Today's Bowl Picks

There are bowl games today.  It's December 15. Crazy.
And I will watch most of it.  First up, kicking off in the morning out in Albuquerque, is the New Mexico Bowl with an interesting offensive match-up between Arizona and Nevada.  Both teams will score a lot of points, especially with the game being played so early in December as neither D will have a full month to prepare, and I love getting 9 or so with a Pack squad that could win outright.  Nevada Jr Stephon Jefferson has rushed for 1,703y as the featured back in coach Chris Ault's pistol O.  QB Cody Fajardo had a fine season at the helm of the O, rushing for 2,530y and rushing for 981y.  He has four different receivers with at least 40 catches as the Pack will keep Arizona guessing. Nevada's D struggled in November and needs to build off a solid second half performance in their final game loss to Boise State.  As for Arizona, they too need to score to win as their young D struggled down the stretch.  They actually have the leading rusher entering the game as Ka'Diem Carey totalled 1,757y on the ground, good for second nationally to Jefferson's 4th standing.  He is the national leader with 146y per game and rushed for 20 TDs.  Senior QB Matt Scott provides the aerial attack for Arizona, passing for 3,238y and 24 TDs.  As I said the offenses will score.  Which d will show up?
The pick: Nevada +8
The other game, The Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, is notable for the presence of a very good Utah State squad, who should handle a banged up Toledo unit.  The Aggies may very well be the best non BCS team in the nation after going 6-0 in a competitive WAC.  They are 10-2, with a 2-pt loss at Wisconsin and a 3-pt loss at BYU as their only blemishes.  They may be disappointed to be playing on 12/15 but should be inspired to beat a Toledo squad who did well in the MAC conference that claimed the BCS spot. The Aggies D is stout and QB Chuckie Keeton threw for 3,144y and 27 TDs and RB Kerwynn Williams rushed for 1,277y.  The Rockets were hot through mid-season, winning 8 straight, but then lost their final two to lose a shot at the conference crown.  Their chances may hinge on the availability of QB Terrance Owens and RB David Fluellen, who were both hobbled with ankle injuries at season's end. They do have star WR Bernard Reedy ready to go after a regular season in which he caught 82 balls for 1,051y.  The key for the Rockets may be if Toledo's QB, either Owens or sub Austin Dantin, have the time to exploit Reedy against a terrific Utah State pass rush.
Pick: Utah State -10.5