New Years Eve Armed Forces Parlay – Navy vs. Missouri and Air Force vs. Houston

Special New Years Eve Military Parlay

Two of the five 2009 New Year’s Eve bowl games feature teams representing the US Armed Forces. In the Armed Forces Bowl, the Air Force Falcons play the Houston Cougars in Fort Worth Texas and in Houston, the Navy Midshipmen take on the Missouri Tigers in the Texas Bowl.

Both Air Force and Navy are underdogs in their Bowl games but I’m feeling a little patriotic, so I’m going to place a two-team parlay at the BetOnline.com sportsbook.

OK, I said I was feeling patriotic but maybe patriotic wasn’t the right word to use because I’m betting against both of the military teams in their New Year’s Eve bowl games.

Air Force Falcons +4 +160 Over 62½
Houston Cougars -4 -190 Under 62½

In the Armed Forces Bowl, Air Force boasts the number three rushing attack in the nation and they are going up against the 111th ranked rushing defense of the Cougars. The Falcons won’t have any trouble moving the ball on the ground against the Cougars. However, the Cougars offense, which ranked first overall, will force the Falcons to play catch-up.

If the Falcons need to turn to their passing game, things won’t go well for Air Force as they ranked 118th in the nation, averaging only 82.3 passing yards a game.

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Defensively, Air Force allowed only 15.3 points a game and held opponents to 149 passing yards per game. However, they will be hard pressed to stop the number 1 offense in the nation. The Cougars gained an amazing 581 yards a game with 450 of those yards coming through the air. Something has to give here and I think it will be the Air Force defense.

Navy Midshipmen +6½ +240 Over 52½
Missouri Tigers -6½ -290 Over 52½

Later in the day, the Navy Midshipmen are +6½ point underdogs to the Missouri Tigers in the Texas Bowl. Navy extended their streak of winning seasons to seven, finishing 9-4. The Midshipmen have a chance to win 10 games for the second time this decade.

Navy was 4th in the nation gaining 272 yards a game on the ground but their passing attack ranked 120th with only 71.4 yards a game. Tailback Ricky Dobbs lead the team with 24 touchdowns. Defensively they held opponents to 19.9 points a game, good for 19th nationally.

Missouri features the excellent quarterback-receiver duo of Blaine Gilbert (23 TDs, 7 INTs) and the electric Denario Alexander (1644 yards, 13 TDs). The pair led the Tigers to an 8-4 finish but only 5-7 against the spread.

Defensively the Tigers match up very well against the Midshipmen, against the pass the Tigers ranked 109th but Navy isn’t going to be passing the ball too often, against the run they held opponent to only 96.4 yards a game.

To summarize, I’m taking the Cougars offense over the Falcons defense in the Armed Forces Bowl and I’m taking the Missouri run defense over the Navy rushing offense in the Texas Bowl.

New Year’s Eve 2-team Parlay – Missouri Tigers -6½ and Houston Cougars -4

A two-team parlay at BetOnline.com pays 2.6/1 so for every $100 bet you will win $260.

College Hoops Insider – Pac 10 Power Poll

The biggest college basketball betting programs on the West Coast haven’t all gotten off to stellar starts in 2009. Take a look at how BetOnline.com ranks the teams after a few weeks of competition against the NCAA basketball spreads.

1: Oregon State Beavers (5-2 ATS, 6-5 SU) (LW: 1) Last year’s CBI champs continue to be the only team really worth anything for college basketball betting fans in the Pac-10 this year. The Beavers nailed down another cover against Fresno State, but the Pac-10 slate starts off with the Washington trip this week.

On Deck: Away @ Washington, Away @ Washington State

2: Washington State Cougars (5-5 ATS, 10-2 SU) (LW: 2) The Cougs just narrowly averted what would’ve been a disastrous loss for the Pac-10 when they knocked off LSU in OT three days before Christmas. However, they had no chance of beating the NCAA basketball spread that day.

On Deck: Home vs. Oregon, Home vs. Oregon State

3: Arizona Wildcats (4-5-1 ATS, 6-5 SU) (LW: 3) The Cats took care of business… somehow. An 83-82 win over Lipscomb and a 76-74 win over NC State shouldn’t have been worth anything more than a lump of coal in Arizona’s stocking.

On Deck: Home vs. BYU, Away @ USC, Away @ UCLA

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4: California Golden Bears (4-5 ATS, 6-4 SU) (LW: 4) Welcome back to reality, Cal. The Golden Bears were absolutely thumped by Kansas in their last game, but at least they return home now for four straight in Berkley.

On Deck: Home vs. Utah Valley State, Home vs. Stanford

5: UCLA Bruins (4-5 ATS, 5-7 SU) (LW: 7) At least it looks like the bleeding has stopped at UCLA for now. It’s not that wins over Colorado State and Delaware State are anything to write home about, but wins are wins right now, and the Bruins will take them any way that they can get them.

On Deck: Home vs. Arizona State, Home vs. Arizona

6: USC Trojans (4-5-2 ATS, 8-4 SU) (LW: Wins over UNLV and St. Mary’s made the Trojans another potential tournament team in and amongst a bunch of teams who need to have massive Pac-10 seasons to reach the field of 65. The biggest question is whether the Men of Troy can show some consistency, starting with the Arizona squads coming in from the desert.

On Deck: Home vs. Arizona, Home vs. Arizona State

7: Stanford Cardinal (3-5-1 ATS, 5-6 SU) (LW: 5) Three straight losses before the holidays will prove to cripple Stanford come March. Even a win against James Madison won’t stop the bleeding heading into Cal.

On Deck: Home vs. James Madison, Away @ California

8: Oregon Ducks (3-6 ATS, 7-4 SU) (LW: 6) The Ducks won their third straight game with a 77-71 win over Idaho State. That streak should easily run to four at home on Monday night before taking to the road for the first time since December 5th.

On Deck: Home vs. Arkansas Pine Bluff, Away @ Washington State, Away @ Washington

And the rest…

9: Arizona State Sun Devils (3-6 ATS, 10-3 SU) (LW: 9)

10: Washington Huskies (2-7 ATS, 9-2 SU) (LW: 10)

5 NFL Coaches on the Hot Seat

With just one week to play before the 2009 NFL betting season comes to a close, BetOnline Sportsbook takes a look at the coaches that are sitting on the hot seat and may be playing for their jobs in Week 17…

Eric Mangini, Cleveland Browns: A third win in a row may be enough for incoming GM Mike Holmgren to consider keeping Mangini aboard. All things considered, the former Jets’ skipper did a heck of a job holding this squad together in spite of the fact that there’s just not any legitimate offensive talent to go around.

Gary Kubiak, Houston Texans: One would like to think that Kubiak took himself off the hot seat by assuring that the Texans would finish at no worse than .500 for the third straight season. But how many more years can the NFL’s youngest franchise continue to kick around at mediocre, especially considering that they lost five games this year in the dying plays of the game?

Raheem Morris, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: NFL betting fans that took a shot with Tampa Bay made some bank off that comeback against the Saints last week. The Bucs have won two straight games, and though they ultimately cost themselves a shot at landing DT Ndamukong Suh in the draft, unless something crazy happens and the Glazer Family gets wowed by a Bill Cowher or someone of the sorts, Morris should keep his job.

Jack Del Rio, Jacksonville Jaguars: Now this is a different story. Del Rio has largely underachieved as a head coach during his entire reign in Jacksonville. The Jags probably won’t make the playoffs once again this year in spite of the fact that they probably have one of the six most talented teams in the AFC. He gambled a few years ago and sent QB Byron Leftwich out of town in favor of David Garrard, and ultimately, he’ll probably pay the price for the decision.

Jim Zorn, Washington Redskins: Do we even have to stick Zorn on this list of coaches that could be in trouble? If there’s one coach that is certainly out after Sunday, it’s Washington’s. Owner Dan Snyder hasn’t been thrilled with the work of his head coach since the day he brought him aboard, and with the sexy names like Cowher or Shanahan available, who could blame him for wanting to make a change now?

John Fox, Carolina Panthers: In spite of the fact that NFL betting aficionados cursed out Fox time after time for throwing the football with QB Jake Delhomme instead of running it with either RBs Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams, Fox looks like he’s going to be okay for at least another season. The Panthers’ skipper can salvage a .500 season with a win over New Orleans on Sunday, but it seems like he’ll be back in black and blue in 2010.

Lovie Smith, Chicago Bears: Chicago’s win over Minnesota on Monday night will certainly help, but the reality is that there are a lot of heads that are going to roll over this Jay Cutler debacle. Even though LB Brian Urlacher was lost right at the beginning of the season and second year RB Matt Forte has been a total bust, Cutler’s arrival in the Windy City was supposed to bring Da Bears back to supremacy in the NFC. It’s done the exact opposite. The biggest insult will be if Kyle Orton is playing in the playoffs with the Broncos while Cutler is on the verge of throwing 30 picks.

NCAA Bowl Betting – #22 Stanford vs. Oklahoma in the Sun Bowl

#22 Stanford (8-4, 6-3; Pac Ten) vs. Oklahoma (7-5, 5-3; Big XII)

December 31st – 2:00 pm EST – El Paso, Texas

Stanford Cardinal +8 +270 Over 55½
Oklahoma Sooners -8 -330 Under 55½

In the biggest of the five New Years Eve bowl games, El Paso, Texas hosts the historic Sun Bowl. The game debuted in 1935 and the 2009 version features the #22 ranked Stanford Cardinal as the underdog against the always-tough Oklahoma Sooners.

Despite being unranked, the BetOnline.com sportsbook has the Oklahoma Sooners (7-5, 5-6-1 ATS) as the -8 point favorites over the Stanford Cardinal (8-4, 7-5 ATS). If you bet the Cardinal straight up you wager will return +270. The game’s over/under is set at 55½.

Stanford features Heisman Trophy runner-up Toby Gerhart as their offensive centerpiece. Gerhart was a beast, leading the nation in rushing attempts, yards and touchdowns. Many say the award should have been his as he lost the closest vote in Heisman history. Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck did his part keeping the ball out of the opposing defenses hands, only throwing 4 INTs in 288 attempts, he added 13 touchdowns but the Cardinal’s 10th ranked offense will be without their starting quarterback in this game.

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Luck injured his finger in the final game of the regular season against Notre Dame. Former starter Tavita Pritchard will get the start against Oklahoma. You may remember Pritchard, as he was the quarterback who led the Cardinal to a wild comeback against USC in 2007.

On defense, Stanford was a little more pedestrian giving up 26.2 points and allowing 396.5 yards a game this year. The Cardinal needs a good offense showing in the Sun Bowl to make up for their defensive shortcomings.

Oklahoma was destined for the top of the BCS rankings in 2009 but fate can play tricks on destiny sometimes. 2008 Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford spurned the NFL to return for his junior year with the Sooners but in the first game of the season Bradford suffered a 3rd degree sprain to his AC joint, which ended his college career. Landry Jones stepped in and did an admiral job but without Bradford, the Sooners BCS title hopes ended in game one.

The Sooners offense suffered without Bradford but still scored 31.1 points a game and ranked 29th in total offensive yards. Landry, while not Heisman worthy still passed for 2780 yards, 23 TDs and a respectable 13 interceptions. Chris Brown and DeMarco Murray combined for 1396 yards and 14 TDs on the ground.

As good as Stanford is on offense, the Sooners are as good or better on defense, Oklahoma only allowed opponents 13.5 points a game and limited opposing runners to 90 yards a game. They ranked 22nd against the pass but without Luck leading the Cardinal this game becomes Toby Gerhart versus the Sooners run defense.

It’s a shame Stanford will be without Andrew Luck as this game could have been one of the best in the 2009 Bowl season but with Luck gone, I don’t see the Cardinal beating the Sooners. Look for Oklahoma to win the 2009 Sun Bowl by a couple of touchdowns.

BetOnline.com Sun Bowl Prediction: Oklahoma Sooners -8

Football Bowl Odds – Bowling Green vs. Idaho in the Humanitarian Bowl

2009 Roady’s Humanitarian Bowl

Bowling Green Falcons (7-5 SU, 7-5 ATS) vs. Idaho Vandals (7-5 SU, 7-5 ATS)

Wednesday, December 30: 4:30 p.m.

Football Bowl Odds: Bowling Green -1, Total Points 68

Here are some betting trends which may impact this game:

Bowling Green: 6-1 SU in their last 7 games

Bowling Green: 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games

Bowling Green: The total has gone UNDER in 4 of their last 6 games

Idaho: 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games

Idaho: 1-4 SU in their last 5 games

Idaho: The total has gone OVER in 4 of their last 5 games

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Two of college football’s best passing teams will air it out on the Blue Turf of Boise, when Idaho and Bowling Green square off in the Humanitarian Bowl.

Bowling Green enters this game as one of college football’s hottest teams, having won four straight games coming in. They are led by senior quarterback Tyler Sheehan, who despite struggling with expectations early in the season, came on strong late. He threw for 3,665 yards and 23 touchdowns on the year, including an impressive 7-0 touchdown to interception ratio the last three games.

His top receiver is college football’s top receiver, senior Freddie Barnes. On the year, Barnes caught a staggering 138 catches, for 1551 yards. He also had 16 touchdown catches more than any receiver in the country.

Not to be outdone, Idaho has a pretty potent passing game of its own, one which finished the year ranked 11th in college football. The Vandals are led by junior quarterback Nathan Enderle. While Enderle’s stats aren’t overwhelming, it is important to note that he missed two games late in the year with injury. He did manage to respond in Idaho’s final game throwing for 262 yards and three touchdowns however.

As good as both of these team’s offenses are, the key in this game will likely come down to which defense can actually make more stops. Looking at Idaho’s numbers, things aren’t looking good for the Vandals. While Bowling Green has played its best football down the stretch, it’s actually quite the opposite for Idaho, who’s lost four of their last five, and have given up 50 or more points in three of those games. And their biggest problem has been the pass defense.

They gave up over 300 yards to Boise State and Utah State both in the last two games, and on the year, rank 114 out of 120 Division I college football teams in passing defense. Needless to say, Freddie Barnes and Tyler Sheehan could have a very big afternoon in Boise on December 30.

Because of the discrepancy in the pass defense, and because Bowling Green is just playing better overall, I’m going with the Falcons. The only advantage that I see Idaho with coming in, is that Boise is quite close to their Moscow, Idaho campus.

But even if the stadium is filled with Idaho fans, the talent discrepancy on the field is too much. Take the Falcons, giving a point in this week’s college football betting odds.

Aaron’s Pick: Bowling Green -1

NCAA Basketball Odds – UConn vs. Cincinnati

NCAA Basketball Odds
Connecticut Huskies (9-2 SU, 2-7 ATS) at Cincinnati Bearcats (8-3 SU, 3-4 ATS)
Wednesday, December 30 – 7 PM ET

BetOnline NCAA Basketball Odds:  CINCINNATI -1

Here are some of the NCAA basketball sports betting trends as they relate to this matchup:

* CONN has won five of its last six games SU
* CONN has covered one of its last five games
* CONN has played ten of its last 14 games OVER the total
* CONN has won nine of its last ten road games SU
* CIN has won four of its last six games SU
* CIN is 0-4 ATS in its last four lined games
* CIN has played seven of its last eight games UNDER the total
* CONN has won the last four meetings SU
* The last three meetings have gone OVER the total

 

Cincinnati plays with great balance, with no one averaging more than 12.5 points a game. That leading scorer is Lance Stephenson, who occupies the backcourt with Deonta Vaughn. Yancy Gates brings about 250 pounds to the front line, and he shoots 53% from the field, and Rashad Bishop hits 54%. Cincinnati is not a big three-point shooting team, but they get by with some scrappy defense (allowing 37% shooting) and solid rebounding, which gives them their best chance to beat the NCAA basketball odds.

Kemba Walker is the guy who makes the U-Conn offense go. The sophomore is coming into his own, averaging 6.4 assists a game, and hitting 41% of his infrequent three-point attempts. One of the nice surprises in the Connecticut lineup is the freshman big man, Alex Oriakhi, who is averaging 8.5 rebounds and 2.3 blocks, and there has also been a front court explosion out of Gavin Edwards, a senior who is averaging 3.6 blocks a contest.

The Huskies have lost only twice – against Duke in the Preseason NIT Tip-Off and at home against John Calipari’s Kentucky team, quarterbacked by John Wall. This is the first time they actually go into a game as the visitor. Cincinnati has scored a couple of walkover wins in the last two at home, beating Lipscomb and Winthrop. The Bearcats have taken the measure of Vanderbilt and Maryland and lost in the finals of the Maui Invitational to Gonzaga.

This will be a home revenge game for Cincinnati, which lost last year’s meeting 81-72 as the Huskies shot 58% from the field. It is true that in a battle between prize recruits, Walker has one year on Stephenson, but the new Cincinnati star, who was the leading scorer in the history of New York high school basketball, should not be underestimated.

Cincinnati is the type of team where when they play well, they play very well, and when they play badly, they can be an embarrassment. Let’s look for a solid and tenacious effort here as we see if the questions are answered about Connecticut’s performance as a road squad. We’ll lay the point with Cincinnati in the BetOnline NCAA basketball odds.

JAY’S PLAY:   CINCINNATI -1 ***
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)

Bowl Game Betting: Bowling Green Vs Idaho

The Idaho Vandals will be playing in their first bowl game since 1998 as they take on the Bowling Green Falcons on December 30th at 4:30 PM ET at Bronco Stadium in what promises to be a high-scoring Roady’s Humanitarian Bowl clash.

Roady’s Humanitarian Bowl Odds:

Bowling Green Falcons -1
Idaho Vandals +1
O/U 68

Both teams ended up with a 7-5 record and it would appear a good bowl matchup as the Vandals average 31.83 points per game and Bowling Green 27.33 points per game.

College Football Betting Tip: The Falcons features the nation’s best receiver statistically in WR Freddie Barnes. He averages 11.2 yards per catch with 1551 receiving yards in 138 receptions and 16 TD.

To be a great WR you need a great and Barnes has QB Tyler Sheehan who has thrown for 3665 yards and 23 TDs with only 6 picks.

Bowling Green Falcons has a middle of the road running game which tends to make their offense predictable which shouldn’t be a problem as they face a horrible Idaho passing defense. The Vandals allowed 30 TD through the air and 6 interceptions during the season.

On offense the Vandals will lean on the passing game of junior QB Nathan Enderle who is having a stellar season throwing for 2666 yards, 18 TD and 8 picks. Expect Enderle to look for WR Max Komar and Daniel Hardy down the field.

The difference between these two teams is that Idaho has a running game as they can run either RB: DeMaundray Woolridge (854 yards and 16 TD) or Daniel Hardy (674 and 3 TD); they have a versatile attack that can confuse the opposing front seven.

Although Bowling Green can’t defend the run (they allowed 25 TD rushing this season), they can cover the passing game as they ranked 4 th against the pass in the Mid American conference allowing 14 TDs and 9 interceptions.

Follow these College Football betting trends: Idaho is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games and Bowling Green is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games. The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Bowling Green’s last 6 games but it has gone OVER in 4 of Idaho’s last 5 games.

Last 5 Bowling Green Bowl games:

• 1991 California vs. Fresno State 28-21 W
• 1992 Las Vegas vs. Nevada 35-34 W
• 2003 Motor City vs. Northwestern 28-24 W
• 2004 GMAC vs. Memphis 52-35 W
• 2007 GMAC vs. Tulsa 7-63 L

Idaho’s only Bowl game:

• 1998 Humanitarian vs. Southern Miss 42-35 W

My pick: Bowling Green a TD.

AFC Playoff Picture – Jets and Ravens Control their Destiny

The NFL playoffs are right around the corner, but there is still some things to be decided this Sunday.

There are a couple of things that we know for sure in the AFC.  First, the Indianapolis Colts have home field advantage.  Second, the San Diego Chargers are the 2nd seed in the AFC Playoffs.  Third, both the Chargers and the Colts figure to rest their starters this Sunday.  Fourth, the Cincinnati Bengals and the New England Patriots are the 3rd and 4th seeds or 4th and 3rd seeds in the playoffs.

The two wildcards are up for grabs in the AFC.  Let’s take a look at everything going on in the AFC right now.

AFC Playoff Picture

1st Seed:  Indianapolis Colts

2nd Seed:  San Diego Chargers

3rd Seed:  New England or Cincinnati

4th Seed:  New England or Cincinnati

Wildcard Seeds:

Okay, this is a mess.  The team that controls their destiny is the New York Jets.  Yes, coach Caldwell for the Colts kept the dream alive for Rex Ryan and the Jets by benching Peyton Manning in the second half of the Colts loss to the Jets.

Stupid move Caldwell because the Jets are a good team and now can beat the Bengals at home and get into the playoffs where they would play either the Bengals again or the Patriots.  The Jets can beat either team.  Then, they could find themselves taking on the Colts in the second round.  Uh…did you and no-fun G.M. Bill Polian think about that?  The Jets are 10 point favorites in the NFL sportsbook, by the way, to beat the Bengals this Sunday.

Besides the Jets, the Baltimore Ravens are in the best position to secure a playoff seed.  If the Ravens beat the Oakland Raiders then they’re in.

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Now, if the Ravens were to lose to Oakland, then the door would open for the Broncos if they were to beat the Kansas City Chiefs.

If both the Broncos and Ravens lose, then the Houston Texans would, should they win, get a wildcard.  The Texans can also march into the playoffs with a Jets loss and a Broncos or Ravens loss.  The Broncos can still get into the playoffs with a loss if four out of the six remaining playoff contenders, the Jets, Ravens, Texans, Steelers, Dolphins and Jaguars lose.

Pittsburgh can get into the playoffs if they win and the Texans, Jets and Ravens lose or if the Jets, Ravens and Broncos lose.

The Miami Dolphins can get into the playoffs if they win and the Jets, Ravens, Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars lose.

The Jaguars can get into the playoffs if they win and if four of the remaining six playoff contenders lose.

Which Teams Will Secure a Wildcard Berth?

The Baltimore Ravens will beat the Oakland Raiders and the New York Jets will beat the Cincinnati Bengals.  With those two teams winning, the rest of the scenarios will become meaningless.

The New England Patriots will also beat the Houston Texans to set up a Patriots versus Ravens battle next Sunday while the Bengals will host the Jets in a repeat of this Sunday’s matchup in the other AFC Wildcard game.

Don’t forget to check the BetOnline Locker Room for Super Bowl XLIV expert picks and AFC playoff lines this coming Monday!

Gary Payton’s Most Underrated and Overrated Players in the NBA

Since the start of the 2009-2010 season, former NBA superstar Gary Payton has been bringing his professional insight and intelligence into your home, as one of the newest analysts in the BetFlix film room. Well, he’s back, bringing you his most underrated and overrated players of this season.

Starting with the most underrated, he goes out to Utah, to discuss point guard Deron Williams. In Payton’s eyes, Williams is the second best player at his position, behind only Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets. Williams was a member of the 2008 Gold Medal winning Olympic team in Beijing, but staggeringly for a player of his magnitude, has never been an NBA All-Star. Williams is currently third in the NBA, averaging exactly 10 assists a game, to go with 19.9 points per contest. Utah is currently 8th in the Western Conference standings.

As far as the most overrated players, Payton has listed two. The first is Toronto Raptors power forward Chris Bosh. Bosh, a seventh year player in Toronto is 23.5 points and 11.5 rebounds, yet his Raptors are nine games back of the Boston Celtics in the Atlantic Division. As Payton said, Bosh needs, “To step up a little bit more,” if Toronto is to make a real push into the playoffs.

His second most overrated player is formerly one of the league’s best, Washington Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas. Arenas, who is coming off of back-to-back lost seasons after knee surgeries, has struggled in his return to Washington, averaging 23 points and 7 assists a game. However, the Wizards are at the bottom of the East’s Southeast Division, with just a 10-19 record.

As always, Payton will be with BetFlix all season, taking his year’s of NBA insight right to your home computer, giving you the best inside information found anywhere on the internet. Before you make your NBA bets, make sure to check out “Payton’s Corner,” and BetOnline’s MVP, Gary Payton.

College Football Bowl Season – 5 Burning Questions

With a bevy of college football bowl matchups ready to go off this week, BetOnline Sportsbook asks five questions that just beg to be answered…

1: Will the high-flying Cougars or ground-happy Falcons dominate the Armed Forces Bowl? Last year, the answer to this question was really, "Both," when Air Force and Houston combined to rack up a relatively lofty 767 combined yards and 62 points in this same NCAA bowl match-up. The Cougs won 34-28 that day, and the oddsmakers are expecting much of the same on New Year’s Eve. Houston is favored by five points.

2: Will Bobby Bowden and Mickie Andrews go out as winners? The New Year’s Day Gator Bowl has to be one of the most highly anticipated NCAA bowl match-ups of the season. HC Bobby Bowden will lead his Seminoles into action for the final time against the team that he coached before donning the garnet and gold; the West Virginia Mountaineers. Even though WVU has underachieved by its standards, FSU’s defense, led by departing DC Mickey Andrews, may have no answers for the Mountaineers’ offense. Will a virtual home field advantage lift the sentimental favorites to a ‘W’?

3: Will the Big Ten be in for another Rose Bowl beat down? It sure looks like it could be that way. Ohio State, who has lost seemingly every other BCS game aside from the Rose Bowl in recent years, will look to become the first Big Ten team to win this game since 2000 when Wisconsin knocked off Stanford 17-9. Heck, both the Big East (Miami) and Big XII (Oklahoma once and Texas twice) have more wins since the Big Ten last won the Rose Bowl. USC has dominated the L/3 versions of this game, beating Penn State, Illinois, and Michigan by an aggregate score of 119-59, but the last time that a Pac-10 team that wasn’t the Trojans won this game was in 2001 when Washington beat Purdue 34-24. The Ducks have one of the most potent offenses in the game, and if recent bowl struggles against fast teams is any indicator, the Oregon speed will be too much for the Buckeyes.

4: Can the Bearcats beat all of the odds and take down the mighty Gators? Let’s face it. Things don’t look good for Cincinnati. Its head coach ditched it right before it tried to finish off a perfect season for the glitz and glamour of Notre Dame. Its facing arguably the best player in the history of college football in his final collegiate game, coming off of an embarrassing defeat which left him crying on the sidelines. Even Florida’s HC Urban Meyer may be coaching his last game as he ponders whether or not to let his health issues keep him off the sidelines in 2010. Yet, Cincinnati is a team full of pride and spirit, and until someone knocks the Bearcats off, they’re still a perfect team.

5: Will either Northern Illinois or South Florida be motivated to play in Canada on January 2nd? The International Bowl wasn’t exactly the NCAA bowl match-up that either of these teams hoped to play in at the beginning of the season, and neither one will really be thrilled with their opponent either. This is one of the most unpredictable games on the docket this bowl season, and the unexpected is the only thing that can be expected.

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