COLUMN: Picking (and betting?) winners

HOME STRETCH COLUMN
By: 
Pete Temple
Express Sports Editor

     The biggest question about this year’s college football bowl season is not whether Mark or I will win our annual picks challenge and claim the tidy sum of $1 from the other.

     It’s whether, with the legal-in-Iowa sports betting account and app I acquired over the summer, I have the guts to wager $2 on each of the 40 games offered, which I’m considering.

     It should be strongly noted that the following picks – along with Mark’s – are about which team will actually WIN the game, NOT which will cover the oddsmakers’ point spreads.

     I’m pretty sure Mark crushed me last year, but this time I will prevail. I will. Here are mine…

 

     Bahamas: Buffalo over Charlotte.

     Frisco: Utah State over Kent State.

     New Mexico: San Diego State over Central Michigan.

     Cure: Georgia Southern over Liberty.

     Boca Raton: SMU over Florida Atlantic.

     Camellia: Florida International over Arkansas State.

     Las Vegas: Boise State over Washington.

     New Orleans: Appalachian State over Alabama-Birmingham.

     Gasparilla: Central Florida over Marshall.

     Hawaii: BYU over Hawaii.

     Independence: Miami (Fla.) over Louisiana Tech.

     Quick Lane: Pittsburgh over Eastern Michigan.

     Military: Temple over North Carolina.

     Pinstripe: Michigan State over Wake Forest.

     Texas: Texas A&M over Oklahoma State.

     Holiday: I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Iowa football fans have absolutely no idea how good they have it with legendary coach Kirk Ferentz at the helm (five top-10 finishes–are you kidding me?). Iowa over USC.

     Cheez-It: Washington State over Air Force.

     Camping World: I attended two college football games this season, and neither went the way I wanted them to. Oklahoma State beat Iowa State, and Iowa beat Minnesota. I’m hoping this one will be different. Iowa State over Notre Dame.

     Cotton: Penn State over Memphis.

     Peach (national semifinal): I’m glad the Big 12 gets to be represented, but I feel Oklahoma is overmatched here. LSU over Oklahoma.

     Fiesta (national semifinal): Wisconsin put a scare into Ohio State. Clemson will finish the job. Clemson over Ohio State.

     First Responder: Western Kentucky over Western Michigan.

     Redbox: Illinois over California. You’re welcome, Daryl Schepanski.

     Music City: Mississippi State over Louisville.

     Orange: Florida over Virginia. You’re welcome, Wayne Manternach.

     Belk: Kentucky over Virginia Tech.

     Sun: Arizona State over Florida State.

     Liberty: Navy over Kansas State.

     Arizona: Wyoming over Georgia State. Monticello’s Wade Picray won’t be playing in this one, but he has a bright Cowboy future ahead of him.

     Alamo: We’ll see if Utah is as good as they have been ranked all season. I’m guessing yes. Utah over Texas.

     Citrus: Alabama over Michigan.

     Outback: Did I think I’d ever see a Gopher season in which fans rushed the field once, the team briefly had a top-10 ranking, and eventually got to play in a Jan. 1 bowl? Absolutely not. I’m still not sure they’re that good, but it has definitely been fun. Still, and I hope I’m wrong, Auburn over Minnesota.

     Rose: Speaking of getting to have fun, and of people who don’t know how good they have it, I give you Wisconsin. Badgers over Oregon.

     Sugar: I’ll try a Big 12 upset here, Baylor over Georgia.

     Birmingham: Boston College over Cincinnati.

     Gator: Tennessee over Indiana.

     Idaho Potato: Nevada over Ohio.

     Armed Forces: Southern Mississippi over Tulane.

     Mobile: Louisiana-Lafayette over Miami (Ohio).

     College Football Playoff title game: Could two purple-and-gold football teams win championships? At least one will. LSU over Clemson.

     

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