The college bowl season begins in earnest on Saturday, with five games on tap, including an interesting showdown in the Las Vegas Bowl between polar opposites -- defensively fierce Boise State and offensively frantic Oregon. The Ducks have a new coach in Mario Cristobal, a holdover from Willie Taggart's staff, and is a guy the players lobbied for.
Here are picks for the first five contests of the jam-packed 2017 bowl season:
New Orleans Bowl
Troy (10-2) vs. North Texas (9-4)
THE SKINNY
These early bowl games are about fun, and this one should more than fit the bill. There will be a ton of points and passing yards with both defenses struggling to keep up. Troy RB Jordan Chunn should find room to run, while North Texas QB Mason Fine should be able to bomb away against a Troy team that has allowed big chunks of yardage for much of the season. However, Troy is very good at rushing the passer with LB Hunter Reese and DE Jamal Stadom, which could force Fine into careless mode, resulting in interceptions. Blace Brown is as good as they come in the secondary so Fine will need to know where he is at all times. Both teams have standout returners, so don't be shocked if the game turns on a special teams play. In the end, it will likely be turnovers that decide this one, and North Texas has been in the holiday spirit all season, giving away the football to the tune of -8 turnover margin.
LAST FIVE RESULTS
2016 Southern Miss 28, Louisiana Lafayette 21
2015 Louisiana Tech 47, Arkansas State 28
2014 Louisiana Lafayette 16, Nevada 3
2013 Louisiana Lafayette 24, Tulane 21
2012 Louisiana Lafayette 43, East Carolina 34
LINE -- Troy -6.5; Pick -- Troy 38, North Texas 30
Cure Bowl
Georgia State (6-5) vs. Western Kentucky (6-6)
THE SKINNY
There are always a few dogs in the bowl season -- and by few we mean the majority of games -- but this one could have trouble getting attention as neither team is very fundamentally sound or all that good on defense. But oh, will there be passing. The Hilltoppers led CUSA in air yardage, and Georgia State was on occasion able to unleash QB Conner Manning, who had seven interceptions for the season -- three coming early in the year against Penn State. WKU has a veteran presence in QB Mike White, who may have to do it all as the Hilltoppers have no run game to speak of. Georgia State has trouble scoring, but does have lightning-quick WR Penny Hart, who went over 1,000 receiving yards for the season and is also a dangerous kick returner. Sandwiched in between the more attractive New Orleans Bowl and the Las Vegas Bowl (which features Boise State vs. Oregon), only diehards will be tuning in here. So it needs to be good, and fast.
LAST TWO RESULTS
2016 Arkansas State 31, UCF 13
2015 San Jose State 27, Georgia State 16
LINE -- Georgia State -6.5; Pick -- Western Kentucky 35, Georgia State 23
Las Vegas Bowl
Boise State (10-3) vs. Oregon (7-5)
THE SKINNY
This one is a tale of two teams that want to operate in completely opposite fashion -- Boise State needs to grind out long drives and Oregon wants to play at warp speed. Both could be without their top runners -- Broncos RB Alexander Mattison has a bad leg and may or may not play, while Ducks top guy Royce Freeman is electing to skip the game to save himself for the NFL. That means it should come down to passing, and Oregon has a healthy Justin Herbert, which might be enough. The kid is a solid runner, but is coming into his own as a passer, too. He has a big arm and is a playmaker, and Boise will need to be good against the pass to come out on top. The Broncos counter with Brett Rypien, who isn't electric but also won't make crucial mistakes. This is a very good early bowl matchup, and watch for the Ducks especially to be ready to play for new coach Mario Cristobal. The players lobbied for him to get the job, and they will want to go out and make a great first impression.
LAST FIVE RESULTS
2016 San Diego State 34, Houston 10
2015 Utah 35, BYU 28
2014 Utah 45, Colorado State 10
2013 USC 45, Fresno State 20
2012 Boise State 28, Washington 26
LINE -- Oregon -7.5; Pick -- Oregon 34, Boise State 24
New Mexico Bowl
Marshall (7-5) vs. Colorado State (7-5)
THE SKINNY
While not the most attractive matchup on paper, the results below say that this one should be right down to the wire. CSU has lost six of its last eight bowl games while Marshall has been uber efficient, winning 10 of its last 11 postseason contests. The Herd will want to control the clock, and has the power up front do so (45 percent on third down conversions for the season). Long, drawn out drives definitely favor Marshall, and in passing situations Chase Litton is usually safer than a baby in its mother's arms (only eight sacks allowed). CSU has underrated QB Nick Stevens, who has one of the best targets in the nation in WR Michael Gallup (94 catches, 7 TDs) and has been excellent in the Rams last two bowl games (750 passing yards, five TDs). It won't be easy, however, as Marshall has one of the better secondaries in America. Look for CSU to atone for what has to be considered a bit of a disappointing season.
LAST FIVE RESULTS
2016 New Mexico 23, UTSA 20
2015 Arizona 45, New Mexico 37
2014 Utah State 21, UTEP 6
2013 Colorado State 48, Washington State 45
2012 Arizona 49, Nevada 48
LINE -- Colorado State -5.5; Pick -- Colorado State 40, Marshall 30
Camellia Bowl
Middle Tennessee (6-6) vs. Arkansas State (7-4)
THE SKINNY
Yet another game that should have offense aplenty, as Middle Tennessee gets QB Brent Stockstill back from injury (went 2-4 without him), and Arkansas State displays an offense that finshed 11th in the nation in total yards. Yet there will also be defense -- often explosive. The Blue Raiders were top 20 in tackles for loss while the Red Wolves were 10th in sacks -- led by explosive rush man Ja'Von Rolland-Jones (18.5 TFL, 13 sacks). Both teams have trouble hanging on to the football, so the team that plays the cleanest will win. Stockstill is a calming presence in the Middle Tennessee huddle, but ASU QB Justice Hansen has shown off his potential, completing 64 percent of his passes and 34 TDs. Arkansas State sometimes gets a bit too cute for its own good on offense, which isn't recommended against an efficient Blue Raiders defense that allows only 34 percent opponent third down conversions. If the first three editions of this game are any indicator, this one should be a real barnburner, with Arkansas State's defensive front proving to be the difference.
LAST THREE RESULTS
2016 Appalachian State 31, Toledo 28
2015 Appalachian State 31, Ohio 29
2014 Bowling Green 33, South Alabama 28
LINE -- Arkansas State -4; Pick --Arkansas State 37, Middle Tennessee 29
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