BetUs College Football Rundown

Bowl season kicks off this weekend with five of the 34 bowl games on the college football betting schedule on tap. Here’s a rundown of this weekend’s bowl sked:

EagleBank Bowl – RFK Memorial Stadium, Washington D.C.

Wake Forest vs. Navy

The inaugural EagleBank Bowl is a regular season rematch between the 7-5 Demon Deacons and the 8-4 Midshipmen. The two teams met up back in September when Navy shocked Wake Forest 24-17 as a 17-point road underdog on the college football odds. Navy executed their infamous option offense to perfection with 292 rushing yards, 175 coming from running back Eric Kettani on a career day. The Navy defense also played its part in the upset, forcing six turnovers. The Demon Deacons should be out for some revenge in the rematch as a 3-point favorite.

New Mexico Bowl – University Stadium, Albuquerque, New Mexico

Colorado State vs. Fresno State

If you want to argue the fact that there are too many bowl games, use this year’s New Mexico Bowl as your prime example. Colorado State went 6-6 in the Mountain West and Fresno State was 7-5 in the WAC, but somehow they’re both still good enough for a bowl invite. The Rams’ biggest weapon in their hunt for their first bowl win since 2001 is running back Gartrell Johnson. During the season Johnson was second in the Mountain West with 1,191 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. The Rams lost last year’s Poinsettia Bowl to Navy, and that last bowl win in 2001 came in the New Orleans Bowl. The Bulldogs finished off the regular season by getting pounded by Boise State 61-10. They’ll look to quarterback Tom Brandstater to get them another bowl victory. Fresno State won last year’s Humanitarian Bowl by beating Georgia Tech. In the New Mexico Bowl the Bulldogs are a 3-point favorite.

St. Petersburg Bowl – Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Florida

Memphis vs. South Florida

The St. Petersburg Bowl is another bowl game making its debut this season. This game could basically be seen as a home game for South Florida, since it’s being played minutes away from their campus, so expect the majority of the crowd to be behind them. The Bulls were 2-3 as the home team this season. The Tigers were 6-6 this season in Conference USA action. Memphis won three of their last four games to qualify for a bowl game. Memphis lost to Florida Atlantic in the New Orleans Bowl last season, while South Florida was also a bowl loser last year, losing to Oregon in the Sun Bowl. In the first-ever St. Petersburg Bowl the Bulls are a 12.5-point favorite.

Las Vegas Bowl – Sam Boyd Stadium, Las Vegas, Nevada

BYU (17) vs. Arizona

For the fourth straight year the Cougars will be playing in the Las Vegas Bowl. BYU lost their first trip to the bowl game against California in 2005 but have posted wins the last two years - over Oregon in 2006 and UCLA in 2007. BYU had been hoping for a BCS bowl berth, but a loss to Utah in their final game of the regular season cost them their shot. The Wildcats’ long bowl drought is finally over. Arizona hasn’t been to a bowl game since 1998, when they defeated Nebraska in the Holiday Bowl. The Wildcats were 1-2 against ranked teams this season with an upset win over California, while the Cougars were 2-0 against the Pac-10. The Wildcats are a surprise 3-point favorite on the college football odds.