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FOR ALL THE POTATOES: Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, Big Ten Basketball Open Thread

Nevada and Ohio meet on the Smurf Turf, then Wisconsin heads to Ohio State for basketball. Come talk the day’s sports!

NCAA Football: Potato Bowl-Central Michigan vs Wyoming
HE’S KILLED AND HE’LL KILL AGAIN
Brian Losness-USA TODAY Sports

Oh, Indiana. No.

January 3

Bowl Game

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Ohio University Bobcats vs. Nevada Wolf Pack

Albertsons Stadium, Boise, ID
2:30pm | ESPN | Ohio -8 | O/U 59.5

After losing three hard-fought bowl games between 2013 and 2016, Ohio has found its postseason stride under Frank Solich, pasting UAB 41-6 in the 2017 Bahamas Bowl and following that up with an incredibly impressive 27-0 shutout of San Diego State in Frisco last year.

Honestly, this is Nevada coach Jay Norvell’s second consecutive bowl game, and I could not have told you the Pack won last year’s Arizona Bowl 16-13 in overtime (which seems like a memorable game)! On top of that, after going 7-5 (4-4) this year, Norvell fired DC Jeff Casteel and hired Sacramento State HC Jody Sears to be his new DC for the bowl game! Oh, and three Nevada players are completely suspended and another suspended for a half for this shitshow at the end of the Battle for the Fremont Cannon (which the Pack lost to UNLV):

That’s excellent. Let’s get weird on the Smurf Turf.

In actual players-on-the-field news, we’ve got one last chance to appreciate do-it-all Ohio QB Nathan Rourke (61.4% for 2676 yards, 20:5 TD:INT; 144 rushes for 780 and 12 TDs). He’s joined in a dynamic backfield by O’Shaan Allison (6.4 ypc, 6 TDs) and De’Montre Tuggle (6.0 ypc, 10 TDs, an excellent name), and that backfield should be able to run on a Wolf Pack defense that yields 4.2 ypc and will miss two of its top four tacklers to suspension. The Pack, to their credit, can usually turn a game into a shitshow with the Matt Mumme-led Air Raid offense, though RB Toa Taua is a scrappy runner, too.

Ultimately, it’s one of our last times this season to come together and watch bad football at weird times of the day, and what more can we ask for than that?

My Pick: Ohio (1 pt)

Big Ten Hoops

Wisconsin Badgers at #5 Ohio State Buckeyes

6pm | FS1 | OSU -10 | O/U 124

Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Nebraska Cornhuskers

7pm | BTN | RU -2.5 | O/U 141.5

Other Hoops

Wright State Raiders at Oakland Golden Grizzlies

6pm | ESPNU | Wright -3.5 | O/U 137

Toledo Rockets at Ball State Cardinals

6pm | CBSSN | Balls -3 | O/U 135

UCF Knights at Houston Cougars

6pm | ESPN2 | Hou -10.5 | O/U 133

Northern Kentucky Norse at Detroit Titans

6pm | ESPN3 | NKU -4.5 | O/U 143.5

Illinois-Chicago Flames at Green Bay Phoenix

7pm | ESPN3 | GB -5.5 | O/U 156.5

IUPUI Jaguars at Milwaukee Panthers

7pm | ESPN3 | Milw -9 | O/U 144.5

Georgetown Hoyas at Seton Hall Pirates

8pm | FS1

Kent State Golden Flashes at Bowling Green Falcons

8pm | CBSSN | BGSU -3 | O/U 146.5

Temple Owls at Tulsa Golden Hurricane

8pm | ESPNU | Tem -2 | O/U 135


Open thread for the day’s action. Behave yourselves.