The Dolphins have won nine of their last ten games to complete a ten-game improvement, and did so by bucking a trend and beating the Jets in the regular season finale. If you recall, the only win for Miami last year was a 22-16 overtime thriller at this site when Troy Smith was the Baltimore quarterback.
Ball State is already shy of personnel. Coach Brady Hoke, an alum, took a better offer from San Diego State, which is a lowly team. That should tell you a little about the state of the Ball State football program. Taking over the team for this ballgame is Stan Parrish, who was formerly a coach at Kansas State and won two out of 33 games.
USC has a defense that has already become the stuff of legend. The Trojans have yielded just 7.8 points per game, and ranks first in total defense, first in pass defense, fifth in rushing defense (allowing 2.6 yards a carry) and has held ten different opponents to ten points or less.
BetUS NCAA Football Betting Odds: USC -9, Total 45
The Baltimore Ravens (11-5 SU, 12-4 SU, 9-6-1 O/U) have been the best defensive team in all of football for the better part of the last decade.
Now with a strong-armed rookie quarterback leading the team’s improving offense, the Ravens are a playoff opponent’s worst nightmare.
The Miami Dolphins (11-5 SU, 8-8 ATS, 6-10 O/U) completed the greatest one-season turnaround in league history and come into their improbable AFC wildcard showdown having won five straight games and nine of their last ten overall.
Virginia Tech is playing in its 16th straight bowl game, though it has lost all three of its appearances in BCS games. On the basis of fundamentals, it looks like clear edges should be going Cincinnati’s way.
BetUS NCAA Football Betting Odds: CINCINNATI -2.5, Total 41.5
Clemson may be the biggest disappointment in college football this season. The Tigers looked to have so much offensive weaponry at their disposal, and were considered such easy favorites in the ACC, given a great chance to compete for a national title. Instead, they had to get hot at the end just to secure a bowl bid, and head coach Tommy Bowden was given his walking papers.
This game was off the board for a while due to uncertainty surrounding the status of the respective centers – Nene and Jermaine O’Neal. The issue isn’t completely settled yet.
BetUS Sportsbook NBA Basketball Betting Odds: DENVER -1.5, Total 201
In retrospect, Georgia was overrated coming into the season, wouldn’t you agree? The Bulldogs were being counted on as the #1 or #2 team by many pundits, on the strength of their resounding win over Hawai’i in last year’s Sugar Bowl and many starters returning. They just couldn’t live up to that hype, however.
It’s interesting that both of these teams, which have recognizable names in college football, went 6-6 last season, yet did not go to a bowl game. With additional post-season contests this season, that hardly seems like something that is possible.
BetUS NCAA Football Betting Odds: IOWA -4, Total 43
LSU did not fare well in the second half of the season, losing 52-38 to Georgia on 31-13 to Ole Miss, along with more competitive defeats suffered at the hands of Alabama and Arkansas. The Tigers were also rescued from the jaws of defeat with a furious 30-point fourth quarter against Troy, otherwise they would have gone into the bowl season with a 6-6 record.
Vanderbilt is in a winter wonderland, going to its first bowl game in 26 years, seeking its first post-season win since 1955, and at home no less. The Commodores had even higher hopes than their own hometown Music City Bowl when they got off to a 5-0 start, but they went just 1-6 beyond that. One of the reasons was that the offensive faucet got completely turned off.
LeSean McCoy rushed for more yards this season than he did in his terrific freshman year. McCoy gained 1403 yards (scoring 21 TD’s) and really got going toward the middle of the season. He did cool down a bit toward the end, with 39 yards against Louisville, 82 against Cincinnati and 95 against Connecticut. He is, nonetheless, the foremost offensive weapon on this field.
Okay BetUS NFL sports betting backers, what’s wrong with this picture? The streaking Indianapolis Colts (12-4 SU, 8-7-1 ATS, 8-8 O/U) have won nine straight games in the BetUS Sportsbook and are arguably the hottest team in all of football heading into the postseason. Unfortunately, the Colts are one the road against the disappointing San Diego Chargers, (7-9 SU, 6-9-1 ATS, 7-8-1 O/U) who are riding their own four-game winning streak.
The Atlanta Falcons (11-5 SU, 9-7 ATS, 7-9 O/U) are arguably the biggest surprise story of the 2008 NFL season. Led by gifted rookie quarterback Matt Ryan, running back Michael Turner and first-year head coach Mike Smith, the high-flying Falcons make their surprise appearance in the playoffs riding a three-game winning streak in the BetUS Sportsbook. The Arizona Cardinals (9-7 SU, 9-7 ATS, 11-5 O/U) are making their first playoff appearance in a decade and have one of the league’s most explosive offenses.
Oklahoma State was unbeaten and a top ten team this season until the Cowboys suffered a 28-24 loss to Texas. What followed was a 36-point loss to Texas Tech and a 20-point defeat to Oklahoma, and teams like that wind up in places like San Diego for the Holiday Bowl.
BetUS NCAA Football Betting Odds: OKLAHOMA STATE -2.5, Total 76.5
Here are some of the NCAA college football betting trends as they relate to this matchup:
Neither of these teams come from a power conference; after all, Rice is part of Conference USA, while Western Michigan is a member of the Mid-American Conference. Neither team has stepped up in a very big way against upper-echelon competition, though it should be mentioned that Western Michigan beat Temple and Buffalo on the road and beat Illinois at Detroit, a neutral site, while Rice won its big regular season game in a 56-42 shootout over cross-town rival Houston.
