With only two games on the slate to kick off the first day of bowl action, there weren’t as many chances as in prior years for chaos to ensue early.
In fact, had it not been for the Army-Navy game on the same day (not a bowl game), things would have gone almost completely to plan in the college football world last weekend.
The third time was a charm for Jackson State, which finally captured the HBCU national title it had been tantalizing close to winning a couple of times already in the 2020s. South Alabama hung on to capture its second ever bowl victory, besting another directional Michigan school and proving that the Sun Belt really has the MAC’s number lately (the former being 13-3 against the latter in bowl games since 2015).
Congratulations to NeiltheX, whose bold decision to put max confidence points on Jackson State paid off handsomely and delivered an early Bowl Mania lead. There’s a long way to go, however, with two down and 45 left to play.
Let’s take a look at the main card on Tuesday night.
Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl
#25 Memphis vs. West Virginia (Tuesday, 9 PM ET – ESPN)
In a very rare occurrence for any college football bowl game, let alone one that takes place early in the postseason, both teams will be led at quarterback by seniors who have spent their entire collegiate careers at the same school, looking to cap things off with a victory. Memphis is led by the only four-year starter at the position in FBS, Seth Henigan, who has had a respectable senior season tossing 23 touchdowns to just six interceptions for the AAC’s third most potent offense. West Virginia’s Garrett Greene has had a disappointing 2024 on the heels of a junior season that created higher expectations, but the slightly undersized signal-caller is still a dangerous dual threat option and rushed for over 660 yards this season.
Though Memphis boasts the top rush defense in the AAC, the Tigers did struggle with mobile quarterbacks this season, in particular when getting gashed by Navy for over 360 yards on the ground in what was a shocking defeat at the time. Ryan Silverfield’s team will need to find a way to keep Greene contained, as the senior will look to go out with a bang and presumably so will interim head coach Chad Scott, who served as offensive coordinator for the Mountaineers the past two seasons but whose future is unclear with the program’s hiring of Rich Rodriguez. Expect West Virginia to be willing to take some chances offensively, potentially making this a back-and-forth affair with a lot of scoring. That said, if Memphis is focused it should still come away with the victory going up against one of the Big 12’s most porous secondaries.
My Pick: 38-31 Memphis
Bowl Mania Confidence: 27 points
