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Kirby Smart takes over in Athens

Mark Richt is gone as the head coach of the Georgia Bulldogs, and former Alabama coordinator Kirby Smart is in. Smart will not be leading the team in this game, but after this, his leadership will be huge in Georgia. The Bulldogs still won 9 games this season, and have wins over Auburn and Georgia Tech. Georgia comes into this game on a four game winning streak. The last loss for the Bulldogs was against the Florida Gators. The Bulldogs are throwing for 187.1 yards per game, while rushing for 194.3. After losing Todd Gurley to the NFL, they added Nick Chubb and Sony Michel. Chubb got hurt early in the season, which led Michel to over 1,000 rushing yards. The Bulldogs ranked 9th in the nation in defense, allowing just 16.9 points per game.

Nittany Lions Looking to Snap Losing Streak

The Penn State Nittany Lions are looking to get back in the win column to wrap up the season. The Nittany Lions won against Illinois 39-0, but then fell at Northwestern, with Michigan and then at Michigan State to finish the season. The Nittany Lions are scoring 23.7 points per game, which is one of the worst in college football. Defensively, Penn State is allowing teams just 21.7 points per game. Christian Hackenberg is going to play in the NFL. Before that, he has one last college football game. The quarterback needs just 114 yards to reach 2,500 on the season. His top target this season has been receiver Chris Goodwin. Goodwin needs 32 receiving yards to reach 1,000 on the season.

Bet the Bulldogs

The Georgia Bulldogs are under the leadership of new coaching. While Penn State had a nice season, they struggled down the stretch, and I find it hard to imagine they are going to be much improved for this game. Georgia with a win could grab their 10th win of the season, which would be nice for those involved. Look for the Bulldogs to roll in this game over the Penn State Nittany Lions. The bet for the Taxslayer Bowl, which is the first game of the day on January 2nd is the Georgia Bulldogs -6 over the Penn State Nittany Lions.

The Pick: Georgia -6

Gators Struggle Offensively

The Florida Gators finished the regular season ranked 86th in the country in points scored per game. Florida scored just 26.5 points per game, but more alarmingly, they scored just 18 per game in their last six. The Gators scored 2 against Florida State and 15 in the loss to Alabama. The Gators quarterback Treon Harris finished the regular season with just over 1,500 passing yards and 9 touchdowns. Running back Kelvin Taylor led the way with 985 yards and 13 touchdowns on the season. Fortunately for Florida, their defense was stellar all season allowing just under 17 points per game, which ranked them 8th in the country.

Michigan Seeking 10th Win

The Michigan Wolverines were a disaster a season ago, so getting to 10 wins would be quite the season. The Wolverines lost their season opener to Utah, and then fell to Michigan State in a fluke ending. Michigan rattled off four in a row, before their blowout loss to Ohio State to end the season. The Wolverines ranked 11th in the nation in defense, as they allowed just 17.2 points per game. The offense scored 31 points per game, with more than 234 passing yards per game. Michigan’s quarterback Jake Ruddock needs 261 yards passing to reach 1,000 on the season, and he also has 17 passing touchdowns. Michigan played three straight games in the middle of the season without giving up any points.

Wolverines blow out the Gators

The Michigan Wolverines are going to roll in this game. The Florida Gators are in big troubles, as they cannot score points. Florida was one of the worst offensive teams in NCAA Football near the end of the season. Michigan is motivated to win, especially in Coach Harbaugh’s first full season. The Wolverines will use this win to springboard into a huge season next year. There are a ton of questions for Florida, and this is going to be ugly. The bet for this game is the Michigan Wolverines -3 over the Florida Gators since why lay 4 when you can buy down to 3.

Update

• Note:  We have zigged a few times this bowl season when we should have zagged and it has cost us a winner.  The power numbers that we post on the forums and elsewhere are truly what should be the play but since these are our plays and our way of thinking we often sway for emotional reasons or just being plain stupid.  If you are looking for the bowl plays based only on numbers please utilize the power rankings.  Click here: https://spookyexpress.com/sports-betting-news/ncaa-football/8293-spooky-express-bowl-selections-and-power-ratings/

• The Pick: Michigan -3
• The Pick:  Michigan / Florida Under 41

Elliott Runs Wild for Buckeyes

Ezekiel Elliott and the Ohio State Buckeyes have one of the best ground games in all of college football. Elliott ran for 1,672 yards this season, and 19 touchdowns. The Buckeyes as a team rushed for more than 240 per game. The quarterback situation was a little of a mess for Ohio State, as Cardale Jones finished with 1,460 passing yards and 8 touchdowns. Michael Thomas is the top receiving threat for the Buckeyes, but Ohio State ranked 104th in the country in passing yards this season. The Buckeyes rank 2nd in the country, allowing just 14 points per game. The most they allowed all season was 28 to Maryland.

Brian Kelly Saw Two Tight Losses

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have two losses on the season, and they have come by a combined four points. The Fighting Irish lost 24-22 to Clemson, and then 38-36 to the Stanford Cardinal. The Fighting Irish have wins over Texas, Georgia Tech and Temple as their best of the season. Notre Dame passed for 256 yards per game, and rushed for nearly 215 on the season. The Fighting Irish on average beat teams 34.8 to 22.4. Quarterback DeShone Kizer has been sharp for the Irish, with 2,600 passing yards and 19 touchdowns. The best threat for Kizer has been Will Fuller. Fuller finished the regular season with 56 receptions, 1,145 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Tight one in Arizona

This game is projected to be a touchdown spread. This game will be a tight one throughout, as the Fighting Irish will use their ability to both run the football and pass the football to keep it right. Ohio State does not give up many points, but look for Notre Dame to put up more points than the Buckeyes are used to giving up. Which team will be more motivated, as the winner is deemed “the next best”? Look for Notre Dame to find a way to cover this spread, but in the end, Ohio State comes away with the win by a field goal. Pick Notre Dame +7 along with it being a relatively high scoring game.

• Note:  We have zigged a few times this bowl season when we should have zagged and it has cost us a winner.  The power numbers that we post on the forums and elsewhere are truly what should be the play but since these are our plays and our way of thinking we often sway for emotional reasons or just being plain stupid.  If you are looking for the bowl plays based only on numbers please utilize the power rankings.  Click here: https://spookyexpress.com/sports-betting-news/ncaa-football/8293-spooky-express-bowl-selections-and-power-ratings/

Update

• The Pick: Notre Dame +7
• The Pick:  Notre Dame / Ohio State Over 55

Hawkeyes Strong Defensively

A year ago, the Iowa Hawkeye fans were wanting head coach Kirk Ferentz ran out of town. Now, Ferentz is playing in the Rose Bowl, and was one win away from being one of two unbeaten teams remaining in college football. Iowa was strong defensively all season, allowing 18.5 points per game. The offense, led by quarterback C.J. Beathard passed for 201 yards per game, and rushed for 192. The top running back; Jordan Canzeri needs just 24 yards in this game to get to 1,000 on the season. Iowa won the Big Ten West by two games over Northwestern. The best wins for the Hawkeyes came at Wisconsin, at Northwestern and a home non conference game against Pittsburgh.

Cardinal Love to Run The Football

The Stanford Cardinal love to run the football. Coach David Shaw saw his team rush for nearly 225 yards per game, which was 19th in the nation. The offense scored at will for most of the season, scoring just shy of 38 points per game. Christian McCaffrey needs 153 rushing yards in this game to grab 2,000 on the season. McCaffrey is also the top passing yards guy as well, with 41 receptions, 540 yards and 4 touchdowns. Quarterback Keith Hogan took care of the football, and finished with 2,644 yards, and 24 touchdowns. The Cardinal scored 30 or more points in every game this season, with the exception of the season opening loss at Northwestern, where they managed just two field goals.

Slugfest in Pasadena

Both of these teams can play defense. The Stanford Cardinal have the better of the running back, which could play a huge key in this game. Christian McCaffrey was the runner up for the Heisman, and coming off a monster Pac-12 title game. Iowa’s defense is really sharp, both against the rush and against the pass. Look for this to be a great game, with the defense of Iowa coming up strong. While Stanford is likely going to win this game, it will be close we are rolling with Stanford.  Made mention early in bowl season that the numbers may change some with the Pac 12 results and although it has not been dramatic its enough to sway our decision.

Update

• Note:  We have zigged a few times this bowl season when we should have zagged and it has cost us a winner.  The power numbers that we post on the forums and elsewhere are truly what should be the play but since these are our plays and our way of thinking we often sway for emotional reasons or just being plain stupid.  If you are looking for the bowl plays based only on numbers please utilize the power rankings.  Click here: https://spookyexpress.com/sports-betting-news/ncaa-football/8293-spooky-express-bowl-selections-and-power-ratings/

The Pick: Stanford -5

Tennessee Playing well at the Right Time

The Tennessee Volunteers are playing very good football right now. The Volunteers have five straight wins; including wins at Mizzouri and at home to Vanderbilt to wrap up the season. Tennessee’s offense scored more than 35 points per game in their last five games. The Volunteers on the season, scored just over 34 per game. Tennessee’s quarterback Joshua Dobbs wrapped up a season with more than 2,100 yards and 15 touchdowns. The Volunteers Jalen Hurd, at running back rushed for more than 1,100 yards and 11 touchdowns. Tennessee is led by head coach Butch Jones.

Northwestern Dynamite on Defense

The Northwestern Wildcats have been dynamite on defense this season. The Wildcats ranked 7th in the country, allowing 16.4 points per game. In the two losses this season for Northwestern, they allowed a total of 78 points. In their first five games of the season, the Wildcats allowed just 7 points per game. On the offensive side, the Wildcats are coming off a game where they scored 24 points in a win over Illinois. The Wildcats running back Justin Jackson had a strong season with more than 1,344 yards and 4 touchdowns. Northwestern’s tight end Dan Vitale was the top target in the passing game, with 355 yards and 4 touchdowns.

Bet the Underdog

This game is hard to predict, as we will see two different styles of football. Both of these teams had great seasons, and the fact that they are playing on New Years Day is a pleasant surprise. The Northwestern Wildcats will look for more of a defensive game, while the Volunteers will want to push the football up and down the field. Look for a game in between, as the total is at 47 coming in. This game will be a fun one, with the SEC coming out on top, but not by much. While Tennessee wins the game, this game could come down to a backdoor cover.  We have gone back and forth on this game but we are going to just lean towards the favorite in this game since we believe they will win the game.

Update

• Note:  We have zigged a few times this bowl season when we should have zagged and it has cost us a winner.  The power numbers that we post on the forums and elsewhere are truly what should be the play but since these are our plays and our way of thinking we often sway for emotional reasons or just being plain stupid.  If you are looking for the bowl plays based only on numbers please utilize the power rankings.  Click here: https://spookyexpress.com/sports-betting-news/ncaa-football/8293-spooky-express-bowl-selections-and-power-ratings/

Update

• Note:  We have zigged a few times this bowl season when we should have zagged and it has cost us a winner.  The power numbers that we post on the forums and elsewhere are truly what should be the play but since these are our plays and our way of thinking we often sway for emotional reasons or just being plain stupid.  If you are looking for the bowl plays based only on numbers please utilize the power rankings.  Click here: https://spookyexpress.com/sports-betting-news/ncaa-football/8293-spooky-express-bowl-selections-and-power-ratings/