It finally happened. It may have taken the entire season but we finally got a score prediction exactly correct!!! It was the Las Vegas Bowl – ironically from a better standpoint – where the forecast score of Fresno State 31, Arizona State 20, came out perfectly. This series has now been vindicated for the entire season!
By Steve Wright
In total we went 4-2 over the first six bowl games, with one more game from last week’s predictions yet to be played The two misses were huge, however, with Utah State and Appalachian State (both projected losses) winning by a combined 71 points.
Last week’s record: 4-2
Overall record: 95-33
Exact scores predicted: 1
Here are some score predictions for the rest of the pre-Christmas Bowls as we try to ride that exact score momentum:
Thursday, December 20
Marshall (8-4) vs. South Florida (7-5) – The Bulls are in the middle of a five game losing streak after starting the season 7-0 and being on the cusp of national attention. South Florida will try to get Jordan Cronkrite going on the ground after he rushed for almost 1,100 yards and nine touchdowns on the year. Marshall will be looking for another big game from wide receiver Tyre Brady as they are 4-0 in games where he goes for over 100 yards. Marshall 28, USF 24.
Friday, December 21
FIU (8-4) vs. Toledo (7-5) – There are many places worse to travel to for a bowl game after seven and eight win seasons than the Bahamas. The winner of this will be the one that can best handle to unusual distractions surrounding the game, with Toledo looking like the safer bet. The weather could play a factor here too with winds expected to be in the 30 mph range come game time. Toledo 25, FIU 23.
Western Michigan (7-5) vs. BYU (6-6) – A pair of true freshman quarterbacks will face off here as Kaleb Eleby and Zach Wilson will start for the Broncos and the Cougars respectively after taking over the reins for their teams during the 2018 season. Whichever quarterback settles better in their biggest game so far and limits turnovers will win. BYU 24, Western Michigan 20.
Saturday, December 22
Wake Forest (6-6) vs. Memphis (8-5) – This is another game where a Group of Five team is missing its best player because the NFL draft is a smarter business decision. Memphis running back Darrell Henderson finished 10th in voting for the Heisman Trophy this season after leading the nation in all-purpose yards (2,398) and total touchdowns (22). Memphis should still have enough to beat a Wake Forest team that is every bit its 6-6 record, but the game loses some value without its star attraction suiting up. Memphis 32, Wake Forest 19.
Army (10-2) vs. Houston (8-4) – This would be much more fun if Houston had its two best players for this game. Quarterback D’Eriq King and monster defensive tackle Ed Oliver will both be missing this game after picking up injuries at the back end of the regular season. Oliver will be a huge miss in particular against the option attack that Army has rolled to double-digit wins with in 2018. Army 31, Houston 21.
Buffalo (10-3) vs. Troy (9-3) – A pair of teams with impressive records meet here as both teams won seven games in conference play. Troy will need to find its offense here too be effective after averaging just 11 points over its last two games. Bulls quarterback Tyree Jackson will do enough to see Buffalo over the line. Buffalo 27, Troy 20
Louisiana Tech (7-5) vs. Hawaii (8-5) – You would expect playing in the Hawaii Bowl to make this a gimme for the Rainbow Warriors but they are just 4-4 when holding home field advantage for their bowl game. Hawaii has allowed almost 41 points per game to teams with a winning record and as long as they can shut down the Hawaii passing game then they should grind out the win here. Louisiana Tech 34, Hawaii 28.
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