Bowl Bonanza!
As 2009 draws to a close, we find ourselves smack in the middle of the bowls. You shouldn’t be bowled-out, either, as they build to the crescendo that is the Texas/Alabama showdown for the national title.
As 2009 draws to a close, we find ourselves smack in the middle of the bowls. You shouldn’t be bowled-out, either, as they build to the crescendo that is the Texas/Alabama showdown for the national title.
As 2009 draws to a close, we find ourselves smack in the middle of the bowls. You shouldn’t be bowled-out with football picks, either, as the bowls slowly build to the crescendo that is the Texas/Alabama showdown.
It’s Thanksgiving week, which means the middle of the NFL campaign while winding down the college football regular season. Late season college football means heated races for conference titles and bowl berths, plus rivalries that span decades, all of which can influence college football predictions. These games can have far more importance for players than September/October clashes.
One of the biggest games Saturday is also the biggest party; the “World’s Largest Cocktail Party” between Florida and rival Georgia.
The Florida Gators are a two-touchdown favorite, but that could be a steep price to pay for a game of this magnitude.
There is a long and rich history in the head-to-head series between Notre Dame & USC, and it will renew on Saturday in South Bend.
It is a huge game for the Irish, who have a chance to post the biggest signature win in the Charlie Weis era.
Snapping their winless bowl skid last December, is this the time they finally make themselves relevant again on the national football stage? Oddsmakers at Sportsbook.com don’t seem to think so, setting up USC as the 11-point road favorite.
Iowa at Penn State (8:00 PM ET, ABC)
The Big Ten kicks off its conference slate this week with a full set of matchups. The highlight contest is in State College, Pennsylvania, and the ESPN Game Day Crew and ABC will be on hand for the battle of unbeatens, Iowa and Penn State. Kickoff time is set for 8:00 PM ET, and Penn State is a near double-digit favorite at Sportsbook.com. Several interesting trends suggest the game might be much closer though.
Missouri at Nevada (9:00 PM ET, ESPN)
Nevada finally opens its home schedule, but the assignment will be anything but easy. The opponent is Missouri, who is off to a 3-0 start despite having to move on this season without several of its major offensive stars that graduated last spring. Not surprisingly, the Tigers are the 7.5-point favorite in this battle of undefeated vs. winless clubs. Over 90% of bettors at Sportsbook.com aren’t afraid to lay the points either.
Payback could be coming on Saturday for the Texas Tech Red Raiders.
After the Raiders late-game heroics ended the Texas Longhorns’ chances at the BCS Championship last year, a loaded and hungry Texas team hosts Texas Tech on Saturday night.
Oddsmakers expect a big win by the Longhorns, listing them as 17 ½-point favorites and almost 80% of bettors expect an even bigger blowout.
Boise State opens defense of its WAC title and goes for its seventh crown in eight years. The Broncos have started in scintillating fashion with consecutive wins over Oregon and Miami-O and now have even higher ambitions, another BCS berth should they go undefeated and be impressive in their televised tilts. Tonight’s contest at Fresno State might be their last chance to really wow voters. Strangely, after opening with Boise as a 12-point opening favorite, Sportsbook.com now has it at Boise -7.5, despite over 80% of spread bets backing that side.
This ACC encounter starts week two of the college football campaign and it has the potential to be a good one. If history is any indication, bettors should be loading up on Clemson, as underdogs have dominated the head-to-head series between the Tigers and Yellow Jackets. Currently, Sportsbook.com has Clemson as 5 ½ point dogs.
The ABC Saturday night college football schedule starts out with a doozy of a game between Alabama and Virginia Tech, a pair of top 10 teams in most polls. The Crimson Tide come off their best season in many years, as they started 12-0 in 2008 before dropping their final two games. They are a 6-point favorite over a Hokies’ team that is expected to reign over the ACC in ’09.