Biscuits Bowl Bonanza previews part IV
Tennessee looks to tame the Tigers while the Gamecocks try to top the Irish in the Holtz Bowl.
By: Bossman Slim, The Hammer, The Waco Kid
“I can’t wait to kick your ass hahaha” - Josh Heupel, likely (Photo via @Vol_Football)
The SEC is on the board! Arkansas escaped Memphis with a win against Kansas after falling asleep in the second half and almost throwing the game, but it was one of the best games of bowl season so far. Ole Miss laid a dud against Texas Tech and walked out of Houston with their tail tucked between their legs in an entertaining game (unless you root for the Rebs, then it was a disaster).
Here’s how the crew has fared through four games:
Bossman kept his lead with the Arkansas win and Waco finally got on the board after a dismal start. Just so everyone knows, we used to be sponsored by a betting website and now we’re throwing our ATS picks to lure in another sponsor, to show them that when we get a picks sponsor, then we’ll be good. Reverse psychology, just read a book about it. Problem is, we may be reverse phsycologying too hard because we can’t pick a game ATS if our life depended on it.
Let’s dig into part IV of the previews.
TaxSlayer Gator Bowl, Friday 12/30
#19 South Carolina vs #21 Notre Dame - 3:30 ET on ESPN (ND -3.5)
TIAA Bank Field, Jacksonville
Bossman Slim: The LOU HOLTZ BOWL has arrived. You’ve heard me say it for the previous bowls, so as you can expect, I’m looking forward to this one. South Carolina ended this year in dramatic, improbable, and impressive fashion, cutting down both Tennessee and Clemson’s playoff hopes in back-to-back games. Lightning sometimes does strike twice, as we found out. Spencer Rattler played like a man possessed and completely flipped the script on his season from the first 10 games. It’s pretty wild to look back on the Gamecocks year, where they had three top 15 wins (two on the road) and then losses to teams like Florida and Mizzou, who were definitely not as good as some of the teams they notched wins over. That’s life in the SEC, you better bring it every week. The Fighting Irish, on the other hand, had an up-and-down year, starting off sluggish and losing their first two games including one to Marshall at home (???), and then almost lost the next week against Cal. But after that, the Irish fought back and ended the year with three top-16 wins and back in the top 25. Notre Dame has a few key players missing, including elite TE Michael Mayer (NFL) and QB Drew Pyne who transferred to ASU, meaning that Tyler Buchner will get the nod under center. South Carolina is also missing key pieces due to transfer or opt-out, including MarShawn Lloyd, Cam Smith, and their duo of talented TEs. I’ve gone back and forth on this game, but with some serious production out for both squads, I like South Carolina due to Rattler’s experience. Notre Dame’s green QBs I think will have trouble against this South Carolina defense who will throw the kitchen sink at them to get them uncomfortable. The ‘Cocks have their own challenges against the Golden Domer’s #22-ranked defense, but they have enough offensive weapons still left to get a W.
#19 South Carolina 31
#21 Notre Dame 28
The Hammer: I love this matchup. Upstart Shane Beamer and the Gamecocks overachieved based on most projections, finishing 8-4. Notre Dame also went 8-4, although no one would say they overachieved under first-year coach Marcus Freeman. Adding to the intrigue here is the number of impact players that will not be suiting up for both sides. South Carolina will be without leading rusher MarShawn Lloyd, as well as Jaheim Bell and Austin Stoegner. Notre Dame will be without star Tight End and leading receiver Michael Mayer, and Drew Pyne will also be gone. This is the reality of bowl games now. I choose to embrace the chaos, which is why I’m excited about this game. Getting to nine wins would be massive for Beamer and the Gamecocks. The guys who are playing will be ready to rock. I’m not so sure about the motivation factor for Notre Dame. Freeman will really want to win this game, but how much does the team want it? Time will tell but I think with the teams being relatively even, I’ll take South Carolina to win a tight one. They have found obscure ways to win games all year, and I like them to do it again in this one.
#19 South Carolina 24
#21 Notre Dame 23
The Waco Kid: It’s the most wonderful time of the year. Santa has made his rounds, football is on almost every day, and it’s wintertime. Best of all it’s that time when we all get to sit around the fire and talk about how horrible of a quarterback Spencer Rattler is. Yes, he had a few good games near the end of the regular season and put together an impressive run but that still does not make him a great play caller. I mean Auburn backup QB, Zach Calzada, beat Alabama last year while throwing for three touchdowns and almost 300 yards. But would one call him a great SEC quarterback? I haven’t heard it yet. So I will refrain from putting Rattler in that echelon as well. As far as this game goes I think it will be a great matchup. The one upper hand that the Fighting Irish have is that South Carolina running back MarShawn Lloyd has entered the portal, and Beamer made it very clear if players are transferring they cannot play in the bowl game. This is a huge loss for the Gamecocks’ offense, as Lloyd was their go-to, short-yardage bruiser throughout the season. That coupled with Rattler’s innate ability to turn the ball over could lead to an anemic offense for the SEC East team. However, the loss of Notre Dame starting QB Drew Pyne to the portal could be detrimental to the leprechaun’s chances. I think this will be a defensive showdown in Jacksonville. Ultimately I am picking ND to show up and show out and make Rattler look silly in the pocket. I think they do just enough to eek by the ‘Cocks even though it won’t be pretty.
#21 Notre Dame 24
#19 South Carolina 20
Capital One Orange Bowl, Friday 12/30
#6 Tennessee vs #7 Clemson - 8:00 ET on ESPN (Clem -4.5)
Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens
Bossman Slim: An old rivalry renewed, it’s going to be fun to watch these two teams go toe-to-toe. These two recruit head-to-head all the time even if they don’t play on the gridiron often, so a low simmer sits under this rivalry, like a fajita coming out at your local hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant. No matter what, one of these fanbases is going to want unlimited margarita pitchers to keep coming. The Vols want to end on a high note and keep this momentum going into next season, while Clemson tries to shake off the disappointment of not meeting expectations to get a win to cap off the year. Both teams are without their starting quarterbacks as Hendon Hooker remains injured and has declared for the NFL Draft, while Clemson has moved on from DJ Ukelele, who will transfer to Oregon State. Enter Joe Milton who could throw any ball over them there mountains, and wonder kid Cade Klubnik for the Tigers. I’m going with Clemson here - they have a few opt-outs but I think their top-25 defense presents issues for a Tennessee team that will be starting Milton and will be without Jaylin Hyatt and Cedric Tillman, who opted-out to prepare for the NFL. I’m also a believer in Klubnik, who I think can have a big day against this Tennessee secondary that has struggled much of the year.
#7 Clemson 38
#6 Tennessee 28
The Hammer: This Orange Bowl is literally between the two most orange teams ever. Very fitting. At full strength, these teams would be pretty evenly matched. The key in this game is Joe Milton. The Vol signal-caller is filling in for the injured Hendon Hooker, and he will need to be sharp to defeat Clemson. Jalin Hyatt has opted out, so Milton will be without his best weapon on the outside. He looked great in his start against Vanderbilt, but Clemson ain’t Vandy. I don’t think Clemson has had many impactful opt-outs, but they have the same question. How will Cade Klubnik play? Like Milton, Klubnik looked great the last time we saw him against UNC in the ACC championship game. But Tennessee has a better defense than UNC. It’s odd to say I trust a true freshman in Cade Klubnik more than I trust a grown man in Joe Milton, but that’s where we are. I’ve seen enough of Joe Milton to know he’s inaccurate with the football, especially throwing down the field. If you are unable to stretch the field on Clemson, their front seven can really give you issues. I like the Tigers to pull this one out.
#7 Clemson 34
#6 Tennessee 28
The Waco Kid: No brainer if the starting quarterbacks for both teams were still playing at this point. I would take Hendon Hooker all day over DJ Uiagalelei, but that is no longer the case for either team. No, the Orange Bowl will consist of two quarterbacks that have each led their respective teams to one victory to finish out the year. For UT the guy will be Michigan transfer Joe Milton who is no Joe Schmo when it comes to playing football. Opposite of him will be freshman QB Cade Klubnik making his first start of the season. Klubnik is coming off a conference championship win after taking the reins from Uiagalelei in that game and sending him into the transfer portal. Cade had an outstanding championship game coming off the bench and throwing for 279 and a touchdown while rushing for another. The future is bright for the Tigers at the quarterback position but I do not know if that translates to the field on Friday evening for the bowl game. It is one thing to put up those numbers against a North Carolina team but putting them up on a Vol team that held SEC runner-up, LSU, to only 13 is a whole different story. Tennessee is going to Tennessee and score at an ungodly pace. They still have Bru McCoy, their running backs, and a more than capable replacement in Joe Milton. I think the pace will be too much to ask a freshman to keep up with and for that reason I have Tennessee winning and covering the spread. I think this could get ugly if the orange and white perform as they did in the regular season-ending against Vandy. Expect three from the backs on the ground and two more from Milton through the air.
#6 Tennessee 45
#7 Clemson 38