The Nudge is never one to toot his own horn, or tell everyone how absolutely on fire his picks are, but let me tell you so far how the bowl season has been going. The Nudge hit Wake Forest and the over right out of the box. Then he cruised into winning picks in predicting the upset of Fairchilds Rams winning outright against Pat Hill's Bulldogs. Then the Four Star pick of Grobe's South Florida Bulls winning big in the De-Facto home game against a hapless, overrated Memphis team. The Nudge then predicted that Zona would come out to play and cover, followed by the Screaming Eagles of Hattiesburg pulling out the upset and winning outright. I have to tell you, I got a little nervous when SuperFrosh WR DeAndre Brown went down in the second quarter with a severe knee injury. I thought the pick was a bust and that Fedora's boys would never be able to top the other Men of Troy, but they pulled it out in OT with a blocked field goal.
So coming up in this bowl season we have the biggest-little Bowl of them all, The Poinsettia Bowl which is pitting the number 2 ranked defense in TCU against the wonder Redshirt Frosh QB Kellen Moore of Boise. We then roll into the Hawaii Bowl which pits a horrible June Jones-Less Warriors team against a Notre Dame team that lost to Syracuse...Syracuse. We then get a De-Facto home game in the Motor City bowl that sees Central Michigan and wonder QB Dan LeFevour against a resurgent Florida Atlantic team that's led by the best QB no one has ever heard of Rusty Smith. On December 27 we get three great bowl match ups that pit six BCS conference teams against each other, one of which is highlighted as being the last time anyone will ever see Pat White take a snap from center. The Meineke Car Care bowl is another De-Facto home game for Butch Davis's Thugs and their thug-like swagger. The Champs Sports Bowl features a very underachieving Wisconsin team, led by Queens NY's own running back P.J. Hill going up against a Florida State team that will actually have a couple of wide receivers geared up to play this time. Lastly, we have another De-Facto (are you getting the picture) home game against the Bears of Berkeley facing the Young Bucks of Northwestern, FL High School.
The "You know she was going to make an appearance sooner or later Nudgette Jennifer Yummy Love Hewitt" seen here in her better days
Overall: 6-0, 1* 3-0, 2* 1-0, 3* 1-0, 4* 1-0
Starting off with the Poinsettia Bowl, San Diego, CA: As of right now, the line has stayed steady at TCU giving 3. No movement whatsoever in this line since it came out a couple of weeks ago. What does that tell you, it tells you that no one is placing heavy action on either side, either way. I think that says a lot. Internet Sensation College Football Handicapping Legend "Rossi" swears by this game. He thinks that Vegas made the line low to trick the sports book players into thinking that this game is going to be close. He thinks it's hands down the Number 2 rated defenses game to lose and he's playing big on TCU to cripple the Broncs. To look at Boise State's undefeated record is a little misleading. Their schedule included a who's who of the worst teams in the HISTORY OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL. They beat up on Idaho and Idaho State, Bowling Green, Hawaii, God-Love Em Hal Mumme's New Mexico State and powerhouse Utah State. They did go into Eugene and beat the Oregon Ducks, but that was early in the season after the Ducks lost their first seven or eight starting QB's. The Nudge thought that the Broncs would lose when they travelled into Reno to face Chris Ault's resurgent Wolfpack, but I was wrong on that one. This Bronco team absolutely decimated Pat Hill's Bulldogs late in the season 61-10.TCU on the other hand plays good old-fashioned American football where they stifle you with solid defense and run the ball till your crying to your mommy. Gary Patterson really has that team headed in the right direction and how no one hired him away from that small school yet boggles the mind. If there ever was someone deserving to go to a BCS school, he's the guy. Charles Barkley should be screaming about that. TCU's two losses came at the hands of a steamroller Oklahoma team that fought tooth and nails to come out with a victory. I know the final score didn't show that the game was close, but believe me, it was. They also lost to a Utah team that seems destined for BCS glory (who's their Ian Johnston?). TCU beat the bejesus out of BYU when they were ranked ninth in the country. I gotta tell ya, I'm not as sure on this pick as "Rossi." But if he's going FIVE STAR, then I'm going four star, I never go against the man, and it's been pretty good so far. Take the Horned Toads and look out, the BCS should have put them into the Big Bowl picture. 4* Bronc's QB Kellen Moore might be over matched here, let's see how good he is after he gets punched in the face a couple of times. Two of the best coaches in college football today, should be a great game, enjoy it!
Let's continue with the Nudgerama.
Sheraton Hawaii Bowl:This game is absolutely, positively without a doubt the biggest De-Facto home game of any bowl this year. Notre Dame and Charlie Weiss's portable meat locker have to travel 3000 miles away from South Bend to play in this one. Not to mention that Weiss has to bring all the food that he will survive on for five days all the way to the island. And we are talking cargo containers full of Barbecue sauce and bacon, the logistics of such a move are tremendous. Look, I've been jumping out against Weiss all year telling everyone who will listen that this is the biggest underachieving team in possibly the history of college football. Notre Dame has had tremendous recruiting classes since Weiss has got there. I know he has only won with Tyrone's recruits. But the kids he has brought to South Bend could have played any where else that they wanted to. Jimmy Clausen, out of Thousand Oaks California was arguably the biggest recruit in the country over the past ten years. And WR Michael Floyd could have wrote his own ticket anywhere. The problem with this team is not the talent level, or the play calling, or the offensive line or the secondary. The problem with this team is that in their first game against San Diego State, they were actually smiling with one minute left to play that they had sneaked out a win. This team should have been angry that they played down to the Spaztecs level, and they weren't. Weiss hasn't motivated this team since Brady Quinn and Samarjia left it. I think that he got used to having Zbikowski and those guys motivate their own teammates and he just had to sit back and call the plays. This past month, Notre Dame's AD gave Weiss a vote of confidence and told everyone that he'll be around for one more year. I think Weiss actually wants to stay in South Bend. But to do that, he needs to motivate the Hell out of these kids. I think he does that come Wednesday. I love ND in this pick, and GOD knows they have let me down all year. I'm going out on a limb and making this a FIVE STAR pick. I think Clausen to Floyd or Tate goes for at least five TD's in this one. The crowd will not be a factor, they'll be lucky to sell 10,000 seats to Warrior fans. This is not your fathers JUNE JONESIAN Warriors, this is a horrible team that lost to Utah State. Come on Charlie Weiss, make The Nudge proud. Some where up in Heaven my grandfather will be watching this game wearing his Irish sweatshirt. 5*
Motor City Bowl, Detroit, Michigan: B-Kell's former boys are favored by 6 against a Florida Atlantic team that lost 5 of their first 6 games this year. The Owls are on fire so far ratcheting up 5 wins out of their last 6 games. The only problem with those five wins, one was against North Texas and Florida International took them into overtime. I don't know if anyone has ever seen Florida Atlantic, but if your driving by it, don't blink, it's the building that looks like a Home Depot with no signs on the front, and they took this team into overtime. The Chippewas have the ponies to win this one led by Super QB Dan LeFevour who already has posted a Motor City bowl win in his brilliant career. Their loss to Eastern Michigan late in the year was unforgivable, but this team is going to cover in a big way honey, 4* on the Chippewas
By special request from a loyal Nudge Fan, FP's Own K-Blizzle Nudgette Jessica Biel
Meineke Car Care Bowl, Charlotte NC: Right off the bat, let me start by saying this is going to be a sad game for The Nudge to watch. Not just because it's going to showcase the Thug-Like swagger of Butch Davis's Thugs, or because its going to show to everyone that Butch Davis has gotten his Thug-On back in Chappell Hill, or because its a national showcase for all of the Thugs that Butch Davis has recruited to show their Thug friends at home how they get their "Thug On" for the Tar Heels. No, all of those are good, but really The Nudge will be sad because it's the last time we get to see one of the best players we will ever see in college football take a snap and command the game like Pat White has done for the past four years. This kid came from nowhere. He was a lightly recruited athlete prospect out of Daphne HS in Alabama. Rich Rod gave the kid a schollie and let him run wild all over the Big East. Someone will draft him in April, and we'll see him return kicks and put some moves on someone. He might even go to the Pro Bowl as a Tasker-like Special Teamer. But he'll never be the field general again. Pat White, no matter what you do in this game, you'll always be in The Nudge Hall of Fame. Take The Thugs. They've been covering all year. Davis will blitz the Hell out of Pat White and make him throw. Look for a lot of ball control running by The Thugs, and then their gonna pop one over the secondary as they cheat up. 2*
Champs Sports Bowl, Orlando FL: De-Facto home game for the Seminoles, which means that the Nudgettes from Tallahassee will be at the game showing the world their goods. Look for the camera men to show them at least six times during this game. The spread in this one is 5 and a nudge. A lot of people think that this spread is super low. In every bowl pool that I'm in, I have this as one of the highest rated games to cover. But not so fast, Wiscy is led by RB P.J. Hill. Their problem all year has been at the QB position where they started out with K-State transfer Allan Evridge and switched to Dustin Sherer. I don't like this Wiscy team, any team that lost to Michigan this year should have just given up football. But this game might be closer than people think. Look out for Wiscy back up RB John Clay, the kid's a beast five star recruit out of Wisconsin. He might have a big day. But I still can't get over the low spread. Take FSU, 3* and keep an eye open for The Tallahassee Nudgettes, ain't they special! Look out for Christian Ponder next year, the Seminoles just might be back on the national radar in 2009.
Lastly, The Emerald Nut Bowl, San Fran CA: Dare I say it again, De-Facto home game for the Bears of Bizerkely. The reason why The Nudge hates watching this game every year: Sixteen thousand Emerald Nut commercials, excruciatingly painful to watch. I've told everyone that the Northwestern High School football team, otherwise known as the Canes is going to be a force in the next couple of years. Miami HC Randy Shannon knows what the Hell he is doing. Recruit in South Florida, what a concept. In this game, Miami QB Robert Marve is academically ineligible and the reins will be given solely to True Frosh QB Jacorry Harris. If anyone hasn't seen this kid play, he's like 6'5 and weighs 140 pounds. He looks like a string bean. This is the first time he will have to play the game by himself under center and the line has only moved up one point. Am I alone in this thing people. Why, oh God why is this spread soooo looowww. Next year is next year, this year the Bears stomp out a victory by at least two touchdowns. FIVE STAR pick. Watch Miami Freshman WR Travis Benjamin, the guy has sick speed. Cal only lost to Mary-Land in a great game, USC, Oregon State and Zona. Four teams that would beat a heck of a lot of other programs. This game is all Jahvid Best, for those of you that have been following me all year, you'll recall that before he got hurt I had him as a dark-horse out of nowhere possible Heisman candidate. The kid could run.
That's it. I gotta go and get down to the local BINGO hall. Their having a contest to see who has the most Urban Meyer-like hairstyle. I'm a shoe-in to win!
See ya sports fans!
