COLLEGE BOWL PICKS: MIDWEEK INSTALLMENT

The bowl games continue this week with a smattering of good matchups. Navy comes off a tight win over Army and faces a tough Pittsburgh team while a battered Baylor tries to contain what is probably an angry UNC squad. LSU also has a chance to unleash running back Leonard Fournette for a big day against a porous Texas Tech ground defense.

Military Bowl Presented by Northrop Grumman:

Pittsburgh (8 - 4) 23 vs. Navy (10 - 2) 27: Despite a strong rush defense, I don't like the lack of offense for Pittsburgh. Even though Navy struggled to get past Army, I believe they'll show up and run the ball effectively against Pitt, at least well enough to win the game.

Quick Lane Bowl:

Central Michigan (7 - 5) 30 vs. Minnesota (5 - 7) 27: Sub-.500 teams have actually fared pretty well during this bowl season. We have a MAC team against a Big Ten squad that can defend the pass pretty well, but that was outscored by their opponents on the season. Based on the performance of the Big Five teams against the Group of Five, I should probably go with Minnesota, especially given the difficulty of their schedule. But maybe I'm just not that smart.

Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl:

California (7 - 5) 28 vs. Air Force (8 - 5) 31: The key matchup in this game is Air Force's second ranked running offense against Cal's 103rd rated rush defense. Air Force defends the pass pretty well and should be able to control the ball enough to minimize Jared Goff's possessions for Cal.

Russell Athletic Bowl:

(10) North Carolina (11 - 2) 43 vs. (17) Baylor (9 - 3) 35: A promising season for Baylor was derailed by key injuries and UNC gave Clemson a real battle in the ACC championship. If the Bears were healthy, I would go with Baylor in a track meet, but UNC should be able to keep pace with them simply because the Tar Heels are healthier.

NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl:

Nevada (6 - 6) vs. Colorado State (7 - 5): Both of these teams are similar defensively, but Colorado  State has a better offense, so I'll go with the Rams. I'm not sure what a NOVA Home Loan is, so I'm going to watch just to find out.

Advocare V100 Texas Bowl:

(20) LSU (8 - 3) 38 vs. Texas Tech (7 - 5) 30: After a disappointing season and tough losses to good running defenses, LSU should be looking forward to going up against Texas Tech's 126th rated run defense. The Tiger's Leonard Fournette should have a great opportunity to put up some big numbers to end the season.

Don't forget to check out my new book, "Roughing the Passer - A PK Frazier Novel" and my first, "Illegal Procedure - A PK Frazier Novel", available in print and e-formats at Amazon.com, iBooks and Smashwords. The third installment, "Offsetting Penalties" is due out in January.