New Mexico Bowl: Opening Game for the 2009 Bowl Games
Fresno State Bulldogs (8-4 SU, 6-4-1 ATS) vs. Wyoming Cowboys (6-6 SU, 8-3 ATS)
Saturday, December 19: 4:30 p.m.
University Stadium, Albuquerque, NM
The 2009-2010 bowl season will officially kick off in New Mexico on Saturday, December 19, when the Fresno State Bulldogs play the Wyoming Cowboys.
CLICK HERE IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR EXPERT BOWL GAME COLLEGE FOOTBALL PICKS? —–>
For Fresno State, it was a dramatic end to the 2009, when a tipped pass completion, sealed their eighth win of the season last week against Illinois. The Bulldogs four losses on the year were to Cincinnati, Boise State, Wisconsin and Nevada, four teams who combined to go 42-7 during the regular season, and are all bowl eligible.
Here are some betting trends which may impact this game:
Fresno State: 7-1 SU in their last 8 games
Fresno State: 2-3 ATS in their last 5 games
Fresno State: The total has gone UNDER in 4 of their last 6 games
Wyoming: 7-2 ATS in their last 8 games
Wyoming: 2-4 SU in their last 6 games
Wyoming: The total has gone OVER in 6 of their last 9 games
Fresno has one of the most prolific offenses in the game, and it starts with running back Ryan Matthews. The junior- who is questionable for this one with a slight concussion- finished second in total rushing yards in college football 1668 yards on the season. He also had 17 touchdowns, and had an impressive 6.8 yards per carry. His quarterback is Ryan Coburn, a junior, who had an excellent first year under center. On the year, he threw for 2300 yards and 18 touchdowns. After looking at these numbers, it makes sense that Fresno State is ranked No. 14 in scoring offense in college football (averaging over 34 points a game). 
On defense, the Bulldogs however can be exposed on the ground. Granted, that they played some phenomenal rushing teams (Nevada is No. 1 in college football for example) they still allow 212 yards per game. If Wyoming is to win this game, this is where they’ll have to expose them.
Speaking of the Cowboys, they are making their first bowl game appearance since playing in the 2004 Las Vegas Bowl. Like Fresno, Wyoming is prepared, as they played four ranked teams this year.
Offensively, things haven’t come easy for the Cowboys, as they finished 111th in scoring offense (just 16 points per game), and 112th in total offense. Their quarterback, freshman Austyn Carta-Samuels, threw for just 1700 yards and 17 touchdowns this year and they didn’t have a single player rush for 100 yards in a game this season. On defense the Cowboys allowed 27 and 385 yards per game.
Fresno State comes into this game as the more prestigious program, with the better record and better players. Although a college football point spread has yet to be established for this one, look for the Bulldogs to be heavily favored, probably somewhere in the range of 10-14 points.
The key will come on defense, and whether Wyoming can do anything to stop this Fresno State offense. The Cowboys played good teams all year in the Mountain West, but Fresno’s group is as versatile they’ve seen.
For Fresno, they’ve got to simply do what they do and control the clock with the power running game. As long as Coburn doesn’t get turnover prone (he has thrown 11 interceptions), expect the Bulldogs to win comfortably.
Our Pick: Fresno State
