December 30 College Bowl Picks: Music City, Belk, and Foster Farms Bowls
By Joe Micik
Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
The College Football Playoff is only days away, but yet more minor games have to be played. Football might be dead to Eagles fans for a little while, but here are December 30 college bowl picks, anyway.
Atlantic Coast Conference pride is on the line in one of these games, but fans of Boston College might have distinct rooting interests in the other two. That is, if the Pinstripe Bowl didn’t disconnect you from college football from the rest of the year.
Who wins the hardware?
December 30 College Bowl Picks: Music City Bowl
Notre Dame vs. LSU (-7.5) | Nashville, TN | 3pm ET (ESPN)
Here is one of those games where Boston College fans might have a rooting interest. Go ahead and guess what it is.
Yes, some might resent LSU because they resent the SEC, but we can overlook that slight issue for now. What was that they said about the enemy of my enemy being my friend?
Once 6-0 and ranked in the top five, Notre Dame has tanked hard after losing to Florida State. Maybe that pass interference was the right call and maybe it was not, but the Irish have only themselves to blame for how badly they have unraveled since. They won their next game against Navy, but then lost their last four in a row to finish 7-5. It’s very easy to understand why they are the underdog.
LSU is not the most blistering offensive team one will ever see, but they did not win eight games because of the offense. They happen to have a top-five defense, at least in points scored. Let it be known that they did have bad games; for example, Mississippi State and Auburn.
Both of those schools have very good offenses, and Notre Dame’s is fine with Everett Golson leading the way, but like everything else with this team, it has trailed off late.
One interesting Notre Dame football fact this season: early on, college football pundits raved about the Irish defense. Through their win over Stanford to go 5-0, they averaged 12 points allowed per game. In their last seven games, 41.6 points per game. That’s a massive reversal.
Pick: LSU