Roy Munson, Walter Sobchak, Donny, and The Dude: It's Time to Go Bowling

One of the Locks' favorite seasons is upon.  No, it is not the holiday season.  It is college bowl season.  We get 35 games in just under a month (and we'll pick all of em).  This gives us the opportunity to wipe the season slate clean and churn out an impressive bowl winning percentage to salvage our reputation (not that impressive) and pride (virtually non-existent). 

How can you not get fired up about the Beef O' Brady's Bowl or a match up between Ohio and Troy?  All kidding aside, we are about to embark on one of the best sports periods of each year.  We kick it off with three bowl games this Saturday:

NEW MEXICO BOWL:

BYU vs. UTEP - Line is BYU -11.5 - If you think crazy things happen during the regular season in college football, just wait until bowl season.  Teams are suspending players due to a variety of missteps, coaches are taking other jobs and leaving schools high and dry, players are spending relatively unsupervised periods of time in places like New Orleans and Las Vegas.  It is a recipe for shenanigans, especially in some of the lesser bowls.  Let's chalk this game up to that "crazy" scenario.  UTEP has been banged up all year but appears to be getting healthy for this match up with a BYU team that has underperformed all year.  Expect the unexpected in this contest, which means that 11.5 points is just too big a line.  We like BYU to win but they won't cover this number.  Take the points and UTEP.  Final score is 33-27.  LOCK IT UP

HUMANITARIAN BOWL:

Northern Illinois vs. Fresno State - Line is Northern Illinois -1.5 - The Locks had been pumping the prospects of Northern Illinois for the last few weeks of MAC conference play.  They simply looked unstoppable.  Then they stopped and got whacked int he MAC championship game by Miami of Ohio.  Not good.  That loss cost them a conference championship and a better bowl appearance.  They are still smarting over it and we think it carries into this game.  Not to mention the entire coaching staff is on the move to the University of Minnesota.  Let's say that focus might not be on NIU's side heading into this game.  The Fresno State Bulldogs on the other hand have been playing well and is getting back one of its key RBs for this tilt.  It just feels like there is more certainly and hunger on the side of Fresno State here.  We like the Bulldogs in a minor upset.  Take the 1.5 points and bet Fresno State.  Final score is 31-28.  LOCK IT UP

NEW ORLEANS BOWL

Troy  vs. Ohio - Line is Troy -3 - Here is one of those bowls that promises to make some news.  Seeing how the game is in the Big Easy, that news might come in the form of pre-game player suspensions for sexual assault or some other alcohol-fueled misdeed.  Let's be honest, nobody out there has a real good feel for this game - note the generic 3 point Vegas spread which admits as much.  One interesting piece of information that we stumbled across is that this is Troy's third New Orleans Bowl in the past three years.  You'd expect its players not to be as distracted by the location as the Ohio team might be.  That's enough analysis for us.  The favorite needs to cover some of these bowl games.  Take Troy and lay the points.  Final score is 41-30.  LOCK IT UP