Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Bowl Pick’em Against The Spread Day 1

UNLV football

AP Photo/Colin E. Braley

BYU tailback Joshua Quezada (20) rushes for a first down as UNLV defensive lineman Nate Halloway (68) chases during the first half at LaVell Edwards Stadium, Saturday, Nov. 6, 2010, in Provo, Utah. BYU plays in the New Mexico Bowl against UTEP Saturday.

It’s bowl season in Las Vegas.

In other words, grab a golf pencil and some scratch paper because it’s time to strut up to betting windows around town.

Go ahead and get the negatives about bowl games out of your system. Sure, it’s not a true way to crown a champion and 35 games make the landscape over-saturated.

Would we really notice the difference if the likes of Florida International, Middle Tennessee State and Army were at home instead of across the country in games sponsored by pizza chains, tire companies and Web sites? Probably not.

But bowls make this a fun time to be in Las Vegas. How else is anyone outside of Athens, Ohio, and Troy, Ala., supposed to sit through a R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl game between Ohio and Troy Saturday night?

That’s why this space will be occupied with bowl matchup breakdowns for the next month. Feel free to laugh at my attempt to pick winners in all 35 bowl games.

I’ll post a betting breakdown of each game every day. Some short, some long. We’ll see how it goes and keep records along the way.

Let’s go ahead and get to the games that kick off the 2010 bowl season this Saturday. All betting lines will be taken directly from current numbers at Vegas Insider.

New Mexico Bowl: BYU (-11.5) vs. UTEP

11 a.m., University Stadium in Albuquerque, N.M., ESPN

The Cougars and the Miners are a combined 2-7 against teams with winning records this season. Both quarterbacks, Jake Heaps for BYU and Tyler Vittatoe for UTEP, are battling injuries. UTEP finished the year by losing five of its last six. BYU opened the year by losing four its first five. Yikes, there is not much to like about this matchup.

An aspect to keep in mind for games like this is motivation factor. As Las Vegas veteran booksmaker Jimmy Vaccaro pointed out in today’s story, BYU probably isn’t thrilled about playing in this game. UTEP should be, as it hasn’t been in a bowl game since 2005. Forget the fact that the Miners lost to Toledo 45-13 in the GMAC Bowl that year. Once again, nothing to like.

Pick: UTEP +11.5

uDrove Humanitarian Bowl: Northern Illinois (-1) vs. Fresno State

2:30 p.m., Bronco Stadium in Boise, Idaho, ESPN

One factor stands out here — the Mid-American Conference was terrible this year while the Western Athletic Conference was at least respectable. Northern Illinois fattened up to a 10-3 record by feasting on teams like Eastern Michigan and Buffalo. Although Fresno State lost 51-0 to Boise State, the Bulldogs only lost by one to UNR and had quality wins against Illinois, Cincinnati and at Louisiana Tech.

At 5-foot-7, Fresno State’s Robbie Rouse is one of the smallest backs in the nation. But he’s fun to watch and dangerous, ranking 13th in the nation in rushing. Everyone loves rooting for a little guy.

Pick: Fresno State +1

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl: Ohio (+3) vs. Troy

6 p.m., Superdome in New Orleans, ESPN

Time for the blog to contradict itself already. Ohio from the mighty MAC is the play here. The Bobcats were decent this year and enjoyed a midseason seven-game winning streak behind solid quarterback play from Boo Jackson.

Problem is, Jackson might not play Saturday. He isn’t with the team in New Orleans yet, meaning Phillip Bates will likely get the call. Bates has gotten plenty of playing time and actually leads the team in rushing. Against a Troy defense surrendering 170 yards per game on the ground, Bates should also be more than capable to run the show.

Pick: Ohio +3

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