CALLING JPICKS--Need Your Help With the MWC Bowl Teams
- Thread starter RJ Esq
- Start date
Aztec4Life
Montezuma Mesa Survivor
Hurry up damnit!
:cheers:
:cheers:
sportjunky
Follower of tha truddhist philosophy
UCLA gave a bunch of their unsold tickets to BYU, so it'll pretty much be a home game for BYU and Ben Olson should get the start.
fwiw.
fwiw.
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
I've been to the last 2 LV Bowls and am sadly missing this one. Both games were pretty much home games for BYU. There is a large Mormon population in Vegas and alot of fans come from Utah. They are also very supportive of their team and knowledgeable.
Go figure that Bruin fans don't care now that basketball season has started and their football team has disappointed, again.
JPicks
Pretty much a regular
You guys are killing me. I'd love to give you some big write ups but I just haven't had a ton of time. Well I'm sure I've had time, but I didn't allocate it to the bowls. Anyways I'll just tell ya what I'm playing and you guys can ask all the questions you want. I'll try to do some mini writeups before the games start.
UTAH/NAVY
Going to play the under, but I missed the opening #. I'm hoping to play it close to the original # come Thursday night somewhere before tip. This thing has to get some run back up. At least that's my hope. If I can get Utah at a 6.5 -10c I'll also play that, but I don't think that's very realistic. Dr. B helped a bit today though.
Nevada/UNM
Played the Wolfpack at +3 and a little on the ML at +125. This play has absolutely ZERO to do with Ferguson being out. I was already under the impression that the Lobos have a poor running game and the Wolfpack have done a pretty good job against the run this year. No way the Lobos are fired up for a bowl game at their own home. WAC VS MWC always has the WAC with a chip on their shoulder. Another under that I would have loved to play at 63. 58 is a bit more enteresting. Probably look at that one a bit more later.
BYU/UCLA
I see this is the forum favorite. I just don't have any idea what to expect out of UCLA. Honestly both teams are dissapointed to be playing this game. Nobody wants a regular season rematch in the bowl game. That said I guess you'd automatically have to give the edge of motivation to the Cougars as they lost the first one and honestly should have won minus the turnovers in Max Hall's first road game as a starting QB. They outgained the Bruins 436/235 but lost the TO battle 3/1. I've actually got alot to say about this one, but I'm outta time right now. I'll write more up on the game tomorrow, but I lean heavily towards the under here and will probably buy the hook and take BYU -4.
So I've played:
Nevada +3 and ML
Will play:
BYU -4 (buying hook)
UTAH Under
Looking at:
UNM under
BYU under
UTAH -6.5
Almost forgot about TCU and HOUSTON. I like TCU -3, but antyhing over is a bit to much for me to chew on. I worry about TCU keeping up with HOU offense, but they've got the playmakers on the defense to keep them in this one. Really need to look at this one a bit more.
UTAH/NAVY
Going to play the under, but I missed the opening #. I'm hoping to play it close to the original # come Thursday night somewhere before tip. This thing has to get some run back up. At least that's my hope. If I can get Utah at a 6.5 -10c I'll also play that, but I don't think that's very realistic. Dr. B helped a bit today though.
Nevada/UNM
Played the Wolfpack at +3 and a little on the ML at +125. This play has absolutely ZERO to do with Ferguson being out. I was already under the impression that the Lobos have a poor running game and the Wolfpack have done a pretty good job against the run this year. No way the Lobos are fired up for a bowl game at their own home. WAC VS MWC always has the WAC with a chip on their shoulder. Another under that I would have loved to play at 63. 58 is a bit more enteresting. Probably look at that one a bit more later.
BYU/UCLA
I see this is the forum favorite. I just don't have any idea what to expect out of UCLA. Honestly both teams are dissapointed to be playing this game. Nobody wants a regular season rematch in the bowl game. That said I guess you'd automatically have to give the edge of motivation to the Cougars as they lost the first one and honestly should have won minus the turnovers in Max Hall's first road game as a starting QB. They outgained the Bruins 436/235 but lost the TO battle 3/1. I've actually got alot to say about this one, but I'm outta time right now. I'll write more up on the game tomorrow, but I lean heavily towards the under here and will probably buy the hook and take BYU -4.
So I've played:
Nevada +3 and ML
Will play:
BYU -4 (buying hook)
UTAH Under
Looking at:
UNM under
BYU under
UTAH -6.5
Almost forgot about TCU and HOUSTON. I like TCU -3, but antyhing over is a bit to much for me to chew on. I worry about TCU keeping up with HOU offense, but they've got the playmakers on the defense to keep them in this one. Really need to look at this one a bit more.
Last edited:
JPicks
Pretty much a regular
Hey that star is my special star. lol.
No doubt about the Las Vegas Bowl being a home game for BYU. They love traveling down there and UCLA (fans) cares more about who their next coach is quite a bit more than they care about playing a BYU team again.
JPicks
Pretty much a regular
JPicks
Pretty much a regular
I think it should be solid RJ. Utes take alot of pride in their bowl apperances.
SAN DIEGO - In six games over eight years under three head coaches, they have shut down a USC offense quarterbacked by Carson Palmer and coordinated by Norm Chow, recorded nine sacks in a Bowl Championship Series game, blanketed an All-America receiver and allowed only one opposing offense to score more than one touchdown.
No wonder the Utah Utes have kept winning bowl games.
Utah's defense will face an unusual challenge in Thursday's Poinsettia Bowl, dealing with Navy's option scheme. Yet the Utes have handled everything that offenses have thrown at them during their six-game winning streak, with future NFL first-round draft choices and other college stars unable to move the football and score much at all in bowl games from San Francisco to Memphis.
What's the story? "We kind of ask ourselves the same question," said Ute defensive coordinator Gary Andersen.
Actually, Utah's coaches and players believe they have a December system that works.
"When you prepare for a bowl game and have success, it just reinforces that. . . . It builds upon itself," said Whittingham, Utah's defensive coordinator for the first four games of the streak.
It was not always this way. In the 1996 Copper Bowl, Wisconsin freshman Ron Dayne rushed for 246 yards in a 38-10 victory over Utah, while the Badgers attempted only six passes. Actually, that game illustrates a key point: Utah's defensive performance in bowl games is pretty much an extension of its season-long play, not some extraordinary effort. While that '96 team struggled against the run late in the year, Utah's defenses have been fairly solid ever since.
The Utes have not faced a bunch of punchless offenses in bowl games, either. USC was just getting going with Palmer and Chow in coach Pete Carroll's first season, but had averaged 35 points in its previous four games before the Utes held them to 151 total yards in the 2001 Las Vegas Bowl. Before being shut out by the Utes in the '03 Liberty Bowl, Southern Miss had scored 35.7 points during a six-game winning streak.
Navy's dynamic attack will become the latest to test itself against a Ute defense that coach Ken Niumatalolo describes as "strong and athletic." Here's what else the Utes have going for them:
Preparation.
"Our coaching staff, given a few weeks, is hard to beat," said Ute safety Steve Tate. "They prepare well, knowing our opponent, the ins and the outs of them."
The methods have evolved over 15 years of Utah's recent bowl history, through coaches Ron McBride, Urban Meyer and Whittingham. The philosophy is to "do enough to stay sharp and get better, but not to burn 'em out," Whittingham said. "You're walking a fine line. The last thing you want to do is for a bowl game to be a punishment and make it miserable for the guys."
As for the opponents, Andersen suggests Utah's varied defensive package gives offensive coordinators a lot to cover after studying 12 game films. That will be less of an issue for Navy, however, because defending the option requires a fairly basic approach.
Personnel.
Asked to pinpoint Utah's bowl success secret, Whittingham said, "Good players."
Probably the best example is defensive back Eric Weddle, who personally held Georgia Tech receiver Calvin Johnson to two catches in the '05 Emerald Bowl.
The Utes seem to develop new defensive stars every year. Left off the '07 preseason All-Mountain West Conference team, Tate and lineman Martail Burnett made the all-league first team in recent voting. Defensive backs Brice McCain and Robert Johnson, linebacker Stevenson Sylvester and linemen Gabe Long and Paul Kruger also emerged this season.
Pride.
This is where Utah's success feeds itself. Motivation is always an issue in college football's postseason, but not for the Utes, who enjoy this distinction of winning bowl games. Only Boston College, which edged Navy on a last-second field goal last December, has a longer active run (seven wins in seven years). The trophies from the Utes' six wins are displayed in cases in the lobby of the school's football complex and illustrated on the cover of this year's media guide.
"We take these bowl games seriously, that's for sure," Tate said. "Every year, we make it a goal of ours to keep that streak alive."
kkragthorpe@sltrib.com
BOWL CENTRAL
POINSETTIA BOWL: Utah vs. Navy in San Diego, Thursday, 7 p.m., ESPN
LAS VEGAS BOWL: BYU vs. UCLA, Saturday, 6 p.m., ESPN BOWL CENTRAL
Dominating defense
Solid defense has keyed Utah's six-game bowl winning streak.
Year Bowl Result
1999 Las Vegas Utah 17, Fresno St. 16
Defense allows nine points
2001 Las Vegas Utah 10, USC 6
Trojans held to 151 yards
2003 Liberty Utah 17, S. Miss 0
USM completes 13 of 39 passes
2004 Fiesta Utah 35, Pittsburgh 7
Utes' nine sacks is Fiesta record
2005 Emerald Utah 38, Ga. Tech 10
Calvin Johnson: 2 catches, 19 yards
2006 Armed Forces Utah 25, Tulsa 13
Tulsa 2-for-11 on third down
SAN DIEGO - In six games over eight years under three head coaches, they have shut down a USC offense quarterbacked by Carson Palmer and coordinated by Norm Chow, recorded nine sacks in a Bowl Championship Series game, blanketed an All-America receiver and allowed only one opposing offense to score more than one touchdown.
No wonder the Utah Utes have kept winning bowl games.
Utah's defense will face an unusual challenge in Thursday's Poinsettia Bowl, dealing with Navy's option scheme. Yet the Utes have handled everything that offenses have thrown at them during their six-game winning streak, with future NFL first-round draft choices and other college stars unable to move the football and score much at all in bowl games from San Francisco to Memphis.
What's the story? "We kind of ask ourselves the same question," said Ute defensive coordinator Gary Andersen.
Actually, Utah's coaches and players believe they have a December system that works.
"When you prepare for a bowl game and have success, it just reinforces that. . . . It builds upon itself," said Whittingham, Utah's defensive coordinator for the first four games of the streak.
It was not always this way. In the 1996 Copper Bowl, Wisconsin freshman Ron Dayne rushed for 246 yards in a 38-10 victory over Utah, while the Badgers attempted only six passes. Actually, that game illustrates a key point: Utah's defensive performance in bowl games is pretty much an extension of its season-long play, not some extraordinary effort. While that '96 team struggled against the run late in the year, Utah's defenses have been fairly solid ever since.
The Utes have not faced a bunch of punchless offenses in bowl games, either. USC was just getting going with Palmer and Chow in coach Pete Carroll's first season, but had averaged 35 points in its previous four games before the Utes held them to 151 total yards in the 2001 Las Vegas Bowl. Before being shut out by the Utes in the '03 Liberty Bowl, Southern Miss had scored 35.7 points during a six-game winning streak.
Navy's dynamic attack will become the latest to test itself against a Ute defense that coach Ken Niumatalolo describes as "strong and athletic." Here's what else the Utes have going for them:
Preparation.
"Our coaching staff, given a few weeks, is hard to beat," said Ute safety Steve Tate. "They prepare well, knowing our opponent, the ins and the outs of them."
The methods have evolved over 15 years of Utah's recent bowl history, through coaches Ron McBride, Urban Meyer and Whittingham. The philosophy is to "do enough to stay sharp and get better, but not to burn 'em out," Whittingham said. "You're walking a fine line. The last thing you want to do is for a bowl game to be a punishment and make it miserable for the guys."
As for the opponents, Andersen suggests Utah's varied defensive package gives offensive coordinators a lot to cover after studying 12 game films. That will be less of an issue for Navy, however, because defending the option requires a fairly basic approach.
Personnel.
Asked to pinpoint Utah's bowl success secret, Whittingham said, "Good players."
Probably the best example is defensive back Eric Weddle, who personally held Georgia Tech receiver Calvin Johnson to two catches in the '05 Emerald Bowl.
The Utes seem to develop new defensive stars every year. Left off the '07 preseason All-Mountain West Conference team, Tate and lineman Martail Burnett made the all-league first team in recent voting. Defensive backs Brice McCain and Robert Johnson, linebacker Stevenson Sylvester and linemen Gabe Long and Paul Kruger also emerged this season.
Pride.
This is where Utah's success feeds itself. Motivation is always an issue in college football's postseason, but not for the Utes, who enjoy this distinction of winning bowl games. Only Boston College, which edged Navy on a last-second field goal last December, has a longer active run (seven wins in seven years). The trophies from the Utes' six wins are displayed in cases in the lobby of the school's football complex and illustrated on the cover of this year's media guide.
"We take these bowl games seriously, that's for sure," Tate said. "Every year, we make it a goal of ours to keep that streak alive."
kkragthorpe@sltrib.com
BOWL CENTRAL
POINSETTIA BOWL: Utah vs. Navy in San Diego, Thursday, 7 p.m., ESPN
LAS VEGAS BOWL: BYU vs. UCLA, Saturday, 6 p.m., ESPN BOWL CENTRAL
Dominating defense
Solid defense has keyed Utah's six-game bowl winning streak.
Year Bowl Result
1999 Las Vegas Utah 17, Fresno St. 16
Defense allows nine points
2001 Las Vegas Utah 10, USC 6
Trojans held to 151 yards
2003 Liberty Utah 17, S. Miss 0
USM completes 13 of 39 passes
2004 Fiesta Utah 35, Pittsburgh 7
Utes' nine sacks is Fiesta record
2005 Emerald Utah 38, Ga. Tech 10
Calvin Johnson: 2 catches, 19 yards
2006 Armed Forces Utah 25, Tulsa 13
Tulsa 2-for-11 on third down
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
On the other hand, Navy has been a traditionally good bowl team. I think they're only bowl loss in the last 6 years was last year's 25-24 loss to BC.
I'm usually on Navy for the bowls, but this year I have to go with Utah. They've shown alot of improvement after the shitty start and crushing injuries and Navy's defense would scare the shit out me if I was a Navy backer.
I'm usually on Navy for the bowls, but this year I have to go with Utah. They've shown alot of improvement after the shitty start and crushing injuries and Navy's defense would scare the shit out me if I was a Navy backer.
Aztec4Life
Montezuma Mesa Survivor
Wow...Utah has won their last four bowl appearances (2003-2006) by 12+ points in every contest. Hmm...
'an_horse'
'an_horse'
horses
Brady licks Marino's knob
Navy got waxed by Texas Tech about 4 or 5 years ago as well. I will be on Utah as well since I can now get this game at 7 (-115); that's a solid bet in my mind and my only concern is Johnson's shoulder. Hopefully Whittingham hasn't been sandbagging in the press.
I think anyone that is expecting UCLA to turn in an Oregon-type effort (see LY's Las Vegas Bowl) is in for a rude awakening; now BYU may be just that much better than UCLA and will cover the number anyway...I don't know. What I do know is that UCLA has been having excellent and intense practices and the kids want Walker to get the job. I like the Under in this game as well and if I have a play on this one, that'll be it. Also, UCLA has covered every game this year in which they were an underdog.
New Mexico hasn't won a bowl yet under Long and seem quite motivated; they dominated San Jose St last year but came out on the short end in the same bowl. This is the one game I disagree with JPicks and I like the Lobos here.
Love TCU; Houston lost their coach and top two offensive coordinators. Their in-game adjustments have to be lacking against a defense that will throw a lot at them.
I think anyone that is expecting UCLA to turn in an Oregon-type effort (see LY's Las Vegas Bowl) is in for a rude awakening; now BYU may be just that much better than UCLA and will cover the number anyway...I don't know. What I do know is that UCLA has been having excellent and intense practices and the kids want Walker to get the job. I like the Under in this game as well and if I have a play on this one, that'll be it. Also, UCLA has covered every game this year in which they were an underdog.
New Mexico hasn't won a bowl yet under Long and seem quite motivated; they dominated San Jose St last year but came out on the short end in the same bowl. This is the one game I disagree with JPicks and I like the Lobos here.
Love TCU; Houston lost their coach and top two offensive coordinators. Their in-game adjustments have to be lacking against a defense that will throw a lot at them.
Aztec4Life
Montezuma Mesa Survivor
Good shit JPicks...thanks for the insight bro!
:cheers:
:cheers:
sportjunky
Follower of tha truddhist philosophy
I take back what I said previously. Olson's knee has been acting up, so look for Ossaar Rashaan to get the start.
Not sure if this is a good or bad thing. I was very high on Osaar after the Arizona game, and then he played well vs. ASU (even if the stats didn't show it, I was at that game and he was impressive)
I missed the oregon game tho, thankfully, but apparently he was so bad in the first half Olson came into the game in the second half.
I think the offense is such a clusterfuck, having a mobile QB back there can only help. Plus, BYU knows how to deal with Olson, so i think this is a good thing if you're backing UCLA.
Not sure if this is a good or bad thing. I was very high on Osaar after the Arizona game, and then he played well vs. ASU (even if the stats didn't show it, I was at that game and he was impressive)
I missed the oregon game tho, thankfully, but apparently he was so bad in the first half Olson came into the game in the second half.
I think the offense is such a clusterfuck, having a mobile QB back there can only help. Plus, BYU knows how to deal with Olson, so i think this is a good thing if you're backing UCLA.
JPicks
Pretty much a regular
I keep reading shit about UCLA possibly throwing some new wrinkles into the offense? Any chance of that happening?
My only/main worry about BYU is that Hall is prone to turn the ball over and UCLA has the players on the defensive side to take advantage of those mistakes. In a low scoring game those TO's are going to be huge. Still love the under and am trying to make a final decision on whether to play BYU or not.
My only/main worry about BYU is that Hall is prone to turn the ball over and UCLA has the players on the defensive side to take advantage of those mistakes. In a low scoring game those TO's are going to be huge. Still love the under and am trying to make a final decision on whether to play BYU or not.
sportjunky
Follower of tha truddhist philosophy
with Dorrell out of the picture, wrinkles in the offense suited around Ossaar's strengths are definitely a possibility.
but there really hasn't been enough time to implement anything major, so i'm not expecting much. at most there might be a bunch of plays outta shotgun, more of a spread option attack. but i honestly haven't heard much about that.
but if they're planning on taking advantage of rashaan, running a lot of shotgun would make the most sense. and actually, Olson is most comfortable out of the gun himself, so that might be what they've been working on.
but there really hasn't been enough time to implement anything major, so i'm not expecting much. at most there might be a bunch of plays outta shotgun, more of a spread option attack. but i honestly haven't heard much about that.
but if they're planning on taking advantage of rashaan, running a lot of shotgun would make the most sense. and actually, Olson is most comfortable out of the gun himself, so that might be what they've been working on.
RetroVK
This claim is disputed
1999 Las Vegas Utah 17, Fresno St. 16
Defense allows nine points
2001 Las Vegas Utah 10, USC 6
Trojans held to 151 yards
2003 Liberty Utah 17, S. Miss 0
USM completes 13 of 39 passes
2004 Fiesta Utah 35, Pittsburgh 7
Utes' nine sacks is Fiesta record
2005 Emerald Utah 38, Ga. Tech 10
Calvin Johnson: 2 catches, 19 yards
2006 Armed Forces Utah 25, Tulsa 13
Tulsa 2-for-11 on third down<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->
__________________
quite an under trend as well.
hard to imagine a scenario where i am not on nevada too, jpicks.
gl this bowl season
Defense allows nine points
2001 Las Vegas Utah 10, USC 6
Trojans held to 151 yards
2003 Liberty Utah 17, S. Miss 0
USM completes 13 of 39 passes
2004 Fiesta Utah 35, Pittsburgh 7
Utes' nine sacks is Fiesta record
2005 Emerald Utah 38, Ga. Tech 10
Calvin Johnson: 2 catches, 19 yards
2006 Armed Forces Utah 25, Tulsa 13
Tulsa 2-for-11 on third down<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->
__________________
quite an under trend as well.
hard to imagine a scenario where i am not on nevada too, jpicks.
gl this bowl season
