Gang, we’re wrapping up a little family time, so we’re going to be quick today. Thanks as always for playing along and we’ll be back in full swing next week.
From the “Talks too much” studios, this will be our best mailbag of the year (so far anyway).
From Louie
Is it too late for the mailbag? What has happened to the SEC? Big Ten teams zooming by and Big 12 teams whipping people?
Is the SEC’s run over?
Louie (and the rest of college football)
Step away from the ledge. It’s going to be OK. The SEC will be fine.
The SEC entered the bowl season with a target on each of their backs. And likely more than a little bit of arrogance that proved costly for several Bama, LSU and Auburn come to mind.
They also played some very good teams. TCU is no joke and Georgia Tech is salty. Good for them.
But know this: The SEC will still have the most players drafted and will still have eight or more teams in the top 20 of the recruiting rankings come February.
Relax, and to the victors come the spoils of the social media masses. Yes, we saw the Twitter barrage and even enjoyed a few of them. (Personal favorite was: “BREAKING NEWS: Since there is no SEC team in the championship, ESPN has announced the game will be on ESPN3.”)
This is not to discount the effort and execution of TCU or Ohio State or Tech or Wisconsin or any of the teams that beat SEC bowl foes. Good job and good on you.
But if you think a bad 36 hours changes the power structure in college football, well, good luck with that.
From Ted
Did I miss the rest of your bowl picks? Thanks for all you do and I missed you and Paschall on the radio this week.
Ted
No, we wouldn’t say you ‘missed’ them. We went 53-46-1 during the regular season. Very break-evenish. We are now 17-15 after a bad New Year’s Day that saw us miss both the semifinal games. Maybe we could get some tips from War Eagle Dave.
We’ll go with East Carolina plus-7 over Florida, Arkansas State plus-4 over Toledo, Tennessee minus-3 over Iowa, Houston plus-3.5 over Pittsburgh, Kansas State plus-2 over UCLA and Washington minus-6.5 over Okahoma State.
Here’s hoping for an entertaining finish, since these picks are for entertainment only of course.
From DC087
You have done zero NFL this week. Are you at least going to pick the NFL playoff games?
DC
Been a crazier than expected vacation week that has included some writing and some items to be handled.
Not an excuse as much as just the way it is. Still, we needed more NFL week, and we’ll be loaded up on NFL and college bowl review all next week on the 5-at-10 and on Press Row from 3-6 p.m. on ESPN 105.1 FM. Deal? Deal.
Still, it’s not too late for some NFL picks, right? Unless you’re out throwing down with Johnny Smells Like a Foot(ball) then we still got time.
AFC
Pittsburgh minus-3 over Baltimore. We’d buy the half and feel really good about it. The Steelers have arguably the best collection of offensive skill players in the league. Seriously. And the Ravens, well, other than a front-seven that creates more pressure than the LSAT, are flawed. Pittsburgh is going to be a tough out and could be the biggest threat to the Patriots in the AFC.
Bengals plus-3.5 over Indy. Yes, you read that right. we are backing Andy Dalton to do something he’s never done before win a playoff game. And we’re expecting it on the road. Now this pick is about the rest of the rosters beyond QB, since the Colts have Andrew Luck and the Bengals have the aforementioned Dalton. If A.J. Green doesn’t play, this like will likely grow and that could be a difference maker, but Bengals rookie running back Jeremy Hill is the real deal.
NFC
Carolina minus-6 over Arizona. The Panthers are healthier right now than they have been all year. They are defensively salty and running back Johnathan Stewart is a difference maker. The Cardinals are starting Ryan Lindsay at quarterback. Yes, Ryan Lindsay, who has thrown the most passes in NFL history with a TD throw and has a unique name that makes as much sense if you reversed. Ryan Lindsay. Lindsey Ryan. Either way, it’s hard to think the Cardinals can with either one of those cats taking snaps on the road in the playoffs.
Dallas minus-6.5 over Detroit. This just feels like Dallas’ year, right? Do the Cowboys have enough for Seattle or Green Bay? Probably not, but the Lions are certainly not the Seahawks or the Packers.
CONTEST Update
Updating the Bowling for Bowls of Bowl Game Success in a Bowler (Hat optional).
Here were the games and the spreads we used. Winners are in bold and for the leaders, if you have a different point total than what’s below, please let me know. There are several in the mix who still have chances to get points, too.
For those not listed below, thanks for playing and we’ll post the 5-at-10’s score, too. Stupid SEC.
The one-point level (pick two)
New Orleans Bowl Nevada vs. Louisiana-Lafayette (Even)
New Mexico Bowl Texas El Paso vs. Utah State (-11)
Las Vegas Bowl Utah vs. Colorado State (+4)
Idaho Potato Bowl Western Michigan vs. Air Force (+3)
Camellia Bowl South Alabama vs. Bowling Green (-2)
GoDaddy Bowl Toledo vs. Arkansas State (+1)
Boca Raton Bowl Northern Illinois vs. Marshall (-11)
Poinsettia Bowl Navy vs. San Diego State (E)
Two point level (pick two)
Bahamas Bowl Central Michigan vs. W. Kentucky (-2)
Hawaii Bowl Fresno State vs. Rice (+2)
Heart of Dallas Bowl Illinois vs. Louisiana Tech (-4)
GoDaddy Bowl Toledo vs. Arkansas State (+1)
Miami Beach Bowl BYU vs. Memphis (+2)
Quick Lane Bowl Rutgers vs. North Carolina (-4)
St. Petersburg Bowl North Carolina State vs. UCF (-3)
Three-point level (pick two)
Military Bowl Virginia Tech vs. Cincinnati (-3.5)
Pinstripe Bowl Penn State vs. Boston College (-2.5)
Holiday Bowl Nebraska vs. Southern Cal (-5)
Foster Farms Bowl Maryland vs. Stanford (-13)
Armed Forces Bowl Pittsburgh vs. Houston (+2)
Four-point level (pick two)
Sun Bowl Duke vs. Arizona State (-9)
Independence Bowl Miami vs. South Carolina (Even)
Liberty Bowl West Virginia vs. Texas A&M (+4)
Texas Bowl Texas vs. Arkansas (-5)
Russell Athletic Bowl Clemson vs. Oklahoma (Even)
Five-point level (pick two)
Music City Bowl Notre Dame vs. LSU (-7.5)
Belk Bowl Louisville vs. Georgia (-7)
TaxSlayer Bowl Iowa vs. Tennessee (-3)
Birmingham Bowl East Carolina vs. Florida (-7)
Citrus Bowl Minnesota vs. Missouri (-6.5)
Six-point level (pick two)
Chick-Fil-A Bowl Mississippi vs. TCU (-3)
Fiesta Bowl Boise State vs. Arizona (-4)
Orange Bowl Georgia Tech vs. Mississippi State (-7)
Outback Bowl Wisconsin vs. Auburn (-6.5)
Cotton Bowl Michigan State vs. Baylor (-3)
Seven-point level (pick two yes, that means you have to pick each of them)
Rose Bowl Florida State vs. Oregon (-8.5)
Sugar Bowl Ohio State vs. Alabama (-9)
(And yes, these numbers can be a touch skewed because only two of the four-point games have been played. Also, there are a lot of points to be had for a lot of folks who have Oklahoma and A&M today.)
WarEagle Dave 45 (can score more with Tennessee; great sheet with misses on one one-point game (South Alabama) and one five-point game (LSU); well-played indeed; barring any calculation errors we think WarEagle Dave is secured first place)
Tom P 42 (by hitting all four of the six- and seven-point picks and hitting seven of eight in the four-, five-, six- and seven-point categories; also can score more with Houston today)
scole023 40 (can score with UT today)
Taylor Case 39
Eddie 36
Brian O 32
DC22 31
We are going to come up with something for second place to keep today interesting for Tom P and scole023. Deal? Deal.
5-at-10 29 (hit La-Lafayette, Utah, Rice, Duke, South Carolina, Georgia, TCU, Georgia Tech; missed Western Kentucky, Cincy, LSU, FSU and Alabama;)