A trio of bowl games set for Monday
Brent Sobleski, Bleacher Report: “Even on a bad team, Cunningham showed he deserved to be counted among the SEC’s best defenders. Cunningham would be a good start toward the Dolphins’ linebacker overhaul.”
Monday’s bowl games
St. Petersburg: Mississippi State (5-7) vs. Miami (Ohio) (6-6), at St. Petersburg, Fla., 8 a.m. PST, ESPN — Miami Coach Chuck Martin might have offered up the quote of the bowl season when he said, “The Cubs won the World Series. Donald Trump is the President [-elect] and we became bowl eligible.” Martin inherited a 16-game losing streak when he took over before the 2014 season. He then lost his first five games on his way to 2-10. Last season, the RedHawks were 3-9. They started this year 0-6 before running off six consecutive victories. But expect Miami to have its hands full trying to contain Mississippi State quarterback Nick Fitzgerald, who has passed for 2,287 yards and 21 touchdowns, and run for 1,243 yards and 14 touchdowns. The pick: Mississippi State, 40-28.
Quick Lane: Boston College (6-6) vs. Maryland (6-6), at Detroit, 11:30 a.m. PST, ESPN2 — This is one of those matchups the fuels opinions that there are too many bowl games. These teams have combined for 12 victories, none against a Football Bowl Subdivision team with a winning record. Maryland started 4-0 but later had a stretch of three games in which it was outscored, 149-13, by Michigan, Ohio State and Nebraska. The Terrapins typically need to run in order to score — they have passed for more than 250 yards in a game only once this season. Statistically, Boston College has the nation’s seventh-best run defense. The pick: Maryland, 21-20.
Independence: North Carolina State (6-6) vs. Vanderbilt (6-6), at Shreveport, La., 2 p.m. PST, ESPN2 — Vanderbilt can’t move when it can’t pass, so the Commodores had better figure out how to contain Wolfpack defensive end Bradley Chubb or it’s going to be a long game for quarterback Kyle Shurmur. Vanderbilt also has a defensive player to watch in linebacker Zach Cunningham, who led the Southeastern Conference with 119 tackles, including 11 tackles for loss. The Commodores have the nation’s best red-zone defense and North Carolina State is among the nation’s worst kicking teams. The pick: Vanderbilt, 24-20.
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