Army-Navy and bowls

The Professor is back! I was not able to have the strong finish to the season that I had hoped for. I went 2-3 in Week 14. My picks of Washington and San Diego State won, but my picks of South Alabama, and Clemson lost.

So, I am finishing a disappointing 29-38-3 (0.414) on the season. Not the performance I had hoped for, but I am chalking that up to this being my rookie season as The Professor. I have decided that The Professor will return next season (and try for a better performance).

The college football regular season may be done, but there is still plenty of action. I like the tradition of the Army-Navy game having its own weekend (if you don't count FCS playoffs). There are also many, many bowl games to come.

Here are my predictions for the Army-Navy game and each bowl. I am adding my predictions for the over/under to my normal predictions against the line.

Lines and over/unders for the bowl games are from: https://www.teamrankings.com/college-football-bowls/odds-lines/

Army +6.5 vs. Navy (neutral site) (Saturday at 3 P.M. Eastern Time Zone) Under 47

One of the main reasons why Navy got blown out this past weekend in the American Athletic Conference Championship game was their inability to stop Temple's run game.

This game features two of the top three running teams in the country, both averaging over 325 rushing yards per game. I am adding the over/under since this is the only game this week. I am taking the under because I anticipate several long drives, and therefore not that many scoring opportunities.

The difference will be the two run defenses. Army's run defense is ranked 19th in the FBS, giving up 124.4 rushing yards per game. Whereas,  Navy's run defense 67th in the FBS 176.3 rushing yards per game.

Also, Navy will have a new starting quarterback, Zach Abbey, who started the season as the third-string quarterback but will start this important game due to injuries to the two quarterbacks above him in the depth chart, including Will Worth whose injury came in the conference championship game against Temple this past weekend. Abbey's inexperience running the triple option offense, which depends on quick quarterback reads, will hinder Navy.

The Black Knights prevail, ending Navy's 14-game winning streak in this rivalry and finally get to sing their alma mater second. Regardless, it is a great showcase of our nation's finest young men.



There are far too many bowl games for me to analyze, so I will just give you my predictions for each game. I will give you my prediction against the line, as well as my prediction for the over/under.


New Mexico Bowl (December 17)
New Mexico -7 vs. Texas-San Antonio  Under 62.5
Las Vegas Bowl (December 17)
San Diego State +3 vs. Houston Under 57
Camelia Bowl (December 17)
Toledo -1 vs. Appalachian State Over 56.5
Cure Bowl (December 17) (That's right; Central Michigan and Arkansas State's playing in this game is supposed to somehow raise awareness for breast cancer)
Central Florida -5.5 vs. Arkansas State Over 49
New Orleans Bowl (December 17)
Louisiana-Lafayette +3.5 vs. Southern Mississippi Under 58
Miami Beach Bowl (December 19)
Tulsa -11.5 vs. Central Michigan Over 68
Boca Raton Bowl (December 20)
Western Kentucky -4.5 vs. Memphis Over 77
Poinsettia Bowl (December 21)
Wyoming +8.5 vs. BYU Under 57
Potato Bowl (December 22)
Idaho +13.5 vs. Colorado State (come on, how can you not take Idaho in the Potato Bowl?) Under 64
Bahamas Bowl (December 23)
Eastern Michigan +3 vs. Old Dominion Over 64 (So, you didn't make the playoff, but you get to go to the Bahamas, not a bad consolation)
Armed Forces Bowl (December 23)
Louisiana Tech +1.5 vs. Navy
Dollar General Bowl (December 23) (proof that the NCAA will let anybody sponsor a bowl game)
Ohio +3.5 vs. Troy Over 48.5
Hawaii Bowl (December 24)
Between Hawaii and Middle Tennessee State, but the website appears to have omitted this game, which is not bad considering the quantity of bowl games and that this is the only one they missed.
St. Petersburg Bowl (December 26)
Mississippi State -12.5 vs. Miami (Ohio) Over 58
Quick Lane Bowl (December 26) (more proof that the NCAA will let anybody sponsor a bowl game)
Boston College +2 vs. Maryland Under 44.5
Independence Bowl (December 26)
Vanderbilt +4.5 vs. North Carolina State Over 44
Heart of Dallas Bowl (December 27)
Army -9 vs. North Texas (for some reason the website does not show an over/under number for this game)
Military Bowl (December 27)  (which is somehow different than the Armed Forces Bowl being played four days prior)
Temple -12.5 vs. Wake Forest Over 41
Holiday Bowl (December 27)
Washington State -6.5 vs. Minnesota Over 60
Cactus Bowl (December 27)
Boise State -7.5 vs. Baylor Over 66.5
Pinstripe Bowl (December 28)
Pittsburgh -5 vs. Northwestern Under 66.5
Russell Athletic Bowl (December 28)
West Virginia +3 vs. Miami (Florida) Over 56.5
Foster Farms Bowl (December 28)
Utah -8 vs. Indiana Over 54
Texas Bowl (December 28)
Texas A&M -2 vs. Kansas State Under 56.5
Birmingham Bowl (December 29)
South Florida -10.5 vs. South Carolina Over 62.5
Belk Bowl (December 29)
Virginia Tech -7 vs. Arkansas Under 62.5
Alamo Bowl (December 29)
Oklahoma State +3 vs. Colorado Over 62.5
Arizona Bowl (December 30)
Air Force -12.5 vs. South Alabama Over 57.5
Liberty Bowl (December 30)
Georgia -1 vs. TCU Under 49
Sun Bowl (December 30)
Stanford -3.5 vs. North Carolina Under 54
Music City Bowl (December 30)
Tennessee -3 vs. Nebraska Under 61
Orange Bowl (December 30)
Michigan -7 vs. Florida State Over 56
Peach Bowl (December 31)
Washington +16.5 vs. Alabama Under 54.5
Fiesta Bowl (December 31)
Ohio State -3.5 vs Clemson Over 61.5
Taxslayer Bowl (December 31) (more proof that the NCAA will let anybody sponsor a bowl, or maybe just that they are desperate for bowl game sponsors)
Georgia Tech -3.5 vs. Kentucky Under 60.5
Citrus Bowl (December 31) (the cheaper knock-off of the Orange Bowl)
Louisville +3.5 vs. LSU Under 60
Outback Bowl (January 2)
Florida -2.5 vs. Iowa Under 40.5
Cotton Bowl (January 2)
Western Michigan +7.5 vs. Wisconsin Under 54
Rose Bowl (January 2)
Penn State +7 vs. USC Over 63
Sugar Bowl (January 2)
Oklahoma -4.5 vs. Auburn Over 62.5
College Football Playoff National Championship (January 9)
There is no line on this game right now, since the teams that are playing in this game have yet to be determined, but I think that Alabama will play Ohio State for the National Championship in Tampa, and my prediction for the final score is Alabama 31-Ohio State 17

Thanks for being a fan of The Professor. Enjoy bowl season! Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!