2020 College Football Bowl Picks – Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, Armed Forces Bowl and LendingTree Bowl: The 2019-20 College Football bowl season is winding down, but before Clemson takes on LSU in the College Football Playoff National Championship on January 13, there are three games spread out over three days to wrap up the rest of the matchups.
Nevada will meet Ohio in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl on January 3, Southern Mississippi will face Tulane in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl the following day, and Louisiana will meet Miami (Ohio) in the LendingTree Bowl on January 6.
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Nevada vs. Ohio (-8)
Give this gritty Nevada team a lot of credit for grinding out seven wins, but this Ohio has a decent amount of offensive firepower for a 6-6 team. The Bobcats are averaging 34.7 points and 443.3 yards of offense per game thanks to a balanced attack that is led by dual-threat quarterback Nathan Rourke. Rourke has tossed 20 touchdowns compared to just five interceptions, and he has run for almost 800 yards and 12 more scores. As a team, Ohio is averaging more than 200 yards rushing and 200 yards passing per game.
Nevada’s overall numbers are actually downright ugly. The Wolf Pack are scoring just 21.3 points per game (111th in the country) while allowing 32.1 points per game. More importantly, they’ve looked completely overwhelmed against opponents with solid quarterback play. Nevada lost 77-6 to Oregon, 54-3 to Hawai’i and 36-10 to Utah State. I think Rourke and company will be able to put points on the board, and I don’t believe the Wolf Pack can keep pace.
Prediction: Ohio Bobcats (-8) Cover the Spread
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl: Southern Mississippi vs. Tulane (-7)
Something will have to give in this matchup as Tulane’s powerful rushing attack takes on a Southern Mississippi team that has been excellent at shutting down the run. The Green Wave rank in the top 20 nationally in rushing offense, averaging 249.8 yards per game. Dual-threat quarterback Justin McMillan leads the way, but Tulane has four backs who also receive routine touches. Meanwhile, the Golden Eagles rank in the top 15 nationally in rushing yards allowed and in the top 20 in yards per carry.
Tulane probably has more talent, especially on the offensive side of the ball, but the Green Wave were exposed a bit down the stretch against better competition. They dropped five of their final six games, losing all five of their matchups against teams that finished third or better in either division of the AAC. I know Southern Mississippi is not a powerhouse program by any means, but Tulane hasn’t shown much against any teams with any sort of talent. I’ll Southern Miss and a touchdown.
Prediction: Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles (+7) Cover the Spread
LendingTree Bowl: Louisiana (-14) vs. Miami (Ohio)
Thanks to a strong finish to the season, the RedHawks roll into this matchup as MAC champions. The Ragin’ Cajuns came up short in the Sun Belt title game, but they still managed to win 10 games this season.
Miami’s defense came on strong during conference play, but Louisiana brings some serious offensive firepower to the table. Quarterback Levi Lewis and 1,000-yard back Elijah Mitchell have been the driving force behind an offense that is averaging 38.8 points and 501.3 yards per game. On the flip side, Miami has been totally anemic on offense, averaging just 24.7 points and only 305.9 yards (122nd nationally) per game.
While the RedHawks have been solid on the defensive side of the ball, expecting them to completely shut down the high-powered Ragin’ Cajuns attacks is unrealistic. After all, Lewis and company put up 38 points against a ranked Appalachian State team that has even stronger numbers than Miami. This is a big point spread, but Miami just doesn’t have the offensive personnel to keep up.
Prediction: Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns (-14) Cover the Spread
