Posted on 1/3/2008 10:02:38 AM

NCAA Football Betting – Sugar Bowl Odds

By Charles Jay

WHAT: Sugar Bowl

WHO: Hawaii Warriors (12-0 SU, 4-6 ATS) vs. Georgia Bulldogs (10-2 SU, 7-4 ATS)

WHEN & WHERE: January 1, 8:30 PM ET at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans (artificial turf)

BETUS COLLEGE FOOTBALL BETTING LINE: GEORGIA -7.5, Total: 68

LAST POINTSPREAD RESULT: Hawaii, a 13.5-point home favorite, came from behind to score a 35-28 win over Washington and preserve its unbeaten regular season. Georgia beat Georgia Tech 31-17 as a four-point road favorite.

ABOUT HAWAII:

The Good News -- It's largely about Colt Brennan and his air attack. Hawaii averaged 450 yards a game through the air, second only to Texas Tech. Brennan ranked third nationally in passing efficiency, completing 71% of his passes for 4174 yards, 38 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. The Warriors scored more than anyone, with 46.2 ppg. The defense ranked 35th in the nation, a huge jump from a year ago, and was ninth in sacks (39), fifth in tackles for loss (102), and third in pass efficiency defense.

The Bad News -- There were VERY close calls against so-so teams, including Louisiana Tech (45-44 overtime win), San Jose State 942-35 OT win), Nevada (28-26 win at the gun) and Washington, in which Hawaii came back from a 21-point first-quarter deficit. The Warriors were 113th in rushing (79 ypg) and had a minus-1 turnover margin.

ABOUT GEORGIA:

The Good News -- Freshman running back Knowshon Moreno was sensational down the stretch, with 811 yards in his last six games. He is considered a future Heisman contender. This team exhibited a lot of balance between rushing, passing, defense and special teams. The stop unit ranked 19th nationally. The Bulldogs beat six bowl teams, including Auburn and Florida.

The Bad News -- QB Mathew Stafford was just 55% accurate. And he was not necessarily prolific (2348 yards), leading to this offense being ranked 70th in the country.

Here are some NCAA football betting TRENDS relative to this matchup:

* GA won its last five games SU

* GA covered four of its last five games

* HAW covered two of its last seven games

* HAW has played five straight games UNDER the total

* GA has won four of its last five bowls

* GA has covered five of its last seven games away from home

* HAW has won three of its last four bowls SU

* HAW is 2-2 ATS in its last four bowl games

THE BOTTOM LINE: Both of these teams come into this game with something to prove - Hawaii wants to prove that it belongs in the BCS and that its 12-0 record is not a fluke, while Georgia wants to prove that it belongs in the BCS championship game. We don't know whether the Bulldogs will show a letdown at not being in that BCS final against Ohio State, but if the recent performances of non-BCS conference teams in BCS games is any indication (Utah, Boise State), Hawaii will battle. What might surprise the Georgia defense a little is the proficiency of these Hawaii receivers once they catch the ball. between Ryan Grice-Mullen, Davone Bess and Jason Rivers - 1000-yard receivers all - these guys can really run with the ball. But what might also be a surprise is that Hawaii, which jumped from 93rd to 35th in the defensive rankings this year, has some speed on that side of the ball. True, they could get bullied on the line of scrimmage, but the secondary should be a match for Stafford. Georgia's athletes on defense are a cut above that which Hawaii is used to facing in the WAC. So yards may be tougher than usual for Brennan. And Hawaii's games against bowl-level opponents have all fallen under this posted total.

Let's go in that direction - "under" the 68 as it is posted in the BetUS college football betting odds.

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(Charles Jay of TotalActionExtra.com loves to help people pick winners. He is a regular contributor to the BetUS.com Locker Room)