
Houston -7.0 vs UL Lafayette – Houston wasn’t supposed to be here. It was supposed that Group of Five team knocking on the door of the CFP. Then it started the season 2-3 facing a season going nowhere.
Give the team credit for roaring back, going 5-1 before a loss to Tulsa. That’s Houston for you. Similar to NC State, you never know what team will show up. It has the talent to hang with just about anyone, but its defense and inconsistencies make them frustrating to bet on or against.
UL Lafayette was a powerhouse in the Fun Belt. But then Billy Napier left for Florida, the talent wasn’t replaced and the Ragin Cajuns slumped to mediocre. The offense is balanced and the defense opportunistic, but it’s going to need what should be a home crowd – and for Houston to be a little unfocused – to pull this off.
For Houston, when the offense is on, look out. Star WR Nathaniel Dell decided to play even though he declared he was leaving for the NFL Draft. Along with QB Clayton guarantees plenty of fireworks. Fortunately for the Ragin’ Cajuns, their secondary has been their strongest unit all season.
But the Houston defense, let’s just say it has issues. It comes up with a ton of sacks and lots of big plays in the backfield, but it gets ripped up through the air, allows 430 YPG overall, and it can’t come up with a third down stop to save its life. .
Give the team credit for roaring back, going 5-1 before a loss to Tulsa. That’s Houston for you. Similar to NC State, you never know what team will show up. It has the talent to hang with just about anyone, but its defense and inconsistencies make them frustrating to bet on or against.
UL Lafayette was a powerhouse in the Fun Belt. But then Billy Napier left for Florida, the talent wasn’t replaced and the Ragin Cajuns slumped to mediocre. The offense is balanced and the defense opportunistic, but it’s going to need what should be a home crowd – and for Houston to be a little unfocused – to pull this off.
For Houston, when the offense is on, look out. Star WR Nathaniel Dell decided to play even though he declared he was leaving for the NFL Draft. Along with QB Clayton guarantees plenty of fireworks. Fortunately for the Ragin’ Cajuns, their secondary has been their strongest unit all season.
But the Houston defense, let’s just say it has issues. It comes up with a ton of sacks and lots of big plays in the backfield, but it gets ripped up through the air, allows 430 YPG overall, and it can’t come up with a third down stop to save its life. .

ULL can stay in this by keeping the mistakes to a minimum, it’s good in turnover margin, (penalties have been a problem however). and by just hanging around. Houston has a way of taking a nap here and there during games, especially against teams that can throw.
Louisiana can run well, but it’s nothing like the Billy Napier teams – he took some of the parts with him. That will put the pressure on QB Chandler Fields to strike to have a consistent passing game, something ULL has struggled with all year. Houston, though, has a way of sometimes making it easy by allowing teams to work their way into games.
Louisiana has two key players who have opted out. Defensive end Andre Jones, who is the teams top edge defender and finished second on the team with 6.5 sacks has opted out to prepare for the NFL Draft. WR Michael Jefferson who led the team with 810 receiving yards and seven TDs has opted out as well. Houston’s best players made a statement by deciding to play in this game.
Once again, it comes down to motivation. ULL is playing in a near home crowd against a soon to be Power Five team. Houston, even with last years win over Auburn, rarely shows up in Bowls. It lost four straight after Tom Herman led the way to a 2015 New Year’s Six Peach Bowl win over Florida State, and that was it for the fun with another four straight losses, including a 70-14 clunker to Army in the 2018 Armed Forces before last year’s win.
Against powerhouses, they show up, otherwise they leave their game on the bus.
I’m staying away from this game. Houston is just too flaky, The over 57.0 could be a fun bet though. For rooting interest, I’ll put a quatloo on that. The weather is expected to be cold but not too windy.
Louisiana can run well, but it’s nothing like the Billy Napier teams – he took some of the parts with him. That will put the pressure on QB Chandler Fields to strike to have a consistent passing game, something ULL has struggled with all year. Houston, though, has a way of sometimes making it easy by allowing teams to work their way into games.
Louisiana has two key players who have opted out. Defensive end Andre Jones, who is the teams top edge defender and finished second on the team with 6.5 sacks has opted out to prepare for the NFL Draft. WR Michael Jefferson who led the team with 810 receiving yards and seven TDs has opted out as well. Houston’s best players made a statement by deciding to play in this game.
Once again, it comes down to motivation. ULL is playing in a near home crowd against a soon to be Power Five team. Houston, even with last years win over Auburn, rarely shows up in Bowls. It lost four straight after Tom Herman led the way to a 2015 New Year’s Six Peach Bowl win over Florida State, and that was it for the fun with another four straight losses, including a 70-14 clunker to Army in the 2018 Armed Forces before last year’s win.
Against powerhouses, they show up, otherwise they leave their game on the bus.
I’m staying away from this game. Houston is just too flaky, The over 57.0 could be a fun bet though. For rooting interest, I’ll put a quatloo on that. The weather is expected to be cold but not too windy.

Wake Forest -2.0 vs Missouri – You think Houston is fun, Wake Forest takes that to another level. The offense is going to throw for over 300 yards, the defense will give up a ton of big plays, and the outcome will be in doubt to the very end.
Rarely do Missouri and fun go together in the same sentence. Missouri’s offense is balanced and can grind a bit, but it’s not built to get into wild shootouts. Missouri’s offense will work, everyone’s offense works against Wake Forest. But it’s the Tiger defense that got them here.
Sam Hartman takes the field for the final time as Wake Forest quarterback. The record-setting signal-caller has decided to play in the bowl game but made it clear last month that he isn't returning to Wake. He is weighing whether to enter the NFL draft or transfer to another school for a sixth season. Schools needing a quarterback are preparing possible name, image and likeness deals.
The Deacs are loaded with skill players. Along with Hartman, Wake has All-ACC players in RB Justin Ellison and WR AT Perry.
Rarely do Missouri and fun go together in the same sentence. Missouri’s offense is balanced and can grind a bit, but it’s not built to get into wild shootouts. Missouri’s offense will work, everyone’s offense works against Wake Forest. But it’s the Tiger defense that got them here.
Sam Hartman takes the field for the final time as Wake Forest quarterback. The record-setting signal-caller has decided to play in the bowl game but made it clear last month that he isn't returning to Wake. He is weighing whether to enter the NFL draft or transfer to another school for a sixth season. Schools needing a quarterback are preparing possible name, image and likeness deals.
The Deacs are loaded with skill players. Along with Hartman, Wake has All-ACC players in RB Justin Ellison and WR AT Perry.

But the defense is often a no show, It allowed well over 1,500 yards in its final three games of the season, it’s not doing much against anyone who wants to throw, and it gave up 30 points or more in its last five games.
Missouri has the superior defense in this matchup by a considerable margin. the Tigers finished No. 4 in the loaded SEC allowing just 337 total YPG. Missouri has 36 sacks this season, second-most in the SEC, The Tigers are giving up a completion on fewer than 60% of pass attempts, and opponents have only 15 passing touchdowns in 12 games against the Tiger secondary. But they will be without corners Gavin Holmes and JJ Roberts to the transfer portal. Mizzou’s best NFL prospect, pass rusher Isaiah McGuire, also opted out, leaving the Tigers defense a bit short handed.
Mizzou doesn’t have an explosive offense and relies heavily on their ground game. Unfortunately for them, the Demon Deacons played very well against the run, holding opponents under 125 points per game. Missouri struggles to throw the ball and its best WR Dominic Lovett hitting portal hurts.
I’m going with Wake and lay the points. The Missouri personnel losses are far bigger than Wake Forest’s. The defense is still going to be good, but there’s just enough missing to matter.
Missouri has the superior defense in this matchup by a considerable margin. the Tigers finished No. 4 in the loaded SEC allowing just 337 total YPG. Missouri has 36 sacks this season, second-most in the SEC, The Tigers are giving up a completion on fewer than 60% of pass attempts, and opponents have only 15 passing touchdowns in 12 games against the Tiger secondary. But they will be without corners Gavin Holmes and JJ Roberts to the transfer portal. Mizzou’s best NFL prospect, pass rusher Isaiah McGuire, also opted out, leaving the Tigers defense a bit short handed.
Mizzou doesn’t have an explosive offense and relies heavily on their ground game. Unfortunately for them, the Demon Deacons played very well against the run, holding opponents under 125 points per game. Missouri struggles to throw the ball and its best WR Dominic Lovett hitting portal hurts.
I’m going with Wake and lay the points. The Missouri personnel losses are far bigger than Wake Forest’s. The defense is still going to be good, but there’s just enough missing to matter.