2024-12-25 10:30

Merry X-Mas to all of you!

The playoffs have begun. Since the 1st round of the playoffs is not considered a bowl game, I'm a bit helpless how to put the picks in a category.
Regular season top picks? Bowl picks? Man, those are problems. ....

1st round of playoffs

Friday, December 20
#8 Indiana @ #5 Notre Dame
The game started with some downsides, when Notre Dame did throw an INT and Indiana did throw an INT, too.
A period of fun and stun for each fan side.
Well, Notre Dame came out at the lucky winner of that period, using the new ball possession to score and from there it was almost all Irish.
They led at the half 17:3 and Indiana only started make some noise late in the 4th quarter.
At a score of 27:3, the Irish had just punched a TD into the Endzone, and with less than 5 minutes to play, did Indiana finally wake up and scored a TD on their own.
Now down by 16, the Hoosiers did actually recover an on-side-kick and with less than 1:30 left to play again marched over the field and scored again!
They failed on the 2-pointer and tried another on-side-kick, but that failed with 25 ticks left to play.
Notre Dame did run down the clock and won 27:17 to advance to the quarterfinal against Georgia.
#8 Indiana 17 @ #5 Notre Dame 27 -> Jacks TOP GAMES Score: 37-15

Saturday, December 21
#10 SMU @ #4 Penn State
SMU was in this game for winning for about 1 quarter, but in this they did already suck big time.
On their 1st drive, after they did stop Penn State in 3 plays, they were in Penn State territory and played 4th down, the QB did escape the rush on him, found an open receiver and that guy dropped the ball. Turnover on downs, instead of not only having a 1st down, that would have been 1st and goal, if not even a TD.
Next drive of Penn State rubbish, then SMU again and they were picked off on a bad throw, returned for a TD. 100K people went wild.
Then late in the 1st quarter did SMU get the ball again, went to mid-field, switched sides with start of 2nd quarter and then again, a wild throw to a defender, who returned it again to the house. Man, if you suck, you suck.
And from here it went downhill. A few drives later another INT by SMU, this time not returned, but on the next drive of Penn State the 1st offense TD.
At halftime it was 28:0 Penn State.
And there was no comeback, just more points, even SMU started scoring also, but the 2nd half was a tie, so at the end did Penn State win 38:10 and got themselves a trip to the quarterfinal, while SMU can rethink their mighty status when sucking on Championship games AND in the playoffs. Maybe they still need some time to play with the big boys.
Penn State will have to face Boise State, which is likely one of the easiest quarterfinals.
#10 SMU 10 @ #4 Penn State 38 -> Jacks TOP GAMES Score: 38-15

#16 Clemson @ #3 Texas
Texas needed one half to shut the Clemson Tigers up.
The 1st quarter was still quite open, Clemson started the scoring, but Texas answered and that big time.
Especially in the 2nd quarter it was all Texas and then some.
Clemson was unable to run, Texas was able to run, and break throw to the 2nd level and beyond.
And their passing game was also great.
When Clemson did score a field goal with 1:30 left to play in the 1st half, Texas took the ball and went all the way and score a pass-TD to get into the locker room 28:10.
There was only 1 good player on Clemsons side, their QB, who kept them in the game, did even bring the team within a TD range behind, but that Clemson defense just was not enough to Keep the Texas RBs in check.
And the Clemson offense line was just awful on run blocks.
Clemson had 76 Yards on the ground, Texas had 292!
The Tigers can think about their future now, maybe their QB will leave to another team or go to the draft. If they are lucky, he will stay for a senior season.
Texas will Play Arizona State in the quarterfinal and will be very likely the favorite there.
#16 Clemson 24 @ #3 Texas 38 -> Jacks TOP GAMES Score: 39-15

#7 Tennessee @ #6 Ohio State
In this game, Tennessee was just awful, and it did look like one of the worst Coaching effort the Tennessee HC did offer, ever.
Ohio State did dominate on all positions, their QB had time and he did deliver big time.
At the half it was 21:10 and at that point it did look like Tennessee might get back into the game, since they did silence the OSU offense in the 2nd quarter and scored the 10 on their own.
But ... they came out of the locker and got not much going, while Ohio State had again their way to score and score.
The Buckeyes scored again 21 Points until Tennessee decided to at least stay even on the field.
With 2 minutes left to play did the Vols finally get another TD, but what's that worth when being behind a gazillion points?
Tennessee needs to address every part of the team in the off-season and Ohio State will have to play as good against Oregon in the Quarterfinal to come.
#7 Tennessee 17 @ #6 Ohio State 42 -> Jacks TOP GAMES Score: 39-16

Now, that the 1st round of playoff games were played, the remaining 8 teams, 4 Conference Champs had a bye week, 4 teams did win the 1st round matches, will play in the usually called New-Years-Bowls (even this year, one game is schedule on Sylvester), which are the oldest and moneywise most lucrative bowls existing. Of those 6 bowls, 4 will be the Quarterfinals and 2 will host the Semifinals. But those bowls are a bit down the schedule, we are right now at the time of Christmas and a ton of bowls are still coming before those bling-bling-bowls will happen.

But let's review the latest set of bowls.

SECOND SET OF BOWLs

The SECOND SET OF BOWLs from next Friday, 20th to Tuesday, 24th of December.

Friday, December 20
StaffDNA Cure Bowl
Ohio vs Jacksonville State
Ohio was the dominant force in the 1st half and led 27:7 at the break.
Then did Jacksonville State get a score on the board and kept Ohio scoreless in the 3rd, which did close a gap a bit.
In the 4th did then Ohio scores a field goal, Jacksonville State scored right afterwards a TD and intercepted the next Ohio drive.
Boom, chance to turn the game.
And Jacksonville State was willing to use that, scored another TD and still over 3 minutes left to play.
Ohio got the ball and did eat down the Clock chunk by chunk and the Gamecocks were unable to stop the Bobcats from getting new 1st downs.
At the end did Ohio win with that score, 30:27.
The new HC will have some work to do, but the foundation is great.
Jacks BOWL Score: 4-2

Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl
Florida vs Tulane
This was a crazy game.
Why? Because Florida had real problems on offense to get the game under control.
They did lead at the half 6:0! After the 3rd, 16:0.
Lucky for them, their defense was good and kept Tulane from scoring.
Then, slowly, the errors of Tulane, mostly INTs, did pile up and the Gators kept on scoring, so when Tulane finally did get points on the board, they were WAY behind and only 25 seconds were left to play.
The Gators won 33:8, left the season on a high note and hope to start next year in much better shape.
Jacks BOWL Score: 5-2

Monday, December 23
Myrtle Beach Bowl
Coastal Carolina vs UTSA
The 1st quarter was all Nothing, but then did UTSA explode with 21 points in the 2nd quarter and took that lead into the half.
They extended the lead on the 3rd by 2 field goals and then, finally, did Coastal Carolina start scoring beginning of the 4th.
Way too late and overall, also with not enough defense power to eventually getting a comeback going, the Chanticleers just scored enough to keep the 4th quarter equal.
At the end did UTSA win 44:15 and capped a mediocre season with a bowl win, while CCU lost also that game and has to think about changes and adjustments.
The program is not used to lose that many games, so the coach has to find some answers, fast.
Jacks BOWL Score: 6-2

2024 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Northern Illinois vs Fresno State
A fascinating game.
NIU started bad, with an INT on their 1st drive and gave Fresno State an early lead.
The Huskies answered with a field goal but allowed another Bulldogs TD a drive later.
Now, down 3:13, the momentum did shift, slowly, towards the Huskies.
The Bulldogs had plenty of scoring chances, but blew them with 2 missed field goals, only that NIU did not score so far. So, 13:3 Bulldogs at the half.
Then came the Huskies out of the break and scored a TD, intercepted the Bulldogs and added a field goal to tie the game.
And from here, almost nothing on both sides, even NIU had the chance to kick a go-ahead-field goal and missed it, late in the 4th and Fresno State had even the chance to win with 4 ticks left to play and a 35-yarder on the foot, but MISSED it!
The game went to overtime and Fresno State started the 1st drive with a Touchdown, which did put the pressure on NIU to do the same. And they did and tied the game again.
So, 2nd OT and this time NIU started and scored a TD and the 2 on top.
Pressure on Fresno State and they ... failed on 4 downs and lost the bowl, 20:28 in 2 OTs.
I had a short look in the game but found it not exciting enough.
A close end, which I expected.
That poor kicker of Fresno State … 3 missed field goal …
Jacks BOWL Score: 7-2

Tuesday, December 24
Hawai'i Bowl
South Florida vs San Jose State
This was a bowl game; you like to see.
In the 1st half were the Spartans error prone and did turnover the ball twice, which led to South Florida TDs. Both teams did score on top of that plenty, so at the break it was USF leading 21:10.
Then the Spartans came out of the locker room and shut down South Florida in the 3rd quarter, while scoring 10 points on their own, making it a 1-point game at that moment.
South Florida did score a field goal on the next drive, stopped the Spartans, but throw the ball to a defender on their next drive, which did give San Jose the chance to take the lead for the 1st time in the game.
It followed a lot of drives on both sides, capped with a punt, until South Florida got the ball back, likely for the last time in the game, with 42 ticks left to play.
Down by 3 did they get enough yardage on 7 plays to walk away with a 41-yard-field goal to tie the game.
Overtime.
In the 1st round, all did score a TD, in the 2nd round, both did score a field goal.
Now it's do or die, since you have just one play for a 2-pointer on every possession.
And in the 5th OT did USF score and San Jose was stopped, which granted South Florida the win, 41:39 (5OT).
Jacks BOWL Score: 7-3

A Coaches news is also here.

Jacksonville State did find their new HC in Charles Kelly, a longtime assistant, latest DC for Auburn in 2024 and Colorado in 2023. It's his 1st HC gig (and likely his last, he is 57 already).

Right now, only Washington State is looking for a new HC.

That brings us to the next round of bowls.

The THIRD SET OF BOWLs from next Thursday, 26th to Friday, 27th of December.

Thursday, December 26
GameAbove Sports Bowl
Pitt vs Toledo
@Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan
The bowl exists since 2014 and was named until last season Quick Lane Bowl. It did feature several teams from several conferences, with BIG10 and the MAC prioritized.
The MAC did lose all games they played in (6) except one in 2021. Last season was therefore also a loss.
The BIG10 has now 5 matches and won 4, including last season.
The bowl is played on the home field of the Detroit Lions and this season is the 10th match of that bowl so far.
But of course, the god of Bowl seating did mess things up again and gave us a ACC vs MAC game.
The ACC is 3-2 in this bowl and Pitt did play already here in 2019 and won.
This Season they are 7-5 and started with high hopes by Winning 7 and lost the last 5.
Toledo (7-5) on the other hand did win and lose through the season, but mainly inside the conference, and finished with a loss against Akron (4-8).
So, what to do with that?
A power-4-team with 5 losses in a row against a MAC team losing to Akron.
Vegas gives Pitt the favorite role with 7.0 Points ahead, which seems fair, but honestly, the spread should be bigger.
I only see Pitt losing here, if they decide to quit.
Panthers win.

Rate Bowl
Rutgers vs Kansas State
@Chase Field, Phoenix, Arizona
This bowl is played since 1989 and it is played as you-buy-it-you-name-it-bowl, this season for the 35th time.
It had several names in the past, from several sponsors.
Regardless, they play in the home stadium of the Arizona Diamondbacks, a baseball team, and it should feature a Big 12 vs BIG10 team matchup.
That does not always work that way, but this season it did.
In this 30+ seasons the tie ins did change a lot, but the BIG 12 did send so far 20 teams to the game and won 15 matchups, including last year.
Rutgers (7-5) flew under the radar this season and their result Matches more or less their last season result.
Not the way you like it to be.
Kansas State (8-4) had a up- and down-season, but more downs than ups. They lost the crucial games against BYU, Arizona State and Iowa State and added on top a loss to Houston (4-8), which is not the Kind of result you like to have as contender.
But they are 3-1 in this bowl so far, while Rutgers is 0-1.
The betting line is KSU -7.0 points.
Kansas State should have all the Tools to win here with their offense and defense, but Rutgers did Show from time to time some live beyond their mediocre results, staying close in games they lost or Winning by a few points against likely better teams.
Here? I pick KSU and hope for a close game, regardless the winner.
Wildcats win.

68 Ventures Bowl
Arkansas State vs Bowling Green
@Hancock Whitney Stadium, Mobile, Alabama
The bowl was renamed several times in its past, but it was founded 1999 and is usually a group of 5 vs group of 5 bowl, plan was MAC vs Sun Belt, which worked.
The MAC is actually the conference with the most participations and has a record of 9-12, including last seasons loss.
The Sun Belt has now 14 participations, but a 10-4 record, including the 2-game winning streak they are on so far.
They play it in the home of the South Alabama Jaguars.
Both teams are setting record with the game by just participating, Arkansas State has then the highest number of participations of 5 (so far 2-2 record) and Bowling Green is 2nd with 4 participations (1-2 so far).
Both have a record of 7-5 and did stumble over their ambitions a bit, ASU by not winning the West division of the Sun Belt and Bowling Green by finishing not under the 2 best Teams in the MAC.
Why Bowling Green is favored by 8.0 Points is beyond me.
Sure they played Penn State and lost by only 7 Points and A&M and lost by 6, but they lost also against Old Dominion by 3 and Miami (OH) by 16 on last gameday. And no win is really impressive on their schedule.
Arkansas State did also not win by any impressive way and did lose sometimes big time.
But that line is too much, from my Point of view. I see them close, even I give the Edge to Bowling Green as well, by an Inch.
This will come down, how the Teams will show up. Motivated, prepared, or clumsy and not focused.
Falcons win.

Friday, December 27
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl
Oklahoma vs Navy
@Amon G. Carter Stadium, Fort Worth, Texas
This is played on the field of the TCU Horned Frogs and the bowl is alive since 2003.
The CUSA did send the most teams to the bowl in 20 years but won only 4 of 12. Independent teams do have the best record, 6-0.
Last year the MWC did claim the victory and is now 4-5.
Since 3 seasons the matchup should be AAC vs CUSA, but that did not work out in 2022, 2023 and 2024.
Instead, we have an SEC Team (conference so far 1-1 in this bowl) against an AAC Team (so far 2-3 in this bowl).
Navy (9-3 in regular Season) did so far Play 1-1 in this bowl, while Oklahoma (6-6 in the Season) had so far not played in this bowl.
There is not much to say here.
The SEC Team, even 6-6, is favored by 3.0 points (started at 8.5, so many became suspicious over X-Mas).
Not sure whether the game against Army made a huge Impact on the betting line here, but likely not much.
Oklahoma was not bad this Season, just not good enough to play against the good SEC teams.
Some games they did lose by a high margin, but some they did win unexpected, like the game against Alabama.
And such a team should be able to play against a team like Navy, any time, and win.
Sure, in Bowls, everything can happen, but I pick Oklahoma as clear winner.
Sooners win.

Birmingham Bowl
Georgia Tech vs Vanderbilt
@Protective Stadium, Birmingham, Alabama
This bowl exists since 2006.
It should feature a AAC, ACC vs an SEC Team.
The stadium is the home field of the UAB Blazers.
The American did send very often a team here, 16 times, and won 10 games. The ACC did even their record last year with a win to 2-2.
The SEC is 4-4 so far.
A very interesting matchups between 2 Schools, nobody did like to Play against this Season.
Georgia Tech did Play not 100% great, but they had that attitude to not let go, to stay in the game and not to let up.
They did win only 7 games, but some of those were hard hits for the losers, like North Carolina, Miami and NC State.
And they did lose 5 game and some were tough to Swallow, since they were so close, like Syracuse and the 8!OT game against Georgia on Season final.
On the other Hand we have the 6-6 Vanderbilt Team, which did beat Alabama the 1st time since decades, won against Kentucky and came close against Texas and LSU.
They did finish with 3 losses, so Maybe the Team just lost some steam or motivation at the end.
Here, everything goes.
I will just pick on my gut Feeling, which hopes for a close game.
I would like to see both win here, but that is not possible.
Vegas favors GT by 2.5 Points, I favor GT also, slightly, because of their last games and the Commodores losing streak.
Yellow Jackets win.

AutoZone Liberty Bowl
Texas Tech vs Arkansas
@Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium, Memphis, Tennessee
This is played on the home field of the Memphis Tigers.
This bowl is played since 1959.
It's a BIG 12 against SEC bowl.
The SEC has a 21-11 record with most games in this bowl.
Indys are 2nd, with 11-11, the BIG-12 is 4-7 so far.
All points do Show towards a high scoring game with Arkansas to prevail here.
Texas Tech, 8-4, lost the crucial games to separate themselves from other Teams on their Level.
Arkansas, 6-6, barely made it to the bowl, but with a much tougher schedule, in which only the loss to Oklahoma State is a booboo.
Vegas favors the Razorbacks only by 1.5 Points, I think they can do more, especially on offense.
The info about out-going transfers did make me second guess the pick I made, but at the end I did stick, because it did look like, most of the guys leaving did lose the job to the starters still on the team.
That's something we will see a lot now, pouring in players, finding the leaders and getting rid of the others.
Razorbacks win.

DirecTV Holiday Bowl
#21 Syracuse vs Washington State
@Snapdragon Stadium, San Diego, California
This switched the location from the home field of the baseball team San Diego Pirates (bowl was played here until last year) to the home field of the San Diego State Aztecs.
The bowl exists since 1978 and should feature a PAC-12 team vs a ACC team. Not sure how they will go with this now very small PAC-12 conference, but most bowl do hire anyway what's available and fits best on marketing.
The PAC 12 had 27 teams so far in this bowl and won only 9, including last seasons win, which makes it 2 in a row.
The ACC is almost brand new in this bowl and lost all 2 games, 2022 and 2023.
This Season the bowl did actually get the lone PAC-12 Team eligible and this is highly the Underdog.
Washington State did finish 8-4, but had some strange results, like Winning against Washington, but losing against Utah State and Oregon State.
Syracuse on the other hand did Play good enough to be considered ranked under the TOP 25 for the Playoffs with a 9-3 finish.
In fact, if they didn't have lost to Stanford (which is still a mystery) and Boston College (also a slightly mystery) they would have played in the Championship game.
Now they are favored by 17.0 points and that seems a lot. It was at some point at 8.0 points and that looked OK, but this? Wow.
Orange win.

SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl
USC vs Texas A&M
@Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, Nevada
This bowl is operated since 1992 and is now played inside the home dome of the Las Vegas Raiders and UNLV.
It's a PAC-12 vs BIG10 planned, even the PAC-12 has only 2 teams right now.
The PAC-12 got the lead in games in this bowl with last years performance, but thanks to the loss last season they are at 10-11.
The MWC is right behind them in participations but has a record of 12-8.
We GOT BIG10 against SEC and the BIG10 is 2-0, including last Seasons win, and the SEC is 0-2.
This Season we have under-performing USC (6-6), which was believed to Rebound from a bad Season LAST year and ended worse, while Texas A&M (8-4) was believed to be in Transition under the new HC and did basically lose the Championship ticket on the last gameday against Texas.
No wonder, the favorite in this game is A&M, even the line of -3.5 is not that much.
I think A&M, if motivated, can kill the Trojans on defense.
If the Trojans finally get their offense running, the Team might have a Chance, but A&M will be there and stop them instead.
Aggies win.

That's it for the 3rd set of Bowl games.
Next post will be on 28th of December.

'Til next time
Jack6 on BLOCK OF GRANITE

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