2015 College Football Bowl Picks: Military Bowl and Quick Lane Bowl Picks 12/28/2015

2015 College Football Bowl Picks: Military Bowl and Quick Lane Bowl Picks 12/28/2015: After the NFL owned Sunday, the 2015 college football bowl season will resume Monday with a pair of games. In the first matchup, the Pittsburgh Panthers will try to slow down Navy’s option attack. The game will be the last chance to watch Navy QB Keenan Reynolds, who has enjoyed an impressive career that culminated with him winning the fan vote for the Heisman Trophy.

In the later game, the Central Michigan Chippewas will take on the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Chippewas quarterback Cooper Rush is one of the better non-Power Five quarterbacks around, and he enters the game with more than 3,700 passing yards.

The bowl season is about to go into full throttle, and in the meantime, here is a closer look at Monday’s slate. Remember to get NSAwins.com’s premium college football bowl picks and more free college football picks.

2015 College Football Bowl Picks: Military Bowl and Quick Lane Bowl Picks 12/28/2015

Military Bowl: Pittsburgh Panthers vs. Navy Midshipmen

Navy’s calling card is the triple-option, and with quarterback Keenan Reynolds leading the way, the Midshipmen finished third in the country in rushing and ranked in the top 25 in scoring. Overall, Pittsburgh isn’t a great defensive team, but they do rank 21st in rushing yards allowed. Navy doesn’t throw the ball unless it has to, and while they can hit the occasional big passing play when opponents are expecting a run, the Midshipmen are going to be in serious trouble if they are forced into obvious passing situations on a routine basis.

Granted, Pittsburgh’s offense isn’t overly explosive, but they are the much more balanced offense in this matchup. Running back Qadree Ollison is averaging more than five yards per carry and has already gone over 1,000 yards. Perhaps more importantly, receiver Tyler Boyd is a reliable option in the passing game, and he should be able to exploit an average Navy secondary that ranks 80th in the country on passing yards allowed.

Navy’s option attack can be tricky, but Pittsburgh’s stout run defense should be able to keep Reynolds in company in check to a degree. From there, the Panthers should be able to put enough points on the board to come away with a win. Take Pittsburgh and the points.

Prediction: Pittsburgh Panthers (+3) Cover the Spread

Quick Lane Bowl: Central Michigan Chippewas vs. Minnesota Golden Gophers

It would be easy to assume that the Golden Gophers would roll in this matchup against a non-Power Five team, but Minnesota hasn’t exactly won any big games this year. Yes, they held their own against the likes of TCU, Michigan, Ohio State and Iowa, but they lost all those games and finished the regular season with a 5-7 record, losing five of their last six.

Enter the Chippewas, who won five of their last six and have a top 15 passing attack led by promising quarterback Cooper Rush. The Golden Gophers, on the other hand, don’t really do anything well on offense. Minnesota ranks 74th in passing, 101st in rushing and 100th in scoring. Granted, Minnesota does have a stout passing defense to challenge Rush and company, but at the end of the day, Central Michigan has more weapons to put points on the board. Not to mention the fact that the Chippewas will probably be a little pumped to take on a Power Five team than a five-win Minnesota team will be to play in this game. Take the points, and don’t be surprised if Central Michigan pulls the outright upset.

Prediction: Central Michigan Chippewas (+5) Cougars Cover the Spread

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