CFB Handicapping: Owls vs. Cowboys
Temple is emerging as a power in the MAC, so much so that there are rumours the Big East might come calling again.
Gildan New Mexico Bowl
Temple (8-4) vs Wyoming (8-4)
University Stadium – Albuquerque, NM
Saturday December 17 – 2:00PM
Moneyline: Temple -255, Wyoming +215
Spread (ATS): Temple -7
Over/Under: 47
Odds courtesy of 5Dimes
Temple
This year has proven that there is life after Al Golden in Philly, this team was just a slip away from competing in the MAC title game in place of rival Ohio. They are a physical team with a solid defense that plays hard all the time. They wear you down.
There is no secret to what the Owls are going to try and do against Wyoming. They are going to try and pound the ball down their throat with a rushing attack that was 7th in the nation. They feature a Thunder and Lightning style duo of Bernard Pierce and Matt Brown. Pierce was a TD machine again rushing for 25 while Brown is so small he sometimes gets lost behind their massive offensive line.
The Owls are also very physical on defense. They were third in the nation in points allowed at 13ppg and excel at both pass and run defense. Here is a great stat. They only gave up more than 14 points on defense four times all season. Not bad considering there are some pretty nifty offenses in the MAC right now.
Wyoming
The Wyoming Cowboys are a nice story nobody is talking about. In a transitional year in the Mountain West, Wyoming grabbed third place, only losing to Boise State and TCU in conference play. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
The truth is even lose losses were respectable when you see how that duo steam rolled the rest of the conference most of the season.
The biggest question mark of the season was answered quickly with the play of frosh QB Brett Smith. The agile freshman is a solid run-pass threat but most importantly he doesn’t turn the ball over, just 8 interceptions on the season. If the Cowboys are to pull of the upset he must play well. His final two games of the season were his worst so hopefully the extra time will right things for him.
Wyoming won’t stand a chance if they don’t figure out a way to have their best defensive game against the run this season. They finished the season 115th in the nation against the run. Earlier this season against really good running teams like TCU and Nebraska they gave up 390 and 333 yards. They have to keep it to about 200 tops to have a chance.
ATS Pick: Temple -7
Over/Under Pick: Under
Score Prediction: Temple 27 – Wyoming 13
