CFW Week 18 Results & Forecast – Down to the final 17 bowls
Busy Interstate traffic and
a busy two days of bowl games
But at least I now know what Quik Lane is.
It was mostly cloudy and 56° in the Panhandle when Swamp Mama and I pulled out of the driveway Tuesday morning. We said farewell to Princess Gator, Gator Gabe and Gator Babe.
The trek home – East on I-10 and South on I-95 – was a busy and crowded one. I’m not sure I have ever seen so much traffic. Everyone was traveling the day after Christmas.
On I-10, a little West of Lake City, we saw a tractor-trailer truck on fire. It was in the West-bound lanes of I-10, on the side of the road. The cab was okay. The trailer was on fire. Flames and smoke were spewing out of the front of the trailer, near the cab. A fire truck had recently arrived. It had begun spraying water on the trailer. I’m thinking something must have ignited in the trailer.
That was our excitement for the day. No problems on I-95, but it sure was busy. So busy that we didn’t stop to get a bite to eat. I figured all the eating establishments along I-95 had to be packed. The exits from and the entrances onto I-95 were backed up.
Our only stops were for a gasoline and bathroom break in Glen St. Mary on I-10, and at a Panera Bread, after we got off I-95, about two miles from our house. I had to get a blueberry scone to have with tea that night.
When we rolled into our driveway, it was mostly sunny and 73°.
I let Swamp Mama listen to Christmas music most of the way. Then I switched over and caught the first hour of the Minnesota-Bowling Green game.
I caught the remainder of the game at home on television. The Gophers and the Falcons were playing in the Quick Lane Bowl in Detroit. All these years, I thought Quick Lane must be a bowling alley chain. Little did I know it’s a Tire and Auto Center. You learn something new every day.
Meanwhile, Minnesota took care of business, beating Bowling Green, 30-24. But the Gophers still finished with a losing season at 6-7. And the Falcons still finished with a winning season at 7-6.
The First Responder Bowl in Dallas came on next – Texas State vs. Rice. Remember Luke McCaffrey? I know you Nebraska fans do. Luke is a younger brother of Christian McCaffrey, the former Stanford and current San Francisco 49ers running back.
Luke began his college career a few years ago as a quarterback at Nebraska. Well, things didn’t work out for Luke. Things weren’t exactly working out for Nebraska either. So, Luke transferred initially to Louisville. But before the season began, he transferred yet again to Rice.
Eventually at Rice, Luke was converted to a receiver. In yesterday’s First Responder Bowl, Luke scored Rice’s first touchdown in the game. With 6:54 to go in the first quarter, he caught a seven-yard touchdown pass. In all, Luke caught three passes for 29 yards, plus twice he ran the ball on end-around plays for 16 yards.
Unfortunately for Luke and Rice, Texas State beat the Owls, 45-21.
In the final game Tuesday night, Kansas downed UNLV, 49-36, in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl. This bowl takes place in Chase Field, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks. It was the first of three bowls taking place in baseball stadiums. Today there are bowl games in Fenway Park and Yankee Stadium. The game in Yankee Stadium is appropriately called the Pinstripe Bowl. The game in Fenway Park should be called the Green Monster Bowl. But it’s not.
Listening to “Full Ride” on the radio, Chris Childers trashed Florida State coach Mike Norvell for continuing to whine about not being selected for the playoff. Childers said that Norvell, instead, should be whining about all his players abandoning the ship. With the Orange Bowl against Georgia upcoming, at least 15 FSU players have either opted-out or entered the transfer portal. Childers said the players obviously have no loyalty to Norvell or FSU. Perhaps the strangest opt-out of all was quarterback Tate Rodemaker, who has entered the transfer portal. Rodemaker would have been the starting quarterback against Georgia. Again, the committee got it right. Florida State is definitely not a Top 4 team.
Yesterday morning, news broke that comedian, musician, composer and actor Tom Smothers had died the day after Christmas. Smothers was best known as half of the musical comedy duo The Smothers Brothers, alongside his younger brother Dick. Smothers sang and played acoustic guitar on the recording of John Lennon’s “Give Peace a Chance.” In high school in Redondo Beach, California, Smothers was a state champion gymnast on the parallel bars. In college at San Jose State University, he was on the gymnastics team, and he was a pole vaulter on the track team. A native of New York City, Thomas Bolyn Smothers was 86.
The first bowl yesterday took place in the rain – heavy rain. In Annapolis, Maryland, Virginia Tech took control in the second half and topped Tulane 41-20. My hat’s off to the Virginia Tech fans who filled Navy-Marine Corps Stadium and stayed until the end all in the pouring rain. That was a class act.
The best recipes always start with mayonnaise. In Charlotte, that means Duke’s Mayo. West Virginia scored on its first offensive play of the game and went on to beat North Carolina, 30-10, in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. Mountaineers quarterback Garrett Greene was named the game’s MVP.
Florida State fans won’t like the outcome of the Holiday Bowl. USC beat Louisville, 42-28. And USC beat Louisville with a backup quarterback. Caleb Williams opted-out. FSU fans thought that beating Louisville with a backup quarterback was a big deal. USC scored six touchdowns against Louisville. FSU only scored one touchdown against Louisville. Beating Louisville was not a big deal.
In the final game of the night on Wednesday, Oklahoma State beat Texas A&M, 31-23, in the Texas Bowl. The Cowboys ended their season at 10-4.
Okay college football fans, we’re down to the final push. Seventeen bowl games in four days. When the going gets tough, the tough gets going.
At least I know what a Quick Lane is now. However, I still don’t know what ReliaQuest, 68 Ventures or Guaranteed Rate are. But I don’t think they are a bowling alley chain.
I hope your holidays are going well!
Happy New Year!
Touchdown Tom
December 28, 2023
https://collegefootballweek.blogspot.com
(Note 2: The next CFW – CFW Week 18-19 Results – will be posted Tuesday morning, January 2.)
Review of the Previous Seven Bowl Games
Goldy does Motown (in the Quick Lane Bowl) – Minnesota 30, Bowling Green 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Minnesota 23, Bowling Green 18). Minnesota trailed Bowling Green, 10-9, at halftime. With 9:20 to go in the third quarter, the Gophers went up 16-10 and never trailed again. BG quarterback Connor Bazelak passed for 221 yards and one touchdown. BG receiver Odieu Hiliare had 10 receptions for 152 yards. Minnesota running back Darius Taylor rushed for 208 yards and one touchdown. Minnesota only had 26 yards passing. BG only had 82 yards rushing. Attendance in Detroit: 28,521
The Bobcats were Krispie (in the First Responder Bowl) – Texas State 45, Rice 21 (Touchdown Tom said: Rice 28, Texas State 25). This was a good contest in the first half. Texas State led at the break, 24-21. Then the Bobcats scored three unanswered touchdowns in the second half. It was all over but the shouting. Texas State running back Ismail Mahdi rushed for 122 yards. Rice had six turnovers in the game. Texas State had none. That was a big difference. The Owls only had 197 total yards. Attendance in Dallas: 26,542
Jason beaned the Rebels (in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl) – Kansas 49, UNLV 36 (Touchdown Tom said: Kansas 33, UNLV 19). Late in the second quarter, Kansas led 28-7. It looked like it would be a rout. Then UNLV scored 17 unanswered points. As the fourth quarter began, Kansas led 28-24. Both teams scored early in the fourth quarter. Kansas led 35-30. Then the Jayhawks scored two touchdowns and went up 49-30, with 8:16 to go in the game. UNLV added a final touchdown with 6:27 on the clock. Kansas quarterback Jason Bean passed for an amazing 449 yards and six touchdowns. But he also threw three interceptions. UNLV quarterback Jayden Maiava threw two interceptions. The two teams combined for 977 total yards. Here’s the amazing stat – Kansas had 18 penalties for 216 yards. In all, there were 27 penalties in the game. The Jayhawks ended their season at 9-4. Attendance in Phoenix: 26,478
Hokies do it in the rain (in the Military Bowl) – Virginia Tech 41, Tulane 20 (Touchdown Tom said: Virginia Tech 27, Tulane 24). This was a competitive game in the first half. Tech led at the break, 17-10. Tulane tied the score at 17-17 early in the third quarter. But that was it for the Green Wave. The Hokies went on to outscore Tulane 24-3 during the remainder of the second half. Two VT players ran for more than 100 yards. Quarterback Kyron Drones rushed for 176 yards and one touchdown. Running back Bhayshul Tuten rushed for 136 yards and two touchdowns. Virginia Tech dominated the stats. Attendance in Annapolis: 35,849
It was Country Roads in Charlotte (in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl) – West Virginia 30, North Carolina 10 (Touchdown Tom said: West Virginia 30, North Carolina 20). On the first play of the game, West Virginia scored on a 75-yard touchdown pass from Garrett Greene to Traylon Ray. WVU built its lead to 14-3 late in the second quarter. But late in the second quarter was a busy time. Seventeen points were scored in the final 1:29 of the second quarter. WVU led at halftime, 17-10. In the second half, it was all Mountaineers. WVU outscored the Heels 13-0 in the final two quarters. The Mounties had more passing yards (228 to 199) and more rushing yards (164 to 140) than UNC. The Tar Heels dominated possession 34:39 to 25:21. When WVU had the ball, the Mountaineers either scored fast or they didn’t score. WVU ended its season at 9-4. Attendance in Charlotte: 42,925
The life of Riley (in the Holiday Bowl) – USC 42, Louisville 28 (Touchdown Tom said: USC28, Louisville 23). In three quarters – first, third and fourth – these two teams were even. They each scored one touchdown a piece in those three quarters. The difference was the second quarter. USC outscored Louisville 21-7. USC backup quarterback Miller Moss passed for 372 yards and six touchdowns. Louisville running back Isaac Guerendo rushed for 161 yards and three touchdowns. The teams combined for 803 total yards. USC had 443 of those yards. Louisville controlled ball possession 36:34 to 23:26. Attendance in San Diego: 35,317
Blame Jimbo (in the Texas Bowl) – Oklahoma State 31, Texas A&M 23 (Touchdown Tom said: Oklahoma State 26, Texas A&M 25). Oklahoma State jumped out to a 24-6 halftime lead. It looked like it was going to be a rout for the Cowboys. But Texas A&M came back in the third quarter, outscoring Okie State, 14-7. As the fourth quarter began, The Cowboys led the Aggies, 31-20. In the fourth quarter, the only scoring was a field goal by A&M. With 5:07 to go in the game, Okie State led 31-23. Neither team could score again. Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed passed for 361 yards. Reed replaced quarterback Jaylen Henderson who was injured on the first play of the game. Oklahoma State quarterback Alan Bowman passed for 402 yards and two touchdowns. The teams combined for 1,015 total yards. The Cowboys had 570 of those yards. A&M only had 73 yards rushing. Attendance in Houston: 55,212
Last Seven Bowl Game Picks: 6 winners, 1 fumble (86 percent)
Bowl Game Picks To Date: 14 winners, 10 fumbles (58.3 percent)
Superlatives
Impressive Passers:
USC’s Miller Moss – 23-33-1 for 372 yards (6TDs), and Texas A&M’s Marcel Reed – 20-33-1-361.
Impressive Rushers:
Virginia Tech’s Kyron Drones – 176 yards (1TD); Minnesota’s Darius Taylor – 208 yards (1TD); Louisville’s Isaac Guerendo – 161 yards (3TDs); Virginia Tech Bhayshul Tuten – 136 yards (2TDs), and Texas State’s Ismail Mahdi – 122 yards.
Quotes of the Week
“They had the same weather we did,” Virginia Tech coach Brent Pry, after his Hokies beat Tulane in the rainy Military Bowl.
Touchdown Tom’s Predictions for The Last 17 Bowl Games
SMU (11-2) vs. Boston College (6-6) – (AAC vs. ACC) – Fenway Bowl (Fenway Park – Boston, Massachusetts) – 11 am ET, Thursday, ESPN – This game is in Boston College’s backyard. That’s a big boost for the Eagles. SMU won the AAC and probably deserved a better bowl. Some think the Mustangs should have been the highest-ranked Group of Five team. But SMU finished one spot behind Liberty in the rankings. If anything, SMU was a more consistent team than BC. The Eagles were a streaky team – hot one week, cold the next. The Mustangs will be the hot team in Fenway. The Eagles fly into the Green Monster – SMU 30, Boston College 26.
Rutgers (6-6) vs. Miami (Florida) (7-5) – (Big Ten vs. ACC) – Pinstripe Bowl (Yankee Stadium – Bronx, New York) – 2:15 pm ET, Thursday, ESPN – Well, at least Mario Cristobal got the Canes into a bowl game this year. That’s one step better than last year. But it wasn’t a big step. Rutgers won all of its easy games and lost all of its tough games. If Miami plays tough, the Scarlet Knights will lose. Rutgers must see hope in Greg Schiano. He got a contract extension. But the armor is not shining in Yankee Stadium – Miami 24, Rutgers 22.
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NC State (9-3) vs. Kansas State (8-4) – (ACC vs. Big 12) – Pop-Tarts Bowl (Camping World Stadium – Orlando, Florida) – 5:45 pm ET, Thursday, ESPN – Ah, NC State – Mack Brown’s favorite team. Or is Dave Doeren Mack Brown’s favorite coach? One, or the other, or both. Either way, Doerer appears to have turned the corner this year. And prospects are already bright for the Wolfpack next year. But first things first – NC State has to get by Kansas State. This has the makings for a good contest. Willie gets the better of Wolfie – Kansas State 27, NC State 26.
Arizona (9-3) vs. Oklahoma (10-2) – (Pac-12 vs. Big 12) – Alamo Bowl (Alamodome – San Antonio, Texas) – 9:15 pm ET, Thursday, ESPN – Talk about a story of two teams who really turned it around this year, how about Arizona and Oklahoma? What an improvement over last year! This is really a good matchup. Both teams can score. Both are a little loosey-goosey on defense. But I don’t know which one is more loosey and which one is more goosey. I really haven’t been drinking. Brent Venables needs this win more than Jedd Fisch. He gets it – Oklahoma 31, Arizona 27.
Clemson (8-4) vs. Kentucky (7-5) – (ACC vs. SEC) – Gator Bowl (EverBank Stadium – Jacksonville, Florida) – 12 noon ET, Friday, ESPN – Clemson got off to a rough start this year. But the Tigers turned it around at the end, winning four straight. Kentucky was just the opposite. The Wildcats began 5-0. They finished 2-5. But they did beat Louisville at the very end. Clemson plays good defense. Kentucky can play good defense. Both teams are up-and-down on offense. The Tigers are more up in this one – Clemson 26, Kentucky 21.
Oregon State (8-4) vs. Notre Dame (9-3) – (Pac-12 vs. Ind.) – Sun Bowl (Sun Bowl – El Paso, Texas) – 2 pm ET, Friday, CBS – Oregon State comes in on a two-game losing streak. Then again, the Beavers played Washington and Oregon in those two games. Most teams would be on a two-game losing streak. Oregon State lost its coach to Michigan State. That leaves the Beavers with a big question mark. Notre Dame is generally always tough in bowl games. The Irish shoot a Beaver – Notre Dame 28, Oregon State 23.
Memphis (9-3) vs. Iowa State (7-5) – (AAC vs. Big 12) – Liberty Bowl (Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium – Memphis, Tennessee) – 3:30 pm ET, Friday, ESPN – Talk about home field advantage, Memphis is playing on its home field. Memphis had a good season, but the Tigers only played three tough teams. And they lost to all three of them. Memphis can score, but its defense is soft. Iowa State had a tough start. The Cyclones were 2-3 at one point. Then they won five of their last seven games. Iowa State’s offense was floundering early in the season. Then the offense found itself and became very good. Like Memphis, the Cyclones defense is soft. But not as soft as the Tigers’ defense. Cy is relieved – Iowa State 33, Memphis 24.
Missouri (10-2) vs. Ohio State (11-1) – (SEC vs. Big Ten) – Cotton Bowl Classic (AT&T Stadium – Arlington, Texas) – 8 pm ET, Friday, ESPN – This is the first of the New Year’s Six bowls. And a good one it should be. Missouri was a surprise team this year. No one expected a 10-2 season. The two losses came in the middle of the season. Jayden Daniels got the best of Missouri. He got the best of most everyone. And Georgia got the best of Missouri. The Dawgs got the best of most everyone too. Missouri was in both of the two games it lost. Ohio State’s only loss came in the last game of the season. The Buckeyes had two good wins over Notre Dame and Penn State. Another good win is looming. Brutus shows Truman – Ohio State 28, Missouri 26.
Ole Miss (10-2) vs. Penn State (10-2) – (SEC vs. Big Ten) – Peach Bowl (Mercedes-Benz Stadium – Atlanta, Georgia) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN – Both of these teams have no shame in their two losses. Ole Miss lost to Alabama and Georgia. Penn State lost to Ohio State and Michigan. You can’t lose to anybody better than those four teams. Ole Miss has a good offense but is shaky on defense. Penn State is shaky on offense, but the Nittany Lions have a good defense. Which team will benefit? The two coaches are entirely different. Lane Kiffin is happy-go-lucky. James Franklin is Mr. Starchy Underwear. The happy Magnolias are lucky – Ole Miss 24, Penn State 21.
Auburn (6-6) vs. Maryland (7-5) – (SEC vs. Big Ten) – Music City Bowl (Nissan Stadium – Nashville, Tennessee) – 2 pm ET, Saturday, ABC – Maryland began the season 5-0. The Terps finished it 2-5. Even worse, Maryland didn’t beat anybody all season. The Terps have one last chance to do that. Not that Auburn is that big of a somebody. The Tigers come in on a two-game losing streak. But they darn near beat Alabama. After losing to New Mexico State. Go figure. The Tigers won’t blow it against Maryland. Aubie always liked turtles. He and War Eagle are Happy Together – Auburn 30, Maryland 24.
Georgia (12-1) vs. Florida State (13-0) – (SEC vs. ACC) – Orange Bowl (Hard Rock Stadium – Miami Gardens, Florida) – 4 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN – This is Florida State’s chance to prove that the selection committee was wrong. What better chance can you have than that? You can prove all the naysayers wrong. Simple as that. But if Florida State loses, then they were no better than 6th, instead if 5th. I think they were 8th. Ohio State and Oregon are better than FSU. The pressure is on Georgia not to lose to Florida State. That would really make Georgia look bad, along with the naysayers. Uga is not kind to Osceola – Georgia 28, Florida State 17.
Toledo (11-2) vs. Wyoming (8-4) – (MAC vs. MWC) – Arizona Bowl (Arizona Stadium – Tucson, Arizona) – 4:30 pm ET, Saturday, CWN – Wyoming is the sentimental favorite. The Cowboys’ coach Craig Bohl is retiring after the game. His players will be playing extra hard for him. Wyoming’s four losses were to good teams – all bowl teams. Toledo was the more consistent team. The Rockets lost their first and last games of the season. In between, they won 11-straight games. Cowboys get blasted out of their saddles – Toledo 25, Wyoming 22.
Wisconsin (7-5) vs. LSU (9-3) – (Big Ten vs. SEC) – ReliaQuest Bowl (Raymond James Stadium – Tampa, Florida) – 12 noon ET, Monday, ESPN2 – LSU was deserving of a better opponent than Wisconsin. Of course, Jayden Daniels won’t be playing. That evens things out a bit. But not enough for the Badgers. Wisconsin had problems finding the end zone this season. It was like an Easter egg hunt. There were no eggs. Without Daniels, LSU may have problems scoring too. Mike terrorizes Bucky – LSU 27, Wisconsin 18.
Liberty (13-0) vs. Oregon (11-2) – (C-USA vs. Pac-12) – Fiesta Bowl (State Farm Stadium – Glendale, Arizona) – 1 pm ET, Monday, ESPN – I can’t imagine Oregon is all that thrilled to be playing Liberty. Oregon was likely the 7th best team in the country. And Liberty was likely….? So, it may be hard for the Oregon players to get up for this encounter. Liberty does have some skilled players. The Duck says give me Liberty or give me quackers – Oregon 34, Liberty 23.
Iowa (10-3) vs. Tennessee (8-4) – (Big Ten vs. SEC) – Citrus Bowl (Camping World Stadium – Orlando, Florida) – 1 pm ET, Monday, ABC – Ah Iowa, the 10-3 team that couldn’t score a touchdown. Never was there a team whose offense was so incapable. Somehow, Iowa’s defense found ways to win games for the Hawkeyes. After last season, a lot was expected from Tennessee this season. It didn’t turn out to be a big season for the Vols. Still, Tennessee was a good team. It wasn’t a bad season. Except for Florida, the Vols won the games they were supposed to win. And except for Florida, the Vols lost the games they were supposed to lose. That darn Florida. One more thing about Iowa. The Hawkeyes play good defense – very good defense. In between naps, you may see a touchdown or a field goal – a touchdown from Tennessee and a field goal from Iowa. The Vols jerk Captain Kirk – Tennessee 17, Iowa 9.
Alabama (12-1) vs. Michigan (13-0) – (SEC vs. Big Ten) – Rose Bowl (Rose Bowl – Pasadena, California) – 5 pm ET, Monday, ESPN – The Game! The game most everyone has been waiting for. Nick Saban vs. Jim Harbaugh. Alabama comes into the game on an 11-game winning streak. And, of course, Michigan is undefeated – so far at least. Both teams can score – averaging more than 35 points a game. Alabama can run and pass. Michigan can run. That’s the difference. There’s another difference. Alabama gives up 18 to 19 points a game on defense. Michigan gives up 8 to 9 points a game on defense. Can Michigan’s defense win the game for the Wolverines? Or will Alabama find a seam? Roses are Red, my friend, Michigan is Blue – Alabama 24, Michigan 20.
Texas (12-1) vs. Washington (13-0) – (Big 12 vs. Pac-12) – Sugar Bowl (Caesar’s Superdome – New Orleans, Louisiana) – 8:45 pm ET, Monday, ESPN – Is the West Coast really for real? This is Washington’s chance to prove it is. So often in the past, a West Coast power has failed to come through at the end. On paper, the Huskies have what it takes. But do they on the field? Texas has some question marks too. The Longhorns are good. But are they that good? Both quarterbacks should like their surroundings. They are playing in an indoor stadium – no wind, no rain. Just the pressure. Which one can withstand the pressure? Harry loves to eat at Longhorn Steakhouse – Washington 26, Texas 23.
Touchdown Tom
https://collegefootballweek.blogspot.com
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