Wednesday, December 27, 2017

2017 SDCCU Holiday Bowl

On Thursday the SDCCU Holiday Bowl pits the Michigan State Spartans from the Big 10 Conference against the Washington State Cougars from the Pacific 12 Conference.  So here is my analysis of the SDCCU Holiday Bowl based on the Complex Invasion College Football Production Model.  The model uses data provided at www.cfbstats.com.

Prediction
Given the overall productivity of the two programs, the Complex Invasion College Football Production Model gives a tiny edge to the Washington State Cougars.  Below is a look at each of these two football programs during the 2017 regular season.

Michigan State Spartans
The Spartans finished the regular season at 9-3, while playing against a "tougher" strength of schedule (SOS) as compared to the "league" average SOS, meaning that Michigan State's SOS was between one and two standard deviations below the "league's" average SOS.  For this season the Spartans' best victory was over #4 ranked Penn State by a score of (27-24), and their worst loss was to #40 ranked Northwestern by a score of (31-39).  Michigan State has the #59 ranked team in total production with the #98 ranked offense and the #21 ranked defense from the Complex Invasion College Football Production Model.

Washington State Cougars
The Cougars finished the regular season at 8-4 while also playing againsta "tougher" strength of schedule (SOS) as compared to the "league" average SOS, meaning that Washington State's SOS was between one and two standard deviations below the "league's" average SOS .  This season the Cougars' best victory was over #19 ranked Southern California by a score of (30-27).  The Cougar's worst loss was to #85 ranked California by a score of (3-37).  Washington State has the #39 ranked team in total production with the #53 ranked offense and the #33 ranked defense from the Complex Invasion College Football Production Model.

2017 Bowl Games
R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
Cure Bowl
Las Vegas Bowl
Gildan New Mexico Bowl
Raycom Media Camellia Bowl
Cheribundi Tart Cherry Roca Baton Bowl
DXL Frisco Bowl
Bad Boy Mower Gasparilla Bowl
Bahamas Bowl
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Birmingham Bowl
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl 
Dollar General Bowl
Hawaii Bowl
Zaxby's Heart of Dallas Bowl 
Quick Lane Bowl
Cactus Bowl
Walk On's Independence Bowl
New Era Pinstripe Bowl
Foster Farms Bowl
Academy Sports & Outdoor Texas Bowl 
Military Bowl 
Camping World Bowl