Speaker 1: Welcome to the Solid Verbo.
Speaker 2: I'll that for me.
Speaker 1: I'm a man, I'm forty. I've heard so many players say, well,
Speaker 1: I want to be happy. You want to be happy
Speaker 1: for day Edith State?
Speaker 2: Is that?
Speaker 1: Whoo whoom? And Dan and Tye welcome back to the
Speaker 1: Solid Burbo Boys. Girls. My name is ty hillibrand joining
Speaker 1: me as always over there in New York City, my
Speaker 1: man Dan Rubinstein.
Speaker 3: Sir, how are you? I'm good, ty I'm ready to
Speaker 3: board this barge.
Speaker 1: Oh yeah, so so yeah. We are not doing the
Speaker 1: tues cruise per se no anymore. However, as we did
Speaker 1: our last Bowl preview show, you mentioned the Bowl barge. Yeah,
Speaker 1: which is I'm guessing because you just couldn't quit the
Speaker 1: nautically themed content that we had going on a weekend
Speaker 1: week out. Basis, here on the show.
Speaker 3: We have a heavy load of Bowl previews to transport
Speaker 3: to our listeners to the loyal verballer's tie.
Speaker 1: And it's not it's not always sexy. Sometimes it just
Speaker 1: plods along and floats, but exactly right. We are making
Speaker 1: mass deliveries here of Bowl projections. This is our second show.
Speaker 1: I'm just going to play the sounds. I'm very excited
Speaker 1: about as.
Speaker 2: The souls is here, all of the military, Pin Strike, Texas,
Speaker 2: Holiday Camping World, Caughton, first Responders, Music City, Red Books, and.
Speaker 1: Watch Oh that is so dark day, Red Bucks, Red Books.
Speaker 3: You will notice if you are paying close attention, if
Speaker 3: you're figuring out the dates of games in which we
Speaker 3: are talking on which whatever the cheese It bowl's not there? No, Wow,
Speaker 3: that's right, because Tye sent me an email and I
Speaker 3: have it in front of me right now, and he said,
Speaker 3: I don't believe the Air Force is a legitimate part
Speaker 3: of the United States military. I said that, I did say,
Speaker 3: and I'd like to go on record as saying I disagree.
Speaker 3: I say we it's okay to have a presence in
Speaker 3: the air in these verrier.
Speaker 1: People are gonna think that you're serious, and I'm going
Speaker 1: to get emails about that. But that's fine, that's fine.
Speaker 1: I forgot the cheese ball. I don't know how I
Speaker 1: could forget about the cheese at Bull. It's the one
Speaker 1: ball I didn't want to forget. But a last We've
Speaker 1: got it on the sheet. Now we're going to talk
Speaker 1: about it tonight. You've done over there, Okay, care far?
Speaker 3: Sorry? I was singing my Air Force song.
Speaker 1: Thank you one, Thank you all for stopping on by,
Speaker 1: for downloading the show, don't forget. You can subscribe to
Speaker 1: our show anywhere you get your podcasts. You can find
Speaker 1: the Solid Verbal. You can also follow us out there
Speaker 1: on social media. We got all sorts of channels and
Speaker 1: join in on the subreddit at solidverbal dot reddit dot com,
Speaker 1: where our boy Peter recently announced that I won the
Speaker 1: Fantasy Things contest that was on this year. Thank you
Speaker 1: very much, fifty two to forty nine your final score.
Speaker 1: It is amazing that for the third or fourth year
Speaker 1: running now was this damn close every year. It is
Speaker 1: that damn close.
Speaker 3: Yeah no, I liked it better to me when I
Speaker 3: got to score it myself. I like it when it
Speaker 3: was pick up rules like call your own fouls. That
Speaker 3: was my favorite era of Fantasy Things. But this one's
Speaker 3: pretty good too.
Speaker 2: It is.
Speaker 1: It is pretty good, and we appreciate everyone out there,
Speaker 1: indiever ballerhood, helping us keep score. It's always a ton
Speaker 1: of fun to do that show. But bye bye, sorry,
Speaker 1: keep going. I just am throwing my support and I
Speaker 1: know you're just not continue huh boy, here we go.
Speaker 3: Sorry, it did the.
Speaker 1: Wild Blue Yonder.
Speaker 3: All right, I'm done. Continue.
Speaker 1: The main topic of this show, yeah, is hopping aboard
Speaker 1: the bullbarge the bulls. Yeah, come story, pop aboard that
Speaker 1: bull barge and let's preview the Bowl games that are
Speaker 1: played between the twenty seventh of December and the thirtieth
Speaker 1: of December. We're going to do it together. Yeah, And
Speaker 1: I can assure you that the trip will be more
Speaker 1: fun if you sign up for the Bowl Confidence Pool.
Speaker 3: Oh, I agree.
Speaker 1: Right now, we've got over six hundred members. We've had
Speaker 1: routinely well over one thousand in previous iterations. My guess
Speaker 1: is by the time Bowl season officially kicks off, we
Speaker 1: will be there. You can jump in on the fun.
Speaker 1: It's free to play at solid verbal dot com slash
Speaker 1: pick them. It's over on ESPN. You can win a
Speaker 1: gift card from our friends over at roeback. They have
Speaker 1: generously donated to the cause here, so please do tell
Speaker 1: your friends and family. We've opened it up so you
Speaker 1: can actually submit two entries if you want to tinker
Speaker 1: and mess around with your slide rule to get your
Speaker 1: percentages just right. Whatever works for you, We're here to
Speaker 1: support you in the cause. Is Solidverbal dot com slash
Speaker 1: Pick them is how you can get in on all
Speaker 1: of that action.
Speaker 3: Dan, Yeah, I am in full support. I love pick
Speaker 3: them time of year.
Speaker 1: Have you Have you made your official entry yet? I've
Speaker 1: made the entry.
Speaker 3: I have not submitted all of my picks yet. I'm
Speaker 3: about two thirds of the way through and feeling pretty
Speaker 3: nice ty.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I feel good about this.
Speaker 3: Actually, I feel very good that. I don't know if
Speaker 3: I'm in a place in the top. I don't know
Speaker 3: one percent of the solid verbal pool itself, but I'm
Speaker 3: going to bury you.
Speaker 1: Okay, Oh my god, Do I feel a.
Speaker 3: Bit about that?
Speaker 1: Before we get into bulls though. Yeah. Boo boo boo,
Speaker 1: boo boom. Shout out to everybody who missed the boot
Speaker 1: boot boops.
Speaker 2: They're back boot boop.
Speaker 1: Caleb de Boor hired by Fresno.
Speaker 3: Yes he was.
Speaker 1: Yeah, he was previously at Fresno before we went to
Speaker 1: Indiana to call plays for a year. But being so
Speaker 1: there was an opening they were happy to welcome him back.
Speaker 1: We also have Danny Gonzalez going from Arizona State over
Speaker 1: to New Mexico. He was previously the defensive coordinator. I
Speaker 1: believe DC.
Speaker 3: Yeah, DC for Rocky long at San Diego State, so
Speaker 3: it appears that New Mexico's defense will be getting a
Speaker 3: shot in the arm.
Speaker 1: Another news tidbit here is that USC has extended Graham
Speaker 1: Harrell for three years. Is one point two million per year?
Speaker 3: Yeah, and I don't even know if I don't know
Speaker 3: what Texas was officially bidding for him, but that was
Speaker 3: USC doing its best to keep him away from returning
Speaker 3: home to the lone Star State. And I have to
Speaker 3: admit it's pretty attractive to get Keaton Slovas and really
Speaker 3: build your reputation around USC's offense for the next couple
Speaker 3: of years, at least if Clay Helton sticks around, because
Speaker 3: there's a lot of weaponry there.
Speaker 1: Yeah, there is. We're going to talk about the USC
Speaker 1: game here in a little bit when we get to
Speaker 1: the Holiday Bowl. But an intriguing match, and I've got
Speaker 1: some stuff to say about that weaponry.
Speaker 3: Yes. Also speaking of Texas, Chris ash returning to coach
Speaker 3: alongside Tom Herman. They were together as coordinators at Ohio
Speaker 3: State on their national championship team the twenty fourteen season,
Speaker 3: and after an unsuccessful run to say the least, at Rutgers,
Speaker 3: he is doing what he probably does best. You remember
Speaker 3: he was also quite good at Wisconsin before moving on
Speaker 3: to I think Arkansas and then Ohio State. Real quick,
Speaker 3: we have some more early NFL draft entries. You know,
Speaker 3: Benjamin Arizona State, AJ Dillon Gabriel Davis, UCF, CJ. Henderson Florida,
Speaker 3: Lynn Bowden, our guy Jeff Thomas from Miami, Hunter Bryant,
Speaker 3: I don't know if we mentioned him, the tight end
Speaker 3: from Washington. Should also be mentioned that these guys are
Speaker 3: skipping their bowl games. Some of them were previewing today
Speaker 3: and some of them other days. Are we already have,
Speaker 3: but some of the big ones Alabama corner and linebacker,
Speaker 3: I mean, so be Trevon Diggs as the corner, Terrell
Speaker 3: Lewis the linebacker, Louisville's left tack. I think we have
Speaker 3: Louisville in this slate of games. Mackai Becton a monster
Speaker 3: of a man. We've talked about him in a dude
Speaker 3: type preview. CJ. Henderson actually not playing in the game.
Speaker 3: Also entering the draft early, Brandon Ayuk Arizona State, Minnesota's linebacker,
Speaker 3: Kamal Martin Washington and we mentioned him. Alex Hornybrook is
Speaker 3: not going to be drafted. Was he going to play
Speaker 3: anyway in the bowl game.
Speaker 1: I don't think so. He's just gone from the program.
Speaker 3: He's just like Dona Dontavius Jackson at Florida State as well.
Speaker 3: Cam Akers will skip the bowl game. Jalen Johnson, the
Speaker 3: very good corner free Utah not playing. And I believe
Speaker 3: the Alamo Bowl justin I think it's Metabouquet right, the
Speaker 3: had a defensive tackle at afitexas A and M who
Speaker 3: is very very good. AJ Dillon is not playing in
Speaker 3: the game. And Washington's left tackle Trey Adams not playing
Speaker 3: in the I believe it's the Vegas Bowl. And should
Speaker 3: also we mentioned because we talked about USC's offense, Jack Sears,
Speaker 3: who transferred before the season and he was between what
Speaker 3: between Slovas and Figer. I don't know how it ended
Speaker 3: up after camp, but he came in twenty eighteen and
Speaker 3: beat ASU, or was good against ASU, I should say.
Speaker 3: And he's transferring to San Diego State. Okay, that's it.
Speaker 3: I think that that's the news to cover at the
Speaker 3: moment we're doing this. We're recording this Tuesday, five pm
Speaker 3: ish Eastern, So National Signing Day is tomorrow. Fear not,
Speaker 3: we will have recruiting and Signing Day content at some point.
Speaker 1: Okay, yeah, should we cover our bases and announce that
Speaker 1: Nick Saban has retired, just in case it happens between
Speaker 1: now and Sunday.
Speaker 3: Yeah, O, man, I love that SNL sketch. Jimmy Gerald
Speaker 3: Ford today tragic age.
Speaker 2: It's great.
Speaker 1: All right, let's start off with our first bowl game.
Speaker 1: We've got a bunch to get through here, the Military
Speaker 1: Bowl presented by Northrop Grumman. Grumman, Yes, Grumman, Yeah, grooman tomato, tomato.
Speaker 1: It is December twenty seventh on ESPN. It is North
Speaker 1: Carolina at six and six. It is Temple at eight
Speaker 1: and four. North Carolina is a five point favorite. Here, Dan,
Speaker 1: Now look, I get that this isn't a big time
Speaker 1: bowl game. But but but I cannot possibly emphasize enough
Speaker 1: how big of a deal it is that Carolina won
Speaker 1: six games this year. Before the year, I went back
Speaker 1: and checked my acc notes. Right before the year, I
Speaker 1: had jotted down with an asterisk and highlighted that five
Speaker 1: wins would be an absolute miracle in a revelation. Wow, yeah,
Speaker 1: and now here we are. They got to six. They
Speaker 1: got Sam Howell Bacon in the oven, which is how
Speaker 1: pretty exciting, got a really young offense and a wide
Speaker 1: open ACC coastal. I think, I think there's a lot
Speaker 1: to be excited about if you're a North Carolina fan.
Speaker 1: This was a very successful first year for Mac Brown.
Speaker 2: Dan.
Speaker 3: Yeah, and we had talked about before the season, we'll
Speaker 3: get into the game momentarily that even last year they
Speaker 3: were in basically every game, it was a lot of
Speaker 3: three and five point losses, and this year's losses six points,
Speaker 3: three points, one point to Clemson, two points at Virginia Tech,
Speaker 3: a touchdown to Virginia, and they lost to pit by
Speaker 3: a touchdown. So all single digit losses, including that one
Speaker 3: pointer at home against Clemson. So North Carolina at the
Speaker 3: very very least, even though their record says six and six,
Speaker 3: they're a.
Speaker 1: Competitive tip We'll fight you, man, they will fight you.
Speaker 3: They're a competitive team. And this game is interesting to
Speaker 3: me at least because it matches I think strength for
Speaker 3: strength in North Carolina's offense and Temple's defense. Temple themselves
Speaker 3: they won three of their final four. They did beat
Speaker 3: Memphis and Philly, the G five team to play in
Speaker 3: a New year, six Bowl. Temple's offense pretty rough, defense
Speaker 3: is pretty good, very very good against the past. So
Speaker 3: Sam Howell has I think a bit of a challenge,
Speaker 3: especially since he's going to be dodging Quincy Roche, who
Speaker 3: I watched more of just in preparing for this game,
Speaker 3: and my god, what a total dude. He was the
Speaker 3: American Defensive Player of the Year. And guess what, tye.
Speaker 3: The North Carolina offensive line, Yeah they'll give up a sack. Yeah,
Speaker 3: they'll give up a sack. So yeah, the North Carolina
Speaker 3: defense also isn't great, but that's okay because Temple's offense
Speaker 3: isn't either. So I'm looking forward to this one being
Speaker 3: pretty competitive, and as as is my desire to do
Speaker 3: a lot of the times during the early part of
Speaker 3: the Bowl season, I just go with the clearly better defense.
Speaker 3: So I'm taking Temple by a field goal, really I am. Yeah, wow,
Speaker 3: See I like Carolina here. Okay, there was a stretch
Speaker 3: in October when Temple played Memphis, SMU, and UCF on
Speaker 3: consecutive weeks. Yeah, they got drilled by both SU and UCF.
Speaker 3: And you're right to point out that they beat Memphis,
Speaker 3: but they were sort of outplayed in that game. The
Speaker 3: reason they won my two points, I believe was because
Speaker 3: they forced four turnovers. That's a good thing. It's a
Speaker 3: very good thing in my opinion.
Speaker 1: But otherwise otherwise, I think they were sort of outplayed
Speaker 1: in that game. I think mac Brown has his boys
Speaker 1: fired up. I think it's a big game coming for
Speaker 1: Sam Howell and Oh if I could add a cherry
Speaker 1: on top Rod Kerry in bowl games, Dan, are you
Speaker 1: familiar with the steps?
Speaker 2: Oh?
Speaker 3: Yeah, I do know this.
Speaker 1: Go for it? Oh in six in bowl games?
Speaker 3: Yeah?
Speaker 1: As a coach, Rodkerry not the strongest bull season coach.
Speaker 1: I've got North Carolina here. I like them a lot.
Speaker 1: I got sixteen confidence points riding on this one.
Speaker 3: Yeah Temple did she lack what duke last year? And
Speaker 3: Daniel Jones so at least that they have that going
Speaker 3: for him, I do have down here. Attempts to obtain
Speaker 3: the list of gifts from the committee were unsuccessful. Military
Speaker 3: ball wow. And as for food recommendations, ask our friend
Speaker 3: to Murray. I believe he lives in the greater Annapolis area.
Speaker 3: One Tim Murray on Twitter. If you need food recommendation,
Speaker 3: I am having.
Speaker 1: A disappointed you didn't steer into the whole military angle
Speaker 1: and say that the gifts are redacted.
Speaker 2: M M.
Speaker 3: That's good. I am going to watch the report tonight, Ty.
Speaker 3: So I'm in the mood.
Speaker 1: The new era pinch stripe bowl. Where's my hat? I
Speaker 1: got my hat around here? Somewhere there is hold on.
Speaker 1: I'm putting this on. Please here we go, okay. Also
Speaker 1: on the twenty seventh, also on ESPN, it is Michigan
Speaker 1: State at six and six. It is Wake Forest at
Speaker 1: eight and four. The Spartans are a five point favorite. Dan,
Speaker 1: who you got here?
Speaker 3: I think I like Michigan State, which is a very
Speaker 3: dangerous thing to say out loud, even though I'm alone
Speaker 3: and nobody can hear me besides you and many of
Speaker 3: our closest listeners. Sparti lost five straight before beating Maryland
Speaker 3: and Rutgers. Their offense couldn't really do much all season long.
Speaker 3: It wasn't an out and out night May but just
Speaker 3: a regular old nightmare. Their defense still pretty strong. The
Speaker 3: rush defense was better than their past defense. Kenny Willikis,
Speaker 3: is that dude still for that defense? Off the edge?
Speaker 3: And Wake is sort of the opposite. Their offense is
Speaker 3: kind of decent, but they're down stage Surrat, who was
Speaker 3: an incredible receiver all ACC talent. They finished losing three
Speaker 3: of four, and I guess if we're going to talk
Speaker 3: about I just I guess I have a crush on
Speaker 3: Edge guys today. Carlos basham very very good for Wake.
Speaker 3: He's worth watching all first team ACC. But I just
Speaker 3: I'm not a big believer in Wake without Sage Surrat
Speaker 3: and ability to change a game on offense. So I
Speaker 3: am taking Sparti by three here.
Speaker 1: Sparty by three, Okay, yeah, yeah, I.
Speaker 3: Mean you'll be in an ugly, ugly sixteen thirteen whatever
Speaker 3: kind of game.
Speaker 1: You'll remember that. Consider Wake cash tag. Consider Wake was
Speaker 1: born after a seven and one start for the Demon Deacons.
Speaker 1: The problem was the last four weeks of the season,
Speaker 1: though they lost at Virginia a tack and Clemson also
Speaker 1: at Syracuse to close out the year. Cus is a
Speaker 1: mess this season, so that was not a good way
Speaker 1: to finish things off. Downstage, Surrat all, that doesn't inspire
Speaker 1: a whole lot of confidence. And that's not to say
Speaker 1: that Michigan State inspires confidence. No, let's not pretend. Let's
Speaker 1: not pretend that anything in Michigan State's season gives us
Speaker 1: a whole lot to work with here. They lost Illinois, Indiana. Yeah,
Speaker 1: beat Indiana, but lost ten to seven that horrible game
Speaker 1: early on against ASU, which I have tried to forget.
Speaker 1: They got smoked by Wisconsin, Ohio State, Penn State, and Michigan,
Speaker 1: so this has not been a good team at all.
Speaker 1: I will, though, emphasize a point that you brought up,
Speaker 1: and that is to say that even though the Michigan
Speaker 1: State defense was not quite what we expected, they were
Speaker 1: still pretty good. Still pretty good, and I think that
Speaker 1: poses a challenge for wake Forest. So I agree a close,
Speaker 1: ugly game. I would not want to bet this one
Speaker 1: minus the five or plus the five. I just would
Speaker 1: stay away from it. But I like Michigan State, and
Speaker 1: I'm gonna say eight confidence points on this one.
Speaker 3: Gift suite includes JBL Harmon, JBL slash Harmon gift card
Speaker 3: seeing it's some audio gear, right ty, Oh yeah, buddy,
Speaker 3: a variety of new era products, and as for food,
Speaker 3: I assume people are not staying in the Bronx. There
Speaker 3: are many more hotels in Manhattan and surrounding areas. Let
Speaker 3: me know, let me know what you're interested in. I'll
Speaker 3: help you out.
Speaker 1: Dan Is coming to your dinner party.
Speaker 3: I mean, depends where you're going.
Speaker 1: You just have to pay. But if you pay, he'll
Speaker 1: show up.
Speaker 3: I'll be in Florida. But if you're going somewhere real good,
Speaker 3: all right, we'll see the Academy Sports and Outdoors Texas Bowl.
Speaker 1: Yeah, that's a mouthful. It is December twenty seventh, Also
Speaker 1: on ESPN, Texas A and M at seven and five,
Speaker 1: Oklahoma State at eight and four. The point spread here
Speaker 1: is seven in favor of the Aggies. Dan, So, I'm
Speaker 1: a little biased here. I've been talking up Texas A
Speaker 1: and M for a while now. I stand by the
Speaker 1: fact that they may be the best seven and five
Speaker 1: team in the country.
Speaker 3: I have it literally written down Tie's best seven and
Speaker 3: five team in America.
Speaker 1: I like them here by seven to ten. I do
Speaker 1: think they'll have their hands full with Chuba Hubbard, but
Speaker 1: that is pretty much the case for everyone, so they're
Speaker 1: not unique in that sense. I just feel in my
Speaker 1: bones that they are the better team here. I'm not
Speaker 1: gonna second guess it. I'm gonna say A and M
Speaker 1: to the tune of twenty one confidence points.
Speaker 3: Okay, fair enough. A and M did lose two of
Speaker 3: their final three. It was close against Georgia with some
Speaker 3: questionable I guess no calls against the Dogs, and then
Speaker 3: just by LSU. The defense pretty dece They ran pretty
Speaker 3: well at times despite an injury to what Jayshawn Corbyn.
Speaker 3: They're the guy who started the year at running back.
Speaker 3: They didn't really go downfield a ton with Kellen Mond
Speaker 3: and I think I like them comfortably against Oklahoma State,
Speaker 3: who did finish the season pretty strong. They beat TCU
Speaker 3: and Iowa State. I just I don't love their defense.
Speaker 3: Spencer Sanders is a maybe he had thumb surgery near
Speaker 3: the end of the season. Scheba Hubbard, who you mentioned,
Speaker 3: I think is probable he was beat up near the
Speaker 3: end of the year. I think A and M really
Speaker 3: does a great job against them. It's a sort of
Speaker 3: a de facto home game games in Houston, right yep, yep,
Speaker 3: so not far at all from College Station. So I
Speaker 3: have A and M by about ten points. We agree,
Speaker 3: We agree, and gift Suite Academy Sports and Outdoors gift card,
Speaker 3: a Justin Cowboy hat, a belt buckle, a bandana, and
Speaker 3: Adidas s Duffel bag, a shoe bag and a toiletry
Speaker 3: bag which.
Speaker 1: I think is one of your more under shoe.
Speaker 3: And toiletry bags. Very underrated. Yeah, I don't know what
Speaker 3: a shoe bag is. I guess something to protect your
Speaker 3: shoes when you travel.
Speaker 1: Yeah, you pay. It's like a little zip up bag.
Speaker 1: Your shoes stood in there.
Speaker 3: Yeah, solid toiletry bag goes a long way, so I
Speaker 3: gotta respect that.
Speaker 1: I got that as a wedding gift for being in
Speaker 1: a wedding years ago, and I still have it. So osaing.
Speaker 3: It's great if you're eating in Houston. First of all, congratulations,
Speaker 3: Houston absolutely rules as a place for your stomach. Hugo's
Speaker 3: is a great Mexican place, ninfas ninphas for text mechs, Taco's,
Speaker 3: Tierra Caliente, believe is a truck Maine as an mei
Speaker 3: n as in low or chow for Chinese food. Blood
Speaker 3: Brothers has creative barbecue and crawfish and noodles for via Cajun.
Speaker 3: And there are also like seven thousand other places you
Speaker 3: should be eating in Houston. So congratulations if you're going
Speaker 3: to Houston to eat.
Speaker 1: The only other point on this game, I believe. Marty
Speaker 1: Smith is a spokesperson for Academy Sports and outdoors. So
Speaker 1: if you're watching this game, if you.
Speaker 3: Read Marty Smith and Laura Rutledge.
Speaker 1: Yes, yes, yes, get ready for full on bit commitment,
Speaker 1: or at least a steady stream of Marty Smith commercials.
Speaker 3: Correct.
Speaker 1: Moving on, let's go to the San Diego County Credit
Speaker 1: Union Holiday Bowl. H It is Iowa at nine and three.
Speaker 1: It is USC at eight and four. Iowa is a
Speaker 1: slim one and one half point favorite. I teased it
Speaker 1: at the top. I've got eleven on USC here. You
Speaker 1: like USC? I do, so you know. I got this
Speaker 1: wonky formula, and sometimes it works a lot of times
Speaker 1: it doesn't. I am trying my best in that it
Speaker 1: sort of is. I am trying my best to stick
Speaker 1: to the plan. I front loaded my pool selections, I
Speaker 1: put a lot of my points early, and I'm trying
Speaker 1: to throttle back here on some of these games because
Speaker 1: this game could go either way. There are a lot
Speaker 1: of games that kind of fall into this category as
Speaker 1: you go a little bit deeper into Bowl season. I
Speaker 1: actually think the announcement that they're retaining Clay Hilton gives
Speaker 1: them a little bit of a boost in this game,
Speaker 1: you know, like, I don't think I don't think USC
Speaker 1: had it all that bad this year. I think they
Speaker 1: actually well pulled it together. Okay, if they go eight
Speaker 1: and four next year, Clay Hilton's gone, but they lost JT.
Speaker 1: Daniels early. The way they cobbled things together brought Keaton's
Speaker 1: Slovas along. By season's end, he was really good. And
Speaker 1: this is still, as you said, a really good offense
Speaker 1: with a lot of weaponry. So I get the call
Speaker 1: from USC fans to try and make a change at
Speaker 1: the top, but I think all things considered, the season
Speaker 1: could have gone a much much different direction, being so
Speaker 1: they had that high profile injury right away.
Speaker 3: Yeah, So okay, First of all, both of these teams
Speaker 3: finished the year winning five of six, and USC has
Speaker 3: a pretty significant win in Utah, which they had early on,
Speaker 3: And obviously Iowa took down Minnesota, a darling of the
Speaker 3: twenty nineteen college football season. Later on in the season
Speaker 3: their Notre Dame game was close, Oregon not so much.
Speaker 3: And while I think you're right in talking about the
Speaker 3: encouraging factors of how USC ended their season, this was
Speaker 3: still a pretty rough defense At times you could run
Speaker 3: on this Trojan defense and special teams wasn't great and
Speaker 3: there was just a lack of discipline pretty much throughout
Speaker 3: the season from this USC team, which does fall on
Speaker 3: the head coach and practice and what to practice. So
Speaker 3: I understand the frustration just in general with Helton and
Speaker 3: more so I think with the administration.
Speaker 1: Sure, yeah, so right.
Speaker 3: This is a USC team that throws the ball really
Speaker 3: well under Graham Harrell and Keaton Slovas and those receivers.
Speaker 3: Slovis a ton of promise. If I'm sticking with my
Speaker 3: fun edge dudes, Drake Jackson can be stery scary. Good
Speaker 3: excuse me. As a freshman he was pretty fun. But
Speaker 3: here's the thing. Ioways got like a grown up version
Speaker 3: of that in aj Epanessa. He's a problem. Their defense
Speaker 3: is very strong all around. They were great at preventing
Speaker 3: big plays. I have Iowa by six here. Really, I
Speaker 3: love going with the stronger defenses because if Bowls are
Speaker 3: about caring and defense is about carrying boom, you're married
Speaker 3: and this is where I sit.
Speaker 2: Now.
Speaker 1: That's a fair point of view, and no doubt contrasting
Speaker 1: styles in this game, because USC is going to air
Speaker 1: it out against a good pass defense, albeit one that
Speaker 1: didn't play a system like this, but still a really
Speaker 1: good pass defense. They've been good for a long time.
Speaker 1: It's Iowa. And conversely, I would think that Iowa has
Speaker 1: an opening here to run the ball to control clock
Speaker 1: against this USC defense. I always got a little bit
Speaker 1: to prove in that department. They haven't been a good
Speaker 1: rushing offense, a truly no rushing offense in a couple
Speaker 1: of years, but they couldn't run at all until Nebraska,
Speaker 1: right if they choose to do so and fully commit
Speaker 1: to the bit here, there's an opportunity against USC. Sure.
Speaker 1: I am perhaps the most interested in this game of
Speaker 1: all the ones that we're going to see in Bull season.
Speaker 1: I just think the contrasting styles and some of the
Speaker 1: storylines here are very intriguing to me. My gut was USC,
Speaker 1: So I'm gonna say USC ah like eleven confidence points
Speaker 1: not not too many here.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I'm pretty low around there as well with the
Speaker 3: Iowa pick. Also should be noted well, couple things. One
Speaker 3: pour one out, pour gallons and gallons out for this
Speaker 3: field which flooded during the Point Setti Bowl. However many
Speaker 3: years ago. I never forget, and now the Point Seti
Speaker 3: Bowl no longer exists. Also, gift Suite fossil watch, wireless speaker,
Speaker 3: and I'll say a wireless speaker, a portable charger, and
Speaker 3: a toiletry bag are making my making the Rubinstein Bowl gift.
Speaker 1: Sweet. That's that's on the rushboard right now.
Speaker 3: That's really strong. Also, if you're going to this game,
Speaker 3: which it's a great time because you're in San Diego
Speaker 3: in late December, ho dads for burgers, Cassero for fish tacos,
Speaker 3: also oscars and a mighty scos nine seas for fish tacos,
Speaker 3: because that's what you should be doing in San Diego.
Speaker 1: Holiday Bowl is always a lot of fun. Love. A
Speaker 1: good Holiday Bowl always always a good time. And let's
Speaker 1: close out December the twenty seventh, Yeah, with another game
Speaker 1: on ESPN. It's a cheeze at ball. Yeah, play it.
Speaker 1: We've got air Force at ten and two. We've got
Speaker 1: Wazoo at six and six. Air Force is a three
Speaker 1: point favorite here, Daniel, they are. I apologize for leaving
Speaker 1: this one out of our original document. I mean no
Speaker 1: disrespect to the Air Force Academy or Wazoo. Who you
Speaker 1: got here?
Speaker 3: I think I'm gonna go with what a weird game. Well,
Speaker 3: first of all, really strong year for air Force. They
Speaker 3: finished the season winning seven straight eight of nine. They
Speaker 3: played two good teams in Navy and Boise. They lost
Speaker 3: to both.
Speaker 1: They ran well all year long.
Speaker 3: They were efficient enough, not crazy accurate through the air,
Speaker 3: but they they made plays when it counted. Wazoo had
Speaker 3: another really strong offense and a not strong at all defense,
Speaker 3: and so they are sort of all or nothing type team.
Speaker 3: They lost close, they won close to good teams. I
Speaker 3: just I don't like watching this year's version of the
Speaker 3: Wazoo defense. They were so fun under Alex Grinch. I
Speaker 3: don't love air Force's defense here. That's the problem. I
Speaker 3: think Wazoo is going to be able to get this
Speaker 3: done in a weird shootout like a forty four to
Speaker 3: forty two type game. So yeah, I'm gonna go with
Speaker 3: Wazu here to win out right, I'm gonna give it
Speaker 3: pretty low confidence points because of the great variable that
Speaker 3: is the air Force offense. So yeah, I think Wazoo
Speaker 3: finished the year strong in what games in Phoenix?
Speaker 1: Right? Yeah?
Speaker 3: Yeah, Okay, that's my pick.
Speaker 1: I think I'm gonna go air Force here, and I
Speaker 1: don't feel very confident in that selection. I'm gonna put
Speaker 1: like twelve points or something relatively low on it. The
Speaker 1: single worst entity in this football game, at least on
Speaker 1: a per play basis, is the Wazoo rushing defense.
Speaker 3: Yes, that's a bad matchup.
Speaker 1: And that's a bad matchup. That's a really bad matchup.
Speaker 1: I'm not crazy about air Force's defense either, but I
Speaker 1: like their I like their matchup here. It's a strong
Speaker 1: run yea from to control the clock, to control the
Speaker 1: narrative with their with their option offense. So I'm gonna
Speaker 1: take a chance here and go air Force to the
Speaker 1: tune of twelve.
Speaker 3: All right, disagree?
Speaker 1: What is our gift situation for this game?
Speaker 2: So?
Speaker 3: I think I copy pasted last year's Oh no, here
Speaker 3: we go gift guide Every Bowls game package for players.
Speaker 3: Search cheese, there it is. Okay, go pro Hero seven
Speaker 3: with accessories and carrying case, Holy Moley, Wow, Fossil Watch,
Speaker 3: Oakley sunglasses, oh Gio Shuttle pack, backpack, History of the
Speaker 3: Bowls celebrating the good of the game, book, ice Shaker,
Speaker 3: insulated bottle branded bills, cap and travel case. Hmmm, I
Speaker 3: don't know what.
Speaker 1: I want to know more about that travel case.
Speaker 3: That's a pretty good roster. Also, if you're going to
Speaker 3: this game, Pizzeria Bianco, pone Bianco or tacos.
Speaker 1: Chi wa chias okay. I like that. It's a good
Speaker 1: gift suite right there, absolutely is. Let's go to December
Speaker 1: the twenty eighth. It's Camping World bullets on ABC. It
Speaker 1: is your Notre Dame fighting Irish Dan.
Speaker 3: That's mine.
Speaker 1: A four point favored against Iowa State. Notre Dame went
Speaker 1: ten to two. Iowa State went seven and five. I
Speaker 1: think this could be a fun game.
Speaker 3: I have it circled.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I think this could be a fun game. I
Speaker 1: have a lot of thoughts on this football game, all right,
Speaker 1: list them. Notre Dame was quietly very good in the
Speaker 1: month of November after that Michigan game. They sort of
Speaker 1: got knocked out of it, and you know, they had
Speaker 1: to fight for their lives against Virginia Tech and all that.
Speaker 1: But Ian Book was much much better at stretching the
Speaker 1: field later in the year. That's so key for him
Speaker 1: because he just wasn't good at it. I'm not going
Speaker 1: to pretend that they played a tough schedule in November.
Speaker 1: I just think that it's important they closed on such
Speaker 1: a confident note. So that's the first thing here, and Secondly,
Speaker 1: we mentioned this on the last show, but Chip Long
Speaker 1: is out as offensive coordinator for Notre Dame and Tommy
Speaker 1: Reese is in as the play call at least on
Speaker 1: a temporary basis for this Bowl game. I suppose it
Speaker 1: depends on how well he does as for whether or
Speaker 1: not he continues in that post. He's never called plays before,
Speaker 1: so his diet Chiplong, I don't know. I don't know.
Speaker 1: He's twenty seven years old. He's widely perceived as a
Speaker 1: rising star in the coaching world. If Notre Dame looks
Speaker 1: good on offense, I would expect that there's going to
Speaker 1: be some pressure to elevate him and keep him around
Speaker 1: because he has been a good recruiter, and that to
Speaker 1: me means that if you're Tommy Reese, maybe you take
Speaker 1: more chances, maybe you try to maybe try to spice
Speaker 1: things up a little bit, you.
Speaker 3: Know, ty Do you remember the the Barcelona Olympics, that Dream.
Speaker 1: Team nineteen ninety two. I'll never forget.
Speaker 3: Nineteen ninety two. Tommy Reese was two months old.
Speaker 1: Yeah, for the dream Team. Yeah, thanks for making me
Speaker 1: feel old, by the way. I appreciate that.
Speaker 3: Yeah. So that's where Notre Dame is so Notre Dame.
Speaker 1: You're right.
Speaker 3: They won eight of nine to finish the year, obviously
Speaker 3: losing that Michigan game. You know, this is the eight
Speaker 3: of nine started, I guess after the Georgia loss. But
Speaker 3: that those games, and you might be selling them short
Speaker 3: a little bit talking about an ACC coastal champion in
Speaker 3: terms of a win, talking about a USC team that
Speaker 3: finished the season pretty well. They won that game close.
Speaker 3: Navy team that was in it for the American late
Speaker 3: Virginia Tech also in it for the coast. Yeah, I mean,
Speaker 3: I'm not I'm talking Rubs.
Speaker 1: No, I'm talking mostly in November's stretch where they looked
Speaker 1: i think, especially impressive, not against the best competition. But
Speaker 1: your point stands. Your point is very valid.
Speaker 3: Yes, okay, so they were I guess uneven because at
Speaker 3: times they looked great on the ground, at times not
Speaker 3: so much. And you're right, Ian book improved as the
Speaker 3: opponents didn't Chase Claypool as dangerous a big receiver as
Speaker 3: there probably is at times in the country. Their past
Speaker 3: defense was great and a lot of that was pocket collapsing.
Speaker 3: What's Khalid Kareem, He's that dude. Notre Dame is that dude? Yeah,
Speaker 3: he is that dude. Here's the good news though, or
Speaker 3: the bad news for Notre Dame. Iowa State can play,
Speaker 3: Yeah they can't. Iowa State beat Texas late. They finished
Speaker 3: the season winning two of three. They lost last second
Speaker 3: to Oklahoma. Their defense was good pretty much all year long,
Speaker 3: especially at preventing big plays. Not that Notre Dame is
Speaker 3: a home run hitting team, but Iowa State is a
Speaker 3: good team with a pretty wild card, unpredictable quarterback in
Speaker 3: Brock Party. I think Notre Dame can get it done
Speaker 3: in too many different ways for Iowa State to win
Speaker 3: this one. I have the Irish by nine points here.
Speaker 1: Nine points. Yeah, that the X factor for me. This
Speaker 1: game definitely means more for Iowa State. Sure, Like, is
Speaker 1: there any doubt that Matt Campbell is going to have
Speaker 1: these guys fired up. He's already sort of established himself
Speaker 1: as a giant killer, at least as someone who's going
Speaker 1: to scare you. And if you're Iowa State looking across
Speaker 1: at Notre Dame, this is a team that's sort of
Speaker 1: like the Yankees of the Midwest. It'd be a huge
Speaker 1: deal if you could knock off Notre Dame and they
Speaker 1: do have a chance here. You're right, they can play.
Speaker 1: Their defense is solid. Offensively, brock Perty always gives them
Speaker 1: a chance. He's always a threat. I think Notre Dame
Speaker 1: is better as well. I think they're about a touchdown better.
Speaker 1: I do think Tommy Reese is going to take some
Speaker 1: chances because twenty seven and he wants the job, and
Speaker 1: why the hell not right, So I'm saying thirty four
Speaker 1: to twenty eight. I've got thirteen confidence points on it.
Speaker 1: But I think this is going to be a hell
Speaker 1: of a lot of fun. I'm excited to watch this game.
Speaker 3: Think about all the old people in Florida and the
Speaker 3: Irish going down to Florida for a Bowl game. There's
Speaker 3: a bit of a home field. S Scoul, you're a scale.
Speaker 3: A gift suite in this game includes a four hundred
Speaker 3: dollars Best Buy gift card. I haven't been to a
Speaker 3: best Buy in a long time. Tie a watch, a
Speaker 3: Herschel backpack that's a good backpack and a luggage tag,
Speaker 3: or the Herschel backpack has a luggage tag. I don't
Speaker 3: know Orlando food no, so I am told it's just
Speaker 3: a lot of sort of strip malls. So whatever, your
Speaker 3: favorite strip mall restaurants are, and I would be first
Speaker 3: in line for good strip mall restaurants. By the way,
Speaker 3: I love a good CPK. Sure, that's probably your best
Speaker 3: bet in Orlando.
Speaker 2: Get some.
Speaker 3: I'm probably get some orange chicken at PF Chanks. Oh,
Speaker 3: they'll definitely have Paul Flemings Chanks. They definitely will.
Speaker 1: The good Year Cotton Bowl. Okay, on December the twenty
Speaker 1: eighth on ESPN, it is Penn State at ten and two,
Speaker 1: Memphis at twelve and one, Penn State six and a
Speaker 1: half seven point favorite. Dan So a lot going on here. Okay.
Speaker 1: First off, Memphis lost their coach, Mike Norvel to Florida State.
Speaker 1: I think that may negate any boost they get from
Speaker 1: going to the freaking Cotton Bowl against Penn State, which
Speaker 1: is an amazing accomplishment from Memphis football. Congratulations on a
Speaker 1: wonderful season. I think Memphis is really good. I've been
Speaker 1: saying it all year. I have been a huge fan.
Speaker 1: I think they can score with Penn State. I do
Speaker 1: think that Penn State can use some variation of their
Speaker 1: rushing attack to great effect here, and I do think
Speaker 1: ultimately that is the difference in this football game. Also,
Speaker 1: their defense Penn States is extremely opportunistic and they're gonna
Speaker 1: find a way to force a couple turnovers in this
Speaker 1: football game. I think it's fun. I think there are
Speaker 1: a lot of points. I think it's something like thirty
Speaker 1: eight to thirty one. Penn State like the Knits in
Speaker 1: this one here. I think they've got a lot to
Speaker 1: build for in the coming season in twenty twenty. So
Speaker 1: I'm gonna go seventeen confidence points on Penn State.
Speaker 3: I disagree. I like Memphis here outright, I really do.
Speaker 3: I think they're gonna score. I don't love what Penn
Speaker 3: State look like against good passing attacks this season this season,
Speaker 3: did you no?
Speaker 2: Not?
Speaker 1: Especially it's a wed that first.
Speaker 3: Half against Minnesota. We had Indiana lighting them up early.
Speaker 3: There are some concerns about some some lapses in the
Speaker 3: Penn State secondary, and that's and Memphis is pretty balanced.
Speaker 3: We saw great runs from what Kenneth gainwell this year.
Speaker 3: De Monte Coxy was very good on the outside. So
Speaker 3: after that Temple lost, Memphis did rip off seven straight wins,
Speaker 3: including the double Cincinnati situation. I still think the offense
Speaker 3: will be sensational. Bryce Huff is fun as hell, on
Speaker 3: this Memphis defense and Penn State wise, it was nice
Speaker 3: that they settled on what Journey Brown when they had
Speaker 3: the backfield by committee early on kJ Hammler, you know,
Speaker 3: was beat up, but had you know, incredible plays for
Speaker 3: Penn State. I like Penn State upfront. I just think
Speaker 3: Memphis is a different offensive animal than what a lot
Speaker 3: of the Big Ten has to offer. So I actually
Speaker 3: have Memphis by four here, really and welcome to college
Speaker 3: football big time, Ryan Silverfield, new Memphis coach.
Speaker 1: I could see it, especially because of the whole secondary
Speaker 1: concern with Penn State. Yeah, and you know, I watch
Speaker 1: pretty much every Penn State game and seeing the secondary
Speaker 1: with my own eyes sort of appalling down this track.
Speaker 1: It was not good. You read the beat reports after
Speaker 1: the fact, the game summaries, and I don't think any
Speaker 1: of them have really done it justice. This has been
Speaker 1: a really bad secondary latter part of the year, and
Speaker 1: it is a huge concern as you go up against
Speaker 1: a team like a Memphis. So I get it. I'm
Speaker 1: gonna go Penn State here. I'm gonna say seventeen confidence points,
Speaker 1: but you know, should be a fun game one way, or.
Speaker 3: Even that six seven eight point confidence region for this
Speaker 3: one goodyear. Cotton Ball representatives would not I'm seeing again,
Speaker 3: would not disclose the contents of this year's gift package.
Speaker 3: If you are saying in the greater DFW area, I
Speaker 3: just have Dallas recommendations. Fort Worth has great food options
Speaker 3: as well, but Pecan Lodge for for barbecue is great.
Speaker 3: You can skip the line, I think if you order
Speaker 3: something called the Trough, the Trough, the Trough, which is
Speaker 3: a large tables worth of food Urban taco cow noodles
Speaker 3: that'd be Khao I believe, and Los Torres also Mexican
Speaker 3: food Taurus t O R R E S.
Speaker 1: All Right, so you'll notice that we are not previewing
Speaker 1: the playoffs correct on this show. We've got a dedicated
Speaker 1: playoff preview podcast. Try saying, don't recognize the sovereign. Oh sorry,
Speaker 1: continue five times fast. Those games are both on December
Speaker 1: the twenty eighth, our Sunday show. We'll be talking about
Speaker 1: those two games specifically and maybe recapping some of what
Speaker 1: transpires in the first weekend of Bowl games. So with
Speaker 1: that being said, we have four other games that we're
Speaker 1: going to skip ahead and discuss. We're going to start
Speaker 1: on December the thirtieth with the Serve Pro First Responders Bowl,
Speaker 1: a game that I believe was canceled due to weather
Speaker 1: last year.
Speaker 3: Yeah, they called it because of lightning, and they just
Speaker 3: it was a no contest.
Speaker 1: No contest. That sucks. This one's on ESPN. It is
Speaker 1: Western Kentucky at eight and four. It is Western Michigan
Speaker 1: at seven and five, the so called Western Bowl. We've
Speaker 1: got Western Kentucky three and a half points the favorite. Dan,
Speaker 1: I have no idea here. I have absolutely no idea
Speaker 1: who I'm picking.
Speaker 3: Uh So, Western Kentucky won three in a row to
Speaker 3: finish off the season, including a win at Arkansas. Tye
Speaker 3: Story Hilltoppers couldn't really run. They passed it a bit.
Speaker 3: They were led by their defense. They allowed some bigger plays,
Speaker 3: but this was a strong defense for Western Kentucky. DiAngelo
Speaker 3: Malone worth watching. Watch some of his highlights today, and
Speaker 3: I'm wanting to watch more of him in the First
Speaker 3: Responders Bowl. Western Michigan finished the season pretty strongly, one
Speaker 3: three of four, including a win over Ohio. I'd said
Speaker 3: it before the season started. I've mentioned him a couple
Speaker 3: times during the season. Levonte Bellamy is the best running
Speaker 3: back you've probably never watched really good one cut and
Speaker 3: go guy runs really confidently Western Michigan. The Stang's okay
Speaker 3: against the past, not okay against the run. So I
Speaker 3: think they're a little bit too one note. I'm gonna
Speaker 3: go with I guess the strongest thing in this game.
Speaker 3: I mean it could be Levonte Bellamy, but I'm gonna
Speaker 3: go with to the Hilltoppers by about five points.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I agree, What the hell give me Western Kentucky
Speaker 1: fourteen confidence points?
Speaker 3: Yeah, I was gonna say twelve. Gift suite includes a
Speaker 3: Parkland Duffel bag, a football nine line apparel, patriotic athletic
Speaker 3: where okay, okay, And it's also in Dallas and so
Speaker 3: same place as I just listed.
Speaker 1: Before the Franklin American Mortgage Mortgage Music City Bowl, I
Speaker 1: lost a spelling the situation on that word on mortgage
Speaker 1: mortgage in like the eighth grade. I lost one on
Speaker 1: college in fifth grade.
Speaker 3: That's probably worse.
Speaker 1: I put a D in there.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean it's also worse because then you can
Speaker 3: make jokes about like, well, I guess who's not going
Speaker 3: to call it?
Speaker 1: I know, right, it was very ironic.
Speaker 3: Yeah, rough.
Speaker 1: Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl, also on December the
Speaker 1: thirtieth ESPN. It's Mississippi State six and six. It is
Speaker 1: Louisville Louisville at seven and five, Mississippi State a four
Speaker 1: point favorite. Dan, let me ask you a very important
Speaker 1: question about this game. Which team do you think wants
Speaker 1: to be there more?
Speaker 3: Do you really want it? Probably Louisville, right, I think
Speaker 3: one of Scott Sadderfield I would in the resurrection, Yeah.
Speaker 1: I would think so. I think we have both genuinely
Speaker 1: been impressed by Louisville this season. Yeah, seven wins after
Speaker 1: the disaster that was twenty eighteen. I think they want
Speaker 1: this more. I'm not terribly confident in it, but all Hale, McHale,
Speaker 1: Cunningham and the Cardinals I got five confidence points in
Speaker 1: Louisville going out right here.
Speaker 3: So they won't have their starting left tackle. We mentioned
Speaker 3: that Mackai Becton is not going to play in the
Speaker 3: bowl game to prepare for the NFL Draft. And the
Speaker 3: good news is Louisville did win two of three to
Speaker 3: finish the season. They did beat Virginia Coastal champ. They
Speaker 3: beat Wake in that crazy shootout maybe the most entertaining
Speaker 3: or wildest ACC game of the season. Michael Cunningham is
Speaker 3: full on really good. This is an explosive passing offense.
Speaker 3: Receivers developed and built a rapport with McHale.
Speaker 1: They ran the ball.
Speaker 3: Pretty well, as you saw at least in that first
Speaker 3: half against Notre Dame to start the season. Their defense
Speaker 3: is legitimately rough all around, which is I think it'll
Speaker 3: make for an entertaining game because Mississippi State they actually
Speaker 3: finished the season pretty strong. We saw the weird egg
Speaker 3: Bowl win they beat down Kentucky, but that was pre
Speaker 3: linn Bowden. Kylon Hill appears to be playing, which is
Speaker 3: a pretty strong feather in Mississippi State's hat. Only an
Speaker 3: okay passing team, only okay against the run, and pretty
Speaker 3: bad against good throwers. So I'm going to take Louisville
Speaker 3: here as well, by I don't know, seven or eight points.
Speaker 1: We agree.
Speaker 2: We agree.
Speaker 3: Also, you're going to Nashville if you're going to this game,
Speaker 3: which is a really fun city. The gift suite includes
Speaker 3: a fossil watch. That's all I have down here. I
Speaker 3: would personally recommend like thirty seven different restaurants in Nashville,
Speaker 3: but the Burger at Husk which I think they only
Speaker 3: serve at lunch than their fried chicken at lunch is
Speaker 3: also excellent, Princes, if you really want to go og
Speaker 3: with the hot chicken. City House for pizza and beer
Speaker 3: was also very very good in the Germantown neighborhood.
Speaker 1: There have been in Nashville things. It's a good time.
Speaker 1: You should go. All right, two more games here, let's
Speaker 1: go to the Red Box Bowl.
Speaker 3: Dan, let's I can tell you all about this game
Speaker 3: because I skipped the second half last year to go
Speaker 3: eat Chinese food.
Speaker 1: Ah man, it's on Fox. It's Cal at seven and five.
Speaker 1: It's Illinois at six and six. Not the most appealing matchup.
Speaker 1: Gotta be honest, disagree. Cal is a seven point favorite.
Speaker 1: I love that Illinois completed the drive for six, of course,
Speaker 1: and I think they may want this game more. I
Speaker 1: am not at all sold that they're any good, and
Speaker 1: not to say that if you're playing in the Red
Speaker 1: Box Bowl you're a premier entity in college football, all right,
Speaker 1: But I think Cal's defense, I think even Cal's offense
Speaker 1: after Chase Garbage came back, Yeah, has a lot more
Speaker 1: to offer in this football game. Illinois will play with heart,
Speaker 1: no doubt, Lovie Smith's beard will remain a national treasure.
Speaker 1: Mm hmmm, as always, But I'm gonna go Cal here
Speaker 1: to the tune of nine confidence points. Okay, nine confidence points.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 3: A strong finish of the year for Cal. Other than
Speaker 3: getting killed by SC I think they won three other
Speaker 3: games to finish things out. They did have a tough
Speaker 3: time on offense without Chase Garber's but it was night
Speaker 3: and day when he was there. He was very promising.
Speaker 3: He succeeded in a still not great Cal offense. They
Speaker 3: lose their offensive coordinator Bobald when he takes the job
Speaker 3: at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo. The
Speaker 3: d was good all around. This was a good defense.
Speaker 3: I know Ash and Davis is not playing in this game.
Speaker 3: I believe starting safety still an incredible linebacking corps. Mister incredible.
Speaker 3: Evan Weaver is just all over the place and continues
Speaker 3: to be. And it was a ridiculous year for Illinois.
Speaker 3: Just couldn't really run, couldn't really pass, but just made
Speaker 3: it work chicken wire and duct tape and it all
Speaker 3: happened for them, closing out what Wisconsin Michigan State in
Speaker 3: a comeback and let's continue the edge trend.
Speaker 1: The transfer from usc alujolle.
Speaker 3: Betiku, wow, Betiku. I hope I nailed. That is full
Speaker 3: on dangerous and worth watching. I have Cal though by
Speaker 3: probably a couple touchdowns.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 1: I like Cal a lot.
Speaker 3: Here they were beat up near the end of the year.
Speaker 3: They lost to Northwestern.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm just not putting a lot of confidence points
Speaker 1: on it, but I do like Al in this matchup.
Speaker 1: What is our gift situation here?
Speaker 3: The Red Box Bowl has a gift suite that includes
Speaker 3: a Nintendo switch light. Is that a handheld only switch?
Speaker 3: I believe so that's a good gift. That's a very
Speaker 3: good gift. A Nixon Watch, a turtle Bee, each set
Speaker 3: of gaming headphones, a Herschel backpack. Herschel backpack. That's quality.
Speaker 3: I need to look this up. How do you spell
Speaker 3: that h E R S C h E l Okay backpacks.
Speaker 1: Let's see how hersh I'll want to send us a Maggio.
Speaker 1: Oh look at that?
Speaker 3: Okay, pretty nice right, and gooder g O O d
Speaker 3: R sunglasses. It's a pretty nice haul. If you're going
Speaker 3: to the Red Box Bowl, and if you're going to
Speaker 3: I assume San Francisco if you're going to be staying
Speaker 3: somewhere near the game. I also have a San Jose recommendation,
Speaker 3: but del Popolo for pizza, no palito for sit down
Speaker 3: Mexican food. Latak Area is generally closed around the holidays,
Speaker 3: and that's my favorite burrito maybe in America. But if
Speaker 3: it's not, just look it up La Tak Area. Also
Speaker 3: get a sandwich from Deli board always good. But I
Speaker 3: would take recommendation.
Speaker 1: I would take one of these backpacks if Hersch'll send
Speaker 1: us one. Oh ah, I would take lot above that.
Speaker 1: This could double as a work backpack.
Speaker 3: Oh absolutely, it could. Okay, And if you're going to
Speaker 3: say Jose Area Mexico Bakery for a great torta.
Speaker 1: Will Dylan Mitchell, last year's MVP, be on hand to
Speaker 1: give out the official Red Box Bowl Championship jacket.
Speaker 3: Singing the national anthem.
Speaker 1: Yes, okay. And finally, on December the thirtieth, let's close
Speaker 1: it out with the Capitol one Orange Bowl. Dan Let's
Speaker 1: Florida ten and two Virginia nine and four. The Gators
Speaker 1: are a fourteen point favorite. Daniel, this is a game
Speaker 1: where I suspect you're gonna pick Virginia.
Speaker 3: No, I think I'm gonna take Florida really, I mean,
Speaker 3: even without CJ. Henderson. I love what Florida is able
Speaker 3: to do up front.
Speaker 1: When we now hold on. When we talked about this game,
Speaker 1: when the matchups were first revealed, I know you seem
Speaker 1: to hint at the fact that Virginia might want it more.
Speaker 1: If they do want it more, they definitely want it more,
Speaker 1: and you'd be inclined to go with the who's here.
Speaker 3: I think it's worth noting that that's a factor. But
Speaker 3: this is also a game in Florida with the Gators
Speaker 3: having a chance to make a statement going into twenty
Speaker 3: twenty in a big spot. What's on the thirtieth that's
Speaker 3: when they played the game. It's not a new year
Speaker 3: to day game. But Florida finished the season strong. They
Speaker 3: lose to Georgian LSU, right, that's okay. Those are teams
Speaker 3: in it for the playoff late. They didn't run the
Speaker 3: ball all that well. We had the long what Michael
Speaker 3: p Ryan run against Auburn, which broke that game out,
Speaker 3: but otherwise not a great running team. It was sort
Speaker 3: of short, intermediate passing game. But this was largely a
Speaker 3: very very good defense, especially up front. And for a
Speaker 3: kind of one note. Virginia offense a good note, mind you,
Speaker 3: in Bryce Perkins.
Speaker 1: That's tough.
Speaker 3: That's a tough thing to overcome, as well as Virginia
Speaker 3: finished the season out. They want to think five of six.
Speaker 3: I just I think there's too much speed. I think
Speaker 3: there's too much talent for Florida. Fourteen points feels like
Speaker 3: a lot, but especially with how Florida showed out against
Speaker 3: it was Michigan last year, right in the Peach Bowl.
Speaker 3: Yeah right, you know they're I think they're going to
Speaker 3: be ready. I think they're going to find the care
Speaker 3: by the time this, uh, this kickoff happens.
Speaker 1: Fourteen points is a big spread. It's large, a big
Speaker 1: spread in a bowl game. I like point. I said,
Speaker 1: Virginia give up to Clemson a lot. Yeah, a lot
Speaker 1: of points. Fifty two was.
Speaker 3: It sounds right, fifty two? Sixty two? I think it
Speaker 3: was sixty two.
Speaker 1: I don't know. It felt like one hundred and two. Yeah,
Speaker 1: So I like Florida a lot. Here. I got fifteen
Speaker 1: confidence points on him. Again, you know my drill later
Speaker 1: on in bowl season, once we start getting to these
Speaker 1: later games, I'm just not putting as many points on
Speaker 1: it because that's the strategy. But fifteen confidence points, I
Speaker 1: think Florida wins out right Capitol.
Speaker 3: Yeah, the loss of what Bryce Hall and some key
Speaker 3: secondary cogs, it's just we're not saying of Virginia defense
Speaker 3: at full strength. I think Florida's depth is just going
Speaker 3: to win out here. Do I have the Yes?
Speaker 2: I have.
Speaker 3: Gift suite includes a Tornau watch, our old friends at Torneau,
Speaker 3: and a full sized split helmet. So I guess it's
Speaker 3: a half Florida, half Virginia helmet.
Speaker 1: Oh is that the Laura Quinn helmet? Essentially it's something
Speaker 1: like that.
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's a house divided helmet for anybody who is
Speaker 3: half Virginia half Florida. And if you're in the greater
Speaker 3: Miami area and you are hungry taquisa for tacos, I
Speaker 3: think it's pook, Yeah, Phuc, It's either fuk or pook.
Speaker 3: Yeah for via cajun Zach the baker for some great
Speaker 3: baked goods. I went there. I was in Miami last year.
Speaker 3: Really strong bakery Lukli, which is a Brooklyn pizzeria that's
Speaker 3: the best pizza in Brooklyn. They have an outpost in
Speaker 3: Miami and the line is probably shorter, go to there
Speaker 3: and Sangwich Sangwich Dey Miami for Cuban Sandwich for Cuban Sandoz.
Speaker 1: All right, well, here is the way this is going
Speaker 1: to break down. Yeah, Over the next week and a
Speaker 1: half or so, on Sunday, we will have our previews
Speaker 1: of the Chick fil A Peach Bowl, which is semifinal
Speaker 1: number one between LSU and Oklahoma, as well as the
Speaker 1: PlayStation Fiesta Bowl, which is semifinal number two Clemson against
Speaker 1: Ohio State. Later on in the week on Wednesday, as
Speaker 1: we now snap into our twice a week form, the
Speaker 1: bull Barge will continue on with a bunch of other games.
Speaker 1: We've got the Belk Bowl, the Tony the Tiger, Sun Bowl,
Speaker 1: oh Liberty Bowl, Arizona Bowl, Alamo Outback, Citrus Rose Bowl,
Speaker 1: and the All State Sugar Bowl. We do have one
Speaker 1: other bowl preview show that will drop after that, so
Speaker 1: the following weekend where we're going to preview five or
Speaker 1: six of the remaining games, and then eventually we'll get
Speaker 1: into our National Championship preview shows we get a little
Speaker 1: bit closer to the action, but a lot of bowl
Speaker 1: previews coming your way. As always, We're going to do
Speaker 1: our best to try and keep you aprize of what's
Speaker 1: going on in the coaching world. Coordinators moving around, who
Speaker 1: knows if head coaches will move around at some point,
Speaker 1: Certainly that has happened before. So whatever goes down, early
Speaker 1: draft announcements, guys sitting out their bowl games, any other
Speaker 1: news that might pop up between now and then, going
Speaker 1: to do our best here to try and keep you
Speaker 1: all up to speed.
Speaker 3: Yeah, we got recruiting, we got national signing there we're
Speaker 3: going to have to run down as well.
Speaker 1: Absolutely, So there you have it. We do appreciate everyone
Speaker 1: for stopping on buy. If you haven't already, Soliverble dot
Speaker 1: com slash pick them is how you can get in,
Speaker 1: submit your own confidence pool entry, compete for some gift
Speaker 1: cards from our friends over at roeback, and if you've
Speaker 1: got anything to say by all means, Soliverble at gmail
Speaker 1: dot com is how you can get touch. You can
Speaker 1: also look us up on social media, and if you
Speaker 1: haven't already subscribed to the show anywhere you get your podcasts,
Speaker 1: you can find this verbal. Just hit that subscribe button
Speaker 1: and get all of our content. Dan, That's all I got.
Speaker 3: You see the picture I sent you about like eight
Speaker 3: thirty this morning. The picture you sent me at eight
Speaker 3: thirty it was dessert packaging. Oh yeah, how'd it look
Speaker 3: Stroop waffle ice cream? It looks pretty damn good. It
Speaker 3: looks pretty good.
Speaker 2: Right.
Speaker 1: Did you take that picture for me or did you
Speaker 1: find it online?
Speaker 2: No?
Speaker 1: I took that for you. Wow.
Speaker 3: And it was in the grocery store this morning and
Speaker 3: they had that that item.
Speaker 1: This is Trader Joe's brand Mini Stroop Wobble wo what
Speaker 1: I said, waffle waffle Waffle.
Speaker 3: It's the ice cream sandwiches. It looks it looks good,
Speaker 3: it looks fine.
Speaker 1: I want to get you in on the Stroop Waffle thing.
Speaker 1: They're pretty good. Look us up Stroop Waffle. That's not
Speaker 1: a brand. Look us up Joe for that guy over there,
Speaker 1: my good friend Dan Rubinstein, for my self. Tie Hilding
Speaker 1: Grant will be back in a few short days. Enjoy
Speaker 1: the rest of your week, enjoy your weekend, and in
Speaker 1: the meantime, stay solid.
Speaker 2: He