Categories
NCAA Football Sports

BYU vs. Tulsa Armed Services Bowl Free Pick

Bell Helicopter Armed Services Bowl

BYU’s first season as an independent was a success.  They finished 9-3, which is a nice record, especially given they made a QB change midseason, which was really unexpected given what we saw of highly toued Jake Heaps at the end of last year.  

BYU Cougars (9-3) vs Tulsa Golden Hurricane (8-4)
Ford Stadium – Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX
Friday December 30 – 12:00PM
Moneyline:  BYU -108, Tulsa -102
Spread (ATS): BYU -1
Over/Under: 55
Odds courtesy of 5Dimes

BYU

This team might have played its best ball in its losses to Texas and TCU.  

The teams they beat were nothing special – only Utah State made a bowl game among their conquests.

With Jake Heaps out of the picture (heading to Kansas – why), Riley Nelson has stepped up.  Nelson is more game manager than Ty Detmer, but his efficiency is improving.  

He seems to make plays when they are needed and adds mobility to the position, something we are not accustomed to seeing at one of the nation’s QB factories.

This year BYU has been really strong on defense.  They are 16th in the nation in yards allowed and give up just 20 points per game.  

As alluded to earlier their schedule has been a little light and Tulsa might be the most dynamic offensive team they play this year (sorry TCU).  

BYU has been a great ATS team this year going 8-4 and are a solid bet against Tulsa.

Tulsa

Tulsa is looking for some respect this bowl season.  Most see the 8-4 record and probably don’t realize what a good season they had.  Their three out of conference losses were to Oklahoma. Oklahoma State and Boise State, while their lone loss in Conference USA was at Houston.   [soliloquy id=”82219″]

They had another good year for an underrated program.

He hasn’t always lived up to expectations but QB G.J Kinne can be a very good quarterback.  The coaching staff are counting on him to rise to the occasion in his last game as a collegian so we should see plenty of fire from the pass-run threat.  This year Tulsa has been more balanced than ever while still ranking in the top 25 in yardage and scoring.  

They are among a rare group of teams that averages 200 yards on the ground and through the air.

The Golden Hurricane lost every game against the best teams on their schedule.  That shouldn’t really be considered a knock because most teams would have done the same against that group.  

BYU is a good team but one I think they can handle.  

The number indicates this should be a close one and I like their ability to both run and throw.  

The BYU defense is supposed to be good but I am not sure they have really been tested.

ATS Pick:  Tulsa +1
Over/Under Pick:  Over
Score Prediction:  Tulsa 38 – BYU 28

By The Wiesguy

The Wiesguy is a newcomer to the handicapping scene. Hailing from Toronto, Canada he is always sweet on the underdogs and you can often find his thoughts, musings and picks at moneydogs.blogspot.com.