Bowl Game Preview: Weekday Bowls

The Bowl Season has officially started and this weekend many of the Other Five Conference teams played each other (for example Middle Tennessee State beat Toledo 31-24 and Coastal Carolina beat Northern Illinois 47-41). As the week progresses we will finally start to see better matchups sprinkled in with a few lesser Other Five teams playing each other. The real treat is when the Weekday Bowls showcase good Other Five teams play the average Power Five Conference schools. Advance your betting skills by getting a solid foundation on college football’s betting strategy in particular.

Odds for the Bowl Games

#24 UTSA vs. SDSU in a close matchup in the Frisco Bowl during the weekday bowls

Three Highlighted Bowls

1. Frisco Bowl:  #24 UTSA vs. San Diego State (Tuesday, Dec. 21st)

Both of these teams are two of the best schools from the Other Five conferences playing each other. Texas-San Antonio sports a 12-1 record, only losing to North Texas this year. On the other hand SDSU is 11-2 with their two losses against Mountain West Conference winner Utah State and  9-3 Fresno State.

SDSU’s style of play is run the football, they use a committee of running backs to pound the ball all game, and sport one of the best run stopping defenses in the nation (only giving up 77.6 yards per game). The Aztecs also have the the Ray Guy winner for best punter in all of collegiate football. Matt Araiza has broken three punting records in NCAA Football history with highest punt average (51.4), most 60 yard punts in a season (18), and most 50 yard punts in a season (39).

Despite, their all-star punter and run defense, the Roadrunners mainly attack in the air, which the Aztecs are not as good at defending. Harris the QB has thrown for about 3,000 yards with 25 TDs to only five interceptions this year. This will be a close game, however take the Roadrunners at -2.5/-130.

2. Gasparilla Bowl: Central Florida vs. Florida (Thursday, Dec. 23rd)

The 8-4 Golden Knights of Central Florida take on the 6-6 Florida Gators in Tampa. UCF currently play in an Other Five Conference, though by 2023 they will be joining the Big 12 Conference (a Power Five Conference). Florida played just good enough to make a bowl, playing .500 ball.

These two teams play very similar styles of football with a slight reliance on the pass and a higher turnover percentage. They even have similar styles of defense, both only allowing about 210 yards per game in the air and 155 on the ground. This game is marked at a -6.5 towards the Gators, but could go either way. Since it is such a close matchup, take the underdogs in UCF at +6.5/+200.

3. Armed Forces Bowl: Missouri vs. Army (Wednesday, Dec. 22nd)

This is another bowl where a struggling Power Five school (Missouri at 6-6) is playing a good Other Five school (8-4 Army).  Army runs the ball a lot, and Missouri is not great at defending the run. On the other side Missouri plays a pretty equal approach of running and passing. Army has a lights out run defense, and are decent defending the pass. Overall Army has the edge in the Armed Forces Bowl played in Ft. Worth, so take their -4/-175.

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Picks for the Other Four Weekday Bowls

Myrtle Beach Bowl: Old Dominion (6-6) vs. Tulsa (6-6)

Tulsa -9.5/-350

Idaho Potato Bowl: Kent State (7-6) vs. Wyoming (6-6) (Tuesday, Dec. 21st)

Wyoming -3/-150

Frisco Football Classic: North Texas (6-6) vs. Miami, OH (6-6) (Thursday, Dec. 23rd)

Miami, OH -3/-165

Hawai’i Bowl: Memphis (6-6) vs. Hawai’i (6-7) (Friday, Dec. 24th)

Hawai’i +7.5/ Memphis -275

Both NCAA Basketball and NBA are in the heat of the season, keep up with all the odds as the games get more important for playoff implications.