NCAAF: GATORS SPREAD HOLDING STEADY
Tim Tebow and the #2 Florida Gators are holding steady as three-point chalk over the #1 Oklahoma Sooners in the BCS title game on January 8th.
So while Sooners’ quarterback Sam Bradford won the Heisman Trophy last Saturday night, it is Tebow who will have the last laugh if he gets his second national title in the last three years.
This is one of just 34 bowl games to choose from in our ‘College Bowl Bash’. There’s a $10 Million Grand Prize for a Perfect Parlay and $10,000.00 in Guaranteed Prize Money for the members with the most correct picks if perfection is not achieved.
The Bowls will be kicking off this Saturday with four games; Navy (+3) vs. Wake Forest, Colorado State (+3) vs. Fresno State, Memphis (+12.5) vs. South Florida, and BYU (+3) vs. Arizona. There’s also one game on Sunday with Southern Miss (+4.5) vs. Troy.
BYU and Arizona has the most intrigue of any game this weekend as BYU is ranked #16 in the country and they possess a very explosive offense. Arizona is trying to bring some pride to the Pac-10 and they only lost to USC by a touchdown this year.
Speaking of the Trojans, the Rose Bowl may be the second most viewed game this bowl season. Fifth-ranked USC and Coach Pete Carroll are big 10-point favorites over #8 Penn State and the legend Joe Paterno. USC beat Illinois in this game last year 49-17, and Michigan 32-18 the year before, and the Big Ten needs a good showing to save their reputation.
The Fiesta Bowl between #3 Texas (-9.5) and #10 Ohio State is another must-see event. Texas could very easily be in the national title game after beating Oklahoma on a neutral field. Instead, they get a Buckeyes’ team that lost in the national title game two years in a row and has a lot to prove.
The Sugar Bowl between undefeated #6 Utah (+10.5) and one-loss #4 Alabama also meets the ‘great game’ criteria. If Bama had been in a conference without a title game, then they would be in the national title game. The Utes claim they can play with the ‘big boys’ in the country, so let’s see how the best of the MWC matches up with the SEC.
One of the best games to take place before Christmas is the Poinsettia Bowl between undefeated #9 Boise State and #11 TCU. Like Utah, Boise State (+2.5) is trying to cap off an undefeated season, but they are actually underdogs to #11 TCU who lost to Utah in the final possession of their contest.
The only Top 10 team not mentioned yet is #7 Texas Tech as 5.5-point favorites over #25 Mississippi in the Cotton Bowl. The Red Raiders were national title contenders for much of the season before losing badly at Oklahoma.
Finally, don’t forget about the Orange Bowl where Big East Champ #12 Cincinnati is giving 1.5 points to ACC champion #19 Virginia Tech.
