‘Tis the season to finish strong.
It’s bowl season – or as we call it on Around The Corn, the most wonderful time of the year (well, except compared with March).
47 bowl games. Now, 12 Playoff teams. Which makes it in total, five weeks of glorious college football action before we must commence a tearful goodbye to the sport until next August.
Around The Corn is happy to confirm that its Bowl Mania group is back for its 18th season, and as tradition will provide commentary tying back to the group along with previews and predictions this holiday season. Disclaimer: take advice for your own predictions at your own risk.
We’ve also joined the CFP Bracket Challenge, and will be offering readers an additional way to enjoy the games with some bragging rights on the line.
Though Day 1 of bowl action isn’t as jam-packed as it has traditionally been in previous seasons, there is still enough action (along with the Army-Navy game) to whet our palettes this weekend.
Let’s take a quick look at the first course.
Cricket Celebration Bowl
Jackson State vs. South Carolina State (Saturday, 12 PM ET – ABC)
For the third time in four years, Jackson State enters Atlanta with a chance to capture the HBCU national championship. The Tigers are 0-2 previously, and in 2021 were thwacked by the Bulldogs 31-10. A lot is different between Jackon State teams of the past and present, perhaps most notably at the head coaching position. T.C. Taylor will look to do what Coach Prime was unable during his time with the Tigers, but will need to find a way to slow down the MEAC’s most potent passing attack in order to do so.
Jackson State will need to slow the game down and keep the ball out of the hands of South Carolina State’s talented quarterback Eric Phoenix. The Tigers have the personnel to do it, starting with tailback Irv Mulligan, who led the way with 1,168 yards this season on 179 carries. Both teams have shown the ability to put up a ton of points, but Jackson State is the only one that has won a game this season scoring fewer than 20 points. The versatility of the Tigers gives them a slight edge in what should be an exciting contest.
My Pick: 27-24 Jackson State
Bowl Mania Confidence: 1 point
IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl
South Alabama vs. Western Michigan (Saturday, 9 PM ET – ESPN)
The Broncos struggled the back half of the season, winning just one game since October 27 but doing enough to qualify for the postseason thanks to a strong first half that had Western Michigan thinking about bigger things at the time. South Alabama was competitive against like competition all year and held its own against the top of the Sun Belt in large part due to a potent offense that averaged nearly 35 points per game.
The challenge for Western Michigan will be finding a way to slow down the Jaguars offense, but some of that work has already been done for the Broncos. Leading rusher Fluff Bothwell, a freshman who has entered the transfer portal, will not suit up for South Alabama and leaves a big hole to fill. However, Gio Lopez is a capable dual-threat option at quarterback and the Broncos were not particularly good at stopping the run this season. If the Jaguars are motivated, they should make the two hours and change trip back home with postseason hardware.
My Pick: 31-21 South Alabama
Bowl Mania Confidence: 2 points
