One of the best subsections of extended sports gambling each year, along with the horse racing triple crown and the NCAA basketball tournament, is college bowl season. And today, we find ourselves on the eve of the kickoff of this season's very first two bowl. As fans and gamblers, we spend August-December painstakingly analyzing all D-1 football teams, assessing strengths and weaknesses, identifying trends, breaking down matchups, developing crushes on players, and so on and so on. And for what? Well, to make some money along the way, of course. But more importantly, to have a leg up come bowl season. How can you not feel a bit confident this time of year when you look back and realize you've committed 370 hours and $1,756 of you time and money to college football in the past 18 weeks? We know these teams. These teams are who we think they are. And so now, we embark on the most noble and glorious of quests: the seemingly unattainable perfect bowl season!
The New Mexico Bowl (Albuquerque, NM):
Wyoming vs. Fresno State - Line is Fresno State - 11 - It feels as if the Bowl Gods are lobbing us a meatball right out of the gate. In our minds, these teams are not even remotely comparable. Fresno State features the nation's leading rusher in Ryan Matthews, while Wyoming sports the lowest Sagarin computer ranking of any bowl team (99th in the country). The Cowboys come in with a 6-6 record having been outscored by 124 by its opponents this season. Fresno State on the other hand come in having won 7 of their last 8 games and having scored more than twice as many points as Wyoming during the season. This game doesn't look close on paper and will be even more lopsided on the field. Look to Matthews to turn some heads in this game as the junior kicks off a long shot 2010 Heisman campaign with a monster effort against the Cowboys. We'll happily lay the points. Take the Fresno State Bulldogs -11. Final score is 44-17. LOCK IT UP
St. Petersburg Bowl (St. Petersburg, FL):
Central Florida vs. Rutgers - Line is Rutgers -2.5 - The Skarlet Ladies have killed the Locks all season long. We started as big backers and watch Cincy dismantle them in the season opener. Then, with a monster 7-team teaser hanging in the balance, the Ladies mailed one in against our lowly. Greg Paulus at QB lowly, Syracuse Orange. Needless to say, we're a bit gun shy when it comes to this team. And there is nothing about this match up that makes us feel good. This is a virtual home game for the Knights of Central Florida. The crowd should be largely supportive of UCF and there will be no travel-related issues for the Knights. Somewhat surprisingly, UCF also sports one of the nation's best rush defense. The defense also includes two monster pass rushers who look to take advantage of a leaky Rutgers offensive line and a still relatively green freshman QB. Rutgers does has an impressive recent history in bowl games (looking for its fourth straight win) and features a very dynamic, though under-the-radar, playmaker in Mohamed Sanu. Regardless, we think there are a few too many hurdles for the ladies to overcome in this one. We're calling the first upset - albeit a minor one - of the bowl season. Take Central Florida +2.5 in a game they win outright, 27-24. LOCK IT UP.
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