
I’m giving this update on the road. The Big Guy and I are driving down to see Aunt Doofus and the Mother of all Doofusses. We plan to hook up with the Sax Man on his way back from the Orange Bowl. Should be a good time.
Yesterday was not the best for picking bowls. The Big Book of Guesses went 1-2 while the Doofus went 1-1 on his Mega Bets with:
LSU -7.5 vs Notre Dame – LSU’s Leonard Fournette was fantastic in gashing the Notre Dame defense. Fournette scored 3 TDs including an 89 yard sprint and 100 yard kick off return to open the second half. But it wasn’t enough.
The Domers were the team that dominated the line of scrimmage. They held the ball for 37 minutes and went 11-17 on 3rd downs keeping their porous defense off the field.
Notre Dame was leading 21-14 late in the second quarter when LSU drove the ND 2 fourth and goal. Miles faked the FG and TD!. But the refs ruled the QB just short. Now I thought the replay showed him breaking the plane and the announcers seemed to agree but there wasn’t enough evidence and ND got the ball. It would prove to be a critical call.
Fournette then took the KO for a TD to open the second half to make it 21 all. Nice, here we go!
Late in the third quarter, LSU finally got the lead 28-21 putting the cover in reach. I was wishing I had that TD at the end of the first half.
Notre Dame responded with a 50 yard TD run to tie the game. LSU would need to respond and fast. They needed 2 scores and couldn’t seem to get ND off the field.
They didn’t. Notre Dame held LSU scoreless in the fourth quarter.
And then to put the final dagger in my pool picks, ND kicks a walk off FG to win the game 31-29 LOSS
Yesterday was not the best for picking bowls. The Big Book of Guesses went 1-2 while the Doofus went 1-1 on his Mega Bets with:
LSU -7.5 vs Notre Dame – LSU’s Leonard Fournette was fantastic in gashing the Notre Dame defense. Fournette scored 3 TDs including an 89 yard sprint and 100 yard kick off return to open the second half. But it wasn’t enough.
The Domers were the team that dominated the line of scrimmage. They held the ball for 37 minutes and went 11-17 on 3rd downs keeping their porous defense off the field.
Notre Dame was leading 21-14 late in the second quarter when LSU drove the ND 2 fourth and goal. Miles faked the FG and TD!. But the refs ruled the QB just short. Now I thought the replay showed him breaking the plane and the announcers seemed to agree but there wasn’t enough evidence and ND got the ball. It would prove to be a critical call.
Fournette then took the KO for a TD to open the second half to make it 21 all. Nice, here we go!
Late in the third quarter, LSU finally got the lead 28-21 putting the cover in reach. I was wishing I had that TD at the end of the first half.
Notre Dame responded with a 50 yard TD run to tie the game. LSU would need to respond and fast. They needed 2 scores and couldn’t seem to get ND off the field.
They didn’t. Notre Dame held LSU scoreless in the fourth quarter.
And then to put the final dagger in my pool picks, ND kicks a walk off FG to win the game 31-29 LOSS

Stanford -13.5 vs Maryland – As soon as I saw the conditions in Santa Clara I knew Maryland was in for a tough time. Conditions were awful with a drizzle and high winds. Not good if you hope to pass your way to victory.
Maryland QB CJ Brown was sacked six times, threw for only 205 yards and had a pick. Stanford led a balanced attack with 206 on the ground and 208 through the air.
Maryland tied the score 7-7 to open the second quarter but it was all Stanford after that. They got into a groove and by the time they were done it was 42-7 at the beginning of the fourth quarter. Jordan Williamson ran the KO back to the house to cut the lead to 42-14 but the cover was still well in hand.
Maryland got a TD with 2:12 left to make the final score 45-21 WIN
Maryland QB CJ Brown was sacked six times, threw for only 205 yards and had a pick. Stanford led a balanced attack with 206 on the ground and 208 through the air.
Maryland tied the score 7-7 to open the second quarter but it was all Stanford after that. They got into a groove and by the time they were done it was 42-7 at the beginning of the fourth quarter. Jordan Williamson ran the KO back to the house to cut the lead to 42-14 but the cover was still well in hand.
Maryland got a TD with 2:12 left to make the final score 45-21 WIN

TCU -3.5 vs Mississippi – Did TCU get hosed or was the Committee correct in leaving the Big 12 out of the playoffs? And how good is Ole Miss really?
The Committee teased TCU by ranking them #3 and then dropping them to #6 when it counted, even after blowing out Iowa State 55-3.
Meanwhile Ole Miss started off the season getting ranked as high as #7 but then the schedule stiffened and the Rebels folded, losing back to back games to LSU and Auburn.
Now these two teams get to answer these questions as the #1 scoring defense (Ole Miss) squares off against the #2 scoring offense(TCU) in the Peach Bowl.
The Landshark defense will be the best TCU has faced all year – by a country mile. The Rebs allowed 13.8 points per game, more than 2 points per game better than 2nd place Stanford. It’s no accident; the Land Shark defense is solid against both the pass and the run
TCU used to be known for its defenses but this year, behind QB Trevone Boykin, the Frog's offense is winning games. Boykin passed for 30 TDs and ran for another 8. TCU averaged better than 46 points per game.
Both teams are covering machines. Ole Miss is 10-4 ATS as a dog. TCU went 10-2 ATS this year.
Generally, I like taking the defense in these matchups but I’m going to take TCU for one reason. Ole Miss QB Bo Wallace has his good days and then total bone head days. I’ll lay the points and wait for Bad Bo to make an appearance. If TCU were getting points I’d consider this as a Mega but laying over a FG – I’ll put a small wager on the Toads – nothing big.
The Committee teased TCU by ranking them #3 and then dropping them to #6 when it counted, even after blowing out Iowa State 55-3.
Meanwhile Ole Miss started off the season getting ranked as high as #7 but then the schedule stiffened and the Rebels folded, losing back to back games to LSU and Auburn.
Now these two teams get to answer these questions as the #1 scoring defense (Ole Miss) squares off against the #2 scoring offense(TCU) in the Peach Bowl.
The Landshark defense will be the best TCU has faced all year – by a country mile. The Rebs allowed 13.8 points per game, more than 2 points per game better than 2nd place Stanford. It’s no accident; the Land Shark defense is solid against both the pass and the run
TCU used to be known for its defenses but this year, behind QB Trevone Boykin, the Frog's offense is winning games. Boykin passed for 30 TDs and ran for another 8. TCU averaged better than 46 points per game.
Both teams are covering machines. Ole Miss is 10-4 ATS as a dog. TCU went 10-2 ATS this year.
Generally, I like taking the defense in these matchups but I’m going to take TCU for one reason. Ole Miss QB Bo Wallace has his good days and then total bone head days. I’ll lay the points and wait for Bad Bo to make an appearance. If TCU were getting points I’d consider this as a Mega but laying over a FG – I’ll put a small wager on the Toads – nothing big.

Arizona -3.0 vs Boise State - Rich Rodriquez was two saviors ago at Michigan. Now he is the savior at Arizona after winning the PAC 12 coach of the year.
The Wildcats feature Freshman All America QB Anu Soloman who passed for nearly 3,500 yards, 27 TDs against only 7 picks. When he wasn’t passing, he was handing it off to fellow Frosh All American, RB Nick Wilson. Wilson ran for 1,289 yards and another 15 TDs.
The Wildcat defense was a problem, ranking no higher than 9th in the PAC 12 in just about every category. But First Team All American LB Scooby Wright is a fantastic play maker and brings plenty of hardware – winning the Bednarik, Nagurski and Lombardi awards.
They face off against the perennial BCS bowl buster Boise State. Earlier in the year it looked like the Power Five conference representative would be either Marshall or East Carolina. But they flopped late and it was the Broncos taking their usual spot.
BSU started a bit slowly but kicked it in starting in October. Since then, they have not been held under 37 points. The offense is powered by RB Jay Ajayi, who had 1,705 yards rushing and 25 TDs. The defense is its usual scrappy bunch of playmakers who combined for 20 picks.
This is Boise’s third trip to the Fiesta Bowl since 2006. They have won twice, beating Oklahoma in a classic in 2006 and TCU in 2009 as a seven point dog.
Neither team is faring well against the spread. Boise has failed to cover in their last two bowls. Arizona is 4-7 ATS as a favorite, 5-6 ATS away from Tempe
I’m going to take Zona. Boise played one ranked team and got destroyed by Ole Miss 35-13. Rich Rod has had a few weeks to cook up some evil genius offense plays. The Wildcats are going to want to get rid of the beat down Oregon gave them in the Pac 12 championship game and will come in fired up.
I’ll make this the only Mega Bet of the day.
The Wildcats feature Freshman All America QB Anu Soloman who passed for nearly 3,500 yards, 27 TDs against only 7 picks. When he wasn’t passing, he was handing it off to fellow Frosh All American, RB Nick Wilson. Wilson ran for 1,289 yards and another 15 TDs.
The Wildcat defense was a problem, ranking no higher than 9th in the PAC 12 in just about every category. But First Team All American LB Scooby Wright is a fantastic play maker and brings plenty of hardware – winning the Bednarik, Nagurski and Lombardi awards.
They face off against the perennial BCS bowl buster Boise State. Earlier in the year it looked like the Power Five conference representative would be either Marshall or East Carolina. But they flopped late and it was the Broncos taking their usual spot.
BSU started a bit slowly but kicked it in starting in October. Since then, they have not been held under 37 points. The offense is powered by RB Jay Ajayi, who had 1,705 yards rushing and 25 TDs. The defense is its usual scrappy bunch of playmakers who combined for 20 picks.
This is Boise’s third trip to the Fiesta Bowl since 2006. They have won twice, beating Oklahoma in a classic in 2006 and TCU in 2009 as a seven point dog.
Neither team is faring well against the spread. Boise has failed to cover in their last two bowls. Arizona is 4-7 ATS as a favorite, 5-6 ATS away from Tempe
I’m going to take Zona. Boise played one ranked team and got destroyed by Ole Miss 35-13. Rich Rod has had a few weeks to cook up some evil genius offense plays. The Wildcats are going to want to get rid of the beat down Oregon gave them in the Pac 12 championship game and will come in fired up.
I’ll make this the only Mega Bet of the day.

Georgia Tech +6.5 Mississippi State – Mrs. Bruce, Mrs Doofus and the Sax Man have all mandated that I take Georgia Tech – so I will.
But is there good reason too?
Tech beat a demoralized USC in the 2012 Sun Bowl, but they’ve lost eight of their last nine bowl games going as far back as a blow out to Syracuse in the 2004 Champs Sports Bowl. The option works during the regular season but when teams have time to prepare they seem to get the knack on how to stop it.
Mississippi State, meanwhile, has won six of their last seven bowls including a 44-7 blow out of Rice last year.
QB Dak Prescott is Tebowesque in his ability to run and pass. He had close to 3,000 yards passing with 24 TDs and another 939 yards on the ground with 13 TDs.
The defense has been stellar and is #1 in red zone defense. Auburn is pretty good on the ground and the Bulldogs limited them to 239 yards.
So why take Tech? Well, I have to for one. But, Tech is not purely an option team this year. QB Justin Thomas can stretch the field when you are least expecting it. Even though he will be missing Da Smelter he should find some open targets against an MSU defense that allows 285 yards through the air.
The trends lean Tech’s way too. The Jackets went 5-1 as a dog and is on a six game winning streak ATS. MSU went 2-4 ATS to close out the season.
No quatloos on this game. Don’t want to jinx the Wreck.
But is there good reason too?
Tech beat a demoralized USC in the 2012 Sun Bowl, but they’ve lost eight of their last nine bowl games going as far back as a blow out to Syracuse in the 2004 Champs Sports Bowl. The option works during the regular season but when teams have time to prepare they seem to get the knack on how to stop it.
Mississippi State, meanwhile, has won six of their last seven bowls including a 44-7 blow out of Rice last year.
QB Dak Prescott is Tebowesque in his ability to run and pass. He had close to 3,000 yards passing with 24 TDs and another 939 yards on the ground with 13 TDs.
The defense has been stellar and is #1 in red zone defense. Auburn is pretty good on the ground and the Bulldogs limited them to 239 yards.
So why take Tech? Well, I have to for one. But, Tech is not purely an option team this year. QB Justin Thomas can stretch the field when you are least expecting it. Even though he will be missing Da Smelter he should find some open targets against an MSU defense that allows 285 yards through the air.
The trends lean Tech’s way too. The Jackets went 5-1 as a dog and is on a six game winning streak ATS. MSU went 2-4 ATS to close out the season.
No quatloos on this game. Don’t want to jinx the Wreck.