FB (Gator Bowl): Ole Miss 52, Duke 20

Dr. Maturin said:
After getting shafted the last two years I am pleased with this bowl invite. A January bowl in Florida against a big name opponent is an excellent and well-deserved reward for our team.

As for the game, well, Ole Miss will be big favorites. Of course, these days you can't be sure which players will actually participate. Sometimes bowl games come down to which team wants to be there more. Duke will be delighted to play in the Gator Bowl while Ole Miss has to be disappointed to miss out on the playoffs. You never know, right?
Click to expand...
We've reserved our hotel rooms and purchased our tickets from Duke, so five of us plan to be there in Jacksonville cheering enthusiastically for the Blue Devils. Just a cautionary note about that business of the game being "in Florida," though: The coldest I've ever been at a sports event was the 1983 Gator Bowl, when Florida played against Iowa. On the night of December 30, it was already around freezing temperature at kickoff, and by the end of the game the wind chill made it feel like 15 degrees. It was brutal for us -- so bad I actually drank coffee, which I hadn't done since pulling all-nighters while cramming for final exams during "reading week" at Duke. The Iowa fans, OTOH, just laughed at us fragile Florida folks and acted like they were right at home. At least the Gators managed to win.

Here's hoping the conditions will be more comfortably normal, and dry, on the evening of January 2 . . . for everyone's benefit. Go Duke!
 
Stray Gator said:
We've reserved our hotel rooms and purchased our tickets from Duke, so five of us plan to be there in Jacksonville cheering enthusiastically for the Blue Devils. Just a cautionary note about that business of the game being "in Florida," though: The coldest I've ever been at a sports event was the 1983 Gator Bowl, when Florida played against Iowa. On the night of December 30, it was already around freezing temperature at kickoff, and by the end of the game the wind chill made it feel like 15 degrees. It was brutal for us -- so bad I actually drank coffee, which I hadn't done since pulling all-nighters while cramming for final exams during "reading week" at Duke. The Iowa fans, OTOH, just laughed at us fragile Florida folks and acted like they were right at home. At least the Gators managed to win.

Here's hoping the conditions will be more comfortably normal, and dry, on the evening of January 2 . . . for everyone's benefit. Go Duke!
Click to expand...
Good caution to the troops on North Florida weather in late December - early January. I can recall many days waking up to a coating of ice on the bayou. It usually warms up some but the winds will cut you in half.
 
Indoor66 said:
Good caution to the troops on North Florida weather in late December - early January. I can recall many days waking up to a coating of ice on the bayou. It usually warms up some but the winds will cut you in half.
Click to expand...
Yes, it's not Southwest Florida where their solution to deicing the plane once every 10 years is to sit it out on the runway for a couple hours. However, it's normally halfway between NC and Tampa in terms of weather.
 
As dumb (or perhaps really smart) luck would have it, I planned a post-Christmas trip to St. Augustine months ago. That's just a 45-minute or so trip down the road, so I'll be there too!
I had a great time at the Birmingham Bowl last year and am hoping for another fun day celebrating Duke.
Looking forward to seeing some of you degenerates, too.
 
duke2x said:
Yes, it's not Southwest Florida where their solution to deicing the plane once every 10 years is to sit it out on the runway for a couple hours. However, it's normally halfway between NC and Tampa in terms of weather.
Click to expand...
...and in terms of drive, more or less too....
 
No need to go to the game now, as we already know we win.

At least that's what ESPN says. ;)
i
i
TaxSlayer Gator Bowl

Duke vs. Ole Miss
EverBank Stadium (Jacksonville, Florida)
7:30 p.m. ESPN

Manny Diaz's Blue Devils are much more excited about the matchup than Ole Miss, as coach Lane Kiffin spent a lot of time griping about the CFP selection process and why a Rebels team with some undeniably good wins and three losses to inferior opponents got snubbed. The list of Ole Miss opt-outs and transfer portal entries could blow up before we reach the game, changing the complexion of the game. Duke will be up for this game, it has a talented quarterback in Maalik Murphy and strong receivers, and might be facing a shell of the Ole Miss roster. The Blue Devils win a close one.

Prediction: Duke 33, Ole Miss 31
Click to expand...
www.espn.com

We made score picks for every postseason CFB game -- 11 Playoff matchups and 36 bowls

We made predictions on the final score of every bowl matchup. Check back to see how we fared.
www.espn.com www.espn.com
 
Stray Gator said:
We've reserved our hotel rooms and purchased our tickets from Duke, so five of us plan to be there in Jacksonville cheering enthusiastically for the Blue Devils. Just a cautionary note about that business of the game being "in Florida," though: The coldest I've ever been at a sports event was the 1983 Gator Bowl, when Florida played against Iowa. On the night of December 30, it was already around freezing temperature at kickoff, and by the end of the game the wind chill made it feel like 15 degrees. It was brutal for us -- so bad I actually drank coffee, which I hadn't done since pulling all-nighters while cramming for final exams during "reading week" at Duke. The Iowa fans, OTOH, just laughed at us fragile Florida folks and acted like they were right at home. At least the Gators managed to win.

Here's hoping the conditions will be more comfortably normal, and dry, on the evening of January 2 . . . for everyone's benefit. Go Duke!
Click to expand...
It obviously isn't 100%, but the 30 day forecast can provide some temperature trends, at least. It doesn't seem to foresee a polar vortex for the time period.

1733765874635.png
 
Here's a preliminary look at Ole Miss. They finished #14 in the CFP rankings; I've listed all 6 weeks of that poll.

Week 11: #16 (then beat Georgia)
Week 12: #11 (then conquered the bye week)
Week 13: #9 (then lost at Florida)
Week 14: #14 (then beat Mississippi State to finish regular season)
Week 15: #13
Week 16: #14

Fans may view this as a disappointing season, but only because preseason expectations were so high: they were #6 in the first AP poll, and peaked for 2 weeks in September at #5. They slipped to #12 after losing at home to Kentucky, climbed back in to #9 after winning at South Carolina, fell to #18 after a loss at LSU, shot up to #9 after upsetting Georgia, then down to #15 after the Florida loss. That's a lot of whiplash.

A few Ole Miss players are listed among the national leaders in various statistical categories, according to Sports Reference. Click on a player's name to see his official team bio.

QB Jaxson Dart (senior):
1st in passing yards per attempt
1st in adjusted passing yards per attempt
1st in total yards
1st in total yards per play
2nd in passing efficiency rating
2nd in passing yards per completion
4th in total passing yards
4th in yards gained per game played
11th in pass completion percentage
17th in passing touchdowns

WR Tre Harris (fifth year):
18th in receiving yards

WR Antwane Wells Jr (redshirt senior):
15th in receiving yards per reception

LB Suntarine Perkins (sophomore):
tie-8th in sacks
tie-19th in tackles for loss

DT Walter Nolen (junior):
tie-19th in tackles for loss

DE Princely Umanmielen (senior):
tie-8th in sacks

CB Trey Amos (senior):
4th in passes defended

S Jadon Canady (junior):
9th in passes defended

S John Saunders Jr (senior):
5th in fumbles forced

PK Caden Davis (senior):
3rd in points kicking
3rd in field goals made
5th in field goal attempts
8th in extra point attempts
10th in points
13th in extra points made

P Fraser Masin (senior):
11th in punting yards per punt

CB/WR Micah Davis (senior):
18th in punt returns

Finally, SEC Shorts -- the weekly sketch comedy series on YouTube -- has been telling jokes this season about the Grove Collective, Ole Miss' robust NIL program. Today's episode, possibly their longest and most expensive production yet, features Ole Miss as a failed contender for the College Football Playoff:


Come for the SEC gags, stay for the ACC references. Definitely worth your time.
 
brevity said:
...

Finally, SEC Shorts -- the weekly sketch comedy series on YouTube -- has been telling jokes this season about the Grove Collective, Ole Miss' robust NIL program. Today's episode, possibly their longest and most expensive production yet, features Ole Miss as a failed contender for the College Football Playoff:


Come for the SEC gags, stay for the ACC references. Definitely worth your time.
Click to expand...

I've really enjoyed these this year. Especially the short that came out following the Vandy upset of Alabama. Seeing FSU in the basement that episode didn't hurt either.
 
Just bought 8 tickets through Duke. One old man, me, five grandchildren and two adult kids. Going to Disney earlier that week. Currently 0-2 in bowls, being Birmingham with Spurrier and Tampa with Goldsmith. Even worse with 0-3 for NCAA basketball championships, 1986, 1990 and 1999. Surely the odds favor seeing a Duke victory. Besides, better to have loved and lost than never loved at all!
 
In with my wife, and 2 of our 3 kids, including our son who is in the '28 class. 1-1 bowl record for me. Birmingham L with the '89 Spurrier squad and the 2017 Quick Lane Bowl demolition of Northern Illinois. Looking to be a more frequent participant though! Much better record in Final Fours and FB/hoops games at ND.
 
I'm sure we won't have a large scale tailgate setup, but I've got two spots reserved in the J Lot across from the stadium. One to park, and one to have a table or two out and at least my small grill for a few hot dogs, as well as a hot cooler loaded with pulled pork bbq for sandwiches. Depending on how the weather is looking as we near gameday, I might decide to bring a larger grill. TNTdevil and I will be there, hopefully early afternoon at the latest. I'm also messaging with the Hard Hat Guys and our tailgate neighbors at Duke (The Omega Psi Phi frat) to see what their plans are. I know the HHGs have also gotten a spot in the J Lot, as well as the A, and they'll decide which is best perhaps on gameday.
 
Last edited:
evrim said:
Their coach doesn't seem to like ACC.

www.clarionledger.com

Ole Miss football coach Lane Kiffin blasts ACC, selection committee over CFP rankings

Ole Miss football coach Lane Kiffin voiced his displeasure Wednesday with the Rebels being ranked below Miami in the College Football Playoff
www.clarionledger.com
Click to expand...

Lane Kiffin's record against the ACC in bowl games is 0-2.

12/31/2009: Virginia Tech 37, Tennessee 14 (Chick-fil-A Bowl)
-- VT, favored by 4.5, beat the spread

12/31/2012: Georgia Tech 21, USC 7 (Sun Bowl)
-- USC, favored by 10, lost outright

I actually don't care about betting lines -- you get jaded after living in Las Vegas for years -- but it's the start of an interesting trend. ESPN says the Gator Bowl betting line started at Ole Miss -12 and is now at -11.5. Make a wager, or don't, but realize that it's not about betting on Duke so much as it is betting against Lane Kiffin.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top