Vegas Play of the Day: Rice vs. Fresno State in Hawaii Bowl

By Case Keefer (contact)

Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2014 | 2 a.m.

‘Twas the night before Christmas with not a bet to be found.

Sports books are barren on Christmas Eve with only two unappealing bowl games to choose from, leaving the South Point-lined Play of the Day with few options. I wish I had somewhere else to go with my $10,000 starting bankroll, but it’s back to a game I’ve already written about.

Rice minus-2 vs. Fresno State in Hawaii Bowl: $330 to win $300

Fresno State is terrible. The Bulldogs might be the worst team in a bowl game. And not only this year, but the last several years.

I’ve faded them to great success in multiple spots this year — against Wyoming and Nebraska, though they did bite me in their first game against Boise State — so why not fire up the money-making method once again?

Rice is better by every conceivable metric. The Owls outgain the Bulldogs by a half-yard per play on offense. They give up .4 yards less on defense.

Quarterback is a whitewash as Fresno State’s Brian Burrell needed one extra game to get his numbers anywhere near Rice’s Driphus Jackson, and that’s with double the number of turnovers.

Outside the Mountain West Conference, the Bulldogs had absolutely no bite. They went 1-3 straight-up and against the spread, and the only win was against lowly Division 1-A Southern Utah.

The one concern is the amount of stock Fresno State is putting into a victory. The Bulldogs have gotten absolutely embarrassed in bowl games two years in a row. They’re sick of hearing about past failures.

It’s enough to dissuade me from personally investing in the game, but for the Play of the Day, I’m undeterred.

Standings: Bern (59-52-1, $10,926), Keefer (53-60-2, $7,727), Brewer (53-57-3, $6,055)

Case Keefer can be reached at 948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.