Dan Kaiser

The Arizona State Sun Devils head to the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl to take on the Duke Blue Devils. ASU finished the regular season with an 8-4 record. They had a three-game winning streak snapped in their last game of the season. The Duke Blue Devils finished the season at 8-5 overall. They are on a three-game winning streak after winning the ACC championship game. 

Sam Leavitt leads the Arizona State offensive season with 1628 yards and 10 touchdowns, and he added 306 yards and five touchdowns. He will not be under center as he has entered the portal and is injured as well. Raleek Brown leads the rushing attack with 1141 yards and four touchdowns. 

Darian Mensah leads the Duke offense this season with 3646 yards and 30 scores. He will be back at Duke next season and is expected to go in this one. Nate Sheppard leads the rushing attack with 962 yards and 10 touchdowns. Anderson Castle added 470 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. 

Both teams have been mediocre thus far this season, but Duke comes into bowl season as the hotter team. Duke has been an up-and-down team all season, but they are riding some momentum with a win in the ACC Championship game. With Mensah under center, Duke has the better quarterback in the game, and that will be the difference.

Play on Duke. This is a FREE PLAY.

The Cheez-It Citrus Bowl will feature the Michigan Wolverines and the Texas Longhorns. The 18th-ranked Wolverines allowed 18.7 points per game. The 13th-ranked Longhorns rank in the middle of the conference in total offense and are putting up just under 30 points a game. Biff Poggi will coach Michigan in this game. The Longhorns will be without several defensive starters, including their top seven in terms of snap count. Michigan had very few opt-outs despite its coach being fired. Michigan will look to control the ball on the ground and with all the losses on the defensive side, I will take more than a touchdown with Michigan.

Play on Michigan. This is a 4% play.

On New Year’s Eve, the Miami Hurricanes will take on the defending champions, the Ohio State Buckeyes, in the College Football Playoff Quarterfinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic. The tenth-ranked Hurricanes are 11-2 and led the ACC Conference in total defense. They are allowing 13 points per game. They are coming off a 10-3 road win over Texas A&M in the first round of the College Football Playoff. 

The Ohio State Buckeyes are the defending National Champions. They are ranked No. 2, finishing the season at 12-1, losing in the Big 10 Championship game.  The Buckeyes lead the nation in total defense, limiting opponents to 8.2 points per game. 

Ohio State will be without offensive coordinator Brian Hartline, and head coach Ryan Day will assume play-calling responsibilities. Both of these defenses are elite. Ohio State has the better offense, but did not score in the second half against Indiana, as they struggled with the pressure from Indiana. Miami has two pass rushers who can wreak havoc on an offense. I think Miami’s defense will keep this one within the number.

Play on Miami. This is a 4% play.

The Iowa Hawkeyes face the Vanderbilt Commodores in the ReliaQuest Bowl.  Iowa is ranked 23rd and finished the season at 8-4, having won three of the last five. It was another year of an inept Iowa offense. Mark Gronowski threw for 1529 yards and eight touchdowns. He also rushed for 491 yards and 15 touchdowns.  Kamari Moulton led the rushing attack with 783 yards and four touchdowns. 

The Vanderbilt Commodores are ranked #14 in the nation with a 10-2 overall record. They have won four of the last five, including three in a row. Diego Pavia leads the Vanderbilt offense with  3192 passing yards and 27 touchdowns. He also led the team in rushing with 826 yards and nine touchdowns. Sedrick Alexander adds 560 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. 

Vanderbilt is the better overall team, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Look for Vanderbilt to control this game on both sides of the ball. Vandy thinks they should be a playoff team, and Pavia thinks he should have won the Heisman. They both have something to prove, and they will do it against Iowa. 

Play on Vanderbilt on the money line. This is a 3% play.