Florida bet looks good so far. SC a loser. Nevada got no offense. Here is a capping aid that like a dope I didn't use. Bronco Mendenhall and Muschamp had a press conference together before this bowl….many days ago I think. Mendenhall looked relaxed and Muschamp looked tense, almost aggravated. I saw it and yet still thought SC would have the better players to contain Perkins and score. Sort of like Auburn did. Coaches giving us some insight into the pre-bowl practices, confidence level? Perhaps.
Still can't believe Bama didn't cover the TT. Glad I didn't over-bet it.
4* Clemson +6 Not going to pay the extra juice for the 7 here since I think Clemson has a decent chance to win here. I just can't see Clemson getting punked in this game. They DO play better the bigger the game.
Now you can say that Alabama won't have to deal with a QB like Murray who does so much with his feet. True, but there are plenty of offsetting things that Oklahoma didn't have that Clemson does. A waaaay better defense. Very impressed with the speed of the Clemson front 7 on defense. I think there is a real possibility that they harass a gimpy Tua into an injury. Just enough to make him even less mobile. He looked pretty good Saturday, but he is definitely not the running threat he was earlier this season. He will be under duress far more here. Also, Bama will face a better passer than Kyler Murray. Lawrence has the OL that can give him the time to throw, he has improved as a QB in just his last 3-4 games, and Clemson has the better running game than Oklahoma, Murray's scramble/ runs notwithstanding.
Clemson finally has very good coverage in the secondary, some WRs that are playmakers, and an OL that is solid. Now Alabama's WRs will make their plays as they are an incredible bunch. But I got a feeling that Tua's ankle, lack of mobility comes into play here. Clemson also has the run defense to limit the Bama running game. Limit, not stifle. I was also a little stunned how undisciplined Alabama was Saturday, getting way too many penalties.
Going to trust that DC Brent Venables is going to come up with something that throws the Alabama offense off its game at times. His passion for the game is contagious among his players, and he breaks down the game so well for them. Just the fact that he stays at Clemson instead of heading off to HC somewhere else instills a loyalty with his guys. Somewhat stunned at Oklahoma outscoring the Tide 34-17 from the early 2nd quarter on. I doubt they get much of a lead that's anything like that, although that has been true for much of their season. Alabama might win, but don't you have the feeling this will be a great game between titans…a game that 6 points could definitely come into play? Might increase depending on how the next few days go.
4* Clemson +6 Not going to pay the extra juice for the 7 here since I think Clemson has a decent chance to win here. I just can't see Clemson getting punked in this game. They DO play better the bigger the game.
Now you can say that Alabama won't have to deal with a QB like Murray who does so much with his feet. True, but there are plenty of offsetting things that Oklahoma didn't have that Clemson does. A waaaay better defense. Very impressed with the speed of the Clemson front 7 on defense. I think there is a real possibility that they harass a gimpy Tua into an injury. Just enough to make him even less mobile. He looked pretty good Saturday, but he is definitely not the running threat he was earlier this season. He will be under duress far more here. Also, Bama will face a better passer than Kyler Murray. Lawrence has the OL that can give him the time to throw, he has improved as a QB in just his last 3-4 games, and Clemson has the better running game than Oklahoma, Murray's scramble/ runs notwithstanding.
Clemson finally has very good coverage in the secondary, some WRs that are playmakers, and an OL that is solid. Now Alabama's WRs will make their plays as they are an incredible bunch. But I got a feeling that Tua's ankle, lack of mobility comes into play here. Clemson also has the run defense to limit the Bama running game. Limit, not stifle. I was also a little stunned how undisciplined Alabama was Saturday, getting way too many penalties.
Going to trust that DC Brent Venables is going to come up with something that throws the Alabama offense off its game at times. His passion for the game is contagious among his players, and he breaks down the game so well for them. Just the fact that he stays at Clemson instead of heading off to HC somewhere else instills a loyalty with his guys. Somewhat stunned at Oklahoma outscoring the Tide 34-17 from the early 2nd quarter on. I doubt they get much of a lead that's anything like that, although that has been true for much of their season. Alabama might win, but don't you have the feeling this will be a great game between titans…a game that 6 points could definitely come into play? Might increase depending on how the next few days go.
4* Penn State -6.5
1* Penn State -3.5 1H This is one of those games where you have to see the bowl games as a one game season, or a one game playoff. Disregard some of the poor play of Penn State when McSorley was playing with gimpy legs. It made a huge difference in the effectiveness in the Penn State offense. With him much healthier, I have to say that in these more prominent bowl games, and even in less prominent bowl games, offense wins. Another key here is that PSU's defense is underrated in my estimation, and will be a problem for a weak Kentucky offense. Kentucky has Benny Snell, whom some teams have limited(Missouri, Tenn, Georgia, SC..all holding him to about 4 YPC). Kentucky OC Gran doesn't seem to trust his QB, Terry Wilson, and oversimplifies the play calls. Then they have a porous OL, receivers with bad hands, and overall their offense seems to execute as bad as their defense executes so well. Kentucky will also be missing a key defender, LB Jordan Jones. Kentucky faded in the 2nd half of the season, like Penn State, but I can't see a poor offense getting it together after not playing for a month. Penn St. rolls here, and I'll wish I had more on it.
1* Penn State -3.5 1H This is one of those games where you have to see the bowl games as a one game season, or a one game playoff. Disregard some of the poor play of Penn State when McSorley was playing with gimpy legs. It made a huge difference in the effectiveness in the Penn State offense. With him much healthier, I have to say that in these more prominent bowl games, and even in less prominent bowl games, offense wins. Another key here is that PSU's defense is underrated in my estimation, and will be a problem for a weak Kentucky offense. Kentucky has Benny Snell, whom some teams have limited(Missouri, Tenn, Georgia, SC..all holding him to about 4 YPC). Kentucky OC Gran doesn't seem to trust his QB, Terry Wilson, and oversimplifies the play calls. Then they have a porous OL, receivers with bad hands, and overall their offense seems to execute as bad as their defense executes so well. Kentucky will also be missing a key defender, LB Jordan Jones. Kentucky faded in the 2nd half of the season, like Penn State, but I can't see a poor offense getting it together after not playing for a month. Penn St. rolls here, and I'll wish I had more on it.
4* Miss. St -7 (-120) My last post on the PSU game stated boldly that "offense wins" in bowl games, but I'll make an exception here. Miss. State's D is exceptional, and their two future NFL DL are both playing, not sitting out. If you saw their Alabama game, I thought they played incredibly well considering how prolific Bama's offense is. MSU should have covered that game, maybe lose by 10-12, but they got every kind of bad break and a couple of bad calls from the refs that killed them.
Iowa had the easiest Big 10 schedule. No OSU, no Michigan, no Michigan State. The 2 best defenses, and the best offense…and a Michigan offense that was pretty good. They do have a good rush defense, but still much of that was vs. really bad competition. Wisconsin gained 210 on the ground, and I could compare them to MSU in running prowess. Another factor against Iowa is that their running game is not that good vs. better competition. Nate Stanley, I like, but he is mostly a pocket passer, and could be under duress from this MSU DL. Let's just say he'll be in a hurry to throw, and without his all-American TE Gant, who reminds me of Jason Witten. Then there is Kirk Ferentz, who has lost his last 5 out of 6 bowl games.
If Nick Fitzgerald passes more like he did late season, than he did early on, MSU will perhaps romp. Fitzgerald is an NFL prospect that has to work out his passing mechanics and accuracy. Hopefully he worked on it during the month off. Mostly, though, I like Miss. State, because they are battle-tested, have a lot of seniors playing their last game together, and have a pride on defense that is Clemson-like.
Iowa had the easiest Big 10 schedule. No OSU, no Michigan, no Michigan State. The 2 best defenses, and the best offense…and a Michigan offense that was pretty good. They do have a good rush defense, but still much of that was vs. really bad competition. Wisconsin gained 210 on the ground, and I could compare them to MSU in running prowess. Another factor against Iowa is that their running game is not that good vs. better competition. Nate Stanley, I like, but he is mostly a pocket passer, and could be under duress from this MSU DL. Let's just say he'll be in a hurry to throw, and without his all-American TE Gant, who reminds me of Jason Witten. Then there is Kirk Ferentz, who has lost his last 5 out of 6 bowl games.
If Nick Fitzgerald passes more like he did late season, than he did early on, MSU will perhaps romp. Fitzgerald is an NFL prospect that has to work out his passing mechanics and accuracy. Hopefully he worked on it during the month off. Mostly, though, I like Miss. State, because they are battle-tested, have a lot of seniors playing their last game together, and have a pride on defense that is Clemson-like.
