January 1st Bowl Games

Happy New Year!

Top Pick

NU/Miss St over 54
South Carolina -5.5 vs Michigan
Nebraska/Georgia over 60
Wisconsin +6.5 vs Stanford

Leans:

Northern IL +13 vs Florida St
NU -2 vs Miss St.

Writeups:

Northwestern- The Wildcats have been seeking a bowl win for a long time. In recent history, the Wildcats have had unfavorable matchups, this time around the matchup is not too bad. They are playing an athletic Miss St team however Miss St is not overwhelming. NU will maximize their talent in this and play well. Miss St will also be ready and both teams will score. It will come down to the final series and NU has the better kicker so I give them edge to get the win and cover all while the game goes over.

South Carolina- This is the game that Steve Spurrier wanted (once his team was eliminated from SEC championship contention) and he has a marquee matchup. The Gamecocks match up very well against the Wolverines, they have a great d line which will outplay Michigan's offensive line. Once that happens, Michigan's below average pass game will be in a great deal of trouble. Offensively, SC has enough playmakers to get TD's. This game will start out as a grind it out game and then SC will take control.

Nebraska/Georgia- I expect this to be a game of two halfs. Nebraska will get off to a fast start and control the first half. The Bulldogs will then pull themselves together and come back hard in the second half. Not sure who will cover the spread but it will be an offensive show by both teams and will go over.

Wisconsin- Two underrated teams in this game. Wisconsin came out slow but really turned it on after September. They were lost in the shuffle due to the overall poor Big 10 play but have a solid team. Stanford played really well however no one really talks about them. Everyone knows about the Barry Alvarez story and that should not be overlooked. In college football, the emotional edge is huge and the Badgers have it. This should be a low scoring game and the Badgers may not come out on top but will cover the 6.5.

Northern IL- the Huskies will give it all they got. If the can avoid turnovers, they can cover the spread. More on this game later.