Bowl Season: 11-3-2
Good morning fellow madjackers....hope you have the day off....hope you have a frig sticked with goodies so you can relax and watch theses games today.....most importantly, hope you win some money today!! :00hour
Here's what I got:
Armed Forces Bowl:
Air Force +4.5 over Cal. So, do you guys remember where you were on September 29? No? Me neither, but I can tell you that was the last time the Cal Golden Bears cashed a winning ticket this season. Lets put that into perspective. The baseball regular season was still going on. Fall was but a week old, now winter is a week old. More than three months have passed since then. Cal isn't just not covering, but their not even winning SU with only one victory in that time, a FG margin victory over woeful Wassau. How in the world does anybody with just one win since September still make a bowl?
Meanwhile, Air Force has been the opposite, having covered every contest since the aforementioned 9/29 date. They've gashed their last three opponents, outrushing them by more than 1000 combined years. They are rolling. While Cal is still trying to figure out why they're here, Air Force is chomping at the bit to top the season by motching a tenth win and taking down a team from the mighty Pac 10 in the process. The Falcons are a solid 24-14 ATS as an away dog since 1997.
Cal has no defense in this game. Their speed will not help them, and Air Force will move all day on them. AF has the second best running attack in the nation, going for 298 a game and are up against a Bear team that yields 151 yard per game and percentage points shy of 4.0 yards per carry. Chad Hall will be the star running and catching out of the backfield. AF is 9-0 when they have a back go over 100 yards and three different guys have eclipsed that mark this season. What I like about this offense is the changes new HC Troy Calhoun brought in. Much more varied than before, we'll see some zone blocking, no huddle and, of course, the bread and butter triple option. AF will pass too as Shaun Carney actually has a higher completion % and yards per attempt than his allegedly more explosive counterpart in this game. Air Force, on offense, will blow the doors off this soft Cal D.
Cal offense will surely do the same against Air Force. This is where their speed and size up front will be an advantage. Yet, Air Force has proved way more plucky in their games that Cal. For example, they allow just 3.3 yards per rush. Their back seven has a lot more talent in it than you would expect out of a service academy with LBs Fowler and Rabold legit pro prospects and CB Carson Bird causing nine takeways. Forcett, Longshore, Jackson will make a ton of plays today, yet Air Force allows less than 20 points a game. Classic bend, but dont break. They excell at takeways with 26 and its easy to see them thwarting a drive or two against a Cal team that has thrown 14 INTs this year and is on the negative side of ledger in turnover margin. Air Force is one of the better teams in that stat, a decided advantage in this game.
Another factor: Look at the game time. Wow, what an early start for a pair of west coast teams. Who do you think that will favor? The imploding, freefall Cal team, or Air Force, a team obviously well schooled with military disciplne. The Fly Boys are more than used to working hard early in the morning and at odd hours. I think this is a huge advantage for AF backers here. With their tricky offense, they'll expose Cal early, who might still be sleep walking. I see Air Force jumping out to an early lead as a result.
DeSean Jackson might jump start Cal with a game changing punt return or something, but Air Force can nullify that with Chad Hall, one of the game's top kick off returners going against a weak kick off return for Cal. Cal's kicker has only hit 3 touchbacks, so he will get his chance and give AF good field position after each Cal score.
And, besides.....its the ARMED FORCES BOWL......we all know what that will mean when it comes to yellow hankies, right?!?!
Kidding on that last one, but I just think this is all about Air Force this afternoon. Its a classic case of one team being beyond stoked to be here with the other one kinda shrugging about their involvement. Considering the stoked team is peaking and the shrugging team is just a disaster, grab the points with the Pilots and enjoy the show.
I'll have more plays throughout the day.....gotta run and get my own 'frig stocked, and then I'll re-post!!
Good Luck!!
Good morning fellow madjackers....hope you have the day off....hope you have a frig sticked with goodies so you can relax and watch theses games today.....most importantly, hope you win some money today!! :00hour
Here's what I got:
Armed Forces Bowl:
Air Force +4.5 over Cal. So, do you guys remember where you were on September 29? No? Me neither, but I can tell you that was the last time the Cal Golden Bears cashed a winning ticket this season. Lets put that into perspective. The baseball regular season was still going on. Fall was but a week old, now winter is a week old. More than three months have passed since then. Cal isn't just not covering, but their not even winning SU with only one victory in that time, a FG margin victory over woeful Wassau. How in the world does anybody with just one win since September still make a bowl?
Meanwhile, Air Force has been the opposite, having covered every contest since the aforementioned 9/29 date. They've gashed their last three opponents, outrushing them by more than 1000 combined years. They are rolling. While Cal is still trying to figure out why they're here, Air Force is chomping at the bit to top the season by motching a tenth win and taking down a team from the mighty Pac 10 in the process. The Falcons are a solid 24-14 ATS as an away dog since 1997.
Cal has no defense in this game. Their speed will not help them, and Air Force will move all day on them. AF has the second best running attack in the nation, going for 298 a game and are up against a Bear team that yields 151 yard per game and percentage points shy of 4.0 yards per carry. Chad Hall will be the star running and catching out of the backfield. AF is 9-0 when they have a back go over 100 yards and three different guys have eclipsed that mark this season. What I like about this offense is the changes new HC Troy Calhoun brought in. Much more varied than before, we'll see some zone blocking, no huddle and, of course, the bread and butter triple option. AF will pass too as Shaun Carney actually has a higher completion % and yards per attempt than his allegedly more explosive counterpart in this game. Air Force, on offense, will blow the doors off this soft Cal D.
Cal offense will surely do the same against Air Force. This is where their speed and size up front will be an advantage. Yet, Air Force has proved way more plucky in their games that Cal. For example, they allow just 3.3 yards per rush. Their back seven has a lot more talent in it than you would expect out of a service academy with LBs Fowler and Rabold legit pro prospects and CB Carson Bird causing nine takeways. Forcett, Longshore, Jackson will make a ton of plays today, yet Air Force allows less than 20 points a game. Classic bend, but dont break. They excell at takeways with 26 and its easy to see them thwarting a drive or two against a Cal team that has thrown 14 INTs this year and is on the negative side of ledger in turnover margin. Air Force is one of the better teams in that stat, a decided advantage in this game.
Another factor: Look at the game time. Wow, what an early start for a pair of west coast teams. Who do you think that will favor? The imploding, freefall Cal team, or Air Force, a team obviously well schooled with military disciplne. The Fly Boys are more than used to working hard early in the morning and at odd hours. I think this is a huge advantage for AF backers here. With their tricky offense, they'll expose Cal early, who might still be sleep walking. I see Air Force jumping out to an early lead as a result.
DeSean Jackson might jump start Cal with a game changing punt return or something, but Air Force can nullify that with Chad Hall, one of the game's top kick off returners going against a weak kick off return for Cal. Cal's kicker has only hit 3 touchbacks, so he will get his chance and give AF good field position after each Cal score.
And, besides.....its the ARMED FORCES BOWL......we all know what that will mean when it comes to yellow hankies, right?!?!
Kidding on that last one, but I just think this is all about Air Force this afternoon. Its a classic case of one team being beyond stoked to be here with the other one kinda shrugging about their involvement. Considering the stoked team is peaking and the shrugging team is just a disaster, grab the points with the Pilots and enjoy the show.
I'll have more plays throughout the day.....gotta run and get my own 'frig stocked, and then I'll re-post!!
Good Luck!!
