2015 College Football Bowl Picks: Birmingham Bowl, Belk Bowl, Music City Bowl and Holiday Bowl Picks 12/30/15: With the College Football Playoff semifinals drawing closer, four more bowl games are on tap Wednesday. Memphis QB Paxton Lynch is among the players to keep an eye on, but the USC Trojans are the only team in action currently ranked in the top 25. Let’s take a closer look at the matchups. Check out NSAwins.com’s premium college football bowl picks and more free college football picks.
2015 College Football Bowl Picks: Birmingham Bowl, Belk Bowl, Music City Bowl and Holiday Bowl Picks
Birmingham Bowl: Auburn vs. Memphis
Auburn entered the season with aspirations of reaching the College Football Playoff, but instead, they are sitting at 6-6 as the meet Memphis in the Birmingham Bowl. Yes, Auburn will be playing close to home, but while Memphis should be motivated to try to reach 10 wins and upset an SEC team, Auburn could struggle to get up for a mid-level bowl game after being mentioned among the title contenders in the preseason.
The bigger issue for Auburn could be Memphis QB Paxton Lynch. The dual-threat weapon is the early favorite to be the first quarterback selected in the NFL Draft, and he leads an offense that ranks in the top 15 in passing and top 10 in scoring. Granted, Memphis’ defense hasn’t been great, but they have been good at forcing turnovers, which could also spell trouble for an Auburn team that has had trouble getting reliable quarterback play.
Auburn may be the more talented team, but Memphis has already shown they can take an SEC team by surprise with its win over Ole Miss during the regular season. I don’t expect Auburn to want to win this one as much as Memphis, and Lynch and company will make the second-worst defense in the SEC pay.
Prediction: Memphis Tigers (+3) Cover the Spread
Belk Bowl: North Carolina State vs. Mississippi State
Two potent offenses averaging more than 33 points per game meet in what could be a high-scoring shootout. Dual-threat QB Dak Prescott and receivers Fred Ross and De’Runnya Wilson lead the Mississippi State attack, but NC State has a dual-threat QB of their own in Jacoby Brissett, and he has tight end Jaylen Samuels and all-purpose back Nyheim Hines among his weapons.
The problem for the Wolfpack is that neither their offense nor their defense has shown up against tougher competition. NC State scored 17 points or less in three of its five losses and allowed 45 or more points in its other two. The Bulldogs will get the job done, and Prescott will lead the way in his final collegiate game.
Prediction: Mississippi State Bulldogs (-6) Cover the Spread
Music City Bowl: Texas A&M vs. Louisville
Injuries have plagued both teams this season, and both have made a habit of coming up on the losing end of close games. However, this is hardly the same Texas A&M team that will be playing in the Music City Bowl. The Aggies’ two best quarterbacks, Kyle Allen and Kyler Murray, have elected to transfer and won’t be playing in the game.
With Texas A&M forced to use the inexperienced Jake Hubenak under center, the advantage swings in favor of the Cardinals. Louisville hit its stride down the stretch after turning the offense over to dual-threat QB Lamar Jackson. With the freshman under center, Louisville won five of its last six, and they should grab another victory against a Texas A&M defense that suddenly has a ton of question marks on offense.
Prediction: Louisville Cardinals (-5) Cover the Spread
Holiday Bowl: No. 25 USC vs. Wisconsin
Neither team in this matchup lived up to expectations this year, and both USC and Wisconsin failed to get the job done in the big game. That being said, the Badgers have to be concerned about the performance of their offense heading into a showdown with a USC team that has plenty of weapons at its disposal.
Wisconsin hasn’t been able to establish their traditional power running game, and the Badgers have never been a strong throwing team. Granted, Wisconsin does have the best scoring defense in the country, but a weak schedule allowed them to dodge the top teams in the Big Ten, and the Badgers allowed 35 points against its toughest opponent, Alabama. Wisconsin just won’t be able to keep pace.
Prediction: USC Trojans (-3) Cover the Spread
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