College Football Bowl Predictions 2015

Saturday, December 20, 2014

Abe Asher of partner site Oregon Sports News

After picking 191 regular season football games over the course of the 2014 season, my year ends with 39 bowl game picks – everything from the inaugural College Football Playoff games to the new Foster Farms and Dave’s Hot Wings Bowls.

My record on the year is 130-60-1. Thanks for reading, happy holidays, and enjoy the bowls.

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl: Louisiana-Lafayette 34, Nevada 31 – The Rajin’ Cajuns winning this game, which is played in front of friends and family at the Superdome, on a last second field goal is a tradition that spans a generation.

Gildan New Mexico Bowl: Utah State 27, UTEP 17 – It’s a bit of a humdinger this year in New Mexico, let’s hope nobody gets hurt.

Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl: Utah 34, Colorado State 13 – It’s upsetting to me that Maaco lost this sponsorship. I have good memories of Brent Musburger calling the Maaco Las Vegas Bowl to, until ESPN decided to put Brent in hell for committing the sin of being in his 70s.

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Air Force 44, Western Michigan 24 – So, anyone watching any good TV shows? The Newsroom just ended and I need something new to watch.

Raycom Media Camellia Bowl: South Alabama 32, Bowling Green 24 – This one is going to be played at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Alabama, a stadium that hasn’t hosted competitive college football since 1954.

Miami Beach Bowl: Memphis 21, BYU 20 – Or as this game is colloquially known, “Better Than NFL Monday Night Football!”

Boca Raton Bowl: Marshall 51, Northern Illinois 40 – Rakeem Cato seems like a good guy, here’s a chance for you to root for him before his career ends on some NFL practice squad next year.

San Diego Country Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl: San Diego State 34, Navy 27 – That was a cheap shot, Rakeem, I apologize.

Popeyes Bahamas Bowl: Western Kentucky 45, Central Michigan 44 – No seriously, this game is being played in the Bahamas. I’m picking Western Kentucky because Alex Via in the ESPN comments section told me to.

Hawai’i Bowl: Rice 24, Fresno State 10 – If I was a Rice or Fresno fan traveling down for this game, I wouldn’t even go to the game.

Zaxby’s Heart Of Dallas Bowl: Louisiana Tech 37, Illinois 31 – Somehow, Louisiana Tech has already played thirteen games. I’m not sure how.

Quick Lane Bowl: North Carolina 55, Rutgers 24 – Bring back Butch Davis!

Bitcoin St. Petersburg Bowl: UCF 31, NC State 24 – Bring back Jim Valvano!

Military Bowl Presented by Northrop Grumman: Cincinnati 3, Virginia Tech 0 – Bring back Frank Beamer! 2000s Frank Beamer! The one who could actually coach!

Hyundai Sun Bowl: Arizona State 41, Duke 21 – The school that makes Duke coach David Cutcliffe an offer he can’t refuse will be a very happy school indeed.

Duck Commander Independence Bowl: South Carolina 34, The U: Part Stink, 10 – I think I might call Mark Helfrich, “Duck Commander” from now on.

New Era Pinstripe Bowl: Boston College 24, Penn State 17 – If only this game was being played at the old Yankee Stadium in 1979 instead of the new Yankee Stadium in 2014.

National University Holiday Bowl: USC 57, Nebraska 31 – Get to work, Mike Riley.

Autozone Liberty Bowl: Texas A&M 41, West Virginia 24 – Autozone gets the much sought-after, “Congrats On Sponsoring Your Dumb Bowl Game For More Than Five Years Award.” Good show.

Russell Athletic Bowl: Clemson 28, Oklahoma 20 – If you ever see college kids in Russell Athletic gear, it’s a pretty safe to bet that they played in this bowl game.

Advocare V100 Texas Bowl: Arkansas 23, Texas 10 – Remember when I said Arkansas was the best team in college football even though they went 2-6 in the SEC? I stand by it.

Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl: LSU 31, Notre Dame 3 – The Irish haven’t looked this bad since the end of the Charlie Weis era.

Belk Bowl: Georgia 34, Louisville 31 – I still don’t like Bobby Petrino. Everything about him says smarmy, and a nine-win season doesn’t change that.

Foster Farms Bowl: Stanford 34, Maryland 14 – To the winner goes the corn dogs.

Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl: TCU 41, Ole Miss 28 – The Peach Bowl is back, baby! THE PEACH BOWL IS BACK!!!

Vizio Fiesta Bowl: Arizona 44, Boise State 24 – I love the Fiesta Bowl going back to the well with a two-loss Boise State team that hasn’t played anybody since September.

Capital One Orange Bowl: Georgia Tech 24, Mississippi State 21 – After viewing the Paul Johnson triple option against Florida State in the ACC title game, I am all but convinced that the Ramblin’ Wreck, not Arkansas, are the true best team in the country.

Rose Bowl Game Presented by Northwestern Mutual – Semifinal: Oregon 34, Florida State 31 – Duck Commander Helfrich and Heisman Savant Marcus Mariota finally end the reign of the evil empire.

Outback Bowl: Auburn 34, Wisconsin 21- It’s becoming a favorite tradition: Barry Alvarez pulling the old, “Oh, well all the seniors were on their hands and knees begging me to coach the bowl game after our football coach shockingly left for a worst program, so I just couldn’t say no.”

Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic: Baylor 51, Michigan State 45 – The Baylor “Worse Than TCU” Bears beat the Michigan State “The Big Ten Is The Worst Power Conference” Spartans in a shootout.

Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl: Missouri 24, Minnesota 17 – When the idea to play the New Years Six bowl games on New Years day or eve was announced, I wasn’t exactly imagining the Buffalo Wild Wings bowl being involved.

Allstate Sugar Bowl – Semifinal: Alabama 38, Ohio State 24 – You think Nick Saben is going to lose to Urban Meyer with Urban playing his third-string quarterback? No. Chance.

Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl: Pittsburgh 31, Houston 24 – We’re now into the range where both the teams have lost their head coaches.

Taxslayer Bowl: Iowa 34, Tennessee 32 – Somehow Butch Jones got a contract extension for going 6-6 and 3-5 in the SEC. Welcome to the new Tennessee.

Valero Alamo Bowl: Kansas State 27, UCLA 18 – The Bruins and Wildcats are about as different as two teams with the same record can be. One is a fraud, one is not.

TicketCity Cactus Bowl: Washington 41, Oklahoma State 21 – Or as it’s otherwise known, the Fiesta Bowl After Party. Seriously, Google doesn’t even register this as a search term. Try it. They’ll have no suggestions for you once you hit TicketCity Cactus.

Birmingham Bowl: Florida 24, East Carolina 19 – I have never seen one coaches stock go up so much for getting fired. All of the sudden, Will Muschamp is a hero who could have taken any defensive coordinator job he wanted.

GoDaddy Bowl: Toledo 42, Arkansas State 24 – Toledo breaks the Red Wolves’ stranglehold on this game. Seriously, they’ve been it in like eight times in the last ten years.

CFP National Championship Game Presented by AT&T: Oregon 34, Alabama 33 – “Fa'afetai tele lava, God bless, and Go Ducks.”

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