Thursday is a marathon day for college football.
The first game kicks off at pre-noon Eastern time, and the final game will likely hit zeroes in the fourth quarter well after midnight Eastern time.
Let’s take a quick look at the first couple of games being played on Thursday.
Wasabi Fenway Bowl
#24 SMU vs. Boston College (Thursday, 11 AM ET – ESPN)
The AAC champion Mustangs travel to Boston to take on the Eagles in what should feel like a home atmosphere for Boston College. In addition to the home crowd, the Eagles could benefit from home weather as well – cold, rainy conditions expected at Fenway Park may stifle an SMU offense that has thrown for at least 350 yards four times this season all on its own.
If the weather is indeed a factor, Boston College can also hang around in this game by reeling off long, successful drives buoyed by its strong rushing attack that result in points of any kind. The Mustangs are no slouch at containing the run (tops in the AAC with just over 111 yards per game allowed), though and could force Eagles quarterback Thomas Castellanos into more creativity. If that happens, Boston College fans will need to hope for a clean game offensively.
Around The Corn’s Pick: 31-17 SMU
Bowl Mania Confidence: 32 points
Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl
Rutgers vs. Miami (FL) (Thursday, 2:15 PM ET – ESPN)
This isn’t the game to bet on a lot of points being scored. Two defensive minded head coaches (Mario Cristobal and Greg Schiano) lead teams looking to end the season on a high note. Miami finished the regular season 1-3 and will be without its regular starter at quarterback, Tyler Van Dyke (transfer portal), while Rutgers dropped its last four in the regular season and needs to find its mojo offensively.
Both teams are stout against the run, making the preferred offensive gameplan for each side difficult to carry out. A lot seems to hinge on Miami freshman Emory Williams – if he is able to get into a rhythm, the Hurricanes may look more like the offense that existed during the majority of the regular season. That would be a problem for Rutgers, which will win this game by controlling the tempo, the ball, and avoiding costly turnovers.
Around The Corn’s Pick: 20-14 Rutgers
Bowl Mania Confidence: 24 points
