Hey, Redd, I know they do these things early now … but this early?
YES, THIS EARLY. DO NOT HATE FUN. WHY MUST YOU HATE FUN? AND NOW MY INCREDULITY CAN ONLY BE EXPRESSED IN ALL-CAPS. ARE YOU HAPPY NOW?
Ahem. Sorry. Now let’s get on with the show. The system will work like last year. We’ll show where each prognosticator slots Marshall and where he slots the Group of Five pick.
Phil Steele — Miami Beach Bowl vs. Navy; Go5 Pick — Boise State vs. Notre Dame in Fiesta Bowl
Athlon — St. Petersburg Bowl vs. Houston; Go5 Pick — Boise State vs. Oregon in Fiesta Bowl
Associated Press — Heart of Dallas Bowl vs. WVU (chuckle, snicker); Go5 Pick — Boise State vs. Oregon in Fiesta Bowl
Sporting News — Heart of Dallas Bowl vs. Rutgers; Go5 Pick — Boise State vs. Florida State in Peach Bowl
Mark Schlabach (ESPN.com) — Bahamas Bowl vs. Toledo; Go5 Pick –Boise State vs. Notre Dame in Fiesta Bowl
Brett McMurphy (ESPN.com) — St. Petersburg Bowl vs. Cincinnati; Go5 Pick — Utah State vs. Notre Dame in Fiesta Bowl
Let’s just get this out of the way early: There’s no way on this planet that the AP’s Heart of Dallas prediction comes true. But, man, the reaction from both sides would be hilarious. Dallas vs. Rutgers? That’s the type of matchup that made Boca so appealing for Marshall last season. Also, I think Mark Schlabach will just pick Marshall for the Bahamas Bowl until it actually plays in one. Otherwise, the pundits see another Florida trip for the Herd this bowl season, which you’ll never hear me complain about.
On the Go5 pick side, it’s nearly unanimous that the experts feel Boise is the team, but check out Brett McMurphy going off the grid with Utah State in the Fiesta Bowl.
We’ll come back later into the season with some more bowl projection roundups, but this should whet your appetite until then. So whaddya think, Marshall fans? Any of these choices sound good to you?
Since it is apparent that MU will not usually have a decent P5 opponent in a bowl, I would L-O-V-E LOVE love Hamrick to schedule MORE P5 in September. I don’t care if its 2-1, at least it is a team that wasn’t FCS or Sun Belt yesterday.