Pinstripe Bowl Prediction

It’s game day! Weeks of practicing, preparing, and fixing problems boils down to this. The forecast calls for sunny, 40degrees, and wind around 5 mph. Should be great for a game in Yankees Stadium. Kickoff is at 2:20pm CT. But before that happens, let’s review the match-ups and make a prediction. More after the jump.

Here’s what I thought through the match-ups

QB Advantage: Push

RB Advantage: Kansas State

WR Advantage: Push

O-Line advantage: Kansas State

D-Line Advantage: Syracuse

LB Advantage: Syracuse

DB Advantage: Kansas State

Special Teams Advantage: Kansas State

Coaching:  Kansas State

That totals Good Guys 5, Bad Guys 2, Push 2. Looks like a lock. But as Lee Corso likes to say… “Not so fast my friend.”

Really, the O-line match-up was a guess on my part so that could go either way. I know the Wildcat’s hogs are good, but Syracuse may be able to keep up with them. The same might be true with our Defensive backs. That’s the playmaking unit for K-State, but I might have given them the edge simply because I like them more. I still think they are better/more athletic than Syracuse’s group, but K-State is the #52 pass defense giving up 212 yards per game while Syracuse is #5 at 156 yards per game. This could easily be a push or even an advantage for Syracuse… let’s make it a push.

Those changes make the final line KSU 3, SU 2, Push 4. Unfortunately, that’s probably more realistic. I still see Daniel Thomas having a big day. As for the defense, I just hope they have gotten things ironed out in the last month. As it has been with so many games this season, this game comes down to which of those “push” units step up. Let’s hope it’s the Cats.

Pinstripe Bowl Final prediction Kansas State 23, Syracuse 17.

Leave your prediction in the comments below.