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Good morning, , By-Godders! I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas (except the Syracuse Orange). Welcome to The Shotgun/Throwdown, WVU’s best place for sports links, information, sophomoric humor and daily distractions. Today’s Throwdown is light on the links, since no one wrote anything new on Christmas.
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Football
West Virginia hopes to be in better hands without Grier than last year | WV MetroNews
For the second straight year, West Virginia heads into a bowl game without the benefit of its starting quarterback. But this time around, there’s a decidedly more optimistic feeling about the situation.
WVU football: Holgorsen happy to get a good look at QBs Allison, Lowe during bowl preparation | Charleston Gazette-Mail
Quarterback Will Grier’s decision to skip Friday’s Camping World Bowl left the West Virginia University football team with an opportunity.
Camping World Bowl: Gibson Expecting an Eager WVU Defense on Friday | West Virginia University Athletics
West Virginia University senior safety Dravon Askew-Henry says he’s been dealing with one grouchy football coach the last three weeks. Defensive coordinator Tony Gibson wasn’t happy with how his guys performed the last two weeks of the regular season against Oklahoma State and Oklahoma, knowing a stop or two in either one of those games would have dramatically altered the outcome of the season.
Big 12 should have success in bowl season | WV News
While simply reaching a bowl game is no longer a mark of program excellence, it does provide a gauge as to the overall strength of the conference. The Big 12 put seven of its ten teams in bowl games this year, a mark it has reached in 17 of its last 19 seasons. Six of those have come in the last eight years, when the league has only had 10 members.
Top 2 SU D-linemen out for World Camping Bowl | WV News
The fact that West Virginia will without its top pass protector in Yodny Cajuste, who opted to bypass Friday’s World Camping Bowl in Orlando, may not be as big a loss as it at first seemed.
Robinson could be WVU's next breakout player on defense | WV News
When you have a month between football games, as West Virginia has had between dropping it’s final two games of the regular to wind up facing Syracuse in the Dec. 28 World Camping Bowl, the mind has a chance to do some analytical thinking.
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Around the NCAA
What if Alabama decided not to score TDs and kicked automatic field goals instead? | SBNation
Let’s imagine a world in which Alabama auto-makes field goals every time it gets inside the red zone.
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NFL picks 2018, Week 17: Experts predictions for the final playoff order | SBNation
Can’t miss picks for the week’s most important games ... and all the other ones too!
Kyrie Irving is made for NBA Christmas Day | SBNation
The Celtics star is an elite entertainer and didn’t fail to amaze in the biggest regular season slate of the year.
The only way Draymond Green’s shooting slump matters | SBNation
Golden State’s offense will be fine no matter what Green shoots.
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