COLUMN: Picking (and betting?) winners
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.