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.”

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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.

The post WISCONSIN vs. WAKE FOREST 12/30/2020 Free Pick & CFB Betting Prediction appeared first on IdealCapper.

FLORIDA vs OKLAHOMA
When: 12/30/2020 8:00 PM
Where:

TV: 8:00 PM
LINE: 3
PREDICTION: OKLAHOMA , FLORIDA

Oddsmakers currently have the OKLAHOMA listed as 3 point favorites versus the FLORIDA, while the game’s total is sitting at 72.

The only other time Florida and Oklahoma have played, in the BCS Championship following the 2008 season, the focus was largely on the quarterbacks.

This time around, with the Gators’ Kyle Trask and Sooners’ Spencer Rattler, the position is once again front and center when the teams meet in the Cotton Bowl on Dec. 30 in Arlington, Texas.

That first meeting featured a pair of Heisman winners in Tim Tebow and Sam Bradford.

While Rattler isn’t a Heisman contender, yet at least, and Trask’s chances to win the award probably disappeared with Florida’s recent two-game winning streak, both have been critical in their team’s success.

They’ve also taken wildly different routes to stardom.

Rattler was a five-star phenom in the Phoenix area who had his pick of schools before choosing to sign with Oklahoma.

He was among the Heisman favorites by oddsmakers entering this season even though he had never started in college.

The redshirt freshman put together a strong season, throwing for nearly 280 yards per game, 25 touchdowns and seven interceptions while completing 68.0 percent of his passes.

“(Rattler) can run around, extend plays, scramble, and make things happen with his feet as well as having a really live arm,” Florida coach Dan Mullen said.

Trask had none of the hype.

He wasn’t even the starting quarterback at his high school, instead serving as the backup to D’Eriq King, now Miami’s quarterback.

But Trask stuck with the team and eventually drew the attention of Florida coaches, who offered him a scholarship.

Trask, now a senior, didn’t get a serious opportunity to start for the Gators until last year when Feleipe Franks suffered a season-ending injury.

Trask’s numbers last season during his eight games as a starter are nearly identical to Rattler’s – 277.5 passing yards per game, 24 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Their team’s 8-2 records in those games are even identical.

But Trask has emerged as a star this season, throwing for 4,125 yards and 43 touchdowns – 11 more than any other FBS quarterback – with just five interceptions.

“He’s done a really good job of using the weapons,” Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley said. “They’ve got a tremendous scheme that really features what he does well. But you can see, having watched him a little bit more last year, you can see obviously the improvement he’s made.”

Trask will be without one of his top targets for the game. Tight end Kyle Pitts, the favorite for the Mackey Award as the top tight end in college football, announced he was opting out of the bowl game to prepare for the NFL Draft.

While Oklahoma’s offense has garnered plenty of attention since Riley arrived, the Sooners (8-2) have their best defense in recent years. The defense is keyed by their front, which is averaging 3.8 sacks per game, sixth-best in FBS, while allowing just 90.6 yards per game on the ground, No. 3 nationally.

Florida (8-3) has struggled defensively in spots this season, including recently, allowing an average of 511.5 yards and 44.5 points per game in losses to LSU and Alabama.

The post FLORIDA vs. OKLAHOMA 12/30/2020 Free Pick & CFB Betting Prediction appeared first on IdealCapper.

MISSISSIPPI ST vs TULSA
When: 12/31/2020 12:00 PM
Where:

TV: 12:00 PM
LINE: -2.5
PREDICTION: TULSA , MISSISSIPPI ST

Oddsmakers currently have the TULSA listed as -2.5 point favorites versus the MISSISSIPPI ST, while the game’s total is sitting at 49.

At Mississippi State, bowl appearances are an annual occurrence.

No. 24 Tulsa, meanwhile, is set to end a brief postseason hiatus.

The Bulldogs (3-7) will make a school-record 11th consecutive bowl appearance, while the Golden Hurricane (6-2) will play in their first bowl since 2016 when they meet on New Year’s Eve in the Armed Forces Bowl at Fort Worth, Texas.

Tulsa beat Central Michigan 55-10 in the Miami Beach Bowl in 2016. Then the Golden Hurricane went 2-10, 3-9 and 4-8 before having a breakout season this year.

“Throughout this time I’ve seen a lot of ups and downs,” senior running back Corey Taylor II said. “It’s been a blessing to see how a championship team is created, and I believe this Tulsa team is definitely a championship team.”

Tulsa isn’t an official championship team, but it did go 6-0 in American Athletic Conference regular-season play to reach the conference title game against undefeated Cincinnati on Dec. 19. The Bearcats escaped with a 27-24 victory on a field goal as time expired.

“It has been a magical year for this group,” Tulsa coach Philip Montgomery said. “Now we get an opportunity to continue to play one more game.”

The Golden Hurricane had four games canceled because of COVID-19 issues, including a contest at Houston. Tulsa has 62 Texans on its roster who get a chance to play in their home state after all.

“Generally we’re playing at least one game a year down there whether that’s an SMU or a Houston,” Montgomery said. “For the guys (from Texas), it will be special to play this game in Fort Worth.”

Any location would be special for the Bulldogs, who usually have a winning record going into their bowl game.

Mississippi State played the two best games of coach Mike Leach’s first season in the first and last games of the season. The Bulldogs opened with a 44-34 road victory against defending national champion LSU, then lost seven of eight before finishing Dec. 19 with a 51-32 home victory against Missouri.

“We have been competitive all year,” said Leach, who has led 17 of his 19 teams as a head coach to bowl games. “We practice hard and play hard, we just do it incongruently. We just do it in spurts and kind of segmented.”

In between the first and last wins came a victory came against Vanderbilt. None of the Bulldogs’ triumphs came against a team that currently sports a winning record.

Mississippi State gained 446 total yards in the finale, including its first 100-yard rushing game of the season (151).

“It’s been a gradual process,” Leach said. “We’re not there yet, but we took a step (against Missouri).”

The season began with KJ Costello, a graduate transfer from Stanford, passing for a Southeastern Conference-record 623 yards against LSU, but gradually Leach transitioned to a youth movement.

Freshman Will Rogers took over the starting position at midseason, and he has passed for 1,828 yards. The Bulldogs’ true freshmen have combined for 146 receptions, the most among any team in the Football Bowl Subdivision.

The post MISSISSIPPI ST vs. TULSA 12/31/2020 Free Pick & CFB Betting Prediction appeared first on IdealCapper.

ARKANSAS vs TCU
When: 12/31/2020 8:00 PM
Where:

TV: 8:00 PM
LINE: -5.5
PREDICTION: TCU , ARKANSAS

Oddsmakers currently have the TCU listed as -5.5 point favorites versus the ARKANSAS, while the game’s total is sitting at 57.

Arkansas brings an unsightly 3-7 record and a four-game losing skid into the Texas Bowl to face TCU on New Year’s Eve in Houston.

Razorbacks coach Sam Pittman isn’t making any apologies.

“We’ll always have folks who will say we were 3-7 and things of that nature. If you look at our schedule and look — obviously we played 10 SEC games, certainly played four I think of the top nine teams in the country,” said Pittman, whose three wins were against Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Tennessee.

Teams did not need a winning record or a minimum number of victories this season to be eligible for a bowl due to the uncertainty of COVID-19.

The Horned Frogs (6-4), winners of three straight and five of their last six games, last faced the Razorbacks when they split a home-and-home series from 2016-17. TCU’s winning streak includes a 29-22 victory over then-No. 15 Oklahoma State on Dec. 5.

The Texas Bowl will mark the Frogs’ ninth game out of 11 played in Texas this season.

“Most of our kids are very excited, even the Louisiana kids because this is going to be an opportunity for their families to come watch them play,” TCU coach Gary Patterson said. “If it would have been somewhere out of state, going west or really further east, it would have been harder for them to do that.”

Former Florida quarterback Feleipe Franks is a big reason why Arkansas won its three games this season and lost three others — to Auburn, LSU and Missouri — by a combined seven points.

Franks has revived his career at Arkansas after suffering a gruesome ankle injury with the Gators in the third game of last season.

“A game here and there, we were in every game and we were competing and we did a good job with that,” said Franks, who was the 2018 Peach Bowl MVP with Florida. “I think the program is turned around and definitely headed in the right direction with Coach Pittman and all of the staff and everybody did a great job of getting the program going in the right direction.”

He has thrown for 2,107 yards at a 68.5 percent completion rate with 17 touchdowns and only four interceptions.

While other NFL prospects are opting out of bowls, Franks said he will play in the Texas Bowl.

“I feel like it’s just my duty,” he said. “Not necessarily my duty, but for me, I want to stay and I want to finish the season out. I want to finish what I started.”

TCU’s running game dictates its performances.

It leads the Big 12 at 216.0 rushing yards per game. The Horned Frogs are 6-0 when running for at least 200 yards. They have averaged 275.0 yards per game rushing in their six wins and 124.3 in the four losses.

Quarterback Max Duggan leads TCU in rushing with 526 yards and 10 touchdowns. He has completed 146 of 240 passes for 1,795 yards with 10 touchdowns and four interceptions.

The post ARKANSAS vs. TCU 12/31/2020 Free Pick & CFB Betting Prediction appeared first on IdealCapper.

AUBURN vs NORTHWESTERN
When: 1/1/2021 1:00 PM
Where:

TV: 1:00 PM
LINE: -3.5
PREDICTION: NORTHWESTERN , AUBURN

Oddsmakers currently have the NORTHWESTERN listed as -3.5 point favorites versus the AUBURN, while the game’s total is sitting at 43.5.

Eleven years to the day after facing off in a thrilling bowl game, the Auburn Tigers and No. 14 Northwestern Wildcats meet again on New Year’s Day in the Citrus Bowl at Orlando, Fla.

The teams played in the 2010 Outback Bowl, with the Tigers pulling out a 38-35 overtime victory. Current Kansas City Chiefs quarterbacks coach Mike Kafka completed 47 of 78 passes for 532 yards with four touchdowns and five interceptions for the Wildcats.

Northwestern scored two touchdowns in the final four minutes to tie the game, but the Tigers’ Wes Byrum kicked a 21-yard field goal in OT and the Wildcats were unable to equalize. Auburn went on to win the national championship the following season.

This year, the Wildcats (6-2) enter the bowl game coming off a 22-10 loss to No. 3 Ohio State in the Big Ten championship game. Northwestern led the Buckeyes 10-6 at the half, but three second-half turnovers and a tired defense gave way to a potent Ohio State rushing attack.

“We just didn’t make the plays we needed to make down the stretch in the fourth quarter to be Big Ten champions,” Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald said. “But to have the opportunity to represent the Big Ten in Orlando, we are ecstatic.”

The Tigers (6-4) haven’t played since Dec. 12, and in that time they fired head coach Gus Malzahn and hired Boise State head coach Bryan Harsin.

Defensive coordinator Kevin Steele has stepped into the interim head-coaching role for the bowl game.

“These guys have been resilient,” Steele said. “They’ve shown a lot of character, leadership and just the ability to adapt. We’ve actually had an additional bump in the road that we had a change at the top for us, which is something that’s hard on a football program. And so we’re going through that.”

Both teams have their conference’s freshman of the year.

Auburn running back Tank Bigsby was selected the Southeastern Conference’s top freshman after rushing for 834 yards on 138 carries in 10 games. He added 300 kick-return yards and 84 receiving yards for 1,218 all-purpose yards.

Northwestern safety Brandon Joseph won the Freshman of the Year award for the Big Ten, the first strictly defensive player to win the award since Deion Barnes in 2012. Joseph leads the nation with six interceptions.

The game will also be the last in the career of Northwestern’s defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz, who would reach 400 career wins if the Wildcats win the Citrus Bowl.

Hankwitz started his coaching career at his alma mater of Michigan and served as the defensive coordinator for Arizona, Western Michigan, Colorado, Kansas State, Texas A&M and Wisconsin before being hired by Fitzgerald before the 2008 season.

Hankwitz is a finalist for the Broyles Award, which goes to the best assistant coach in the country, and Fitzgerald believes Northwestern’s success on defense starts and ends with Hankwitz.

“You look at my head coaching career here and our success, I mean Mike Hankwitz is in the DNA, the fabric, the architect, take whatever you want to say,” Fitzgerald said. “I’m just so grateful for him.”

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NOTRE DAME vs ALABAMA
When: 1/1/2021 4:00 PM
Where:

TV: 4:00 PM
LINE: -19.5
PREDICTION: ALABAMA , NOTRE DAME

Oddsmakers currently have the ALABAMA listed as -19.5 point favorites versus the NOTRE DAME, while the game’s total is sitting at 65.5.

It’s a huge mismatch on paper and No. 4 Notre Dame can only hope it doesn’t lead to another bad memory when it takes on No. 1 Alabama in the College Football Playoff semifinal on Jan. 1 at Arlington, Texas.

The powerful Crimson Tide, who have topped 50 points in each of the past three games, are overwhelming 19 1/2-point favorites in the contest, also known as the Rose Bowl after the game was moved from Pasadena to the Dallas area due to California’s COVID-19 protocols.

When the teams last met eight seasons ago in the BCS title game, Alabama trampled the Fighting Irish by scoring the first 35 points of a 42-14 romp. The Crimson Tide pummeled Notre Dame in the trenches, leading to a 265-32 edge in rushing yardage.

“We’re much better prepared than we were in 2012 in terms of the physicality on both lines,” Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said on a video call. “I think we have the ability to move the football, certainly.”

Notre Dame (10-1) doesn’t want to get into a shootout with the Crimson Tide, but it did top 40 points six times this season.

Its defense, which ranks 14th in scoring defense (18.6 points per game), was superb early in the season by limiting five of the first six opponents to 13 or fewer points. But it sprung many leaks down the stretch by allowing more than 30 in three of the last five games, including a 34-10 whipping at the hands of Clemson in last Saturday’s ACC title game.

“We’ve been humbled about the way we play,” said Kelly, “and this team has always come back with a resilience and an edge about them, and they will against Alabama.”

The Crimson Tide (11-0) topped 50 six times and averaged 49.7 points — second-best nationally — while being led by a trio of big-time performers.

DeVonta Smith has the opportunity to be the first receiver to win the Heisman Trophy since Michigan’s Desmond Howard in 1991. He has 98 receptions for 1,511 yards and 17 touchdowns. During last Saturday’s 52-46 win over Florida in the SEC title game, Smith (3,620 yards) passed Amari Cooper (3,463 from 2012-14) as Alabama’s all-time leader in receiving yardage.

Quarterback Mac Jones also is in the Heisman mix and has thrown for 3,739 yards and 32 touchdowns against four interceptions. Najee Harris has rushed for 1,262 yards and 24 touchdowns and also has three receiving scores.

“We’ve certainly been very productive on offense,” Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban said on a video call. “This has been an unusual year for a lot of teams but I think our players have stayed focus on the right things amid a lot of abnormal things.”

The offensive fireworks aren’t just limited to the current season. Alabama has scored 35 or more points in a major-college record 24 consecutive games since losing to Clemson 44-16 in the CFP title game to end the 2018 season.

The Crimson Tide are 22-2 during the stretch but Saban isn’t much interested in hearing about how the semifinal matchup with Notre Dame is going to be some type of easy stroll in the park.

“I know they have a really good team,” Saban said on ESPN. “I know have a really good quarterback. They have a tough defense. They have some skilled guys who can make plays.

“You don’t win 10 games in a season without having really good players.”

Quarterback Ian Book has a 30-4 record as a starter for the Irish. He has passed for 2,601 yards and 15 touchdowns with only two interceptions in 314 attempts.

Book ranks second in school history with 8,719 yards and 72 touchdowns. Brady Quinn (2003-06) is the leader in both categories (11,762 yards, 95 TD passes).

Kyren Williams has excelled on the ground with 1,061 yards and 12 touchdowns for an offense averaging 35.2 points, which rates 22nd nationally.

Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah had a team-best 11 tackles for loss and he was named winner of the Butkus Award on Monday as the nation’s top linebacker.

Malachi Moore has three interceptions for the Crimson Tide, who are 20th nationally in scoring defense (19.5).

The winner of this game will face either No. 2 Clemson or No. 3 Ohio State in the national championship game.

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