss against LSU.

“It was not an effort issue that’s for sure,” Kiffin said. “It was just decision making and I didn’t think we called a great game. I don’t think we put him in the best spots at times.”

It won’t get any easier for Corral facing an Indiana defense that leads the nation with 17 interceptions.

“It should be good for our players to get motivated that you’re playing a great team,” Kiffin said. “Statistically, they have special things.”

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OHIO ST vs CLEMSON
When: 1/1/2021 8:00 PM
Where:

TV: 8:00 PM
LINE: -7.5
PREDICTION: CLEMSON , OHIO ST

Oddsmakers currently have the CLEMSON listed as -7.5 point favorites versus the OHIO ST, while the game’s total is sitting at 66.

The impact of Ohio State’s 29-23 loss to Clemson in the 2019 College Football Playoff semifinal has reverberated for nearly a year among the Buckeyes.

On Jan. 1 they will have an opportunity to create happier memories at the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans when they face the No. 2 Tigers (10-1) in a semifinal matchup for the third time in five seasons.

The Buckeyes (6-0) led 16-0 through 25 minutes last season before Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence led the comeback. Still, Ohio State drove to the Tigers’ 23 with a chance to potentially win the game until Justin Fields was intercepted in the end zone by Nolan Turner with 37 seconds left in the game.

“Fresh off of that game, it was right on our minds, and something that when we got back to work and winter workouts, January, February, it was right there for us,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said Sunday. “Coming off that game, we just didn’t get over it in one day. It took time.

“As we got into spring ball, we started to move forward, and then the quarantine happened. The goal was to get back into the situation. … And we wanted – once that game was over, we wanted to get back here.”

There was even a sign with the score posted in the Buckeyes’ weight room – an honor usually reserved for rival Michigan.

After defeating Ohio State, Clemson was denied a second straight national title by losing to LSU. The Tigers also won the CFP title in 2016 following a 31-0 rout of the Buckeyes in the semifinal and they are 4-0 all-time in the series.

“If we’re playing Ohio State, it’s a playoff,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. “Or it was a BCS bowl, back in 2013 in the Orange Bowl. We don’t have them on our regular schedule anytime in the near future, so you know it is a big, big postseason game when you play those guys.”

The No. 3 Buckeyes will try to establish the run using Trey Sermon, who gained a school and FBS conference championship game-record 331 yards during a 22-10 win over Northwestern in the Big Ten title game on Saturday.

Ohio State had 22 players out for the game, mostly because of COVID-19 issues, so the status of players such as top receiver Chris Olave and starting linebacker Baron Browning are unknown as they complete protocols. The Buckeyes might get a boost from the adjusted conference protocol for COVID quarantine, which is reduced to 17 days. Day said “a good number” of the players who missed the Big Ten title game should be cleared for the Jan. 1 game.

Lawrence tested positive earlier this season, missing the Nov. 7 double-overtime loss at Notre Dame. He showed he’s fully recovered by throwing for 322 yards and two touchdowns and rushing for 90 yards and a score to down the Fighting Irish 34-10 to win the ACC championship Saturday.

He got support from running back Travis Etienne (124 yards and a TD on 10 carries).

Those two were lethal vs. the Buckeyes last season. Lawrence had 259 passing yards and a touchdown, plus 107 yards and a score on the ground while Etienne had 134 all-purpose yards and three TDs.

“I think (Lawrence) and Etienne are two of the most dynamic players in college football, and probably in the history of college football,” Day said.

Swinney’s opinion of Ohio State has been a hot topic since the release of the CFP rankings. Swinney said he felt the six-game resume of Ohio State, which began the season in late October, put the Buckeyes on a different playing field than many of the other contenders. Swinney backed up his feelings by rankings the Buckeyes No. 11 in the final coaches’ poll of the season.

“I think any time you step in between the lines, the game of football, there’s a lot that can happen. A lot,” Swinney said. “I mean, heck, in 2017, we lost to a three-win or four-win Syracuse team and still went to the playoffs. So anything can happen. Guys can get hurt. There’s a lot. So I think the fact that we’re going to have 11 games as well as the SEC teams — I mean, you look at Florida and Texas A&M and Alabama. I mean, these teams are going to have 11 games this year.

“It’s incredible and I think the Big Ten had the same opportunity and they chose not to play, and I think the only reason they ended up playing is because of the leadership of the SEC and the ACC and the Big 12, and have demonstrated that we can do it and do it in a safe way. So it’s been an unbelievably challenging season, that’s for sure. …

He continued: “Obviously, as coaches, we don’t control any of that stuff. So I do think that our team has played incredibly well. We had a double-overtime loss at the No. 2 team in the country now in Notre Dame, who’s a great team and an unbelievable game. Again, no matter what happens for Notre Dame or Clemson, nothing changes in my mind, as far as both of these teams being in the top four.”

Alabama head coach Nick Saban argued Sunday that, while Ohio State is talented, the psychological toll of the elongated season and the physical challenges of playing a full SEC schedule made for an unfair advantage to teams that are relatively rested and fresh entering January.

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BALL ST vs SAN JOSE ST
When: 12/31/2020 2:00 PM
Where:

TV: 2:00 PM
LINE: -9
PREDICTION: SAN JOSE ST , BALL ST

Oddsmakers currently have the SAN JOSE ST listed as -9 point favorites versus the BALL ST, while the game’s total is sitting at 62.5.

San Jose State coach Brent Brennan and Ball State coach Mike Neu have never coached against each other because they have primarily operated in two different regions of the country throughout their coaching careers.

They have achieved similar success, however, with programs that will take part in the Arizona Bowl on New Year’s Eve at Tucson.

“I’ve been following him since he took over there,” Brennan said of Neu, who was hired by Ball State, his alma mater, in 2016. “And there’s a really similar path to ours. I think this is a really fascinating matchup, if you look to where he was in 2017 and ’18. There’s some real similarities there. What they’ve been able to do this year has been awesome.”

The 22nd-ranked Spartans (7-0) were 3-22 in Brennan’s first two seasons in 2017 and 2018. After going 5-7 last season, his team is unbeaten and Mountain West champions for the first time in program history.

Brennan is becoming a noted coaching candidate, specifically at Arizona, where he was a graduate assistant in 2000. He is also a finalist for the Eddie Robinson national coach of the year award.

Neu did not have more than four wins his first three seasons, but last year, the Cardinals went 5-7 and they are 6-1 this season with a Mid-American Conference title for the first time since 1996.

“(Playing in the Arizona Bowl) is a tremendous opportunity for our program,” Neu said. “A lot of hard work has to be done between now and then facing a great opponent in San Jose State. We’re really looking forward to it. A lot a lot of good preparation lies ahead here for the next several days before we get a chance to leave.”

Neu said that preparation includes becoming hydrated to better handle Tucson’s warmer weather than Muncie, Ind., this time of year. The last time Boise State has traveled this far west was in 1993 to play in the Las Vegas Bowl — when Neu was the starting quarterback.

“The first thing when we found out (when the bowl matchup was announced) we saw that it was 76 degrees in Tucson,” Neu said from Muncie, where the high was 44 with precipitation. “The first thing we have to communicate with our young men is hydration. That starts now.”

San Jose State features quarterback Nick Starkel, who completed 32 of 52 passes for 453 yards and three touchdowns in the Mountain West title win over Boise State. He broke former Fresno State star Derek Carr’s championship record of 404 yards passing set in 2013 in win against Utah State.

“Nick has put up a huge year,” said Neu, who was a quarterback coach with the New Orleans Saints before his hire at Ball State. “We’ll have a lot of tape here to study and put a great game plan together and go take on that challenge.”

Ball State quarterback Drew Plitt has also had a productive season passing for 1,937 yards while completing 152 out of 232 pass attempts in only seven games. He has 16 touchdown passes and six interceptions.

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LIBERTY vs COASTAL CAROLINA
When: 12/26/2020 7:30 PM
Where:

TV: 7:30 PM
LINE: -7.5
PREDICTION: COASTAL CAROLINA , LIBERTY

Oddsmakers currently have the COASTAL CAROLINA listed as -7.5 point favorites versus the LIBERTY, while the game’s total is sitting at 59.5.

Let’s hope coaches and players for Coastal Carolina and Liberty kept their notes.

The teams were supposed to play earlier this month before coronavirus issues intervened. They’re going to try again, this time in the postseason.

The No. 12 Chanticleers and Flames are slated to meet Saturday in the Cure Bowl at Orlando, a chance to cap what have been memorable seasons for both teams.

“Obviously that game was meant to be,” Coastal Carolina coach Jamey Chadwell said.

Coastal Carolina (11-0), which will make its first bowl appearance, is one of five undefeated teams in the country.

“We made this move in 2016 for opportunities like this, to go compete in bowl games,” Chadwell said of reclassifying to the Football Bowl Subdivision. “Hopefully that will be something that’s a yearly deal.”

Liberty (9-1) cracked the national rankings before losing at North Carolina State on Nov. 21. Other than the College Football Playoff semifinal between Alabama and Notre Dame, the Cure Bowl matchup has teams with the best combined record.

“It’s a lot of hard work,” Chadwell said. “It was a big day (to receive a bowl bid). One we’re thankful for.”

The Dec. 5 scheduled game that would have sent Liberty to Coastal Carolina was scrapped because of Liberty’s positive tests and precaution. That created a much-discussed midweek revision to the schedule for Coastal Carolina, which welcomed then-undefeated BYU for a game on short notice and won with a thrilling finish with a tackle at the 1-yard line to maintain its unbeaten record.

The Chanticleers then produced a last-minute touchdown the next week to win at Troy. But they, too, experienced the fallout from coronavirus protocols, with last weekend’s Sun Belt Conference championship game against Louisiana called off less than 48 hours before the scheduled kickoff because of Coastal Carolina’s testing. Chadwell said players in quarantine could be cleared by midweek prior to the bowl.

Liberty’s lone loss came by a 15-14 score on the road against the Wolfpack, who held on by blocking a field-goal attempt in the last 80 seconds.

Liberty, which is winding down the best season in program history, hasn’t played since defeating Massachusetts 45-0 on Nov. 27. The Flames are trying to match a program record for wins, a mark set with a 10-2 record on the Football Championship Subdivision level in 2008.

“Having another chance to face Coastal Carolina after it was taken away from us at the end of our regular season gives us a chance to finish off a magical season with another special win,” Liberty coach Hugh Freeze said.

Liberty captured its first bowl victory last year in the Cure Bowl by defeating Georgia Southern, which like Coastal Carolina is a member of the Sun Belt Conference.

This year, the Flames are led by quarterback Malik Willis, who has thrown for 20 touchdowns and rushed for 10. He has 2,040 passing yards and 807 rushing yards.

Chadwell said the exposure from defeating BYU was an ideal fallout from the regular-season game with Liberty being called off. Even so, he is glad to be able to play the Flames.

“We did prepare for them there for about three days,” Chadwell said. “At least we have already some game plans and some things done for them. They’ll be fresh (with the long layoff), no doubt.”

Coastal Carolina and Liberty were Big South Conference members before each moving to the Football Bowl Subdivision. Liberty now plays as an independent. The series is tied 7-7, with the most recent meeting in 2016.

“It makes the bowl game that much more special because of the history we have with Liberty,” Chadwell said.

The post LIBERTY vs. COASTAL CAROLINA 12/26/2020 Free Pick & CFB Betting Prediction appeared first on IdealCapper.

LA LAFAYETTE vs UTSA
When: 12/26/2020 3:30 PM
Where:

TV: 3:30 PM
LINE: 14
PREDICTION: UTSA , LA LAFAYETTE

Oddsmakers currently have the UTSA listed as 14 point favorites versus the LA LAFAYETTE, while the game’s total is sitting at 56.

Louisiana didn’t get a chance to play for the Sun Belt Conference championship.

The No. 19 Ragin’ Cajuns are trying to prevent that disappointment from adversely affecting their performance against UTSA in the First Responder Bowl on Saturday on the SMU campus in Dallas.

Louisiana (9-1) flew to South Carolina last Thursday to play Coastal Carolina for the Sun Belt title but returned home the next day after the game was canceled due to COVID issues within the Chanticleers’ program.

Both teams were declared co-champions.

“We’ve got to take that anger and frustration and disappointment and move forward and use those things as fuel on the fire to get ready to play,” Cajuns coach Billy Napier said. “We’ve got a very competitive culture here. We’ve got a very competitive group of people.”

The Cajuns opened the season with a 31-14 road victory against No. 10 Iowa State and have the best 10-game record in school history.

They have won the Sun Belt West division and played in a bowl game in each of Napier’s three seasons as head coach. That success led to Napier being a candidate for coaching vacancies at South Carolina and Auburn, but Louisiana announced this week that Napier is staying put.

Louisiana’s defense has forced at least two turnovers in each victory this season. The only time it failed to do that was in a 30-27 home loss to Coastal Carolina on Oct. 14.

The Roadrunners are 7-4 in coach Jeff Traylor’s first season. A victory over the Cajuns would be the first bowl victory for a school that is making just its second appearance in a bowl and it would tie the school-record for wins in a season.

UTSA was originally scheduled to play SMU in the Frisco Bowl, but the Dec. 19 game was canceled due to COVID issues in the Mustangs’ program.

The First Responder Bowl stepped in and invited the Roadrunners, who gladly accepted but had to wait five days to learn that Louisiana would be their opponent.

“What an awesome opportunity,” Traylor said. “I’m just so thrilled for our players, coaches, and staff to be playing in a bowl game.”

The UTSA program is in just its 10th season. The school tied an NCAA modern startup program record by reaching a bowl game in just its sixth season, losing to New Mexico 23-20 in the 2016 New Mexico Bowl.

The Roadrunners finished second in the Conference USA West Division with a 5-2 conference record.

“We’re building something special here,” quarterback Frank Harris said. “Coach Traylor is doing a great job of instilling a culture. We are following it now and seeing the results.”

UTSA set school records for total offense (624 yards) and rushing yards (443) in their last game – a 49-17 victory against North Texas on Nov. 28. It was the second consecutive game that the total offense record was broken.

“I think we finished the (regular) season out in the right way,” said running back Sincere McCormick, who had a record 251 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

The post LA LAFAYETTE vs. UTSA 12/26/2020 Free Pick & CFB Betting Prediction appeared first on IdealCapper.

W KENTUCKY vs GEORGIA ST
When: 12/26/2020 3:30 PM
Where:

TV: 3:30 PM
LINE: -3.5
PREDICTION: GEORGIA ST , W KENTUCKY

Oddsmakers currently have the GEORGIA ST listed as -3.5 point favorites versus the W KENTUCKY, while the game’s total is sitting at 50.5.

The bowl tradition continues to grow at Western Kentucky and Georgia State, who will meet Saturday in the 22nd annual LendingTree Bowl in Mobile, Ala.

Western Kentucky (5-6), from Conference USA, will play its 30th postseason game. Over the past eight seasons the Hilltoppers are 4-2 in bowls and defeated Western Michigan last year in the First Responders Bowl.

Georgia State (5-4), from the Sun Belt Conference, will make its fourth bowl appearance in the program’s 11-year history. The Panthers have earned a bowl trip for the third time in four seasons under coach Shawn Elliott. They lost to Wyoming in the Arizona Bowl last year.

Georgia State and Western Kentucky played in the 2017 Cure Bowl in Orlando, with Georgia State winning 27-17 for its first bowl victory.

“Playing in the postseason, that’s always our No. 1 goal,” said Western Kentucky coach Tyson Helton. “To have one more opportunity to try and get a win and send our guys off right, that’s pretty special.”

In 24 seasons as a Division I coach, Elliott has been a part of 19 teams that have reached a bowl game or the NCAA playoffs.

“I’m so proud of our players for their commitment and hard work to persevere through this season,” Elliott said. “We talk about doing things for the first time, and back-to-back bowl games is another first for our program.”

Western Kentucky has had trouble scoring this season — the Hilltoppers have averaged 18.8 points, last in Conference USA. Tyrrell Pigrome has thrown for 1,423 yards and nine touchdowns, with no interceptions, and has rushed for 328 yards and three TDs. Brayden Narveson, who is 13-for-14 on field goals and 24-for-24 on extra points, is a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award, an honor given annually to the nation’s best kicker.

Western Kentucky’s resume includes losses to Louisville, Liberty and BYU, but the Hilltoppers have won their past three games. They rank fifth in the conference in scoring defense (24.1). They lead Conference USA in pass defense, allowing 170.1 yards per game. The defense is led by all-conference choice DeAngelo Malone, a defensive end who has 65 tackles, six sacks and 11 tackles for loss.

Georgia State had 14 players named to the All-Sun Belt Conference, including two first-team selections: left guard Shamarious Gilmore and kicker Noel Ruiz, a graduate transfer from North Carolina A&T.

Georgia State averages over 30 points a game behind quarterback Cornelious Brown, who has thrown for 2,046 yards and 14 touchdowns, and receiver Sam Pinckney, who has 44 catches for 753 yards and six touchdowns.

The post W KENTUCKY vs. GEORGIA ST 12/26/2020 Free Pick & CFB Betting Prediction appeared first on IdealCapper.

OKLAHOMA ST vs MIAMI
When: 12/29/2020 5:30 PM
Where:

TV: 5:30 PM
LINE: 2.5
PREDICTION: MIAMI , OKLAHOMA ST

Oddsmakers currently have the MIAMI listed as 2.5 point favorites versus the OKLAHOMA ST, while the game’s total is sitting at 58.5.

Perhaps the Miami Hurricanes have caught a break.

Or maybe not.

The 18th-ranked Hurricanes (8-2) will play the No. 21 Oklahoma State Cowboys (7-3) in the Cheez-It Bowl on Dec. 29 in Orlando, Fla.

Oklahoma State is 2-2 against ranked teams this season and Miami is 1-2. The Hurricanes are coming off an embarrassing 62-26 home loss to the North Carolina Tar Heels, who had 554 yards rushing and 778 yards in total offense.

“Our kids have a bad taste in our mouths after that game,” Hurricanes coach Manny Diaz said.

The break that Miami might have caught is that Cowboys star running back Chuba Hubbard earlier this month opted to skip the rest of the season to prepare for the NFL draft.

Hubbard was a unanimous All-America selection last season, when he rushed for 2,094 yards, a 6.4-yard average and 21 touchdowns.

This year, Hubbard managed just 625 yards, a 4.7 average and five TDs. He hasn’t played since Nov. 21 due to an ankle injury, and his backups have done very well.

Meanwhile, Miami has been weakened on defense as both of their star defensive ends — Jaelan Phillips and Quincy Roche — are skipping the bowl game to prepare for the draft. Phillips and Roche combined this season for 30 tackles for losses, 12.5 sacks, four passes defensed, three fumble recoveries and one interception.

Redshirt freshmen Jahfari Harvey and Cam Williams are Miami’s new starting defensive ends, and they combined for 3.5 tackles for losses this season, albeit in few snaps.

The Cowboys, who have alternated a loss with a win for their past six games, are coming off an impressive 42-3 victory over Baylor on Dec. 12.

With Hubbard out, the Cowboys have had a 100-yard rusher in each of their past three games. The streak started when Dezmon Jackson rushed for 235 yards (6.5 average) and three touchdowns in a 50-44 win over Texas Tech.

“All week, I was running so hard to get myself in shape because this was my first start,” Jackson said after that game. “Practice translates to the field, and I wasn’t really tired in the game.”

Jackson then had 118 yards (4.1 average) in a 29-22 loss to Texas Christian.

Against Baylor, Dominic Richardson ran for 169 yards (7.3 average) and three touchdowns.

Oklahoma State’s passing game, led by Spencer Sanders, also is dangerous. Sanders, a second-year starter, has passed for 26 touchdowns and 3,767 yards in the past two years. But he also has been intercepted 19 times in 19 games.

Cowboys wide receiver Tylan Wallace, a third-year starter, has 53 catches for 877 yards and six TDs. But when he went down with a leg injury against Baylor, OSU’s Dillon Stoner had a huge game, grabbing eight passes for 247 yards and three scores.

Oklahoma State’s ability to find new stars on the fly has to concern a shaken Hurricanes defense, especially without their star linemen. Miami starting cornerback Al Blades also is out, due to myocarditis, a heart condition.

Offensively, Miami is led by D’Eriq King, who has passed for 2,573 yards, 22 TDs and just five interceptions this year. He has also rushed for 520 yards and four touchdowns.

Wide receiver Mike Harley (49 catches, 730 yards, six TDs) is King’s biggest playmaker.

Tight ends Brevin Jordan and Will Mallory — both NFL prospects — have combined this season for 48 catches, 742 yards and nine touchdowns.

The post Cheez-It Bowl: Oklahoma St vs. Miami 12/29/2020 Free Pick & CFB Betting Prediction appeared first on IdealCapper.

COLORADO vs TEXAS
When: 12/29/2020 9:00 PM
Where:

TV: 9:00 PM
LINE: -9.5
PREDICTION: TEXAS , COLORADO

Oddsmakers currently have the TEXAS listed as -9.5 point favorites versus the COLORADO, while the game’s total is sitting at 63.5.

Upstart Colorado and No. 20 Texas, two teams with different expectations entering the 2020 season, will look to end the COVID-19-influenced campaign in style when they square off in the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 29 in San Antonio.

The Longhorns will play in the Alamo Bowl for the fifth time and second straight year, while Colorado will appear in the postseason game for the third time and first since losing to Oklahoma State in 2016.

Texas (6-3, 5-3 in Big 12 play) came into the season with an experienced and talented team that was expected to challenge for the Big 12 Conference title. But the Longhorns were derailed by early-season losses to TCU and Oklahoma and dropped a crucial game to Iowa State on the day after Thanksgiving that kept them out of the Big 12 championship game.

Still, Texas won four of its last five contests, including a 69-31 road win over Kansas State on Dec. 5 in its most recent outing. That stretch also included a road win over then-No. 6 Oklahoma State, which marked Texas’ first road victory over a top-10 opponent since 2010.

The Longhorns were supposed to play a rescheduled game at Kansas on Dec. 12 but the game was canceled because of positive COVID tests in the Texas program.

“Obviously, for us, it’s a return trip, and I know our kids will be excited, regardless of the circumstances that 2020 has thrown everyone’s way,” Texas coach Tom Herman said. “We are honored and proud to be a part of it, and I know we will definitely have our hands full.”

The Alamo Bowl marks the 57th all-time bowl appearance for the Longhorns, the second-most in the country behind only Alabama. It is the fourth-straight year Texas has appeared in a bowl game under Herman, with the Longhorns winning each of the first three.

“It will be bittersweet, but I’m going to savor every last practice, every last minute I have with this great group of seniors,” Herman said. “Most of them came in when we took this program over and have been great models of leadership for our team and our university.”

The Buffaloes were the surprise team of the Pac-12 this season and made the most out of their limited opportunities, finishing the regular season with a 4-1 mark, and 3-1 in league play for a second-place finish in the South Division.

With a roster that sports only a handful of seniors and a long list of underclassmen who earned valuable playing time, the bowl bid serves as another validation of what coach Karl Dorrell, who was not hired until February, is building in Boulder.

“We feel like our program’s on the rise,” Dorrell said. “We’re trying to get better week after week and keep improving the depth of our team with our freshmen and sophomores that are playing. This has really been an extra bonus year for us to build a foundation in our program. It was just another step.”

The Buffaloes head to San Antonio after losing their final game of the regular season 38-21 at home to Utah on Dec. 12. Colorado was set to play Oregon on Dec. 19 but that game was cancelled after the Ducks were elevated into the league’s championship after COVID issues kept Washington from playing in the title game.

Once conference foes in the Big 12, Texas and Colorado will face off for the 19th time in school history and for the first time since 2009. The Longhorns will be the first ranked opponent the Buffaloes will play in 2020.

“We’re looking forward to extending the fruits of our labor from what we’ve done so far this year,” Dorrell said. “To be able to play this game and celebrate the game of football and particularly postseason — it’s fun to be a part of that. We’re very, very thankful for the opportunity to play.”

The post COLORADO vs. TEXAS 12/29/2020 Free Pick & CFB Betting Prediction appeared first on IdealCapper.

WISCONSIN vs WAKE FOREST
When: 12/30/2020 12:00 PM
Where:

TV: 12:00 PM
LINE: 7
PREDICTION: WAKE FOREST , WISCONSIN

Oddsmakers currently have the WAKE FOREST listed as 7 point favorites versus the WISCONSIN, while the game’s total is sitting at 52.5.

There could be plenty of energy and fresh bodies when Wake Forest and Wisconsin meet in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl on Dec. 30 in Charlotte, N.C.

Both schools figure to have unfinished business to tend to in what probably feels like an incomplete season for each squad. This is the first-ever meeting between the programs.

Wisconsin (3-3), which looked to be a contender in the Big Ten Conference when the season began, is in a bowl for the 19th consecutive season — the third-longest active streak in the country.

“We have said throughout this season that all we want is a chance to play,” Badgers coach Paul Chryst said. “With all that has gone on and especially after (defeating Minnesota), our guys are excited for one more opportunity.”

Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson said his team is enthused about the chance to finish the season with a victory after back-to-back losses — albeit almost a month apart — to close the regular season.

“We didn’t do all this work to play eight games. We don’t want our last game to be Louisville,” he said, referring to a 45-21 loss to the Cardinals on Dec. 12.

Wake Forest (4-4) is playing in a school-record fifth consecutive bowl. The Demon Deacons won the first three of those — including in 2017 against Texas A&M in Charlotte (then called the Belk Bowl) — before losing last season to Michigan State in the Pinstripe Bowl.

“When we played Texas A&M, that was a big deal,” Clawson said. “To get a team like Wisconsin that we have great respect for and we know is a traditional power, that’s a big deal to our players.”

The Badgers were much busier than Wake Forest recently, playing five games in the last six weeks. They lost three in a row before pulling out a 20-17 overtime win against Minnesota on Dec. 19.

Senior Garrett Groshek rushed for 161 yards and his first touchdown of the season against the Golden Gophers.

“It shows you that he cares about this team,” Chryst said, hoping that type of spirit carries over to the bowl game.

Quarterback Graham Mertz took a hit and didn’t finish the Minnesota game. Chryst speculated that he would be OK, though Chase Wolf took snaps during the crucial final minutes. Mertz has thrown for eight touchdowns.

Wake Forest has played only once since Nov. 14 and played the fewest games of any Atlantic Coast Conference team this season. This will be the Demon Deacons’ seventh game in their home state this year.

Among games canceled for Wake Forest were matchups with Notre Dame, Miami, Duke, and Florida State. The Seminoles weren’t on the original schedule but added for Dec. 19 amid the ACC’s late-season scheduling revisions, and then called off because of FSU’s coronavirus protocols.

Wisconsin leads the nation in time of possession, playing at a more deliberate pace than Wake Forest prefers.

“They have a style of football in a way that works for them,” Clawson said. “We have a style of football that has worked for us.”

Wake Forest defensive end Carlos Basham has opted not to play in the bowl game. He had 23 consecutive games with a tackle for loss until the Louisville game, a mark that had been the longest active string in the country.

Team scoring leader Kenneth Walker III, a sophomore running back with 13 touchdowns in seven games, also has chosen not to compete any more this year. He sat out the Louisville game as well.

This is the first year of this bowl’s tie-in with the Big Ten Conference. The Badgers are 4-1 in bowls against current ACC members.

Initially, a crowd limited to fewer than 6,000 fans were anticipated per state guidelines amid the pandemic. On Dec. 22, bowl officials announced that only family and friends of team members and bowl sponsors will be permitted to attend.

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