As we head into the reason for the season, I want to take a moment to thank everyone who continues to take the time to read my work.
With each passing year it becomes more difficult to maintain some semblance of consistency with Around The Corn, though my passion for the craft and my interest in what I write about are unwavering. Willingness from friends and family to engage with me on the topics I find important in sports are what keeps me working hard to ensure there is a baseline for that engagement on this site.
As long as there is a collective, however small that may be, that wants to hear my opinion, I’ll do my best to provide it to you through this medium.
Merry Christmas, Mele Kalikimaka and Happy Holidays to all of you.
And before we get to Christmas Day, let’s take a quick look at the lone college football contest taking place on Christmas Eve, one of my favorite individual sporting events on the calendar.
Hawai’i Bowl
San Jose State vs. South Florida (Tuesday, 8 PM ET – ESPN)
In my opinion, the Hawaii Bowl is the most difficult bowl on the schedule to predict and preview. When you invite two teams from the mainland to participate in a postseason matchup in paradise, there are a lot of potential distractions that can leave teams out of position to perform at their best. Luckily, there are few opt-outs in this game compared with others, and the thought is that both teams will be happy to be playing in this game. San Jose State surprised many by hanging around in the MWC title race until late in the season, picking up where it left off from Brent Brennan’s departure by maintaining its bowl appearance streak, now at three, under first-year head coach Ken Niumatalolo. I had slightly higher expectations in the preseason for South Florida, though the Bulls were without electric quarterback Byrum Brown for more than half the regular season.
The good news for fans unfamiliar with Brown is that there is a chance the Bulls quarterback will suit up and play in this game. When healthy, he is one of the more dynamic signal-callers in the country, though a leg injury cost him the final seven games of the season. Even without him, South Florida was potent on the ground and running backs Kelly Joiner and Nay’Quan Wright are a pair to watch. The Spartans will be without their most impactful player, wide receive Nick Nash, who will sit out to prepare for the NFL Draft. However, San Jose State’s Spread-N-Shred offense will likely do alright without him, especially against a South Florida defense that allowed nearly 280 yards per game through the air during the regular season. The Spartans will still have Justin Lockhart at wideout, who finished third in the MWC behind Nash and Ricky White III in reception yards. If the Bulls are unable to slow down the San Jose State attack, even the possible return of Brown won’t be enough to win this game. I expect Niumatalolo, a Hawaii native, to make his late father, who passed away earlier this month, proud by bringing hardware back to the Silicon Valley.
My Pick: 37-31 San Jose State
Bowl Mania Confidence: 9 points
