Champs Sports Bowl Wisconsin Badgers vs. Florida State
Champs Sports Bowl: Wisconsin Badgers vs. Florida State Seminoles 4:30 ET
Sports betting for the 2008-09 bowl season continues on Saturday afternoon, and BetUS customers will have their chance to sink their teeth into another great match-up when the Wisconsin Badgers (7-5, 5-6 ATS) do battle with the Florida State Seminoles (8-4, 5-4-1 ATS). This will be the first ever meeting between these two storied franchises in college football.
The Badgers will be playing in their seventh straight bowl game, of which five straight have been played in the state of Florida. The Seminoles hold the nation’s longest streak of bowl game appearances as HC Bobby Bowden has concluded 29 straight seasons with a trip to a bowl game.
It took three straight victories to end the season, but the Badgers are bowling once again. The offense has scored at least 24 points in five straight games after only scoring a total of 40 points in its previous three games combined. The 14th ranked rushing attack in America is paced by RB PJ Hill, who ran the ball 211 times for 1,021 yards and 13 scores. In each of his three years in Camp Randall, Hill’s rushing production has declined. Quarterback play has been questionable at best this season, as Dustin Sherer and Allan Evridge have struggled all year. The duo combined to complete 54.1% of their passes for 2,206 yards and ten touchdowns against 10 picks.
Wisconsin has won all three of its games against ACC opponents since 2001, but is just 1-2 against the football betting line in those three games.
The Seminoles haven’t had much history against the Big 10, but the games they’ve played have all had positive results. In two bowl games against Big 10 foes, the Noles are 2-0 ATS and 1-1 SU. Bowl games have treated FSU quite well of late, as it’s 3-0-1 ATS in its L/4 bowl games.
Though football bettors wouldn’t know it based on their final game of the season against Florida, the Seminoles have one of the best defenses in the nation. The unit ranks 14th overall at 291.2 yards per game allowed, and 8th against the pass allowing just 165 yards per game.
As has been the case all season, the offense will only go as far as QB Christian Ponder will take it. In his first year as a starter, Ponder led the Noles with 1,811 passing yards and 12 scores against 13 picks. The pass offense ranks 88th in the nation at 186.2 yards per game. Ponder hasn’t thrown for 200 or more yards since facing NC State on October 16th. RB Antone Smith leads the team with 15 total touchdowns, and he’ll be looking for one final solid showing before heading to the NFL next season.
Florida State has been tabbed as 5.5-point favorites in this NCAA football betting match-up, with the game ‘total’ coming in at 52.
Will third year HC Brett Bielema coach Wisconsin to their second bowl victory under his watch, or will the ‘Noles pound another Big 10 opponent and pick up another second season victory?
