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Denton and Scott joined by guest picker (former football coach and player) Justin pick and discuss the interesting matchups amongst a crazy and packed bowl season in college football this year.
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Denton and Scott joined by guest picker (former football coach and player) Justin pick and discuss the interesting matchups amongst a crazy and packed bowl season in college football this year.
Comment
Denton and Scott joined by guest picker (former football coach and player) Justin pick and discuss the interesting matchups amongst a crazy and packed bowl season in college football this year.
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The hosts of a podcast discuss their top six college football teams for the playoff. They also talk about their favorite and least favorite parts of the season. They preview some upcoming bowl games and make their predictions. All right, well, welcome to another edition of Both Sides of the Coin. This is our bowl game pick-em edition. Sorry you haven't heard from us in a little while. We took a little bit of a break because of the playoff selection, and we had some technical difficulties. So we're a day later than we'd hoped, but we're still here, and we're still going to pick some bowl games with a guest picker. But first, Scott, let's talk reactions, college football playoff, and give your top six what we think of this field this year. Yeah, you know, we had, Din and I had different top sixes all year and top fours. I think, though, that kind of narrowing down, and at least on my poll, the four that I have settled with are the four that are in the playoff in the same order. I have Georgia number one, Michigan number two, TCU number three, even though they've lost because they have one loss, and it was a very, very close loss in their conference championship game, and they've played more better competition throughout the year than Ohio State has only played Michigan. And so I'm going to have Ohio State at number four. I do have Clemson at number five with that conference championship victory. They have two losses, but they do have an extra game played, and it was a conference championship game. So I have them right above Tennessee at number six, and Tennessee above Bama because Tennessee has beaten Bama in the head-to-head. So that's kind of my logic there. Yeah, you know, mine's, of course, going to be a little different. I'm not going to go into all the details of this, but I don't think this is what the committee should have done. I think they got it right. The four deserving teams are in the playoff this year, even though Ohio State, I don't know if they really deserved it. But really, I don't think there are four playoff teams. There really aren't three this year. I think this is a perfect year for the BCS. Its operation would have put Michigan and Georgia in the national championship. But I do have Georgia and Michigan one and two, pretty self-explanatory. I would have Ohio State three. I think that Michigan game doesn't determine the rest of their season. People had them, you know, a lock at number two or possibly a number one for all of the season until, you know, they got blown out at home by Michigan. And it really comes down to five plays that they allow 35 points. But I've got Ohio State at three. I've got Alabama at four. The week leading up and the day of the conference championships, Nick Saban went on ESPN kind of saying, listen, we'd be favored almost over anyone in the nation. And Vegas has the numbers that Alabama would be favored over everyone except for Georgia. And when we're trying to, when I rank the top four teams, that has to come into play a little bit. I don't have them above Michigan and Ohio State, but I have Alabama at four. No one wants to play Alabama. I know this isn't the best Alabama team. This is honestly the worst one that's been around in the past 10 years. It's still Alabama. I've got Alabama at four. Number five, I have Tennessee. The fact that they went 10 and two this year is very impressive. Without Hendon Hooker and the fact they got blown out by South Carolina is the reason they're behind Alabama. But they have great wins. They have great wins over Bama and LSU on the road. Number six, I have TCU. You've got to give credit to them still being 12 and one. You know, they went undefeated in the regular season despite having just as many close wins as Alabama, which people like to point out. But they don't point out the fact that TCU kind of struggled through their season a lot. And it ended with a struggle loss in the conference championship versus Kansas State in overtime. No one can really convince me otherwise that TCU is a top four team. They don't look like it. I think the playoff games, we'll talk about that all later. I think the playoff games will show that. But overall, that is my top six to end the year. So now we're going to get into the best postseason in all of sports, bowl season. And we're going to introduce Justin, who is a former high school football coach. He also played the sport back in the day. Justin, how are you doing? I'm doing well. Thank you guys for having me on. Of course. Before we get started, give us your favorite part of this college football season and maybe one part that was your least favorite or kind of felt lacking this year. Yeah, I'd say probably the best part. I think the best part for college football this year was just the fact that the Pac-12 was up. I'm a big fan of the Pac-12, Go Ducks. I think just the Pac-12 being relevant again and the nature of college football is good for the sport and has been a lot of fun to watch. I think it's notable that they're only continuing to rise in this area as well. The hire of Coach Prine to Colorado is going to boost the Pac-12. The success that Southern Cal has had this year, Oregon, even though Utah didn't have the season that they wanted, all of those teams are very elite teams and getting more elite. I think my least favorite part of the season was just the struggle bust that was Clemson this year. Watching DJ not live up to the potential that he has, I think a lot of that is a mental game for him. The best is yet to come with Clemson, and I really do think Dabo is going to get that stuff figured out, and I look forward to seeing the rise of Keith Lubnick. I think it's crazy to think that in a year where Clemson won the ACC handily and is going to the Orange Bowl, is regarded as one of the biggest disappointments of the year, which is crazy. It kind of speaks volumes to where the program is at right now and what Dabo has been able to do for Clemson. The best is the standard. Yep, that's exactly right. Trust the process, best is the standard. Let's keep going. Alright, we're going to get into bowl games now. Starting with the Bahamas Bowl, we're not going to talk a whole lot about this one. It's not a great matchup. It's Miami-Ohio against UAB. We're all picking UAB. Anyone got anything to add to this? Go Blazers. Go Blazers. Yep, go Blazers. They're a 10-point favorite, but both teams do get to go to the Bahamas, so that is the plus for that game. But we're going to get into the Cure Bowl now, which is a very interesting matchup, I think. It's got number 25, UTSA, Texas-San Antonio, facing off against number 24, Troy, who both of these teams won their conference championships, 11 win seasons, and I think this could be a really good matchup. Who you got, Scott? Yeah, both of these teams have won 10 games in a row, played really well, so it should be a pretty good game, but I'm going to go with the Roadrunners in a close game. Yeah, I'm going to disagree a little bit there. I think Troy's season was a little more impressive, with losses really only coming to AB State and another Power 5 team, the first game of the season, but the way that they won their conference championship, beating Coastal in very convincing fashion, is what sealed it for me and why I'm giving them the edge in a close game. Yeah, I'm agreeing with Justin as well. I mean, Troy's also from God's country, from Alabama, you got to pick him, I think, but I mean, they've had a great year. The fact that they've been able to kind of maintain this level of program, you know, a few years back, they beat LSU and they beat Nebraska, Troy's been around a while, and I think this kind of is going to hammer on that point, and they looked great last week. They dominated Coastal Carolina, who's kind of been a powerhouse in the Sun Belt. So yeah, give me Troy. I think it'll be a good game, though. This could be a sneaky bowl game, I saw on a list that it was like number two anticipated bowl games, which I don't know if that's true, but it will be an exciting game to watch. All right, so now we're going to talk about the Fenway Bowl. One interesting wrinkle about this game, both teams will be on the same sideline. I think that is very interesting. It's also interesting the fact that Cincinnati has hired Louisville's head coach, and they are playing Louisville. So Cincinnati against Louisville, they're on the same sideline. Who wins this game, Scott? Yeah, this is a really awkward situation there. You can basically call this the Scott Satterfield Bowl. But with no Malik Cunningham, since he's going to the draft and won't be playing, I'm going to go with the Bearcats here. Yeah, I'm going to agree with Scott for the exact same reason, and for the fact that Louisville is without a true head coach. Question mark? Well, it looks like they're going to steal Purdue's head coach, which I think might be an upgrade. I think Louisville is a program that's been around a while, but they kind of dipped with Satterfield at the helm. And I don't necessarily think at all that Cincinnati is getting an upgrade, because Luke Fickle is a phenomenal head coach, won coach of the year last year, and he's moving on to bigger and better things at Wisconsin. But I still think that Cincinnati's got the better team this year, especially with Cunningham out. I don't like Louisville's chances. They didn't look impressive against Kentucky last week either, so give me Cincinnati. I think they might can win convincingly, even though they're the underdog, or the undercat, if you will. We'll go into the Las Vegas Bowl, one of the worst matchups in this bowl season, I would like to point out. It is the number 14 Beavers of Oregon State facing off against the 6-6 Anthony Richardson-less Florida Gators. What do you got, Scott? Yeah, this is a situation you're going to see a lot in bowl season now, more than you did in the past. With the transfer portal and with the guys sitting out because they don't want to get injured before they go into the draft, makes a big difference on these bowl games, not to mention the coaching carousel when coaches leave right before the bowl game. So no Anthony Richardson, as Denton said, who basically is their offense. And Oregon State is just a much better team than Florida, especially with Richardson gone. So I think the Beavers win big over Florida, not a good matchup here. Yeah, I agree. I don't think Florida had much of an identity on offense as it was. But with their main playmaker out, I really don't see them having a chance offensively. Oregon State's a powerhouse. They beat the Ducks, let's face it. I'm not happy about it, but they beat the Ducks. And I'm definitely going to pull for the hometown team here, giving Oregon State big. Yeah, listen, I'm still proud about my Oregon State pick. I actually picked them to beat Oregon in the Civil War, but I think they're one of the most slept on teams in America this year. The Beavers have had a great season, nine wins is no joke, especially in the Pac-12, which is up this year compared to the past years. And we're going to talk about Florida. They're still in rebuilding mode. Billy Napier's got to get his players in there. You know, Dan Mullin kind of left the train wreck on his way out. And if you take away the fact that Florida's not great this year, and you take away their best player, I just don't think there's any shot. Give me the Beavs. They're going to chomp the Gators. The L.A. Bowl will feature Washington State and Fresno State. Fresno State actually played a couple of Pac-12 teams this year. They almost beat Oregon State, and they played Southern Cal as well. So who you got, Scott, Washington State or Fresno? Yeah, for me, often it's the motivated underdog who wins these bowl games. And I think that's what we see with Fresno State here. Ray Koehner, their quarterback, has had a really good season. He's coming back off an injury, and he's motivated to play, if you've read anything that he's put out there on social media. So give me Fresno State to win a close one over Wazoo. Yeah, I'm going to disagree. I'm going to say Washington State. They're more tested is really what this game is going to come down to. They're going to be more prepared for this big game. And while I think it's going to be close, I think Washington State is going to have enough experience and wherewithal to sneak out a win. Yeah, I think it's funny you mentioned the underdog thing, because Fresno State's actually favored in this game. I know they're a group of five teams, but, you know, they won their conference championship. I think that Washington State might even carry some of that underdog mentality or undercougar mentality, whatever you want to say. They've actually got a really good team. Or not really good. They've got a good team. They're very competitive. They were competitive in the Pac-12 this year. So I think Washington State could pull out a game against Fresno. I think it'll be close. This is kind of a coin flip for me, but give me Wazoo by a field goal. Yeah, I just don't, I've not seen really where the Power Five team, who is the, quote, underdog, really takes the underdog status to heart when you're playing a group of five. Yeah, that's true. I understand that. It's just funny that they're actually favored in this game, but it's because they are, you know, nine and four and won their conference. But, all right, so now we're going to talk about the Lending Tree Bowl very briefly. It features the only five and seven team in the field. They're here because they didn't play an FCS opponent, and they're facing off against Southern Mississippi, who is six and six. We're all picking Southern Miss. We're not going to talk about it too much. Our advice, if you're filling out, like, a bowl pick-em or something like that, never pick food to win a football game. Don't do it. Don't pick rice. Rice can't win a football game. Don't you do it. All right, now we're going to talk about the New Mexico Bowl, which will feature SMU and BYU. Scott, which acronym wins this one? Yeah, I'm going with SMU. They've had a surprisingly decent season, and BYU, on the other hand, has had a letdown of the season. They expected to do much better than this, so I'm going to go with SMU. Yeah, I'm going to disagree. I think BYU is a team that knows how to play in big games like this. They've been here before. Yeah, they didn't have the season that they were expected to have, but at the end of the day, BYU is still a good team. They had to go through the gauntlet that is the Pac-12 this year and still battled close in a lot of those games, so give me BYU in a close one. Yeah, I think the fact that BYU and SMU have the same record is a little not clear with what these teams had to face. BYU is kind of like the Notre Dame of the Pac-12. They kind of have to play that whole schedule. They've also flirted with the rankings in and out. That's why it's kind of seen as more of a disappointing season for them, so I think BYU can kind of turn this thing around in this season. SMU's defense is not anything to brag about, so yeah, give me the Cougars in this one. I think it'll be close and could be pretty entertaining with some offenses. All right, so now we're going to talk about the Frisco Bowl, which is North Texas and Boise State. We're all picking the Boise State Broncos here. Not much to discuss here. Both of these teams actually lost their conference championship. That's something to note, I guess, but Boise State's a 10-point favorite. We're picking the Broncos. Anything to add? Yeah, North Texas fired their coach, and I think Boise State wins here despite the fact that they're playing on green grass instead of blue turf, so take that for what it's worth. Yeah, they may not know where they are for a second, but they'll figure it out, but the Myrtle Beach Bowl will feature UConn, who made a bowl game this year, which is crazy. That is not a typo. They're playing Marshall. We're all picking Marshall. The Thundering Herd is a 10-point favorite. They actually beat Notre Dame this year. They're 8-4. Not a great matchup for UConn, but we're proud that they did it. They are here. UConn, congratulations. Anything to add? No, I think it is notable to say congrats to UConn. I mean, they're going to get absolutely smashed in this game, but after the start of a terrible season that they had to still manage to get bowl-eligible when other teams who were expected to be bowl-eligible did not, kudos to UConn. Yes, we live in a college football world where UConn goes to a bowl game and Texas A&M does not. Crazy, crazy world. All right, so the Idaho Potato Bowl will feature Eastern Michigan and San Jose State. Despite San Jose State being a 3-point favorite, we're all picking Eastern Michigan. Does anyone want to care to share why? Hold on, Scott, your audio went out. You muted yourself. Well, I think Eastern Michigan is the other non-green turf team. They play on gray turf, and here they're going to be playing on a blue turf field for the bowl game. So, since they're used to playing on colored turfs, you've got to go with Eastern Michigan. I think the biggest thing with Eastern Michigan is they've actually had some battles this year. They've been tested, so to speak, and really from just a complete game scenario, I think they've got the ability to play a complete game. San Jose State, while still a good team, I just don't think that they're going to have enough to be able to beat Eastern Michigan. Yep, yep, I agree. I think Eastern Michigan has this one. San Jose State is a tougher group of five opponents, I suppose, maybe above average. They almost gave Auburn a scare, which, you know, is that more indicative of how good San Jose State is or Auburn? Auburn didn't make a bowl game, so do with that information what you will. Eastern Michigan will win the Idaho Potato Bowl, in my opinion. The Boca Raton Bowl will feature the Hugh Fries-less Liberty Flames against the Toledo Rockets. What do you got, Scott? Well, Liberty here doesn't have a coach, otherwise I would normally pick them, but I really think that when you are missing your coach in a bowl game, that can make a big impact on the team. So, I'm going to say Toledo gets to win here. Give me the Rockets. Yeah, I agree with Scott for that exact reason. I think the fact that Hugh Fries is gone, I think, is just indicative of kind of what's going to transpire here. I think Toledo wins. It's going to be a lot closer than four points, though. Don't take the spread. The spread is a trap. Yeah, I think Liberty had a terrible end of the year. They got blown out by New Mexico State, which is one of the golden rules. The number one golden rule is never pick food in a bowl game, and the number two golden rule is don't get blown out at home by New Mexico State. So, Liberty did that. They're eight and four. They actually have a win over Arkansas somehow, but they're sitting in this bowl game against Toledo, who won their conference. Give me the Rockets. Give me the Rockets by four, maybe. Don't pick the spread, though. Don't pick the spread. Don't do it. The New Orleans Bowl. Going to NOLA. We're not going to talk about this one, because we think the Jaguars from South Alabama will win this one. They'll be playing Western Kentucky, who has a high-powered offense, but it's hard to go against that beautiful color scheme that South Alabama dons in the red, white, and blue, and their acronym is USA. I mean, come on. We got to pick them, plus they are one of the three 10-win teams in Alabama, and none of those three teams is Auburn, which is beautiful. Anything to add from the New Orleans Bowl? Awesome. The Armed Forces Bowl will feature not Navy or Army, but the Air Force against Baylor. Who you got, Scott? Yeah, I think it's kind of ironic here that Baylor is having to play at a conference-rival TCU stadium. Kind of weird, but I think they're better than Air Force with that triple option. I think they should get the win here. Yeah, I agree with Scott. I think as tough as those Air Force guys are, I think the talent disparity is really going to show. While they may be tough as nails in the Air Force, I don't really see them playing a lot of football. And really, the triple option is something easy to prepare for. You've given Baylor enough time to think about who they may play. Thinking that this was going to be a matchup for them, I think they're going to be well prepared for that triple option. I think it's going to be a low-score game, but I think Baylor takes the win. Yeah, I think Baylor has had an up-and-down here. They're not a horrible football team. They're still sitting at 6-6. They lost to West Virginia. I think the most notable thing they did is almost beat TCU, but you need to get in line because eight teams almost beat TCU this year. And also, they're playing in the Armed Forces Bowl. And if you're playing in Academy in the Armed Forces Bowl, for some reason, it's harder to beat them. I mean, you can ask Missouri last year. They lost to Army in the Armed Forces Bowl, and Missouri was probably the better team. I don't know. I think this could go either way. You know, didn't make a bowl because they played one too many FCS opponents, so Air Force takes the representation here. They've had a great year. They blew out Colorado of note, and they beat the other two academies. Give me Air Force to upset Baylor here. I think it's hard to pick against our men in the air against Baylor in the Armed Forces Bowl. Anyway, the Independence Bowl will feature the Raging Cajuns of Louisiana against the Houston Cougars. Houston's about a seven-point favorite, six-and-a-half to seven-point favorite. We're all picking Houston. Anything to add about this one? I'm not too excited about this matchup, if I'm going to be honest. Houston has had their fair share of close games. They've won some and lost some, so you kind of just flip a coin here on this game, whether they'll win. My advice for this one is find the smallest TV in your house to display it so that you can hear what's going on and then watch a different game. Sounds like good advice. All right. The Gasparilla Bowl will feature an SEC versus ACC matchup, but it is not the one you're thinking of, probably. It is Wake Forest and Missouri, two teams who have had up-and-down years. Wake Forest was more like the top of a roller coaster. They were going up and up and up, and then all of a sudden, they played Clemson, and there it goes. Missouri kind of went up and down the whole year. They kind of went back and forth. Are they going to be bowl-eligible? Well, they beat Arkansas. They're here. Who wins the Gasparilla Bowl, Scott? Yeah, so Sam Hartman is going to be playing in this bowl, and I love to watch him play football. I've got to go with that great passing game from the Demon Deacons. I've got to stick with ACC here. Yeah, I'm going to agree with Scott. I think nothing against Missouri, but let's face it, it's Missouri. I would really agree with Scott as far as Sam Hartman. I think he had a fantastic season despite being injured. It left a lot out there for us, but I think he's going to prove why he's one of the top quarterbacks in the country in this game, and he's going to take the Demon Deacons all the way. Yeah, you know, I have a different philosophy. When in doubt, don't pick the ACC. There is some doubt. I think Wake Forest's defense, we have reason to suspect that they are fraudulent, but Missouri's defense, on the other hand, is one of the best scoring defenses in the conference. Outside of the Tennessee game, which Tennessee scored on just about everybody they played, they did not let an SEC team score more than 30 points, which is impressive. They played the likes of Georgia and almost beat Georgia, by the way, and they've had a tough schedule. I think six and six doesn't fully indicate how decent this Missouri team is, and I think Wake Forest might be bolstered a little bit because of their strength of schedule. I think the Clemson game they played out of their minds offensively, Clemson was also down in the secondary that game, and I think Clemson fans have that in their mind when they think of Wake Forest. Wake Forest is not as good as they were that day. Give me Missouri, M-I-Z-Z-O-U, Gasparilla Bowl champions. Hawaii Bowl will feature Middle Tennessee State or San Diego State. What do you got, Scott? Yeah, Middle Tennessee State is an interesting team. They, if you remember earlier in the year, they beat Miami, but they followed up that big win by losing four of their next five games, and then they come into this game with three straight wins. So it's kind of Jekyll and Hyde for Middle Tennessee State, but I do think they'll get the close win here over San Diego State. Yeah, I'm going to disagree. Are you talking about the Miami that isn't playing in a bowl game? He is. Yeah. Miami that lost to Duke at home. Yeah. So I like FDSU, always have. Almost went there to play some soccer back in high school and right out of high school. Always followed their program, loved their logo. Give me FDSU all the way. Big. I mean, a cool logo, cool mascot. I mean, the Aztecs, that's cool. I mean, you don't see any Olmecs or Mayans, you know, in football pads out there. Give me the Aztecs to win this game. Middle Tennessee's win over Miami, wow, slightly impressive. Does lose a little bit of its luster, the fact that Miami is not even bowl eligible. Lost to Duke at home. Kind of embarrassed by several ACC teams this year. So give me the Aztecs, like Justin was saying, I think at least cover the spread of seven. All right. The quick lane bowl, which features apparently my new least favorite team, New Mexico State, against the Boiling Green Falcons. So, Scott, who you got? And I don't really have a feel for this game, so I'm just going to go by default to the favorite, I'm going to pick BGSU. Yeah, I don't know much about either of these teams either, but my mom did some sports writing for Boiling Green back in the day, and so that's why I'm picking Boiling Green here. Listen, New Mexico State has been featured on the bottom ten of ESPN so many times in my life that I kind of respect that they're here in this game. It's almost like UConn, if UConn actually had a chance to win the game, because they're not playing Boiling Green. But give me New Mexico State to upset the Falcons in this game. They've actually played their best football at the end of the year, something I thought I'd never say about the Aggies that actually became bowl eligible, not the Texas Aggies, the Texas A&M Aggies. So give me New Mexico State. All right. These next two bowl games we're not going to talk too much about, but the Camellia Bowl will feature Georgia Southern and Buffalo. We're all picking Georgia Southern, who was able to upset Nebraska this year. Anybody got anything on that one? All right. Also, the First Responder Bowl will feature Memphis and Utah State. Utah State is not as good as they usually are. They were a ten-win team last year. They're six and six this year. Nothing special. Memphis has had a much tougher schedule. Six and six is much more impressive for them. We're going Memphis minus seven. But now we're going to talk about my favorite bowl game, the Birmingham Bowl, featuring Coastal Carolina and East Carolina. Scott, who you got in this one? Yeah, I really like Coastal Carolina's football program, what they've done the last few years. And I think they have one of the coolest mascots in all of college football. So if you have not seen it, just Google Coastal Carolina and take a look at that awesome mascot. So for those reasons, give me Coastal Carolina. See, I'm going to disagree with Scott. I know that they're a Carolina team. In fact, their mascot looks like a Gamecock that just was on meth. I don't think – watching Coastal in their conference championship game just left a lot to be desired. I don't think that they're going to have enough to handle East Carolina. East Carolina to cover and to put a hurtin' on Coastal. Listen, I'm kind of surprised Scott's not picking East Carolina here because they almost beat his precious NC State Wolf Pack at NC State. But – and as much as I love looking at – he does not like NC State, but he does love to talk about how good they are. But as much as I also love to look at a chicken with a mullet, I'm going to have to go with the Pirates of East Carolina on this one. Their favorite for nine and a half for a reason. Give me the Pirates. All right, the guaranteed rate bowl will feature Wisconsin at six and six without their head coach versus Oklahoma State at seven and five without their starting quarterback. So Scott, what's more important and who wins this game? Yeah, Oklahoma State is without their starting quarterback. Wisconsin was without their coach. And I am of the belief when those two things are occurring on opposite teams in a bowl game, being without a coach is a bigger deal. So I'm going to go with Oklahoma State here. Yeah, I'm going to agree with Scott. The nature of college football now is that you're going to have players opt out. Coaches have to find a way to be able to navigate that. And if you don't have a head coach, it's kind of hard to navigate that. So that's why I'm giving the edge to Oklahoma State. Yeah, I think I would agree that the fact that losing a head coach is probably more significant. But the wrinkle I would put into this is that Wisconsin has had to deal with this for over half the year. And they've kind of fought hard this last stretch of the season without their head coach. And they've played some decent football. It's not like it's been perfect or anything. It's not necessarily been the Wisconsin standard. But they're a very solid defensive football team. And I think they can kind of at least handle business against an Oklahoma State team that will be without their starting quarterback and who has played horrendous football these past few weeks, losing to West Virginia and getting blown out by Kansas State. So, yeah, give me Wisconsin in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl. They are favored in that game as well. All right, so let's talk about the Military Bowl now. It will feature the Gus Malzahn-led Central Florida Knights against the Duke Blue Devils, who actually has the ACC Coach of the Year on their side, which is pretty crazy. Who you got, Scott? Yeah, UCF here has farther to travel since this game is going to be played in Maryland. But Duke has lost to Kansas and to Georgia Tech and their rival UNC. And I know Kansas is kind of up this year. But just in general, when you look and you say you lost to a Kansas football team and you lost to Georgia Tech and you lost to your rival, that just doesn't sit well with me. So give me UCF to win this game. Yeah, I'm going to disagree here. I'm picking the ACC team. But I'm also – I think Denton can share this sentiment with me and not a love for Gus Malzahn. I'm just not a fan of the dude. But I also think the fact that Duke is coming off of a loss and really having a season that was worth proving themselves. I think the fact that they really are going to come out and prove why they did have a decent season and just what the future can hold. I think this is a big game for them from a recruiting standpoint. If they lose this game, it's definitely going to hurt them. So I think these coaches and these players are going to be very motivated to come out and get a win here against UCF. Yeah, I think, honestly, this is an important game for both teams. You know, UCF is transitioning to the Big 12. I saw on social media they actually already put the logo on their football field. So they're jumping the gun. They're ready to go for that. But they're not there yet. They're not a Power 5 football team. Scott pointed out all of Duke's losses, but he refused to mention that UCF did lose to Navy. Navy is not good. So Central Florida definitely has those blemishes that Duke has. But I think, like we've seen now, Duke might be the better coach team. Even though Gus Malzahn does have the most wins over Alabama amongst active FBS coaches, we're not going to talk about any of that. But give me the Duke Blue Devils to beat the Gus bus. So now the Liberty Bowl will feature Kansas, who we just talked about, and Arkansas. The Razorbacks have had an up-and-down year, and we're kind of flirting with the top ten early in the year. But now they're favorites in the Liberty Bowl, sitting at 6-6. Who you got, Scott? Yeah, just like you just mentioned, Arkansas has had an up-and-down year. They started the season looking like one of the best teams in the SEC. They did get to number 10, I believe, from what I looked up. But Kansas has had a magical season for their program. They have a chance to have their first winning season since they're sitting at 6-6. Their first winning season since I was in high school back in 2008. So I think they're motivated here, and they are going to be playing an SEC team, and I think they're going to get the huge win. Not that they're going to win huge, but this will be a huge win for them over Arkansas. Yeah, I'm proud of Deep Basketball. Wait, they do play football in Kansas. I'm proud of them, man. They really did have a great season. But honestly, at the end of the day, I don't think they have enough for Arkansas. It's a totally different ballgame there. Arkansas is going to prove why they had a strong start to the season. Yeah, it didn't end the way that they expected, but give me the razorbacks in this one. Yeah, I think Arkansas is just a much different team with KJ Jefferson healthy, and they do have him healthy. He played in the Missouri game. He actually looked pretty good. But I'm telling you, Missouri is not a horrible team. They have a good defense, and they had a gutsy win in that game. Anyway, I'm getting off topic. But Arkansas, I think, is a much better team than their record shows. They've got wins over Cincinnati that no one talks about anymore because they lost to Liberty without their starting quarterback. But this is a very physical football team. They're fourth in FBS and rushing yards per game. Kansas kind of got benefitted towards a really light schedule in the beginning, so people kind of have in their mind that they were 5-0 at one point and almost beat TCU. But, again, I would like to remind you that a lot of teams have almost beat TCU. All right. The Holiday Bowl, moving on, now features Justin's 15th-ranked Oregon Ducks. They will face the losers of the ACC championship game, the North Carolina Tar Heels, both non-win teams. Who you got, Scott? Yeah, Bo Nix and Drake May are both going to play in this game, which is good for football because that makes this a very watchable game. It's going to be very exciting, potential for a lot of points. I know North Carolina just got beat handily by Clemson, but they did move the ball. They had troubles inside the red zone. So I think this is going to be an exciting game to play with neither team having a great defense, North Carolina especially having a bad defense. But I've got to go with Oregon. I think Oregon's the better team. They have a less bad defense than North Carolina. They've got a better quarterback and a better offense. So in this battle of the East Coast versus West Coast, give me Oregon. Yeah, good pick, Scott. Go Ducks. If you'd have told me at the very beginning of this season, in fact, I'll never forget the day that I looked up and saw that Bo Nix was going to be the quarterback at Oregon, and I thought we were doomed. But Bo has really turned it around from his horrible career at Auburn. I think that was just one of those things where you get the right player with the right coach, and Bo finally figured it out. I don't think this game is going to be remotely close. I think if you're going to look at the perspective that North Carolina got handled by Clemson, I think Oregon would absolutely handle Clemson. I don't think North Carolina is even going to be close. Give me Oregon by, like, 20. Yeah, I think Oregon covers, and that's the answer because they're ten-and-a-half point favorites. Yes, North Carolina does have a good offense, but Oregon is much more physical than them. We can talk all day about the fact that Drake May has had a great season. But we got to think about how North Carolina ended the year. It was not very well, if you remember. They lost to Georgia Tech. NC State got blown out by Clemson. Not a great end to the year at all. SCO Ducks, they're going to win big. Quickly, the Texas Bowl. We've got Ole Miss and Texas Tech. Lane Kiffin going to bounce back from the disappointing end of the season? How you got, Scott? Yeah, I think Ole Miss feels like a little bit of a letdown after having aspirations earlier of making the SEC Conference Championship game. They're the better team, and they should win this game. Yeah, I'm going to agree with Scott here. I think that Ole Miss has just got too much for Texas Tech. They ran the gauntlet of the SEC and came out the other side with a very impressive eight-and-four season. Give me Ole Miss and give me Ole Miss to cover. Yeah, I think the worst thing about Ole Miss' schedule is the fact that they had to play at LSU, Alabama, at Arkansas, and Mississippi State at home in five weeks. I think that's a very daunting schedule, and that's why they're sitting at eight-and-four right now. But, yeah, hotty toddy, I think they get the win over Texas Tech. All right, the Pinstripe Bowl will feature the Syracuse Orange against the Minnesota Golden Gophers. This game will be played at Yankee Stadium. How you got, Scott? Everything in me says not to trust Syracuse after they started really, really well this season and then just crashed and burned after they lost to Clemson. But I do want to see Dino Babers get the win. I really like him as a coach, and so I'm going to go with Syracuse in their home state. Yeah, I'm going to agree with Scott, and not so much because I necessarily think Syracuse will win, but I want them to win, right? Like, I want them to win for the ACC. I want them to win for Dino. They're playing in New York. Like, they need to get this done. Kudos to Minnesota. They've had a very good season. A lot of people have been chanting, row the boat. But I think the Syracuse Orange are just going to pull it out, just going to pull it out. Not so fast, you bunch of ACC softies. This is not going to go the way you think it is, to quote a really bad Star Wars movie. Minnesota is going to beat Syracuse. I can almost guarantee that. They're a very good running team. They have a very good running back. And you know what Syracuse cannot do? Stop the run. Clemson would have beat Syracuse 42 to nothing if they run the ball every play, except for that read option where Syracuse ran the fumble back all the way to the touchdown. That was not ideal. Syracuse has looked terrible these past few weeks, and it's because they had the Ole Miss soft loaded front schedule that first half of the year, and then reality hit them like a bag of bricks. And Minnesota is about to row the boat and be that bag of bricks for them. The Orange gets squished. No pulp survives, give me Minnesota. All right, the Cheez-It Bowl will feature the Brent Venables led Oklahoma Sooners against a number 13 ranked Florida State team who actually had a 9-3 finish to their year. Who you got, Scott? Yeah, since that Texas embarrassment, Oklahoma's next three losses were all by just three points. They were close. But they did not actually come away with those wins. They were all losses when still in the same. And as much as I wanted to see Venables succeed, Florida State is playing very hot right now. They found a quarterback to get behind, and I think they are a real contender for Clemson next year in the ACC championship. So I'm going to go with the Seminoles. Yeah, I agree with Scott. You know, I love Venables. I think he's a fantastic defensive coach. I think it's just taking him a little bit of time to get that Oklahoma defense figured out. I think some personnel things from maybe even positional coaches need to be changed. But honestly, I think what this is going to come down to is that Florida State's offense is just too explosive. If Oklahoma thinks that they can get into a shootout with Florida State, they would be sadly mistaken. Florida State will win that battle every day. Which is why I think Florida State takes the cake. And they're going to do more than cover the spread here in this game. Yeah, I think like Scott said, the Oklahoma-Texas game is not indicative of their entire season. We've got to remember that their starting quarterback was out, and Texas was playing mad from the last time they blew that 28-7 lead. So I think this game could be a little competitive, maybe more so than Justin was saying. But I do think Florida State wins. They've had a great season. Jordan Travis is a phenomenal player. He is one of the most elusive quarterbacks I think I've ever seen play the game. Some of those in the Florida-Florida State game, how he was able to get out of some of those sacks was just crazy. I mean, he can wiggle his way out of anything. So, yeah, give me Florida State. Go Knolls. They're going to win the Cheez-It Bowl. Maybe give Mike Norvell a Cheez-It bath. All right, so the Alamo Bowl, which is one of the greatest bowls I think from year to year, will feature two pretty good teams, number 20 Texas and number 12 Washington. Scott, who you got? Yeah, this should be a really interesting game. Bijan Robinson is the best running back in the game. By the way, he should have been invited to New York for the Heisman ceremony. Apparently the integrity clause in the Heisman statement doesn't mean much of anything anymore, because he is just the epitome of integrity. But I love the Longhorns, even though Washington has also played very well this year and have a great quarterback. I could see this going either way, but my gut says to go with the Texans, so go Texas, so hook them horns. Yeah, I'm going to disagree. I think Texas was tested, and when Texas was tested, they crumbled. They had every chance under the sun to beat Alabama, couldn't get it done. They had every chance to have a very successful season. I know yours was down a lot, but let's face it, at the end of the day, they were tested and crumbled. I think Washington was tested and succeeded for the most part. You don't win 10 games by just puddling around. I think you've got to win the games you're supposed to win, and even win some games that you really don't have a chance to win. Give me Washington. I think Washington, honestly I'm still kind of puzzled how they didn't make the Pac-12 championship game, but it's a really crazy situation there. I think they've got a great offense. Defensively is where I have a little bit of a worry, and the fact that on the other side of the sideline, we've got Steve Sarkeesian, who is one of the greatest minds offensively in college football right now. He'll have a good game plan, especially when he can get guys open. That's when Ewers has had his best. He's not great at throwing in windows, but he can hit wide open guys, and so I think Texas can really take advantage of that. I would like to note, Michael Pennix Jr. has played extremely well for Washington this year, and this could be a really entertaining game, but I'm going to go with Texas. Hook them horns, I guess. Whatever you want to go with there. The Duke's Mayonnaise Bowl will feature the Maryland Terrapins against the number 23 North Carolina State. Scott, you've got to pick your favorite team here. Come on. Who you got? NC State is on my short list of teams that I hate, along with Ohio State, Georgia, and South Carolina, especially because of NC State's coach. Can't stand the guy. But, David Leary is in a transfer portal, and NC State has had an up and down second half of the season. Then again, so has Maryland. So, I'm going to go with ACC here and take NC State with a W, but I will be more than happy to see Maryland win this game. Yeah, I'm going to agree with Scott. I'm probably a little more of a fan of NC State than Scott is. In fact, a former player of mine now wrestles at NC State, so I've got a reason to pull for them. Really, I think at the end of the day, the Pack mentality is what's going to cause them to be able to supersede the Turtles here. So, give me the Wolf Pack. Now, listen, I don't know how many times we have to have this conversation. NC State lost to Boston College. NC State, despite winning against North Carolina, is still not a good football team. Maryland, on the other hand, has had a really tough schedule. They've had to play Penn State, Ohio State, and Michigan. They've had to play two playoff teams this year, two playoff teams, and they look pretty good against Ohio State. I think people forget about that. Their offense is pretty good. Their defense is okay, but really, NC State's offense this year has not been great. We can talk about Devin Leary, who is not playing in this game. They don't have their starting quarterback. They haven't looked great with Leary this year, and they haven't looked good at all without him. So, give me Maryland in this game. Their favorite for a reason, despite not being ranked, and despite having a worse record, Terrapins will take the cake here. Well, you just like them because Tua's brother plays there. Listen, baby Tua, despite not being as good, he is still a Tunga Bailoa, and we have to support our brethren. So, the Sun Belt will feature Pittsburgh, and number 18 at UCLA. Who you got, Scott? Yeah, UCLA's quarterback, DTR, has had a really terrific season for UCLA, and I enjoyed watching him earlier in that epic game against Southern Cal. So, I'm going to take UCLA over the Panthers. Yeah, I'm going to agree with Scott. UCLA just had a much tougher road, and proved why they're an elite team. And then Pitt, while still a great team in the ACC, I think just doesn't have enough to be able to handle UCLA. Give me the Bears. Yeah, I think UCLA has too much offense here. I think Pitt is a lot better than people may give them credit for. They finished the season eight and four, despite having a rough kind of start to the year. But yeah, give me the Bruins here to win this Sun Bowl, which is one of the most historic in the game, probably the Rose Bowl. So, let's move on to the Gator Bowl, or as South Carolina fans would probably like to call it, Clemson's Daddy Bowl. The two teams that beat Clemson this year will face off. Who you got, Scott? South Carolina or Notre Dame? Yeah, these are two programs that have had excellent second halves of the season, both, you know, feeling really high about themselves right now. They have handed Clemson their only two losses, but you know me, I'm not going with the Gamecocks here. I can't do it. So, I'm going to go Fighting Irish. Yeah, plain and simple. I just can't, I can't pull for anyone wearing garnet. So, give me the Fighting Irish. I'll stand by it. Some of the coolest uniforms in all of football. South Carolina, the garnet and black. I mean, come on, Cox versus Catholics. Who are you going to take? Give me the Gamecocks. South Carolina, spurs up. I think Beamer Bowl has surprised a lot of people this year, and some great wins at the end of the season. I mean, the Tennessee win and the Clemson win, back to back, I mean, what can't they do at this point? Give me the Gator Bowl, a great win for South Carolina. All right, so we interrupt this program to remind you the Arizona Bowl exists. It is Ohio and Wyoming, and we are all going to pick Ohio. Anybody want to say anything else? Cool. All right. The Orange versus Orange, Orange Bowl will feature the Tennessee Volunteers with the ugliest shade of orange you have ever heard of, and Clemson, a slightly better shade of orange, I guess, if you even like orange. I don't, but Scott, who do you got? Yeah, this, this game puts a new meaning to Orange Bowl. Two orange teams, we're playing with some oranges at the end of the game. You know, I'll be driving to this game with my friend and also my father-in-law, who is a big Tennessee fan. So I don't want it to be a long drive back for me. That is, it could be a long drive back for him. That's perfectly fine. But here are the things that are going Clemson's way here. No Hindenhoeker, probably no Hyatt. They got another wide receiver who is not going to be playing. No accuracy for Tennessee's backup quarterback, Milton. No DJ for Clemson, which is a positive. And all those things equal no loss for Clemson. So Clemson wins big, big, big over Tennessee. Yeah. I don't know if it's going to be big, big, big, but it's definitely going to be big. I would agree with Scott on all of those fronts. I think one thing that is to be noted is Myles Murphy has opted out. So he will not be dressing for the Tigers. Trenton Simpson, while he will be dressing, will not be playing due to an ankle injury that he suffered in the ACC championship game. But at the end of the day, I think Tennessee, the only way they survived this year was because of Hindenhoeker and that explosive offense. No hooker, no offense, no offense, no win. Give me the Tigers. Listen, I'm not trying to take anything away from Clemson. That is the last thing my goal is to do right here. But let's not get carried away with how Kate Klubnick played in the ACC championship game. I think it's easy to say that he played great and he did. But it's against one of the worst defenses in all of America. Let's not forget that they lost to Georgia Tech, Georgia Tech, and they lost to NC State. And we all know how much I hate NC State. So let's not remember who Clemson truly is. And one game does not make up who they are. Neither does Tennessee. I think Joe Milton can throw the ball just as far as Hindenhoeker. It may not be as accurate, but he can throw it just as far. And if Jalen Hyatt is wide open, it doesn't matter if it's inaccurate because he's wide open. Unless it's really inaccurate. Unless it's a DJ pass. Sorry, DJ. But I think that Joe Milton will pull Tennessee through in this game. I think it could go back and forth. The secondaries are the weaknesses of both of these teams, which is pretty crazy. And Clemson has not been tested outside of the North Carolina game or the Wake Forest game. And if those are the only times you've been tested twice this entire year with a team that can throw the ball, I still think that's crazy. So I think Tennessee pulls this one out. It's a very important bowl game for this program. We haven't talked about that at all. This is an old hat for Clemson, and this is a disappointing season for the fan base. This is the best season Tennessee's had in 15 years. They have not been to a major bowl game giving the balls. All right. Sugar Bowl, Alabama, Kansas State. I hope Bryce Young doesn't opt out. I hope Willie Anderson doesn't opt out. But, Scott, who you got in this game? Yeah, you've been throwing shade on Clemson this whole entire time. So now we're finally at this Alabama game. And I'm going with Kansas State, buddy. Kansas State has had an excellent season. While Bama's has been a bit of a letdown for their standards, which is the start of the decline for the Bama train here. So as far as last I checked, Willie Anderson and Bryce Young have not made a decision, but they're probably going to opt out. And what we've seen of Bama's offense, I know Denton will say otherwise, but I don't think they're, I think Bryce Young is the only reason that they have just two losses this year. Give me Kansas State continuing to ride on that high of beating TCU. And let me just relish the Alabama Crimson Tide decline. Look, I'm not the same as Scott. Yes, I'm a Clemson fan. No, I'm not a lover of Alabama, but let's face it. They do have one of the best atmospheres and best coaches to ever grace us with their ability in college football. I say this often. You never make money betting against Nick Saban. And for that reason and that reason alone, give me Bama and a close one against K-State. Yeah, I think regardless of opt outs or not, I know Willie Anderson and Bryce Young are very important to this team. I think Alabama pulls it out. I think this is, no one's really talking about the fact that this could be a team playing with an attitude different than what we've seen before in Alabama teams. They're the first team out of the playoff, which has never happened before. And I expect this team's had a lot of heart. There is no reason they had to play the game against Ole Miss the way they did. A gritty win after they had already lost two games. And stuff like that has just impressed me throughout the year in this nontraditional year as an Alabama fan. The offense is still riddled with talent despite Bryce Young being a huge part of it. Jameer Gibbs is one of the best running backs in football. Give me Alabama. Kansas State's defense is not great, even if Jalen Melroe has to take the helm. Or we might see some action from five-star Ty Simpson. Get used to that name. We'll see who is the quarterback next year at Alabama. The next bowl game is the Music City Bowl. The over-under is like 10. It's Kentucky and Iowa. Not a whole lot to say for me. I think Kentucky wins this game. I think they can score more points despite Will Levis not playing. Anything else? I think we're all picking Kentucky here. Go Big Blue. If this was basketball, it might be even worse. Who knows? Now we're going to get into the important games of the college football playoff. The Fiesta Bowl will feature number three TCU and number two Michigan. Scott, who you got? Yeah, Michigan's not playing with Blake Horham. I know that they beat Ohio State without him, but he was a big reason why they got as far as they did this year, especially after some of these games where they just didn't look so good. Max Duggan, on the other hand, is playing out of his mind. If you watch that championship game, man, if he just had like another few minutes to hit a breather, I think he does a quarterback sneak and wins the game. So everything in me wants to pick this TCU team. However, I just can't pull the trigger because I think Michigan really is just a better overall football team. So I'm going to take the Wolverines here officially. However, I'll have a caveat here that I would not be surprised to see if there's another close game between Michigan and TCU, then I'm going to pick TCU to pull out a close game because they've done it all year. Except for their conference championships. Listen, kudos to TCU for making the top four. I don't want to take that necessarily away from them, but let's face it. They're not really a team that belongs in the top four. While they deserve to be here. Yes, they don't belong here. They're a good team and a weak conference. And I'm not, don't let this fool you. I cannot stand Michigan. I can't stand anything about the state of Michigan. Their color's stupid. Their mascot's stupid. It's a fictional character. Their head coach is a joke who just likes to stand bent at the waist, hands on his knees all the time. I don't like Michigan, but Michigan is going to win this game. They got a cupcake in TCU. Then they're going to wind up playing in a rematch game that proves they don't deserve to be in the college football playoffs either. So give me Michigan in this game. But it's just a consolation game before they get knocked out. Listen, a Wolverine is a real animal. I will say, even though it is also a superhero. Tiny cat. Tiny cat. I think it's a little more vicious than you're letting on, but we'll let it slide because you hate Michigan more than any other continental United States. But anyway, TCU is this year's Cincinnati. They don't belong. They've earned their spot, but they don't belong amongst one of those words, the big boys. And Michigan is a team of big boys. They got a great offensive line. They got a great defensive line, and they're going to run the ball down the horned frog's throat, which is also a real animal. But give me Michigan in this game to advance to the national championship game. Now let's talk about the Peach Bowl, and that will feature the number four Ohio State Buckeyes and the number one Georgia Bulldogs, the primetime matchup for the playoffs. Scott, who you got? Listen, then I hate Ohio State, but I also hate Georgia. So do I really have to pick a winner of these two? I think you have to. I think someone has to win. Sadly. Well, if I have to pick a winner, I guess I'd say Ohio State is I hate them more than Georgia. And I also think Georgia is a better football team. So I'm going to go with the Bulldogs. Yeah, I I'm with Scott on this one. I hate both teams. I would say that I hate Georgia fans more than Ohio State fans, but I hate the University of Ohio and the arrogance that comes with the Ohio State University. But at the end of the day, I think Georgia's got too much talent. Ohio State proved against Michigan that they're a better football team. Ohio State proved against Michigan that they don't have enough talent, even with all the talent that they've got at wide receiver. I don't think that they have enough talent to beat Georgia. So give me the demon dogs at going to the national championship. It's like there's 47 states where Justin can travel safely. Apparently, I think the Ohio State University will lose the football game. Georgia is just a little bit too much for this Ohio State secondary. I think, even though the explosive plays are what did Ohio State in that Michigan game and Georgia likes to methodically drive down the field. So I think this, this might be the better playoff game. I really do. I think it'll be close. I think Georgia, despite being the number one overall seed, got the harder game. This is not a cupcake by any stretch of the imagination. We always talk about kind of first round buys. Oh, we got to play Cincinnati last year. Well, Georgia's playing Ohio State, who had the second best odds to win the national championship at the beginning of the year. So everyone's known how good they are, how talented they are. They've got a great wide receiving corner, great quarterback. I think Georgia gets it done, though, like, like they said, I think they're better coached as well. So anyway, we're going to talk now about the rely quest bowl, which was previously the outback bowl. It will feature number 22, Mississippi state versus Illinois. I think it will be wrong to not mention the passing of Mike Leach, of course, prayers out to his family, the surrounding Mississippi state community, the Washington state family, Texas tech and Oklahoma. All of this coaching tree can be found throughout college football. He is truly a legend in the sport. He's a hilarious individual. If you haven't heard any of his interviews, you got to especially the one I specifically love of him talking about which pack 12 matchups would win in a fight. The mascots would win in a fight. That's hilarious. But he was, he was truly a great football coach and he will definitely be missed moving forward. But Scott, who you got in the rely quest bowl. Yeah. Illinois has shown all season that they basically run away from the spotlight. They just tried to throw away every chance they had of playing a championship against either Ohio state or Michigan. So can't go with them. And plus, you know, as we just, as Dan just mentioned about Mike Leach, you know, his team is going to be fired up and ready to win this game in honor of him and memory of him. And also cool fact is that they're going to be playing it. Tampa where they have, where there's a pirate ship in the end zone. So it kind of feels like the pirate himself is still has a present, a presence in the game. Give me Mississippi state. Yeah. I'm with you, Scott for a lot of those same reasons. I think, you know, the, the, the legacy and the offensive genius that was Mike Leach is, is just so notable in this offense. Illinois could, could have the second best defense in the country. And I still don't think it'd be enough. You know, Mississippi state is just, I think really those players are going to come out with a new, just fire within them. They're going to be playing with hurt, which as a player and as a coach, I've seen that. And let me tell you, that's the worst thing to go up against as a team. That's hurting because they, they band together like no other. I give me Mississippi state big. Yeah, I think it's important to note the last tweet that Mike Leach actually sent out was about the fact that this bowl game is actually allowing the fans to bring in the cowbells. And to pack out the stadium, I think the fan base as well as the players are going to be there for coach Leach. I think it's going to be important to, to support his legacy and this game is going to mean a lot to the players. I'd also mentioned the defensive coordinator is taking over for this game and he's had a phenomenal year. Mississippi state has some dudes on that defensive line and great corners. And they, they've been a tough out in the sec all year. Give me Mississippi state to beat the fighting align. I coached by Brett Bielema this year. Anyway, let's get into the cotton bowl this year. The group of fives representative is the two lane green wave who are making their first major bowl game in a long, long time since back in the sec days, they'll be facing number 10, Southern Cal coming off of a blowout loss in their conference championship game. But Scott, who you got? Yeah, this is an example of what, how the transfer portal can just really transform a team. Southern Cal came so close to getting into the playoffs after last year. They were, I think when they four and eight is that had an awful, awful year and then transfer portal getting Caleb Williams and getting a new coach and just turned it around. So I love the Trojans. I've always loved the Trojans since back when Reggie Bush and liner were playing when I was, when I was growing up. And being that they do have the Heisman winter and Caleb Williams is going to be playing and are playing as the power five team against a group of five. And then you were six. I'm going to go USC huge over to lane. Yeah. I, I'm going to disagree with Scott here and for no other reason than I cannot stand Caleb Williams. I think he's got zero class. He's got a lot of talent, but he's got a zero class and he's not somebody I can pull for. Give me two lane. Yeah, I'm going to agree with Justin here. I usually am not a big proponent of picking group of five teams in these type of bowl games, but in the new year six BCS bowl era, the group of five representative has, has actually fared pretty well. They've picked up a few wins over the years, but it's always been pretty competitive. I think even going back to, you can say some legendary games like the 2007 Fiesta Bowl featuring Boise state and Oklahoma. But I think this, this is a perfect trap game for Southern Cal. They, they were on the cusp of a playoff lost that game. Caleb Williams has just won the Heisman kind of on that high. I think this is a perfect opportunity for a fired up two lane team to really embrace that under underdog mentality. And I think the green wave can get a win here, especially the fact that USC has some of the worst tackling I've ever seen in major collegiate football. So give me two lane to win the cotton bowl. All right. The citrus bowl feature two teams that lost their conference championship games. Number 17, LSU and Purdue. Who you got Scott? Yeah. LSU is an interesting team. I can't tell if they're really good or just kind of middle of the pack. They've kind of been up and down this year, but I do think they're going to get the win over Purdue. So give me LSU. Yeah. This is one, one of those games where I think to me, they're both middle of the pack teams, but you've got a middle of the pack SEC or middle of the pack. Who cares conference? Give me LSU. Yeah. I think LSU has had a great first year under Brian Kelly. I think it's, you know, they were projected to finish next to last in the SEC West. And they're over here winning the whole division, going to play Georgia. I mean, they kind of held their own to that offense is pretty good. Jaden Daniels has had a great year. He's a very elusive quarterback. And even, even the backup up on that smart played well as well in that game. Yeah. Give me LSU over Purdue. I don't think Purdue has enough office to keep up in the citrus bowl. So now let's talk about the granddaddy of them all. The Rose bowl game, which will feature the big 10 representative Penn state and the pack 12 representative, the Utah youth, the conference champions from the conference of champions, Scott, who you got in the Rose bowl. Yeah. That's it all year. I'm not really high on the big 10 outside of a higher state in Michigan. I think it's my opinion outside of those two is the weakest conference. This year. So, and I think Utah is also a really good team. Utah wins this one. Yeah, I agree with Scott. I mean, the fact that, that Utah just was able to, to win the games they needed to win. They got the job done. Penn state while a great university, not great at football. Give me Utah. Yeah. Yeah. I think this is an interesting matchup. I think Utah's got definitely the better coaching staff, even though James Franklin's done a great job at Penn state, you know, they've, they've had a tough schedule. They've had to play Ohio state and Michigan. You know, no one's going undefeated with those teams. Maybe Georgia, maybe, but playing Michigan in the big house is a tough call. And it's a game where you can kind of see why they got kind of blown out, even though they were in it for a half, they were in it for a half. I think Penn state wins this game. The big 10 is usually fared well against the PAC 12 in the Rose bowl game. And Penn state's a very physical football team. We can talk about how Utah is probably the most physical team in the PAC 12, but the physicality level is going to be different when Penn state hits the field, but expect this to be a great game. The Rose bowl always is. I do think Utah is going to be motivated to try to win a Rose bowl since they were in it last year and couldn't beat Ohio state. But give me Penn state. I think this will be a good game. They haven't been to a Rose bowl in a while either. So this is important for Penn state. All right. Well, let's talk about the national championship. We all predict Georgia and Michigan to be playing in this game. So we're going to assume that's what the national championship is going to be Georgia versus Michigan. Scott, who do you got? Oh, it pains me to say this, but Sikkim dogs. And the difference in this game, I think is versatility. I know earlier in the year. I, I wasn't so sure on the versatility. Of Georgia, but they've proven. Otherwise they have the best tight end in football. They can throw the ball or run the ball effectively based on how they're getting played on defense. They're very well coached, very disciplined. If you watch that. Last game that they played. With with the block. And I think I'm not sure that Michigan can, can do the same as far as versatility. I'm not sure that they can pass the ball effectively against Georgia defense. If they're forced to think, I think they're mainly a running team that can pass the ball against weaker defenses. So I don't really see an aspect of that. 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Michigan, although they threw the ball on Ohio State, these long, deep balls, Georgia does not give you the amount of time to do that. It doesn't matter how good your offensive line is. Georgia's always going to find a way in the backfield. We saw that in the Tennessee game. Tennessee was not able to air it out to Hyatt. They weren't able to get their offense going. They were out of rhythm the whole game. Michigan's a very methodical team. They're, they depend on explosive plays, and Georgia takes those explosives away. Michigan can't exploit Georgia where they need to. They're not going to win this game if it happens in the first place. I guess, give me Georgia. Congrats, Dawgs. It looks like you're back-to-back national champions. Blah, blah, blah. Good, good job, Kirby Smart. Let's just also mention, I think Michigan found this out last year that they can't handle the Bulldogs. What one year of preparation has done, nothing. I mean, it's been impressive that Michigan has put themselves in this position. They beat Ohio State in back-to-back years, and Michigan's a team that doesn't recruit extremely well. They're like 20th in the recruiting right now. Georgia's head coach is the most unfriendly man in the world. Well, apparently you'd say that to anyone who says go Blue, so I don't really believe that. But anyway, I think it's impressive what Harbaugh has been able to do with the talent that he has beating Ohio State, which is a much more talented team. In Ohio State's house by 23, very impressive. I just don't think – I mean, Kirby Smart, the job he's done at Georgia has been phenomenal. And like Justin was saying, I think they're dreading that territory where it's almost dynasty mode for Georgia. I mean, this has been going on since 2017 when they almost beat Alabama in the national championship there. Georgia's been consistent, and this could be a back-to-back years in what Kirby Smart's been able to do there. Yeah, I would also say, though, that I think for me personally, it would have to go back a few years, quite a bit, before I find a national champion who I think this Georgia team is better than. I do think they're the best team this year, but I don't think any team this year is as good as the last few national champions. I've just seen a lot of times this year where Georgia just hasn't looked good and just on the verge of, okay, maybe they're not the Georgia team we thought. And then the next week they blow somebody out and look amazing. We're like, okay, maybe they are. So. Yeah, I agree. It's been a weird year in college football, for sure. But in the end, if Georgia with their schedule 13-0, I mean, what more can you ask at this point? As sad as defeated I am to say it, and we'll talk more about this in our next episode, which we'll kind of talk about what went wrong for Clemson and Alabama this year. This is Alabama's most talented team that they've had in quite some time, and they weren't able to really turn their talent into results. And that's what Georgia did. They lost a lot of picks to the draft, pretty much all their defensive starters, and they were able to just keep the wheels turning. They say elite teams don't have down years. They don't do that. They reload. They don't rebuild. And that's what Georgia did this year. Well, that wraps up our bowl game. Pick them. Thank you, Justin, for joining us and dealing with the madness of all this. Hopefully we enjoy a great bowl season for sure. Yeah, and I look forward to doing this again next year. Of course, of course, and signing off roll. Go Tigers. Go on. Go Ducks. Nothing. There we go. Go Ducks. Come on.
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