WHO: South Florida (10-2) vs. South Carolina (6-6)
WHAT: The 11th Birmingham Bowl
WHEN: 2 p.m. ET on ESPN
WHERE: Legion Field, Birmingham, Alabama
THE SKINNY: At least when viewed in the light of its start to the season — they were 2-4 after six games — South Carolina, winners of four straight bowl games, was very respectable in the latter half of 2016 as they went 4-2 down the stretch, including a win over a Tennessee team that was ranked 18th in the country at the time. Their opponents, though, have been on a roll for most of the season, with South Florida, looking for its first bowl win since 2010, coming into this game armed with a pair of three-game winning streaks and a four-gamer that closed out the regular season. The 10 wins are the first time in program history they’ve hit double digits, and led to head coach Willie Taggart taking the same job at Oregon (offensive coordinator T.J. Weist will serve as interim coach as Charlie Strong goes about assembling his new USF staff). This game will serve as a matchup of two teams with vastly different strengths, with the Bulls seventh in the country in scoring offense (43.6 ppg) and the Gamecocks 45th in scoring defense (24.8 ppg). Conversely, USF is tied for 85th in scoring defense (31 ppg) and the SEC USC is tied for 121st in scoring offense (19.3 ppg). It should be noted that USC’s offense has seen significant improvement since Jake Bentley took over under center, with the ‘Cocks averaging 24.5 a game after the true freshman staked his claim as the starting quarterback. USF, though, is led by one of the most dynamic playmakers in the country most of you likely pay next to no attention to, with junior Quinton Flowers accounting for 37 touchdowns in 2016 — 22 passing, 15 rushing. His 1,425 yards rushing are second only to Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson‘s 1,538 amongst quarterbacks. Fun fact: USC head coach Will Muschamp is a part of this particular Alabama-based bowl game for the third consecutive year, with the first coming as the head coach at Florida in 2014 and the second as the defensive coordinator at Auburn in 2015. Fun fact, the sequel: a team from the SEC has claimed each of the last four Birmingham Bowls. Last year’s winner, Auburn, came into the game 6-6. The team they were facing? A 9-3 Memphis team that hailed from the American Athletic Conference. This year’s game has a very similar ring record-wise and conference-wise, but I’m inclined to lean toward a decidedly different result.
THE LINE: South Carolina, +10
THE PREDICTION: South Florida 31, South Carolina 27
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WHO: Arkansas (7-5) vs. No. 22 Virginia Tech (9-4)
WHAT: The 15th Belk Bowl
WHEN: 5:30 p.m. ET on ESPN
WHERE: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina
THE LINE: Arkansas, +7
For the remainder of an extended preview, click HERE.
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WHO: No. 12 Oklahoma State (9-3) vs. No. 10 Colorado (10-3)
WHAT: The 24th Valero Alamo Bowl
WHEN: 9 p.m. ET on ESPN
WHERE: Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas
THE LINE: Oklahoma State, +3
For the remainder of an extended preview, click HERE.
WHAT: The 11th Birmingham Bowl
WHEN: 2 p.m. ET on ESPN
WHERE: Legion Field, Birmingham, Alabama
THE SKINNY: At least when viewed in the light of its start to the season — they were 2-4 after six games — South Carolina, winners of four straight bowl games, was very respectable in the latter half of 2016 as they went 4-2 down the stretch, including a win over a Tennessee team that was ranked 18th in the country at the time. Their opponents, though, have been on a roll for most of the season, with South Florida, looking for its first bowl win since 2010, coming into this game armed with a pair of three-game winning streaks and a four-gamer that closed out the regular season. The 10 wins are the first time in program history they’ve hit double digits, and led to head coach Willie Taggart taking the same job at Oregon (offensive coordinator T.J. Weist will serve as interim coach as Charlie Strong goes about assembling his new USF staff). This game will serve as a matchup of two teams with vastly different strengths, with the Bulls seventh in the country in scoring offense (43.6 ppg) and the Gamecocks 45th in scoring defense (24.8 ppg). Conversely, USF is tied for 85th in scoring defense (31 ppg) and the SEC USC is tied for 121st in scoring offense (19.3 ppg). It should be noted that USC’s offense has seen significant improvement since Jake Bentley took over under center, with the ‘Cocks averaging 24.5 a game after the true freshman staked his claim as the starting quarterback. USF, though, is led by one of the most dynamic playmakers in the country most of you likely pay next to no attention to, with junior Quinton Flowers accounting for 37 touchdowns in 2016 — 22 passing, 15 rushing. His 1,425 yards rushing are second only to Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson‘s 1,538 amongst quarterbacks. Fun fact: USC head coach Will Muschamp is a part of this particular Alabama-based bowl game for the third consecutive year, with the first coming as the head coach at Florida in 2014 and the second as the defensive coordinator at Auburn in 2015. Fun fact, the sequel: a team from the SEC has claimed each of the last four Birmingham Bowls. Last year’s winner, Auburn, came into the game 6-6. The team they were facing? A 9-3 Memphis team that hailed from the American Athletic Conference. This year’s game has a very similar ring record-wise and conference-wise, but I’m inclined to lean toward a decidedly different result.
THE LINE: South Carolina, +10
THE PREDICTION: South Florida 31, South Carolina 27
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WHO: Arkansas (7-5) vs. No. 22 Virginia Tech (9-4)
WHAT: The 15th Belk Bowl
WHEN: 5:30 p.m. ET on ESPN
WHERE: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina
THE LINE: Arkansas, +7
For the remainder of an extended preview, click HERE.
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WHO: No. 12 Oklahoma State (9-3) vs. No. 10 Colorado (10-3)
WHAT: The 24th Valero Alamo Bowl
WHEN: 9 p.m. ET on ESPN
WHERE: Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas
THE LINE: Oklahoma State, +3
For the remainder of an extended preview, click HERE.
