Cincinnati vs. Vanderbilt
Dec. 31, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC
At Memphis, Tenn.
Bearcat quarterback Zach Collaros, who has some extra hardware in his right ankle (a plate and two screws), has aspirations to play against the Commodores. The senior, who led Cincinnati to a 7-1 record before breaking that ankle in the second quarter of a 24-21 loss to West Virginia on Nov. 12, would provide a boost to the ‘Cat cause.
But in the overall scheme of things, the thought here is that Vanderbilt (6-6) will bring more fight to the yard than a Cincinnati team that clearly pictured itself as a BCS participant until a 20-3 loss at Rutgers short-circuited matters on Nov. 19. The 9-3 Big East tri-champs won’t be overly enthused.
Playing in just their second bowl game since 1982 in nearby Memphis, we’d be surprised if James Franklin’s Commodores don’t put forth one of their better outings of the year. And that’s saying something. They were even impressive in half of their six defeats, falling to Georgia, Arkansas and Florida by five or less points.
Opening point spread: Vanderbilt by 1 1/2
The pick: Vanderbilt 27-23
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