Bowl Games

Bowl Games [B]LSU +3[/B] This line is laughable. I really don't get it. I'm not one of those "the Big 10 sucks" guys, but Penn St. really does suck. The few times they met a defense with any sort of backbone--Ohio St. and Iowa, both of which were at home--they got dominated. Clarke is a terrible passer, and I'd love to see him make all the throws, with guys hanging off him, in his face. As much as I hate Miles, LSU will be ready. [B]Florida St. +3[/B] This line doesn't jump off the page the way the LSU one does, but I expect it to move. Bowden's last game. Remember Michigan and how they played against a great UF team in Lloyd Carr's last game? And the opposing coach that prepares against me is Billy Stewart? LOL. Like hell he's gonna have his team ready for FSU's fury. He's such a nice guy, he might even offer to let FSU win Bobby's last game. More to follow...

[B]Wisconsin +3[/B] The young Miami Hurricanes will be playing a Wisconsin squad that got absolutely thrashed in the Champps Sports Bowl last season against the Florida State Seminoles. The ACC is garbage. The Big 10 isn't great, either, obviously, but Wisconsin showed steady progress throughout the season, I expect them to be prepared to avenge their embarrassing performance last season. [B]Florida -10[/B] Tim Tebow's last game. Their defense is loaded with upperclassmen who will be playing their last game. To top that off, they'll be playing an undefeated team from a BCS conference that theoretically should have a shot at the national championship--not a team from the mountain west conference. And to boot, Cincy will probably have a different head coach for this game. Rest assured, Florida will be ready. They're not comparable to Alabama in any way. Florida's won two national championships already. This game will be their curtain call. They'll actually be one of the most focused bowl teams out there, and I expect them to win BIG. They are not what Bama was last year. Bama had a bunch of underclassmen last year coming off a game they let slip through their hands. It was a crushing defeat, and they were playing a team that they, as underclassmen, undoubtedly took lightly. Alternatively, Florida boasts upperclassmen up and down their team. The seniors on this team have enjoyed unprecedented success--two national championships, three SEC championship games, and playing alongside probably the greatest college player of the modern era. They got dominated end to end against Bama in the SEC championship. There was no true heartbreak there. I expect this team to rally around Tebow, playing their last game, primed to put the cherry on top of the best era in Florida football. Seriously, Florida BIG.

[B]North Carolina +3[/B] Don't want to play this yet, holding out for a better line. Pitt is coming off two heart-breaking defeats and missed a glorious chance at a BCS berth. North Carolina showed steady improvement throughout the season and should be focused on winning a bowl game after their blown game against West Va. last year.

Well, if you liked UNC before you'll really like them ... Last 23 years FAVS off 2 or more S/U losses in a row are 7-21 ATS.

[QUOTE=RDTrains;11830]Well, if you liked UNC before you'll really like them ... Last 23 years FAVS off 2 or more S/U losses in a row are 7-21 ATS.[/QUOTE] Excellent, excellent info, RDTrains! :D

Nice write-ups, pistol. You make compelling arguments for all of the above. The only one that I leaned the other way on--OK, in a big way--was Pitt. I really think 3 isn't much to lay, but they may indeed come out very flat and underperform in their [U]non[/U]-BCS match-up. And the Panthers' ATS numbers certainly bear it out as well. It will also be interesting to see how Florida comes out of the gate against Cincinnati. They have never really been in this type of situation (recently) before. And, if the Bearcats have another coach for this game...what's the point of being a coach anymore?? You're undefeated and playing [I]the[/I] biggest game in the team's history and you then sign another contract with a different team before the game--and subsequently bail out as the head coach?? That would be really sad if it happens--again! Why doesn't the NCAA do something about this insane practice and not allow negotiating for Bowl teams' coaches until AFTER the games are over? Another game to look at is Boston College +9 vs USC. It looks good to me, anyways. How does Big Game Pete get his disappointing Trojans motivated for this game after so much success of being in the hunt, year after year? Good luck

Florida State will try very hard and they do have a good ATS record in bowls played in Florida. A potential problem is they are awful vs the run and its WVU coming to town

"And to boot, Cincy will probably have a different head coach for this game." Unfortunately..."probably" is now reality. :( It's bullshit(!), though. Evidently money is more important than winning, nowadays. I just can't imagine this type of practice went on during the "for the love of the game" days (pre-'70s). I might be wrong, however. I guess there's a fine line between one second left and zero seconds in the Nebraska game after all. --That is if Cincy would've been chosen to play against Alabama, I highly doubt Brian Kelly would have bowed out beforehand.

Continuum: In the end, we will suffer as fans--or benefit as coaches and players. As the current political circles have run amok, this type of ideology, "greed is good", has permeated all phases of our secular society. It's no surprise that the U.S. empire is starting to collapse. WTS, we will prevail. We have to. Losing is not an option... The sporting middle-class American fans will defeat an aristocratic oligarchy at all cost. Without us, the owners have no audience. Democracy is a fine balancing act from the privileged to the deprived. Blending these two entities to their finest refinery capabilities is what truly matters. In other words, when the world is coming to an apocalypse, all egos and income disparities get tossed aside. We are at our [I]equal[/I] best. The bond that never gets much attention: the elite and the subservient elites in times of hardship. The money/entitlement recipients get all the glory. [I][B]For the love of the game... [/B][/I] Go Cincinnati... (Wow, Bearcats, be humble.) God bless the USA! We are #1. After all, my neighbor was Phil Knight (founder of Nike). Phil always loved my smile. Seriously. I lived 3 blocks down on the right-hand side. He called it on Christmas Day: "Casey Avenue," ;) AKA: KC & Sunshine Band! Who else could predict Nu Shooz' "I can't wait" would go to number two in the nation's billboard Top 100 in 1986?! Yours truly, :)

Oh man, Nu Shooz. Holy shit man.