Redneck High

I'm dipping down below the ranks of bigtime college football time and putting a little money on a Division I-AA playoff game. I'm backing Appalachian State over Youngstown State.

Here's what I know about them: Youngstown is a good I-AA team, but Appalachian would be a decent I-A team. Given that gap in talent, and with Appalachian playing at home, I like putting my money on the Mountaineers.

12/9 ACTION

Youngstown St. at Appalachian St. (-6.5), $55/$50

There's still a week and half until the bowl season kicks off, and I'm looking forward to it. TCU plays first, on Dec. 19, and I'm hoping I can get a decent line on them over Northern Illinois. It took almost the entire season, but the Frogs finally got into the good groove they should have been in all along. They were rolling at the tail end of their schedule, and I expect them to beat the Huskies pretty handily.

What a disappointing season for TCU, though. Back in August I expected them to put together an undefeated season and be a dark-horse candidate to get into the national championship game, but they struggled for three-quarters of their games. A blowout win in this pissant Poinsettia Bowl they're playing in would provide some closure.

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