College Football Game Lines – UTEP Tries To Enjoy Prosperity

TheUTEP Miners are steadily marching toward bowl eligibility this season. The UAB Blazers are falling away from bowl contention. They meet this weekend in Birmingham as the Blazers are a favorite on the college football game lines.

UTEP Miners @ UAB Blazers

Saturday, October 16th – 4:05 PM ET
Legion Field, Birmingham, AL

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College Football Games Odds:

UTEP +2.5, UAB -2.5
Total: 61

One of the major Conference USA storylines entering this season was the fate of UTEP head coach Mike Price.The conventional wisdom was that Price was going to be a goner after the 2010 season since the Miners didn’t seem to have the chops to contend for the Conference USA title.

Moreover and even more urgently, going bowling was far from assured for the team from West Texas.Six games into the 2010 season, that storyline is – if not caput – certainly standing on weak and wobbly legs.

Instead, the story in El Paso is about the Miners’high-flying offense and senior quarterback Trevor Vittatoe, owner of 1,577 passing yards and a phenomenal 14-to-2 touchdown-to-interception ratio.

The buzz surrounding the program this season is far different than recent campaigns. UTEP is in the Conference USA title mix and well on its way to playing in a bowl game after ripping through Rice this past weekend. What a difference six games can make.

Unfortunately for Neil Callaway and the UAB fan base, the story has not similarly changed for the boys of Birmingham.With do-it-all quarterback Joe Webb taking his game to the NFL, most Conference USA observers picked the Blazers to struggle this season.

They have indeed encountered tough sledding so far, posting a 1-4 record and registering their only win on a last-play Hail Mary pass against Troy on Sept. 18. UAB will look to turn things around this weekend against the Miners, who have not been airtight on the road in recent seasons.

College Football Games Lines: What UTEP Has To Do To Win

This game obviously has its X-and-O considerations, just like any other game. Vittatoe will need to be as sharp on the road as he’s been at home for UTEP. The Miners’ home-loaded first half of the season has given Vittatoe a comfort zone he’s used to good effect.

Within certain parameters, Vittatoe needs to make good reads and decisions against the Blazers.

However, while this game has its chess-match components (featuring Vittatoe going up against a UAB defense led by coordinator Eric Schumann), it is much more of a mental drama in which the Jimmies and Joes, not those Xs and Os, will take center stage. UTEP, for all its successes, got drilled on the road earlier this season at Houston.

The Miners have taken care of business at home this season, but it still remains to be seen if they can dig out a quality C-USA win away from the Sun Bowl stadium, where they’ve thrived in 2010.

Price’s team must guard against overconfidence and bring the wood to a UAB team that’s reeling after a lopsided loss to Central Florida on Oct. 6.

In terms of the pure merits of these squads, UTEP should win. Why, though, is UAB the favorite? Oddsmakers are of the belief that UTEP won’t be able to stand prosperity on the road.

They also think that UAB will be desperate on its home turf at Legion Field and play with an accordingly high amount of passion. UTEP’s main challenge is not tactical, but psychological. If the Miners play with maturity and poise, they should win.

College Football Games Lines: What UAB Has To Do To Win

If the Blazers are to have a shot, they need to make UTEP doubt itself. This means that a strong first quarter is not an option. UAB has to start this game with conviction and grab an early lead, thereby making the Miners less confident and more one-dimensional on offense.

Without a big first quarter or at least a positive first half (with a halftime lead), UAB can’t expect to prevail on Saturday.

College Football Games Lines: Outlook & Pick

UAB will indeed get its first-quarter lead, and UTEP will indeed doubt itself on the road. Vegas is aware of UTEP’s recent history, and that instinct should be validated this weekend in Alabama. Take UAB to win and cover the small number.

College Football Games Lines Pick: UAB -2.5