The college football bowl season kicks off today and our experts are back to preview and pick every upcoming game including Army vs Houston in the Armed Forces Bowl.<\/p>\n
Marquee Bowls<\/strong><\/p>\n Mike Loveall:\u00a0The Aggies’ are a 10-win team, and they’re deserving of the respect that comes with that. But the Mean Green have the dangerous Mason Fine at quarterback and a quality head coach that will be getting job offers soon. This is a classic offense versus defense matchup. In the good weather of New Mexico, expect North Texas to pull the upset. North Texas<\/strong> 31, Utah State 27<\/p>\n Yesh Ginsburg:\u00a0What will Utah State do without head coach Matt Wells? That’s the biggest question in this game. North Texas is a good team and this should be a great game, but the Aggies have more talent and the more explosive offense. As long as Utah State stays focused, it should win. Utah State<\/strong> 38, North Texas 31<\/p>\n John Bava: This is one of the more intriguing bowl matchups involving two non-Power Five schools. Both achieved unprecedented success in 2018. Utah State won 10 games in a season for the first time in school history, while only once before has North Texas put together back-to-back nine-win seasons. The Aggies and Mean Green have a somewhat shared past as the two were formerly a part of the Big West and Sun Belt.<\/p>\n Expect both teams\u2019 pass games to be heavily involved in Albuquerque. Each team boasts an immensely dynamic quarterback in Utah State\u2019s Jordan Love and North Texas\u2019 Mason Fine. Both are top 20 nationally in passing yardage and have thrown a combined 55 touchdowns to just 10 interceptions. What pushes the Aggies over the top in this one is a playmaking defense that leads FBS with six interceptions returned for touchdowns. Utah State<\/strong> 38, North Texas 31<\/p>\n Steen Kirby: North Texas has had a great season but the MWC is a better conference and Utah State has the edge in this game, this is another team that would be undefeated with a couple of extra scores this season. Utah State<\/strong> 28, North Texas 17<\/p>\n Mike: The Bulldogs have quietly put together a banner season behind Marcus McMaryion’s 3.453 passing yards. They’re going against an Arizona State team that many people are watching like a laboratory experiment, with new head coach Herm Edwards installing a pro-style approach to his program. With Eno Benjamin in the backfield, it’ll likely be a track meet. Can Fresno get to 12 wins? Arizona State<\/strong> 35, Fresno State 30<\/p>\n Yesh:\u00a0\u00a0It’s hard to know what to make of Arizona State, but this Fresno State team is really good. Other than the struggle early in the season against Minnesota, the Bulldogs have brought their best just about every week. Avenging the loss to Boise State feels really good, but a bowl win over a Pac 12 team will feel even better. Fresno State<\/strong> 28, Arizona State 21<\/p>\n John: Fresno State\u2019s last appearance on a football field was sweet in so many ways. Not only did the Bulldogs finally exorcize the curse of the blue turf, getting their first-ever win on it, but it also sealed their third Mountain West title and first since 2013. Their reward is a trip to Las Vegas to face an Arizona State team who put together a decent 7-5 season in Herm Edwards\u2019 return to coaching.<\/p>\n One of the more prominent storylines heading into this game is how the Sun Devils will cope with not having stud wide receiver N\u2019Keal Harry. Harry decided against playing in his team\u2019s bowl game and instead will prepare for next year\u2019s NFL Draft. He totaled 1,088 receiving yards this season, which underscores the fact that ASU will be hard-pressed to replace that kind of production. Fresno has their own dynamic pass-catcher in KeeSean Johnson who finished with 1,307 yards receiving which ranks eighth nationally. The Pac-12 didn\u2019t exactly impress in bowls last season, and the trend continues in Sin City. Fresno State<\/strong> 31, Arizona State 20<\/p>\n Steen: MWC Champions Fresno State have a great QB and would be undefeated if a couple of touchdowns had gone the other way. Arizona State is rebuilding under Herm Edwards but I don’t see this game being that close. Fresno State<\/strong> 42, Arizona State 24<\/p>\n Mike:\u00a0You knew it was going to come to end at some point, and Scott Satterfield was finally snatched up by a larger program (Louisville). If Satterfield were coaching this game, it might be different. MTSU has a pass happy offense, and Appalachian State has struggled in that area this season. The Blue Raiders are coming off a disappointing loss to UAB in the Conference USA Championship Game; look for them to have the motivation to end the season on a high note in the Big Easy. Middle Tennessee<\/strong>\u00a037, Appalachian State 33<\/p>\n Yesh:\u00a0\u00a0Appalachian State is a really good team. No offense to MTSU, which is solid in its own right, but the Mountaineers are just better. Of course, the Mountaineers also just lost their head coach. This game will be determined by how motivated App State is. As long as the Mountaineers come locked in, they’ll win. Appalachian State<\/strong> 41, Middle Tennessee 27<\/p>\n John: This is just the third meeting between Appalachian State and Middle Tennessee and the first since 1992. The Mountaineers come into this contest having won their third straight Sun Belt title. They face a Blue Raiders side that came up just short in their bid at conference championship glory, losing 27-25 to UAB in the Conference USA title game.<\/p>\n App State will be without their head coach as Scott Satterfield left for the Louisville job. It will be interesting to see how the team responds. Defensive line coach Mark Ivey is taking over on an interim basis. That might be a good thing as the Mountaineers rank fifth nationally in total defense. Even though MTSU quarterback Brent Stockstill\u2019s 70.5 percent completion percentage is fourth-best in the nation, the Mountaineers should be able to keep him in check. They\u2019re one of 20 FBS teams who\u2019ve crossed the 15-interception threshold as a team. Appalachian State<\/strong> 33, Middle Tennessee 21<\/p>\n Steen: Brent Stockstill is a great QB for MTSU but Appalachian State is a really good team (perhaps the second best in the group of 6) and they will find a way to win this game even with coach Scott Satterfield leaving for Louisiville. Appalachian State<\/strong> 35, Middle Tennessee 24<\/p>\n Mike:\u00a0The Blazers are one of the feel good stories of the 2018 season. Bill Clark takes his charges into Boca Raton looking to get one more win against Northern Illinois. This won’t be the most exciting game to watch, but it’ll be interesting to see how UAB finishes. UAB<\/strong> 20, Northern Illinois 17<\/p>\n Yesh: UAB is absolutely one heck of a story, and Bill Clark definitely earned his Coach of the Year award. Unfortunately, Northern Illinois is underrated and has a tremendous defense. As long as the Huskies offense can get minimal production (which is not at all a given, this season), NIU should be able to squeak out a victory. It will be a great game, though. Northern Illinois<\/strong> 21, UAB 17<\/p>\n John: The feel-good story that is UAB continues. In their second season since returning to college football, the Blazers won their first conference title of any kind when they knocked off Middle Tennessee in the C-USA championship game. Standing in the way of their first-ever bowl victory is Northern Illinois who has to be feeling good themselves. They pulled off a massive upset of Buffalo to win their first MAC title in four years.<\/p>\n This is the only bowl game involving two conference champions not part of the New Year\u2019s Six. It\u2019s also the first time these two schools have met. The Blazers will try to get their ground game going through Spencer Brown who\u2019s one of three C-USA running backs who eclipsed 1,000 yards rushing this year. But it may prove a challenge against a Huskie defense which gave up the fewest rushing yards per game among MAC sides. Northern Illinois<\/strong> 27, UAB 24<\/p>\n Steen: Both teams won conference titles as UAB has risen like a Phoenix to notch 10 wins this year, while NIU recovered from a slow start to win the MAC. NIU’s defense is tough and should stifle UAB enough to notch the win. Northern Illinois<\/strong> 24, UAB 21<\/p>\n Mike: Houston is an underdog that will get a lot of action. The Cougars are talented, but they’ve been plagued by injuries, inconsistency, and a little turmoil this season. Ed Oliver won’t play in his last opportunity with his hometown team, and D’Eriq King is out for the season as well. Army isn’t the team you want to play when your team’s mindset is shaken. They’re motivated and they will grind down an opponent. Army<\/strong> 35, Houston 28<\/p>\n Yesh: Army has had a heck of a season. The Black Knights were less than a minute away from shocking Oklahoma, and they have been cool and consistent all year, on both sides of the ball. It’s always tough to predict triple-option teams in bowl games because of the extra prep time, but I think Army will come prepared and disciplined enough to barely earn a win. Army<\/strong> 31, Houston 20<\/p>\n John: The balance of power in service academy football has completely swung in Army\u2019s favor over the past few years. They\u2019ve clearly supplanted Navy as the top dog among the three FBS Armed Forces programs. Under fifth-year head coach Jeff Monken, the Black Knights are on the cusp of history. Never before has this storied program finished a season with 11 wins. But they can do exactly that with a victory over Houston in this year\u2019s iteration of the Armed Forces Bowl.<\/p>\n Ed Oliver is bucking the trend of top NFL Draft prospects sitting out their school\u2019s bowl game. He and the Cougars defense has a tall task ahead of them neutralizing Army\u2019s vaunted triple option. His ability to force tackles for loss will certainly aid his team\u2019s chances. However, Houston as a whole ranks 99th in FBS in rushing yards allowed. Army is second nationally in rushing offense. That bodes well for the Cadets from West Point making history. Army<\/strong> 24, Houston 20<\/p>\n Steen: This is a huge game for Army, after a 10th win that came against heated rivals Navy, they now have a chance to knock off a credible Houston team that went 1-3 down the stretch. Army’s option should control the game and earn them a win. Army<\/strong> 27, Houston 20<\/p>\n Other Bowls<\/strong><\/p>\n Steen: To reach a bowl Tulane finished the year strong, they should continue that momentum and beat their in-state rivals ULL. Tulane<\/strong> 35, ULL 17<\/p>\n Mike:\u00a0 The Green Wave have shown glimpses of potential this season. Tulane<\/strong> 34, ULL 23<\/p>\n Yesh:\u00a0ULL has really turned its program around in recent years, but Tulane is better this season. Tulane<\/strong> 34, ULL 28<\/p>\n John: Tulane is making just its third bowl appearance since 2000. They face in-state foe Louisiana in Orlando and can wrap up their fifth ever bowl win if they can overcome the Ragin\u2019 Cajuns. Tulane<\/strong> 24, ULL 17<\/p>\n Steen: Georgia Southern has built a strong offense with the option and they should run over EMU in this one. Georgia Southern<\/strong> 31, Eastern Michigan 17<\/p>\n Mike:\u00a0Neither of these teams will set the world on fire; might be the least attractive of the bowl games this season. Georgia Southern<\/strong> 20, Eastern Michigan 17<\/p>\n Yesh:\u00a0This line baffles me. Georgia Southern is a far superior team. Georgia Southern<\/strong> 35, Eastern Michigan 17<\/p>\n John: This all-Eagles affair pits an Eastern Michigan side that has a transitive victory over Ohio State against a Georgia Southern team who handed Appalachian State its only loss in Sun Belt play. Georgia Southern<\/strong> 33, Eastern Michigan 24<\/p>\n Steen: San Diego State is struggling late in the year and Ohio has a great dual-threat QB. Ohio<\/strong> 38, San Diego State 24<\/p>\n Mike:\u00a0The Aztecs will be motivated and still have a bad taste in their mouth from last season’s Texas bowl game. San Diego State<\/strong> 27, Ohio 20<\/p>\n Yesh:\u00a0San Diego State has more talent, but absolutely collapsed this season. Ohio<\/strong> 31, San Diego State 14<\/p>\n John: Ohio\u2019s Nathan Rourke is one of the nation\u2019s top dual-threat quarterbacks but he could be in for a challenge against a San Diego State side which led the Mountain West in rush defense. San Diego State<\/strong> 30, Ohio 23<\/p>\n Steen: Despite tanking late in the season, this is a home game for USF and they play in a tougher conference. USF<\/strong> 35, Marshall 28<\/p>\n Mike: The Bulls are too talented not to get to eight wins this season, even with some key injuries. USF<\/strong> 31, Marshall 28<\/p>\n Yesh:\u00a0South Florida is on a five-game losing streak, but Marshall has looked really bad at times this year, especially in its final game. USF<\/strong> 41, Marshall 38<\/p>\n John: This game could hinge on who steps up on the defensive side of the ball, which might be an issue with South Florida who\u2019s on a five-game losing streak and ranked 104th nationally in total defense. Marshall<\/strong> 27, USF 17<\/p>\n Steen: Toledo’s losses have come to good teams but FIU is playing closer to home and should have an edge. FIU<\/strong> 24, Toledo 17<\/p>\n Mike:\u00a0 The Bahamas game is always tricky with just too many variables, not the least of which is the distraction of paradise. Take FIU athleticism. FIU<\/strong> 38, Toledo 34<\/p>\n Yesh: FIU mostly flew under the radar this year, while Toledo did not quite live up to its expected production. Toledo<\/strong> 31, FIU 28<\/p>\n John: Florida International boasts a 9-4 record against the spread as an underdog over the past few years and are a fashionable pick in this year\u2019s Bahamas Bowl as a result. Toledo<\/strong> 31, FIU 28<\/p>\n Steen: Both teams have been inconsistent, BYU is better but this line is too high. BYU<\/strong> 24, Western Michigan 21<\/p>\n Mike:\u00a0It’s no coincidence that BYU and Blue Turf both start with the letter “B”. BYU<\/strong> 42, Western Michigan 35<\/p>\n Yesh:\u00a0 I don’t understand this line either. BYU struggled all year. Western Michigan<\/strong> 31, BYU 24<\/p>\n John: This is a puzzling line considering BYU snuck into bowl eligibility with a 6-6 record. The Cougars are in for a challenge against a Western Michigan team that includes the MAC\u2019s leading rusher, LeVante Bellamy. BYU<\/strong> 26, Western Michigan 23<\/p>\n Steen: The AAC west champions will spread the field and air it out against a poor Wake secondary. Memphis<\/strong> 42, Wake Forest 21<\/p>\n Mike:\u00a0This is the one bet that tempts you to bet the house. Memphis<\/strong> 41, Wake Forest 23<\/p>\n Yesh:\u00a0This should, very quietly, be a very good game. Memphis played awful on defense against Mizzou, and will want to rectify that against another P5 team. Memphis<\/strong> 45, Wake Forest 35<\/p>\n John: Memphis quarterback Brady White led the AAC in passing yards and has the potential to feast on a Wake Forest team that ranked dead last among ACC teams defending the pass. Memphis<\/strong> 41, Wake Forest 17<\/p>\n Steen: Both teams were great this year, especially in conference. Troy is playing closer to home though and should have momentum. Troy<\/strong> 28, Buffalo 24<\/p>\n Mike:\u00a0Probably the toughest game on this slate to call; so go with the home team. Troy<\/strong> 34, Buffalo 31<\/p>\n Yesh:\u00a0Buffalo and Troy are both really good teams, and this should be an exciting game. Buffalo<\/strong> 41, Troy 38<\/p>\n John: Buffalo pulled off one of the worst choke jobs you\u2019re likely to see in the MAC championship game. It\u2019s likely they\u2019re still reeling against a Troy side who should have a sizable contingent of fans in Mobile. Troy<\/strong> 27, Buffalo 21<\/p>\n Steen: An extra home game for the Rainbow Warriors, they started an impressive 6-1 and although they haven’t finished strong they should find a ninth win here. Hawaii<\/strong> 49, Lousiana Tech 35<\/p>\n Mike:\u00a0The Warriors can sling the ball all over the field; this is a tough bowl game for a traveling team (at least on the field). Hawaii<\/strong> 38, Louisiana Tech 31<\/p>\n Yesh:\u00a0It’s hard to pick against Hawaii on the Islands, but the Rainbow Warriors weren’t that good this year. Louisiana Tech<\/strong> 35, Hawaii 31<\/p>\n John: Cole McDonald has brought the fun and gun back to the islands with his 3,790 passing yards ranking fifth nationally. It\u2019s a big reason Hawai\u2019i has a chance to win at least nine games for the first time since 2010. Hawai’i<\/strong> 45, Louisiana Tech 31<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The college football bowl season kicks off today and our experts are back to preview and pick every upcoming game including Army vs Houston in the Armed Forces Bowl. Marquee Bowls New Mexico Bowl: Utah State (10-2) vs North Texas( 9-3) (Saturday at 2:00) Line: Utah State by 8 Mike Loveall:\u00a0The Aggies’ are a 10-win […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1442,"featured_media":19344,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8,7361,2],"tags":[4176,1145,35626,4167,334,4177,4180,4169,4168],"class_list":["post-19340","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fbs","category-bowl-games","category-featured","tag-birmingham-bowl-prediction","tag-bowl-games","tag-bowl-predictions","tag-college-football-bowls","tag-college-football-predictions","tag-frisco-bowl-prediction","tag-hawaii-bowl-prediction","tag-las-vegas-bowl-prediction","tag-new-mexico-bowl-prediction"],"modified_by":"Steen Kirby","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19340","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1442"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19340"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19340\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19344"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19340"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19340"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19340"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}New Mexico Bowl: Utah State (10-2) vs North Texas( 9-3) (Saturday at 2:00) Line: Utah State by 8<\/h3>\n
Las Vegas Bowl: Arizona State (7-5) vs #21 Fresno State (11-2) (Saturday at 3:30) Line: Fresno State by 4<\/h3>\n
New Orleans Bowl: Middle Tennessee State (8-5) vs Appalachian State (10-2) (Saturday at 9:00) Line: Appalachian State by 7<\/h3>\n
Boca Raton Bowl: UAB (10-3) vs Northern Illinois (8-5) (Tuesday at 7:00) Line: UAB by 2.5<\/h3>\n
Armed Forces Bowl: Army (10-2) vs Houston (8-4) (Saturday 12\/22 at 3:30) Line: Army by 3<\/h3>\n
Cure Bowl: Tulane (6-6) vs Louisiana-Lafayette (7-6)
\nLine: Tulane by 3.5<\/h3>\nCamellia Bowl: Georgia Southern (9-3) vs Eastern Michigan (7-5) Line: Georgia Southern by 1<\/h3>\n
Frisco Bowl: San Diego State (7-5) vs Ohio (8-4)
\nLine: Ohio by 3<\/h3>\nGasparilla Bowl: Marshall (8-4) vs South Florida (7-5)
\nLine: Marshall by 2.5<\/h3>\nBahamas Bowl: FIU (8-4) vs Toledo (7-5)
\nLine: Toledo by 5.5<\/h3>\nFamous Idaho Potato Bowl: Western Michigan (7-5) vs BYU (6-6)
\nLine: BYU by 12<\/h3>\nBirmingham Bowl: Memphis (8-5) vs Wake Forest (6-6)
\nLine: Memphis by 5<\/h3>\nDollar General Bowl: Buffalo (10-3) vs Troy (9-3)
\nLine: Buffalo by 2.5<\/h3>\nHawaii Bowl: Hawaii (8-5) vs Louisiana Tech (7-5)
\nLine: Hawaii by 1<\/h3>\n