Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl Prediction: Golden Hurricanes vs. Bulldogs Odds
Looking for Tulsa Golden Hurricanes vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs free picks? The Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl sees the Golden Hurricanes taking on the Bulldogs on Thursday, December 31st at Amon G. Carter Stadium, Fort Worth, Texas. Cappers Picks provides complimentary handicapping picks all NCAA football season long so stay tuned for more FREE college football predictions like this Tulsa Golden Hurricanes-Mississippi State Bulldogs bowl game free pick.
College Football Handicapping: 2020 Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl
(5-2) Tulsa Golden Hurricanes vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs (3-7)
Date: Thursday, December 31, 2020
Time: 12:00 pm EST
Venue: Amon G. Carter Stadium, Fort Worth, Texas
NCAA Football Spread: Golden Hurricanes -2.5
NCAA Betting Total: 47.5
- Click here to view… CFB ATS Stats & NCAAF Betting Insight for this game!
- *Click Here* Check out our Live Betting Odds for this game!
- *Click Here* Check out our Updated Sportsbook Bonuses for today!
The Tulsa Golden Hurricanes are one of the stronger teams from a non-Power Five conference and are coming off a close loss to the Cincinnati Bearcats in the AAC championship game. This bowl game is a great way to cap a successful season and end on a high note.
The Mississippi State Bulldogs hired a big name, offensive mind in Mike Leach to start a new chapter. Unfortunately, the offense has not come close to meeting expectations with the hire despite starting the year gaining over 600 yards on offense. The Bulldogs have an excellent opportunity to finish strong and have fans looking forward to the 2021 season.
Tulsa Golden Hurricanes
The Tulsa Golden Hurricanes had a great year finishing 5-2. Tulsa holds no shame in either loss as they opened the on the road at Oklahoma State and losing to top 10 Cincinnati Bearcats on field goal as time expired in the AAC title game.
The Golden Hurricanes are not winning games with their offense. QB Zach Smith is only completing 55.8% of his passes this year with a TD:INT of 12:8. The run game is also middle of the road averaging 164.4 yards/game, which is 65th in the NCAA.
Tulsa’s defense is where their success lies ranking 25th or better in many of the statistical categories. Tulsa has gone up against several decent offenses this year limiting their success, e.g. Oklahoma State, Central Florida and Cincinnati. This defense was led by future NFL’er Zaven Collins, who decided to forego the Lockheed Martin Armed Services Bowl to focus on the draft.
Mississippi State Bulldogs
All teams are eligible for bowl games this year, which is why we see a 3-7 Mississippi State Bulldog squad facing Tulsa. Mississippi State opened with a quality win over LSU showcasing the “air raid” offense but both are seemingly mirages at this point as LSU scraped by at 5-5 on the year and the “air raid” was one of the worse offenses in the FBS.
Mike Leach’s “air raid” averages 347.1 yards a game leading to about 20 points per game. Most offensive measurements put the Bulldog offense 100 or worse compared to the rest of the FBS. Better than average defenses are able to match up well and greatly limit Mike Leach’s preferred scheme.
NCAA Football Handicapping Trends
- Tulsa is 7-1 ATS in their last 8 games.
- Tulsa is 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games played in December.
- Mississippi State is 3-6 ATS in their last 9 games.
- Mississippi State is 2-7 SU in their last 9 games.
Free Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl NCAA Football Pick
For all of the hype Mike Leach’s “aid raid” receives, the Mississippi State Bulldogs do not have the horses in place to be successful this season. The offense has performed better down the stretch but there isn’t anything to show a significant improvement to no longer consider them a bottom ranked offensive team.
Tulsa faced more difficult offenses than Mississippi State’s (by a lot). LB Zaven Collins opted out of the bowl game but they should be able to overcome Collins’ absence. The question is whether QB Zach Smith and the run game can do enough against Mississippi State’s average defense.
4* Free NCAA Betting Pick: Tulsa -2.5
We can certainly say Tulsa’s defense is much better than the Bulldogs and that’s the strength heading into the bowl matchup. The kicker for me is that despite all the talk over the stagnant Mississippi State offense is that Tulsa averages almost a full yard per play on offense compared to Mississippi State. Take Tulsa -2.5.
If you’re looking for more picks like this Tulsa Golden Hurricanes vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs, we’ll be providing 4* free College football game predictions on the blog all season long, and check out our Experts for guaranteed premium & free CFB Football picks!
Register here for a FREE NCAA Football Betting Account Now for Daily Free Picks & More Special Offers!