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.
The LSU Tigers went from national champions to a team trying to win the Chick-fil-A Bowl. Things sure change fast in college football, especially in the SEC.
The 9-3 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets will be playing a home bowl game December 31 when they meet the 7-5 Tigers at the Georgia Dome. Oddsmakers currently have the Yellow Jackets listed as 4-point favorites versus the Tigers, while the game’s total is sitting at 53.
The Minnesota Golden Gophers were 7-1 and sitting pretty in the Big Ten at the end of October. Then, they four in a row and fell to 7-5 and a date with the Kansas Jayhawks December 31 at Sun Devil Stadium. The 7-5 teams will battle for the Insight Bowl.
Oddsmakers currently have the Jayhawks listed as 8½-point favorites versus the Golden Gophers, while the game’s total is sitting at 59.
Vanderbilt looked like a contender in the SEC before the Commodore season wrecked on the rocks with four losses in five games to end the year. Now at 6-6, they face the 9-4 Boston College Eagles – losers in the ACC title game.
Oddsmakers currently have the Eagles listed as 3½-point favorites versus the Commodores, while the game’s total is sitting at 40½.
The Pittsburgh Panthers clobbered Oregon State the last time they met in a bowl game back in 2002. But Pitt (9-3)opened as a small dog for its New Year’s Eve battle with the 8-4 Beavers in the Sun Bowl.
Oddsmakers currently have the Beavers listed as 2½-point favorites versus the Panthers, while the game’s total is sitting at 52.
A rare bowl game that serves as a rematch of a game earlier in the year, the Air Force Falcons will try to beat the Houston Cougars for a second time December 31. The teams meet at Amon Carter Stadium in the Armed Forces Bowl.
Oddsmakers currently have the Cougars listed as 3½-point favorites versus the Falcons, while the game’s total is sitting at 64½.
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.
The Oregon Ducks and the Oklahoma State Cowboys, who were thrashed by both Texas Tech and Oklahoma in November, meet at Qualcomm Stadium.
Oddsmakers currently have the Cowboys listed as 1-point favorites versus the Ducks, while the game’s total is sitting at 75½.
The Texas Bowl is played every December at Reliant Stadium, the home of the Houston Texans, and has partnerships with the Big 12 Conference and Conference USA. The Texas Bowl drew over 50,000 fans in it’s inaugural game in 2006.
The TCU Horned Frogs edged the Houston Cougars 20-13 to win the 2007 Texas Bowl, holding off a furious Houston rally in the closing minutes.
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.
Maryland was a Jekyll-and-Hyde act for much of the season. At home they beat California, North Carolina State and North Carolina, and shut out Wake Forest (26-0). Away from home it was largely a different story.
BetUS NCAA Football Betting Odds: NEVADA -1.5, Total 58
Here are some of the NCAAF betting trends as they relate to this matchup:
* NEV has won four of its last six games SU
