PapaJohns.com Bowl North Carolina State Wolfpack vs. Rutgers Scarlet Knights
These are two hot teams as far as the point spread is concerned. Rutgers comes into the PapaJohns.com Bowl having covered its last eight games, while N.C. State has covered seven straight. During its surge, Rutgers ran up scores on some teams, beating Pittsburgh by 20 points, South Florida by 33, Army by 27 and Louisville by 49, for example.
BetUS NCAA Football Betting Odds: RUTGERS -7, Total 55
Here are some of the NCAA college football betting trends as they relate to this matchup:
* NCS has won its last four games SU
* NCS has covered its last seven games
* NCS has played six of its last nine games OVER the total
* RUT has won its last five games SU
* RUT has covered its last five games
* RUT has played four of its last five games OVER the total
The Scarlet Knights have looked explosive. Mike Teel, the quarterbacks, overcame a rocky start and finished with 23 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. There aren’t many better combos 1-2 receiver duo he’s throwing to. Kenny Britt had 81 catches and ranked second nationally in receiving yards per game, earning third team All-America mention by the Associated Press. Tiquan Underwood (36 catches, 443 yards) was actually the more highly-regarded receiver at the season’s outset.
The lack of a running game hurt Rutgers at times, and that was understandable, since Ray Rice, who had been perhaps the top workhorse in the country, departed after his junior season and landed with the Baltimore Ravens. No Rutgers back was able to average more than 48 yards per game. So if Teel, who threw more than one interception in four different games, gets erratic, Rutgers has problems on offense.
North Carolina State won its last four games against Duke, Wake Forest, North Carolina and Miami (the latter three being bowl teams) in order to qualify for a bowl with a 6-6 record. The big story for them had to be the emergence of Russell Wilson, a 5’11” redshirt freshman who was banged around in the season opener, a 34-0 shutout loss to South Carolina, came on huge throwing 16 touchdown passes without an interceptions in his last eight games and winning first-team All-ACC honors. Wilson tossed only one pickoff all season. He’s got a hot hand, as does Teel. The Wolfpack knows how to take care of the ball, registering a +9 turnover ratio on the season.
Coach Greg Schiano has demonstrated an ability to prepare for post-season action, covering three of four bowl appearances with the Knights. But Tom O’Brien, previously at Boston College, was a renowned bowl coach, as his teams have won and covered six out of seven outings. Rutgers got some pressure on the passer, with 28 sacks, but will have a harder time doing that with Jamaal Westerman out with an injury. N.C. State doesn’t give opportunities away cheaply, and gave up just 18 points per game over its four-game streak to close the season. They can hang.
We’ll grab the points with the Wolfpack, the seven-point underdog in the BetUS Sportsbook NCAA college football betting odds.
