All right, let me welcome everyone to the second week of the 2008/08 College Football Bowl season. Let me also take a moment out to welcome you to the second week of our College Bowl Game Pick’em. Last week I posted a 3-2 record against the spread, and I got to admit I am pretty proud of that.
Now let’s take a look at what's coming down the pike in the upcoming week. Let’s begin with the bowl games being played on Tuesday.
Humanitarian Bowl: Maryland vs. Nevada
The Maryland Terrapins are making the trip out west to play on the blue field of Boise State, and you can believe that no one on the Maryland roster is excited about their trip out west.
The Terps have been an up and down team all season, and they have the 7-5 record to prove it. They spent a majority of the year bouncing around the bottom portion of the Top 25. Despite their inconsistency, the Terps did manage to rack up wins against ranked opponents Wake Forest and Cal.
The Maryland offense has gone through two phases during this season. In the early part they were highly explosive and relied on their big play receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey. However, as the season progressed, teams adjusted their coverage to keep up with the speedy receiver, and as a result Maryland struggled to maintain long drives.
The Nevada Wolf Pack are a fun team to watch—that’s just my personal opinion. They run an offensive set that you won’t see very often. It’s called the "pistol," and it’s Chris Ault’s variation on the spread option that has become so common in college football.
The Wolf Pack’s offense is headed by their dual threat quarterback Colin Kaepernick. With him calling the signals and using his legs, Nevada was able to end the season with the second ranked rushing offense in the country. Throw in running back Vai Taua, who accounted for over 1,400 yards on the ground, and you have one high powered offense that is capable of putting up points on anyone.
The question is whether the defense remains strong and keeps their opponents out of the end zone.
The spread is favoring Nevada by two points. After the Wolf Pack's season finale against Louisiana Tech, head coach Chris Ault stated it was a landmark moment for his program. This is good for Nevada, but bad for a Maryland Terrapins program that is anything but excited about traveling to Boise. Look for the Wolf Pack to use their momentum and cover the spread and win the game.
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