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Air Force Falcons 2012 NCAA Gambling Odds & Predictions

2012-13 Football Previews – (Mountain West) – Air Force

Troy Calhoun has done a great job at Air Force in his first five years. The Falcons are 41-24 during that time. Last year, the team failed to reach eight wins for the first time in his career at the school. A 42-41 heartbreaking loss to Toledo in the Military Bowl dropped them to 7-6. Still, it should be pointed out that no other coach has had this kind of consistent success at a service academy school.

Mountain West 2012-2013 College Football Previews: Air Force Falcons
Head Coach: Troy Calhoun
2011 Record: 7-6
Air Force Gambling Odds from JustBet to win BCS Championship: (Part of Field) +1,800
Air Force Gambling Odds from 5Dimes to win Mountain West: +2,200

Can Calhoun do even more at Air Force or is eight wins basically the high water point? That is the question on many minds right now. It seems this team is always very competitive, but not quite at the top of the league. Only three offensive and two defensive starters return, so this year will be a major test for the Falcons.

Team Strengths:

Air Force has several play makers at the linebacker spot. The Falcons have a terrific leader at outside linebacker in Alex Means. Means had 77 tackles and led the team with six sacks last year. Jamil Cooks and Austin Niklas will likely be the other leaders in this group, but the depth at linebacker is tremendous. Air Force has as many as eight guys who could make an impact from this spot.

Air Force always has good hard runners in the backfield, and this year is no different. It starts with Connor Dietz, who will be a tremendous runner from the quarterback spot. Fullback Mike Dewitt will carry a large load this season, and he is great in short yardage situations. Wes Cobb, Broam Hart, and Tyrone Sauls should all get time at the tailback spot. This group should be very successful in 2012.  [soliloquy id=”82219″]

Team Weaknesses:

One of the biggest problems Air Force has had over the last few years has been their defensive line. The Falcons have some very tough guys on the line, but they are badly undersized. Air Force will play several guys on the defensive line who are less than 240 pounds. Look for the bigger offensive lines to get a good push against this smaller defensive front again this season. The Falcons will likely struggle against great running teams.

Can the Falcons have some kind of passing game? Dietz is actually a better runner than Tim Jefferson was, but Dietz hasn’t shown the ability to throw it much at all. In addition, Air Force lost four of its top five receivers from a year ago. Even though the Falcons typically run the ball almost every play, they’ll need some kind of ability to throw the ball once in a while to keep the defense honest. This could be an issue.

2012-2013 Air Force Falcons Football Prediction: 7-6

Air Force gets a major test early on when they travel to Michigan in week two of the season. The rest of the non-conference schedule isn’t too tough. The games against Navy and Army will be key as they always are at this school. Road games at San Diego State and Fresno State in November will be big in the Mountain West race.

Air Force isn’t likely to be a top competitor in the league this year, but I do think they’ll get to a bowl game once again.

2012 Air Force Schedule

9/1/12 2:00 PM ET IDAST
9/8/12 3:30 PM ET @MICH
9/22/12 TBD @UNLV
9/29/12 TBD COLST
10/6/12 11:30 AM ET NAVY
10/13/12 7:00 PM ET @WYOM
10/20/12 TBD NMEX
10/26/12 8:00 PM ET NEV
11/3/12 12:00 PM ET @ARMY
11/10/12 TBD @SDST
11/16/12 9:30 PM ET HAW
11/24/12 TBD @FRSST

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By Kyle Hunter

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