Free Picks: Bowl Games and Week 16 in the NFL 12/23 – 12/27

We went 15-9 last weekend picking the NFL games and several bowl games. That brings our record to 400-137 (74%) for the season. The College Football bowl season will have 6 games through this time period and the NFL is loaded with games that will have a lot of influence on the playoffs. We hit our Lock of the Week as the Bills covered and we are 11-5 for the year in that category. We went 1-1 on the Upset Specials, correctly picking Utah State over Oregon State, and narrowly missing the Baltimore-Green Bay game. That leaves our record at 14-9 in that category. Here are our win predictions for this week’s bowl games and the NFL. Keep in mind, these are straight up wins, not involving the point spreads.

THURSDAY 12/23:

FRISCO BOWL at Frisco, TX: North Texas 6-6 vs. Miami-Ohio 6-6 The Mean Green is on a roll. *Upset Special* North Texas 35 Miami 27

GASPARILLA BOWL at TAMPA, FL: UCF 8-4 vs. Florida 6-6 This is a huge game for one team and not so much for the other. UCF 31 Florida 27

NFL GAMES:

San Francisco 8-6 at Tennessee 9-5: The winner of this one is in great shape for the playoffs. San Francisco 23 Tennessee 21

FRIDAY 12/24:

HAWAII BOWL at Honolulu: Memphis 6-6 vs. Hawaii 6-7 Memphis is better but will this just be a vacation for them. Hawaii 38 Memphis 37

CHRISTMAS DAY:

CAMELLIA BOWL at Montgomery, AL: Georgia State 7-5 vs. Ball State 6-6 What a way to spend Christmas. Georgia State 32 Ball State 30

NFL GAMES:

Cleveland 7-7 at Green Bay 11-3: This is the last gasp for the Browns. So what? Green Bay 27 Cleveland 17

Indianapolis 8-6 at Arizona 10-4: Can the Cardinals bounce back from the loss against the Lions? Arizona 27 Indianapolis 2

SUNDAY 12/26:

NFL GAMES:

Baltimore 8-6 at Cincinnati 8-6 : The winner will be in first in the AFC North. Cincinnati 23 Baltimore 19

Buffalo 8-6 at New England 9-5: A win for the Patriots all but locks up the AFC East. New England 21 Buffalo 17

Detroit 2-11-1 at Atlanta 6-8: The Lions thumped the Cardinals last week. Can they make it two in a row? Atlanta 24 Detroit 17

Jacksonville 2-12 at NY Jets 3-11: Talk about a nothing game. Jets 17 Jacksonville 16

LA Chargers 8-6 at Houston 3-11: The Chargers can’t afford to letdown after that tough loss to the Chiefs. Chargers 28 Houston 17

LA Rams 10-4 at Minnesota 7-7: This is a must win for the Vikings and the Rams need it too. Rams 28 Minnesota 24

NY Giants 4-10 at Philadelphia 7-7: The Eagles have to win this game. Philadelphia 23 Giants 16

Tampa Bay 10-4 at Carolina 5-9: Tampa Bay needs to get going. Tampa Bay 30 Carolina 16

Chicago 4-10 at Seattle 5-9: The Seahawks could be flat in this one, be careful. Seattle 20 Chicago 17

Pittsburgh 7-6-1 at Kansas City 10-4: The Steelers have to win this one and the Chiefs have COVID problems. Kansas City 31 Pittsburgh 17

Denver 7-7 at Las Vegas 7-7: The winner will still have a chance; the loser is out. Raiders 24 Denver 20

Washington 6-8 at Dallas 10-4: The Cowboys are trying to get a high seed for the playoffs. Dallas 26 Washington 21

MONDAY 12/27:

QUICK LANE BOWL at Detroit, MI: Western Michigan 7-5 vs. Nevada 8-4 I’ll keep betting against the MAC. Nevada 37 Western Michigan 31

MILITARY BOWL at Annapolis, MD: Boston College 6-6 vs. East Carolina 7-5 Another very uninteresting game. E.Carolina 31 BC 25

NFL GAMES:

Miami 7-7 at New Orleans 7-7: This is another NFL game with huge playoff ramifications for both teams. New Orleans 24 Miami 17