2016 College Football Bowl Game Picks & Predictions: Birmingham Bowl, Belk Bowl & Alamo Bowl: The 2016 bowl season is starting to get good, and the three-game slate on Thursday, Dec. 29, features three ranked teams. In fact, three conference runner-ups will be in action, including a battle of two teams ranked in the top 12 in the Alamo Bowl. The matchups will only get better from here, and in the meantime, let’s take a closer look at Thursday’s games.
Birmingham Bowl: South Florida vs. South Carolina
The South Carolina Gamecocks have the SEC pedigree, but the South Florida Bulls will have the best player on the field in this one in quarterback Quinton Flowers. Flowers has thrown for more than 2,500 yards and run for more than 1,400 while tallying 37 scores, and his performance will go a long way to deciding who wins this game.
Even in their two defeats to Florida State and Temple, the Bulls scored at least 30 points, and both those teams have solid defenses. Granted, South Florida’s issues have been on the defensive end, but South Carolina’s offense doesn’t scare anyone. The Gamecocks had no answer for Clemson’s dual-threat quarterback Deshaun Watson the last time out, and while they should score more points than they did against the Tigers, South Carolina won’t be able to keep up with Flowers and company.
Prediction: South Florida Bulls (-10) Cover the Spread
Belk Bowl: Arkansas vs. No. 22 Virginia Tech
If there is a bowl matchup between two more unpredictable teams, I’m not sure what it is. Both the Arkansas Razorbacks and Virginia Tech Hokies have been wildly inconsistent all year, and this game could easily be a blowout for either side or a close one.
The Hokies went on the road and clobbered North Carolina and nearly upset Clemson to win the ACC title. However, the also lost to Syracuse and Georgia Tech. Arkansas may have been even worse. The Razorbacks were flattened by Auburn and LSU and lost to a bad Missouri team to close the year. On the flip side, they managed to score 30-plus points against the elite defenses of Alabama and Florida.
Virginia Tech has the most dynamic offensive player in this matchup in dual-threat quarterback Jerod Evans, but given the lack of trust I have in both these teams, I’ll take the points and the Razorbacks.
Prediction: Arkansas Razorbacks (+7) Cover the Spread
Valero Alamo Bowl: No. 12 Oklahoma State vs. No. 10 Colorado
In the first marquee matchup of the bowl season, a pair of league runner-ups face off when the Oklahoma State Cowboys take on the Colorado Buffaloes. Led by quarterback Mason Rudolph and receiver James Washington, the Cowboys can put plenty of points on the board. Colorado is the more balanced team, but the Buffaloes have some offensive weapons of their own in quarterback Sefo Liufau and running back Phillip Lindsay.
In the end, I expect Colorado’s defense to be the difference. While the Cowboys spent most of the season pulling out wins in high-scoring shootouts, the Buffaloes kept some very potent offenses in check. Even in their ugly loss to Washington in the Pac-12 title game, the Buffaloes made quarterback Jake Browning look average.
Colorado’s offense is good enough to move the ball up and down the field against this Oklahoma State defense, and Colorado’s defense has proven it can get stops, even against a potent offense like the one Oklahoma State brings to the table.
Prediction: Colorado Buffaloes (-3) Cover the Spread
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