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.
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.
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
Northwestern’s defense did a heck of a job this year. Only two teams exceeded 30 points against them (Michigan State and Ohio State) and the Wildcats limited capable offensive clubs like Minnesota, Illinois and Iowa to 17, 10 and 17 points respectively. All told, they allowed just 19.2 points per game.
BetUS NCAA Football Betting Odds: MISSOURI -12.5, Total 66
These are two hot teams as far as the point spread is concerned. Rutgers comes into the PapaJohns.com Bowl having covered its last eight games, while N.C. State has covered seven straight. During its surge, Rutgers ran up scores on some teams, beating Pittsburgh by 20 points, South Florida by 33, Army by 27 and Louisville by 49, for example.
Kudos to Jerry Kill, the first-year Northern Illinois coach who took a team that was 2-10 last year and turned it around somewhat, guiding the Huskies to a 6-6 record in the same year one of its alums, Michael Turner, became one of the most valuable players in the National Football League.
There is a lot of talk about the job Randy Shannon has done recruiting for the Miami program. Indeed, there are plenty of future pro players on both sides of the ball. Freshmen have been nice contributors on the defensive side, and Aldarius Johnson was the team’s leading receiver (30 catches).
This is the third straight trip to the Motor City Bowl for Central Michigan, which has been one of the MAC’s more consistent performers for years. It may or not be the last collegiate game for junior quarterback Dan LeFevour, who is a definite pro prospect. LeFevour, who can run (536 yards rushing) or pass, completed 66% of his passes this season with 19 touchdowns, and took care of the ball very well, with just five interceptions.
The Hawaii Warriors (7-6 SU, 6-5-1 ATS) will have the opportunity to host a bowl game, which is not a common occurrence, as they take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (6-6 SU & ATS) in the Hawai’i Bowl, part of NCAA college football online betting action that is slated to kick off at 8 PM ET at Aloha Stadium (artificial turf) in Honolulu.
