I want the Big Ten team with motivation and a strong defense against a mediocre ACC team in what was a down season in the ACC.

So I'm landing on Nebraska for this Pinstripe Bowl matchup. The oddsmaker agrees, making the Cornhuskers a solid favorite.

The Cornhuskers haven't been to a bowl game since 2016. This game is being played at Yankee Stadium. Nebraska is excited and will have strong fan support.

Nebraska went 6-6, including victories against Colorado and Wisconsin. The Cornhuskers, though, lost five games by one score. One of those narrow losses was by four points to Ohio State. I consider the Big Ten to be vastly better than the ACC this season.

Nebraska freshman QB Dylan Raiola showed promise this season. The Cornhuskers ranked 17th in scoring defense and 17th in fewest yards. They were 11th in run defense.

Boston College, by contrast, ranked 90th in yards gained and were 110th in pass defense.