Bronco Chase's Bowl Picks, 1st Edition

So it begins! The bowl season is finally upon us. I love this time of year and my only complaint is that it is gone too fast, much like the college football regular season. We start this weekend with three bowl games. When Saturday is over we will still have 32 to watch. Make sure you catch them all! I have picked winners and losers for all 35 games this year and I will be posting them periodically. There are a few things that you should know; if the word "prediction" has stars, then it is an upset. It will look like this:

*Prediction*:

Also, I have analyzed some of the games with a write up, but not all of them. I wrote on all the bowls were WAC teams are involved and the BCS Bowls. The others just have when, where, the bowl name, who's playing, and a score prediction. Finally, I am including these bowls in my season long record, which is currently at 65-17. That's not too shabby. I am putting it all on the line here and we will see how it works out for me. There, now you are ready for my picks!

I have the opportunity to go to the Humanitarian Bowl with a friend of mine and of course I am taking advantage of said opportunity. I will see all the action on The Blue first hand and will enjoy every second of it. Now, let's be honest. These three games are not the most exciting. There are much better bowls coming up later on. Troy vs. Ohio is a snooze fest, but you might as well watch it anyway. What else are you going to do? Anyway, let's get to it and

December 18th at 12 PM
New Mexico Bowl
Albuquerque, New Mexico

(6-6, 5-3 MWC)
vs.

(6-6, 3-5 C-USA)



Line: BYU favored by 12
Prediction: Cougars 31, Miners 28

December 18th at 3:30 PM
uDrove Humanitarian Bowl
Boise, Idaho

(10-3, 8-0 MAC)
vs.

(8-4, 5-3 WAC)



Line: Huskies favored by 1
The Huskies’ head coach bailed and went to Minnesota. They hired Wisconsin defensive coordinator Dave Doeren, but he won’t make the trip to The Blue because he wants to finish what he started with the Badgers in the Rose Bowl. This Northern Illinois team in talented, but the lack of stability at the top plus a coach leaving is not good for bowl preparation and focus. On the other hand, Fresno State has had yet again another middle-of-the-pack season after recruiting very well and having plenty of talent on the roster. You get the feeling that the Bulldogs are tired of playing in the same bowls over and over and want something better; they want to be Boise State. The New Mexico Bowl and the Humanitarian Bowl two times each will do that to you. The Bulldogs will bank on a healthy Robbie Rouse to carry the rock a lot and the Huskies will do the same with their running back Chad Spann. The team that wants to be here will win.
Prediction: Huskies 35, Bulldogs 28

December 18th at 7 PM
R + L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
New Orleans, Louisiana

(8-4, 6-2 MAC)
vs.

(7-5, 6-2 Sun Belt)



Line: Troy favored by 2
*Prediction*: Bobcats 28, Trojans 27

Record coming in: 65-17

Check back in soon! I will post my next batch of Bowl Picks on December 20th, including the Maaco Bowl Las Vegas! Enjoy the holidays and as always, Go Broncos!