FizzCast: Mega Pinstripe Bowl Prediction Preview

Listen to the Mega-Pinstripe Bowl FizzCast:

Happy Bowl Week to Orange Nation from The Fizz! We’re in full on Pinstripe Bowl mode with the game just three days away from Yankee Stadium. Hope you’re enjoying your Christmas-hangover, as you await your cancelled flight/street plowed/next mojito. (That last one for those of you who escaped to a Caribbean resort and are not buried under a foot of snow.)

Sunday’s snowstorm caused a major delay for all players and coaches to actually get to the Bronx. Today’s pep rally in Times Square for SU and K-State has also been canceled because of the storm, leading SI.com’s Andy Staples to aptly tweet: “Why most bowl games are played in southern states: Today’s Pinstripe Bowl kickoff rally in Times Square canceled by snowstorm.” Touché, sir.

On this week’s FizzCast we dissect the Pinstripe Bowl from every possible angle via the eastern seaboard: Conroy is in Syracuse, Kannel from Andover, MA, Hoffman at Greenville, S.C., D.A. in Warwick, N.Y., and I’m locked in from White Plains, NY. They’re all wonderful places to spend the holidays until you’re trapped. Thanks snow.

D.A.: “With all of these recent suspensions, it really does make you wonder if Syracuse is going to be too undermanned to win this thing. I think straight up SU would win this thing, but these suspensions have me worried a little bit. This should have been the start of building for 2011 and I wonder how much a benefit it’s going to be for the team if half of them are suspended.” Prediction: Syracuse over K-State.

Couzens: “One of the good things is the way things can turn around through just one season. Keep in mind they said before the season they wanted to make a bowl, not win it. Obviously if you’re in it, you want to win, but this can be a huge turnaround for Syracuse. If they’re able to rally enough support around it when they’re in the biggest media market in the country, it really can be big for Syracuse.” Prediction: K-State over Syracuse.

Kanell: “K-State happens to be the third worst team in the nation in defending the run. Both teams like to run the ball and Kansas State has a horrible rushing defense…I think we know what type of game we’re getting and since the field position battle is going to be so important, how much does the absence of Rob Long hurt the Orange?” Prediction: Syracuse over K-State.

Hoffman: “I know K-State’s losses are far better losses than Syracuse’s losses. Their losses are in the Big 12 and SU’s are in the Big East. If you look at any of the Syracuse losses, you say this is the team that beat West Virginia and that defense they way they were playing should have been good enough to beat any team Syracuse lost to, but Ryan Nassib was playing quarterback and that was the end of that.” Prediction: K-State over Syracuse.

The four Fizz pool reporters are split on the predictions. As for Conroy? He’s covering the game, thus staying neutral. Yet another example of The Fizz’s (cough) journalistic integrity.

For those of you in Syracuse on the day of the Pinstripe Bowl, make sure to stop by the Dome before the game and catch the SU women’s basketball team in action. I’ll be courtside calling the game, also heard in CNY on Sunny 102.

No?

Ok, enjoy the couch, snow and football.

Posted: Mike Couzens