2014 College Football Bowl Picks: Liberty Bowl, Russell Athletic Bowl and Texas Bowl – Free College Football Picks 12/29/2014

2014 College Football Bowl Picks: Liberty Bowl, Russell Athletic Bowl and Texas Bowl – Free College Football Picks 12/29/2014: After an off day Sunday, the 2014 college football bowl season resumes Monday with three games on the schedule. Clemson is the only ranked team in action, but there are several other recognizable programs playing, including Oklahoma, Texas and Texas A&M. Here is a closer look at all three matchups on tap Monday.

AutoZone Liberty Bowl: Texas A&M Aggies vs. West Virginia Mountaineers

If you like passing yards and points, you will definitely want to tune into this one. Both the Aggies and Mountaineers rank in the top 12 nationally in passing, and both teams struggle on the defensive side of the ball. Granted, the matchup takes a bit of a somber hit after West Virginia QB Clint Trickett announced that he will be forced to retire from football because of concussions, but Skyler Howard looked stout in relief in the regular season finale, and WR Kevin White is one of the best players at his position in the country.

Perhaps more importantly, the Mountaineers have performed better against top competition throughout the year, losing to Alabama, Oklahoma, TCU and Kansas State by 12 points or less. Of course, results against common opponents don’t always tell the tale, but it is hard to overlook that the Mountaineers lost 33-23 to the top-ranked Crimson Tide while the Aggies were blasted 59-0. In the end, this game should be a back-and-forth, high-scoring shootout, and I like West Virginia’s defense to be slightly less bad than the Aggies’ defense.

Prediction: West Virginia Mountaineers (-1.5) Cover the Spread

Russell Athletic Bowl: Oklahoma Sooners vs. No. 17 Clemson Tigers

Although Oklahoma has easily been one of the most disappointing teams this season, the stars are aligning for the Sooners to take down Clemson in the Russell Athletic Bowl. After all, the Sooners are getting healthy, and they will welcome back starting QB Trevor Knight and record-setting running back Samaje Perine Monday. Clemson, on the other hand, will be without dual-threat QB Deshaun Watson, and offensive coordinator Chad Morris just bolted to become the head coach at SMU. Meanwhile, Cole Stoudt will have to start in place of Watson, and he has been a turnover machine throughout the year. Granted, the Tigers have a stout defensive front, but at full strength, the Sooners have enough balance to still put points on the board. At the end of the day, the timing of the bowl game is a lot better for Oklahoma than Clemson.

Prediction: Oklahoma Sooners (-4) Cover the Spread

AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl: Arkansas Razorbacks vs. Texas Longhorns

This rivalry goes back well over a century, and both programs find themselves in rebuilding and enter the matchup with 6-6 records. Despite the identical records, it’s tough to argue that Arkansas seems to be further along in the rebuilding process at this point. After all, all six of their losses came to teams ranked in the top 20 at the time, including five to teams ranked in the top 10. More importantly, four of their losses to top 10 teams came by a touchdown or less, including a 14-13 loss to Alabama. The Razorbacks also boast a top 30 rushing attack and a top-20 scoring defense, and they posted shutouts against LSU and Ole Miss in the later part of the year. Meanwhile, the Longhorns have simply been a mess offensively, and despite some talent on the defensive side, they are allowing almost 170 rushing yards per game. Arkansas is simply the better team in this one.

Prediction: Arkansas Razorbacks (-6.5) Cover the Spread