Week one of the bowl season went just like the regular season, with Alan Cole leading the way in our staff pick 'em. This week is the lightest bowl week of the season with the Christmas Holiday and the NFL taking over both Saturday and Sunday. Only eight bowls will be contested between Tuesday, Dec 20th, and Monday, Dec 26th. Missouri is the only SEC team in action this week. All of our staff picks are made with confidence points and were made prior to the kickoff of the first game.

Gamecock fans, if you are going to watch one bowl game this week, this might be your choice. Why you ask? Joshua Simon. Simon is a native of Dalzell, South Carolina. He has entered his name into the transfer portal and visited South Carolina last weekend. Simon is a tight end and we know the Gamecocks are in the market for 5-6 of them between the 2023 class and the portal. Carolina fans will also appreciate that despite entering the portal, Simon is finishing his four-year Western Kentucky career by playing in the Hilltoppers bowl game. If you are watching this game, there is a strong chance you are going to see a future Gamecock.

Conference affiliation aside, there is no reason to for any South Carolina to pull for Missouri. Especially after Missouri's administration and Eli Drinkwitz, lobbied and whined about being matched up with Kansas in a bowl. The reason being, Missouri, like most SEC teams not playing in the playoff, has been hit hard by opt-outs and transfers. They don't want to end the year with a loss to their former rivals.

Ends Isiah McGuire, D.J. Coleman, and safety Martez Manuel have all declared for the NFL Draft and opted out. All three were crucial defenders on Mizzou’s defense. McGuire led the team with seven sacks. Coleman was second with six sacks. The Tigers' third-best DE is Ky Montgomery and he is out with a hip injury. Missouri's best receiver, Dominic Lovett has also entered the portal.

For Wake, Sam Hartman is playing. Which should be enough. Hartman could turn pro or could find himself as the hottest name in the transfer portal. He's a redshirt junior, who I believe would still have two years of eligibility.

The Aggies managed to backdoor their way into a bowl game, but that hasn’t dampened the enthusiasm within their fanbase. NMSU had their game against SJSU canceled and added Valparaiso in their place. Valparaiso could not be counted toward bowl status, so the Aggies applied for a waiver and had it approved.

JUCO transfer Diego Pavia took over the reins at quarterback in the last four games of the season and provided a spark for the offense with his arm and legs. He has thrown for 1,283 yards and 11 TDs while rushing for 443 yards and 6 touchdowns. Fellow JUCO transfer Kordell David has been one of the top receiving targets with 289 yards and 4 touchdowns. Star Thomas, another JUCO product, leads the way on the ground with 477 yards and 5 TDs. Defensively, senior Chris Ojoh collected 101 tackles in 2022, while senior Lazarus Williams has been a force rushing the passer with 7.5 sacks.

Bowling Green fielded its best team in Scott Loeffler’s tenure with a 6-6 record. Quarterback Matt McDonald makes the offense go. He has thrown for 2,639 yards and 22 TDs this season. Jaison Patterson has churned out 560 yards on the ground and Alabama A&M transfer wide receiver Odieu Hilary has caught 54 passes for 704 yards and 6 TDs. On the defensive side of the ball, senior Karl Brooks has been a nightmare for opposing offenses with 10 sacks.