Alright. It's bowl season and nothing is more important prior to bowl games than making an ass of myself trying to predict what is going to happen in each of these games. I don't have much to write about right given the low in sports this weekend and I've decided to give a blurb about most of the bowls before they happen and attempt to persuade you into watching for one reason or another. Sound like a good idea? No. It doesn't to me either but here goes. We'll start with shit and work our way to the top over the next 4 weeks.
Poinsettia Bowl (San Diego, CA) - December 20th @ 9pm
Utah vs. Navy
Exciting. By the way, I will never refer to bowls by their corporate sponsors even though the names of some of these bowls has been completely erased by fat corporate America...it makes me sick but it's the world we live in now-a-days I suppose. The day they rename Michigan Stadium "The Fingerle Lumber Big House" is the day I drown myself. Anyway...
This game is a key matchup between a completely balanced offensive team (Utah) vs. a completely lopsided one in Navy. Yeah, yeah, I know Navy is making strides in the direction of present day offensive schemes but you and I both know the only time you ever saw Navy this year was when they beat Notre Dame, and who wouldn't try to throw the ball against Notre Dame.
The difference maker in this game is whether or not Utah can stop a one-dimensional offense and if they can get their running game going with Darrell Mack. Utah is a team that looked awful out of the start until their 44-6 lashing of UCLA and since then their offense has been progressing nicely by the numbers and had a nice 50-0 blowout over Wyoming. (yep, the same Wyoming team that beat #20 Virginia a the beginning of the season) That game didn't make headlines because of the lopsided score as much as it did because the Wyoming coach flipped the bird to the Utah sideline after going for an onside kick in the 4th quarter. Utah has the speed and weapons (haha for the MWC) to put up the points and wins needed to get them to this bowl and slowing down Navy's rushing attack will pretty much be all they have to do to get themselves this season ending W.
Navy...lost to Delaware and gives up 35.6 points per game to lackluster opponents. They gave up 62 to North Texas, a team that sucks worse than Notre Dame, and still won. This team will not win a shootout against a team like Utah who possesses half of a defensive brain on the sideline. Navy has little chance and an upset will only occur if Utah is careless with the football and spends the week before the bowl game getting tanked in San Diego because "UTAH BEER SUCKS MAN!"
Why watch this game? The rushing might come in bunches if Navy can find a way to run the ball against a defense that only allowed 45 points in their last 5 games. Darrell Mack (RB) is Utah's primary offensive workhorse who had several 100+ yard games this season. If the offenses are clicking and a shootout ensues, this game could potentially be mildly entertaining. Watch if you have got nothing else to do.
Prediction: Utah 34 Navy 14
Player of the game: Darrell Mack
4 comments:
Ok, since i'm the only loyal reader of your blog i'm going to pick every game you pick and then we can compare our results. Should make it a little more interesting and give a little more incentive to watch the games.
Did you actually watch UTah play this season? If you did thats pretty impressive. To have knowledge of every team is pretty sweet.
I haven't watched utah once, but i have watched navy 3 times i belive. Their QB has a name i can't spell or pronounce but i think he'll lead navy to a win. They can't throw the ball at all but their offense is really difficult to stop.
My prediction is more just to be the opposite of you so i then i have a team to cheer for.
Robby's pick = Utah.
Pat's pick = Navy.
oh yeah, score prediction: navy wins 38 - 34.
hahah alright i like where this is going...we'll keep score on here too just for bragging rights. Yeah navy's quarterback is good, fast and their offense is hard to stop. However, if you get into a shootout, Utah will win. I did see Utah play one time this year but it was one of their awful games where they looked completely awful at the beginning of the year so I guess that doesn't count. I did see Navy, and they are ok, but not good. This competition is gonna get fun...
I would seem to think that in an game where offense dominates, the game would come down to the team that has the defense that can make one crucial stop. That tends to be the way it works in big games that have shootout atmospheres. Utah has the better defensive numbers, keeping better teams to less YPG and PPG. Therefore, I think that Utah will come up with the one necessary stop near the end of the game that can seal the deal. Final score prediction. UTAH 41 NAVY 35
MVP..Entire UTAH defensive front 7 shutting down the spread option attack in the second half
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