Posted:
#1
Just curious if anyone has any reliable experience or angles during Bowl season when it comes to coaching changes or potential NFL draft prospects?
I'm thinking of this in terms of considering firing a few bullets at Houston -3 vs. San Diego State as I think it's great value. While not everything fell into place for Houston this year like it did last, on the surface this is still a team with wins over Oklahoma and Louisville. Yes, the low point was obviously the loss at SMU where they were outgained by over 100 yards, and they also chalked up 2 tight losses in shootouts to Navy and Memphis although outgaining those opponents in the losses. Still though, optically those losses pale in comparison to SDSt's early season loss to South Alabama and then limping over the finish line with a loss at Wyoming, getting thrashed by Colorado State in the regular season finale, and barely seeking out a conference championship at Wyoming again in their final 3 games granted Laramie proved a formidable place to play this year (also outgained in all 3 games).
San Diego State's plan A, B, C (all the way to Z) is to lineup and run the ball. Statistically this looks like a strength on strength match vs. Houston's D as they allowed only 97 yards rushing on D this year. If Houston can neutralize the Aztecs attack on the ground then it could be a very long, or short (depending on how you look at it) day for the one-dimensional San Diego State offense. On the other hand, San Diego State features a fairly capable defense but the Cougars more multi-dimensional offense and many weapons will be better equipped to adjust throughout the game and do some damage.
Going back to my original thought however, with regards to Tom Herman being hired by Texas, does anyone know if he is at Texas as of right now or does he still coach the bowl game for Houston? How do these end of season coaching changes usually affect a team's performance in bowl games (positively or negatively)? Will the lack of leadership cause a team to party their faces off instead of focus before the game, especially in a place like Vegas? Also, is there any traction to the notion that guys who are more than likely headed to the NFL draft will take it a bit easy in the bowl games to avoid the risk ofl injury (ie. Ward for Houston and Pumphrey for SDSt.)?
Just trying to get a feel for anything I've missed that could affect the outcome before pulling the trigger.
0
Hot Forum Topics
