2014 – Bettors World

Temple College Football Betting Preview

Bettors World — Tue, 08 Apr 2014 17:39:00 +0000

2014

Temple

College Football

Betting Preview

Schedule and Odds

Temple finished with only two wins last season in Matt Rhule’s first year as head coach, but they still have bowl aspirations in 2014. The Owls return 12 starters from a team that lost an unfortunate amount of close Games, Four by three points or less. Turn those ones around and a bowl is in sight.

Despite last year’s record, the brightest spot had to come at quarterback where freshman P.J. Walker started to come into his own, finishing with 20 TDs and 8 INTs. With an improved arm and ever-present scrambling ability (332 rushing yards), Walker will give defenses plenty of problems. Walker loses his top two receivers, but still has Jalen Fitzpatrick (38 receptions) and John Christopher (31 receptions) to fill in the spots. And at running back, Temple’s top two guys return in bruisers Kenneth Harper (613 yards, 9 TDs) and Zaire Williams (553 yards).

While Walker may be improved, it may not mean a whole lot if the offensive line can’t keep him upright. His scrambling ability can only go so far. The line loses Four of last year’s starters, which is going to be tough to fill right away. The good news is that Rhule is a former offensive line coach in the NFL, so he should know how to handle the situation.

The defense is in a similar situation and will have a full returning linebacking core to help out. While their numbers aren’t all that bad, the Owls gave up at least 20 points in every Game but one last season, which doesn’t get many wins with the type of offense they have.

The linebackers are led by NFL prospect Tyler Matakevich, who had a ridiculous 137 tackles in 2013. The secondary is where the problem will be for Temple as only one starter returns in cornerback Tavon Young. against pass-heavy teams like East Carolina, the Owls will find themselves in a lot of trouble. The line returns some talent, but is still really young and a bit undersized on the ends.

Temple’s Schedule is a bit harder than last year’s so reaching that six-win mark will be tough. In non-Conference action, their only win may come against Delaware State, unless they surprise and beat Navy at home. A three-Game AAC stretch of Houston, UCF and East Carolina will more than likely result in three losses.

The Owls best chances at AAC wins will come in home Games against Tulsa and Memphis, as well as Tulane on the road. From there, they still need to upset two teams to lock up that bowl bid.

They have the talent and experience at skill positions, but if the offensive line can’t get going, Walker could have more problems than last season. Matakevich and the linebackers have a big role this season, needing to be dominant in stopping the run if this team wants to improve.

5 dimes sportsbook has odds/lines posted for the first few weeks of Games for several AAC teams. Check em out.

2014 Temple Football Schedule

Aug. 28 at Vanderbilt
Sept. 6 vs. Navy
Sept. 20 vs. Delaware State
Sept. 27 at Connecticut
Oct. 11 vs. Tulsa
Oct. 17 at Houston
Oct. 25 at UCF
Nov. 1 vs. East Carolina
Nov. 7 vs. Memphis
Nov. 15 at Penn State
Nov. 29 vs. Cincinnati
Dec. 6 at Tulane

USC Arizona Football Pick

Bettors World — Tue, 08 Apr 2014 17:39:00 +0000

USC

vs.

Arizona

College Football

Pick with Analysis

10/11/14

It’s been an interesting season for both of these teams so far and one team is in a much better situation than the other. However, even with a 5-0 undefeated record and No. 10 rank in the AP, Arizona is a +2.5 point underdog at home against USC at the worlds largest offshore sportsbook, sportsbook.ag.

The Trojans were a top 10 team just under a month ago. They were 2-0 and coming off a win at Stanford. They then lost to Boston College and more recently are coming off a 38-34 loss to Arizona State that ended in a hail mary.

Arizona was 4-0 and beat some weaker teams by single digits so no one gave them a ton of credit. The Wildcats then travelled to Oregon and beat the Ducks for the second straight year. To go along with that, one of the teams they beat, California, is currently leading the Pac-12 North. There’s no doubt we could be getting ahead of Ourselves with these teams, but we have to give credit where it’s due.

The Trojans won this Game at home last year 38-31 and the Scorewas a bit closer than the Game really was. USC was ahead by double digits for almost the entire Game and then Zona got a couple late touchdowns in the Fourth quarter. Neither team turned it over and both moved the ball well, but it was USC’s running Game that was the deciding factor as they had 249 yards and 3 TDs rushing. It will have to be the Wildcats defense to step up if they want to pull off another upset.

Even in their losses, USC has been steady on the offensive side. Their run Game continues to excel with Javorius Allen (576 yards, 4 TDs) and Justin Davis leading the way. That has opened up passing lanes for Cody Kessler where he is having a great season numbers wise, completing 69.5% of his passes for 10 TDs and zero INTs. However, the zero touchdowns against Arizona State kind of stand out. He and Nelson Agholor found plenty of success in this matchup last season going for 161 of Kessler’s 297 yards and a touchdown.

The Wildcats bring a bit of a different offense to the table with a new QB and RB, but they have had equal amounts of success. Freshman Anu Solomon has been great at quarterback already with 1,741 yards, 14 TDs and 4 INTs. When asked, he has stepped up and given this team what they needed, especially in the 49-45 win over Cali when he had 520 yards and 5 TDs on 73 pass attempts. The run Game has also stood out with Nick Wilson (574 yards, 6 TDs) finding room in every Game along with Terris Jones-Grigsby.

After Arizona’s upset of Oregon last year, they followed it up with a bad 58-21 loss at Arizona State. Something like that could happen again, or we’ll find out if this team is for real or not.

The Trojans are 5-0 ATS in their last five following a straight-up loss, but only 3-12 ATS in their last 15 road Games. The Wildcats are just 1-6 ATS in their last seven following a straight-up win and 4-10 ATS in their last 14 vs. a team with a winning record. The underdog is 8-1 ATS in the last nine meetings between these schools, which leads to Arizona being 7-2 ATS over that same time period.

You would have to go back to 2006 to find a final Scorethat was lopsided in this series. The last 7 Games have been decided by a TD or less and in that stretch of Games were some very good USC teams. The last time they played in Arizona the Wildcats came out on top 39-36.

Our numbers show a similar outcome this time around. A Game that likely reaches the 30’s for both sides. Our numbers suggest USC wins a very close Game however, in this spot, the intangibles take over. Specifically, the chance for Arizona to legitimize it’s #10 ranking and make this their best start in 21 years. This is THE biggest home Game for the Wildcats in a couple of decades and that trumps the potential letdown factor. At +2.5, all we need it a straight up win. It looks as though there may be some +3’s showing up as well. Arizona +3 but ultimately, we’d even play this one on the moneyline as a straight up win looks to be in the cards.

WVA Oklahoma State Football Pick

Bettors World — Tue, 08 Apr 2014 17:39:00 +0000

West Virginia

vs.

Oklahoma State

College Football

Pick – Analysis

10/25/14

West Virginia has shown they can keep Games close against Top 10 teams and took it one further last Saturday getting a big win over Baylor. Oklahoma State kept things close with Florida State in their first Game, but were blown out by TCU last weekend. Playing at home, the Cowboys opened as -4.5 point favorites at betonline, the 1st sportsbook to post lines each week, but that number has moved in the Mountaineers all the way down to -1. Note that as of Tuesday WVA running back Rushel Shell is listed as questionable.

Considering the Games that each of these teams has come off of, this line is a bit interesting. Not to mention, West Virginia won this matchup last season 30-21 as a 19.5-point home underdog. WVU has a favorable Schedule the rest of the way with TCU and Kansas State both at home, while they travel to unranked teams. As made evident by this line, not many people are giving credit to the Mountaineers yet, but are focusing more on a letdown from them.

However, the same can’t be said about OK State even though their only three Conference wins are against teams with a combined 1-11 Conference record. Sure, they fought with Florida State in the opener, but that was with J.W. Walsh at QB. since Daxx Garman has taken over, this Cowboys teams hasn’t looked all that great and it showed in the 42-9 loss to TCU.

West Virginia is slowly looking like one of the better offenses in the conference. Clint Trickett is having a nice season completing 68.2% of his passes to go with 15 TDs and five INTs. Kevin white (1,020 yards, 7 TDs) is one of the best receivers in the country and this core drew a ridiculous amount of penalties from Baylor last Game. And then in the running Game Rushel Shell (503 yards, 6 TDs) is a solid running back that can’t be ignored.

WVU’s defense is still a question, but showed up against Baylor at home. That type of play has to continue on the road now.

The Cowboys offense has struggled lately with Daxx Garman tossing seven interceptions in the last Four Games and he’s only completing 55.4% of his passes on the year. He also only has two TDs in the past three Games. Their running Game is mediocre with Desmond Roland (475 yards, 7 TDs) as the lead back.

On the defensive end, the Cowboys got burned multiple times by TCU and have not allowed less than 20 points in a Conference Game yet. In addition, they were outgained by lowly Kansas in the yardage department and needed a kickoff return to get that win. Stopping Trickett and White will be difficult.

Sometimes you have to be willing to back a team when it looks as if they are coming apart at the seams. Certainly, simple common sense, judging from last week, would suggest that West Virginia, fresh of their win over unbeaten Baylor, is the right side over an Oklahoma State team that was blown off the field last week. But most teams rally together after an embarrassing loss. (Think Patriots getting blown out by KC then blowing out Cinci the following week.) We don’t think Oklahoma State is as bad as they looked last week and look for a huge effort this week at home. Oklahoma State -1

Ohio State Penn State Football Pick

Bettors World — Tue, 08 Apr 2014 17:39:00 +0000

Ohio State

vs.

Penn State

College Football

Pick – Analysis

10/25/14

This was looking like a big Conference Game a month ago, but that has changed drastically with the way Penn State has fallen off. Even on the road in this Game, the Buckeyes are double-digit -14 point favorites in Happy Valley, at 5 dimes sportsbook.

At one point, the loss of Braxton Miller was looking deadly for Ohio State. They were coming off a home loss to Virginia Tech and didn’t look good against Navy. Instead of wilting, they have come out and scored at least 50 points in Four straight Games while covering in every one of those. While none of those opponents were highly ranked, it’s still impressive.

Penn State is kind of an opposite story after starting 4-0. The Nittany Lions were a bit lucky to escape a couple of those wins, and their deficiencies have started to show up in the last couple Games as they lost to Northwestern and Michigan in back-to-back weeks. While the defense is looking stout, the offense has fluttered and they’re only scoring 21.2 points per Game.

At this point, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a repeat of last year’s Game when the Buckeyes won 63-14 at home as 15-point favorites. Christian Hackenberg didn’t play in that Game, but it’s not like he’s looking great this year.

J.T. Barrett has come alive for Ohio State, which isn’t good for the rest of the Big Ten. Barrett is completing 65.2% of his passes to go with 20 TDs and 5 INTs through the air, plus 383 rushing yards and Four rushing TDs. Ezekiel Elliott has also been a stud out of the backfield with 531 yards and Four touchdowns. While this isn’t Braxton Miller and Carlos Hyde, Barrett and Elliott are looking solid in their first year as starters.

The Buckeyes defense isn’t at the same level as a year ago either, but when you’re scoring so much, that doesn’t matter and it shouldn’t matter in this Game with the rate that PSU is playing at. against better teams like Michigan State and Minnesota, OSU’s susceptible defense may be a bigger question.

As for the Nittany Lions, they just haven’t been able to do much on the offensive end lately. After Hackenberg tossed for over 300 yards in his first three Games, he hasn’t surpassed 216 in a Game since. In his last Four Games, Hackenberg has one touchdown and three interceptions. Many thought to see a jump from last year’s Big Ten Freshman of the Year, but it looks like he’s actually taken a step backward. With a running Game that’s averaging a poor 2.8 yards per carry as a team, it’s hard to see when, if ever, this unit will correct itself.

The Buckeyes are 9-3-1 ATS in their last 13 Games following an ATS win and 28-12-2 ATS vs. a team with a winning record. The Nittany Lions are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 Games following a straight up loss, 11-5 ATS in their last 16 home Games, but only 1-4 ATS in their last five Big Ten Games. Ohio State has covered Four of the last five meetings between these schools.

A whopping 88% of the action on this Game has come in on Ohio State. Anytime we see that much of an imbalance in the action, we tread lightly. No Game is ever that much of a slam dunk from a betting standpoint and a Penn State cover would not shock us at all here.

That being said, we understand the 88% figure as it’s very difficult to make a case for Penn State. Their defense is formidable and figures to slow down the Buckeyes. 50+ for Ohio State is doubtful this week however it’s hard to see this anemic offense being able to trade points with the Buckeyes.

We’re going to back the Nittany Lions here but urge you to use caution. Our model actually has Penn State staying within the number here predicting a 26-17 Ohio State win. Combined with going against the public, we’ll take the double digits. Penn State +14

Pitt Panthers Football Betting Preview

Bettors World — Tue, 08 Apr 2014 17:39:00 +0000

2014

Pitt Panthers

Football Betting Preview

Schedule and Odds

Pittsburgh is yet another one of the teams that will be competing for the Coastal division. The Panthers finished 3-5 in their first ACC season and struggled to do anything outstanding on either end of the field. Head coach Paul Chryst is in his third year with the team and will have some of the players that he recruited to work with. That means they’ll be full of youth with only 11 returning starters from last year’s squad.

Check in with sportsbook.ag for the latest Pitt Panthers Odds.

Chad Voytik will take over as starting quarterback for the first time in his career. Chryst likes him a lot and should mold the offense around his dual-threat ability. Voytik couldn’t be happier with his receiving core as Tyler Boyd (1,174 yards, 7 TDs) is back in the mix along with Manasseh Garner and tight end J.P. Holtz. Running backs James Conner (799 yards, 8 TDs) and Isaac Bennett (797 yards, 7 TDs) also return and should continue to split carries. The offensive line is expected to be better than a season ago, as well.

If Voytik can live up to Chryst’s expectations, we should start to see the Panthers offense become a viable threat, something that hasn’t been the case in recent seasons. They’ll need to step up because the defense could be in trouble.

When you lose a player like Aaron Donald, you expect a defense to take a step back. Pittsburgh will have five returning starters and will look to the line to keep this group afloat once again. The linebackers probably return the most experience with two seniors, but they underperformed last year. The secondary is solid, but with two incoming sophomores isn’t a shut-down unit by any means.

Pittsburgh is normally a feisty team no matter who they play, and there’s no reason that won’t continue this season. If the offense can start well with Voytik, they’ll be competing for the Coastal title.

The Panthers have a friendly non-Conference Schedule which should help them easily reach another bowl Game. Iowa will be a tough test, but that Game is at home.

Things don’t really get too tough for them as Boston College and Syracuse are their two Atlantic division opponents, both winnable Games. An important stretch comes in late October with Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Duke and North Carolina on the Schedule. Those first three Games are all at home.

Like the other teams in the Coastal division, the Panthers have a lot of variables that are a toss-up. At this point, it’s hard to see them winning the division, unless the offense can really pick it up. They’ll compete, but not to where they’ll get six Conference wins or nine total wins.

2014 Pittsburgh Football Schedule

Aug. 30 vs. Delaware
Sept. 6 at Boston College
Sept. 13 at FIU
Sept. 20 vs. Iowa
Oct. 4 vs. Akron
Oct. 11 at Virginia
Oct. 18 vs. Virginia Tech
Oct. 25 vs. Georgia Tech
Nov. 1 vs. Duke
Nov. 8 at North Carolina
Nov. 15 vs. Syracuse
Nov. 29 at Miami (FL)

Temple Vanderbilt CFB Pick

Bettors World — Tue, 08 Apr 2014 17:39:00 +0000

Temple

Vanderbilt

Week 1

College Football Pick

8/28/14

Vanderbilt hosts Temple to kick of their 2014 college football season and find themselves installed as -17 point home favorites over the Owls, at 5 dimes sportsbook. These two teams have played just twice before. Once in 1935 and once in 2006. In 2006, Vandy blew out Temple 43-14, also at home. Will history repeat?

The line on this Game is set at what it would have been had they played last year. Our job as handicappers, is to figure out if either team is more likely to get better or worse this year, or perhaps stay the same. Handicapping early season Games can be a little more challenging than handicapping Games after teams have a few Games under their belts.

Temples 2-10 season was to be expected last year. They had a new coach, which means new schemes which translates into speed bumps along the way. On the bright side for the Owls, many of their losses were close Games which is exactly what you look for when looking for a team likely to improve. With a full season under coach Matt Rhule, we’d expect the Owls to add a few more wins in 2014.

Vanderbilt however, has to deal with what Temple had to a year ago. A new coach. However, unlike Temple, Vanderbilt has some solid talent for Derek Mason, the former Defensive Coordinator at Stanford, to work with.

There’s no question Vandy is the more talented team. You really can’t compare the two in terms of strength of Schedule. To go 9-4 last year and to have gone to 3 straight Bowl Games while playing in the SEC speaks volumes for Vandy. Only the final margin is in doubt here.

Rather then make a selection for the Game, were going to make a first half and a 1st quarter play here. We expect there to be some initial speed bumps for Vandy in this one before they eventually get rolling. We’ll take Temple + in the first quarter and Temple + in the first half.

If it plays out like we suspect it might, and it’s fairly close at the half, we’d then consider backing Vanderbilt in the 2nd half as their talent and depth should become evident as this Game wears on.

USC Boston College Football Pick

Bettors World — Tue, 08 Apr 2014 17:39:00 +0000

USC

vs.

Boston College

Football Pick

with Analysis

9/13/14

That’s it, USC won at Stanford, it’s time to crown them champs. No, not quite yet. Don’t forget the Trojans won that matchup last year, yet still lost Four Games. On the heels of that upset win, the Trojans are -17 point road favorites at 5 dimes sportsbook with a total of 51.

In this meeting last year, USC dominated in all phases, outgaining the Eagles 521 to 184 yards in a 35-7 win. Sure, travelling from coast to coast is tough to do, but why can’t the Trojans do the same thing again?

Quarterback Tyler Murphy has been something new for the Eagles offense this year as they had Chase Rettig previously. Murphy provides dual-threat capabilities, hence his 210 rushing yards. However, throwing the ball is a much different story as he went 10-for-28 against Pittsburgh last week. You definitely can’t do that if you want to win. It’s doubtful that the BC passing Game will look much different in this one.

The Trojans are better than Pittsburgh on both sides of the ball and the Panthers beat the Eagles 30-20 last Friday.

Boston College could not stop the Pittsburgh running Game last Friday as they rushed for 303 yards total. Now they have to go against Javorius Allen, who just trounced one of the best defensive lines in college football for 154 yards on 23 carries. That doesn’t bode well for the Eagles. USC will likely push the ground Game again, which is something Steve Sarkisian is looking to do every Game.

Once the defense starts worrying about the run, that’s when quarterback Cody Kessler steps in the for the kill. As seen against Stanford (15-for-22, 135 passing yards), Kessler will probably be used more as a Game manager than anything. When the opportunity presents itself, wide receiver Nelson Agholor can get open against any defense.

On defense, USC will Game plan around stopping Murphy from using his legs. If they can do that, this Game could get ugly because the Eagles don’t have much outside of Murphy’s running at this point. The loss of RB Andre Williams has been evident early on.

USC couldn’t have asked for more from Sarkisian at this point and it’s looking like the Trojans could be back to prominence on a national level this season. Boston College is just hoping they don’t finish in the basement of the ACC Atlantic.

The Trojans are 7-2 ATS in their last nine overall, but just 3-11 ATS in their last 14 road Games. The Eagles are a solid 8-3 ATS in their last 11 home encounters, 6-1 ATS in their last seven following an ATS loss, but have not covered in their last five vs. the Pac-12. 72% of the action as of Wednesday has come in on the Trojans.

A year ago BC gave Florida State their closest Game of the year. They also hit the road and played #3 at the time, Clemson, within 10. So, despite their loss to USC, they had their moments as a competitive football team. The problem this year is that they lost a ton of players. Not just starters. They should be down a notch or two this year while USC looks to be up several.

We can’t make a strong recommendation here however we’ll go against the public in this spot and grab the double digits and hope BC can find a way to keep this one close. A possible letdown looms as well, the week after such a big Game against Stanford. A light opinion only, Boston College +17

Wyoming Oregon College Football Pick

Bettors World — Tue, 08 Apr 2014 17:39:00 +0000

Wyoming

vs.

Oregon

College Football

Pick

Score Prediction

9/13/14

Oregon is sitting pretty after a dominant second-half performance against Michigan State, which allowed them to push into the No. 2 spot in the AP Polls. They probably weren’t upset after hearing USC took down Stanford, either. Once again, the Ducks are favored to win the Pac-12, but can they continue to live up to the hype? They are a solid -44 point favorite against Wyoming this weekend at 5 dimes sportsbook.

There was a time when Wyoming earned some respect in the 2013 season. They were 3-1 and their only loss was to Nebraska in the season opener on the road by three points. Were the Cowboys finally turning the corner? The simple answer was no. After that start, they travelled to Texas State as 10-point favorites to only lose by 21. A couple more losses from that season included48-10 to Fresno State, 41-7 to Boise State and 35-7 against Utah State. Wyoming started the 2014 season with two small wins against bad teams.

This should be another classic Oregon Game in which they Score50-60 points and allow single-digit points. From what the Cowboys have done offensively so far (34 points in two Games), there’s no reason the Ducks won’t cover this spread.

This is the first meeting between these two teams which means Wyoming is probably in for a rude awakening. Playing teams in the Mountain West don’t really translate to what Oregon can do. Sure, the Cowboys played Nebraska tough last year, but Oregon could easily handle the Cornhuskers at this point.

The Ducks have quarterback Marcus Mariota and that’s all you need to know, as he’s currently the top runner for Heisman. He has 585 passing yards, seven total TDs and zero interceptions in two Games. Remember, he played against one of the best defenses in the nation last Saturday. Joining him is a slew of running backs that can all break the long run as well as receivers that fit right into the Oregon system.

As long as Oregon takes this Game seriously in the first two or three quarters, they should reach the 60-point mark before it’s said and done.

Wyoming’s offense is a different kind of problem. Record-breaking quarterback Brett Smith is gone and senior Colby Kirkegaard is in with limited experience. The Cowboys barely won their first two Games against less-than-average teams. Kirkegaard has 374 yards, two TDs and one INT on the season and will find plenty of problems against Oregon. They should try and ride Shaun Wick and D.J. May in the ground Game, but this is going to be a completely different test than their first two Games.

The Ducks will dominate both sides of the ball and it will probably get ugly early. The 44-point spread seems reasonable and against a newer, inexperienced QB, can be attainable.

The Cowboys are only 1-5 ATS in their last six Games overall and 1-7 ATS vs. a team with a winning record. But they are a solid 21-9 ATS in their last 30 road Games. The Ducks are just 1-4 ATS in their last five vs. a team with a winning road record, but 6-1 ATS in their last seven non-Conference Games.

Naturally thing change from year to year. Sometimes a lot. Sometimes a little. Our model, at this point in the season, uses data from last year, along with this years season to date data. So, it’s not yet reflective of only this years data. That being said, the model predicts a final score of Oregon 78 and Wyoming 12. Whoa!

That being said, we haven’t been successful betting football for 30+ years by betting -44 point favorites. We’ll pass!

Ohio University College Football Betting Preview

Bettors World — Tue, 08 Apr 2014 17:39:00 +0000

2014

Ohio University

College Football

Betting Preview

Odds and Schedule

Ohio has made it to five straight bowl Games, but there’s no guarantee that will continue after losing top players at every offensive position, including quarterback Tyler Tettleton. The Bobcats return eight starters on defense, and that still might not be enough to hit six or seven wins.

There will be a few new faces on this offense and that includes the offensive line as well, after they struggled to find consistency for most of last year. The athletic Derrius Vick will probably be the starter at QB, but his arm leaves a lot to be desired and walk-on J.D. Sprague will compete with him for playing time. Daz’mond Patterson (211 yards) will move into the starting role at running back and should be just as lethal as Beau Blakenship was.

In the receiving Game Donte Foster (1,018 yards, 7 TDs) is gone, but Chase Cochran (689 yards) should fill in fine as the team’s top receiver. OUtside of him, there’s plenty of inexperience with LAndon and Sebastian Smith as other possible starters. With new faces all around, it’s hard to see this group being as good as the one’s led by Tettleton.

Even with a weaker offense, the defense should still be able to keep the Bobcats around in plenty of Games, especially in the MAC.

DE Tarell Basham recorded 7.5 sacks in five starts last year and is only a sophomore. Their front seven is deep with playmakers, but will need some improvement at linebacker from Ben Russell and Jovon Johnson. Devin Bass is a first-year starter, but is expected to be one of the best in the Conference at corner.

The immediate problem for this team will be the three straight road Games to start the season. While none of their opponents are over-the-top good, they will all be tough tasks for an offense that needs work.

The Bobcats get all of the tougher MAC teams at home in Bowling Green, Akron, Buffalo and Northern Illinois. That should lead to a couple wins against some of the better teams in the conference. On the road, the Bobcats get to play some of the worst MAC teams.

OUtside of those opening road Games, the Schedule is there for Ohio to make it to another bowl Game. Of course, if an inexperienced offense that hired a co-offensive coordinator in the offseason can’t get going, the stout defense may mean nothing in the end.

The Bobcats will compete, but it may be down to the quarterback to win Games for them.

Check out 5 dimes sportsbook for the latest MAC odds for the 2014 season.

2014 Ohio Football Schedule

Aug. 30 at Kent State
Sept. 6 at Kentucky
Sept. 13 at Marshall
Sept. 20 vs. Idaho
Sept. 27 vs. Eastern Illinois
Oct. 4 at Central Michigan
Oct. 11 vs. Bowling Green
Oct. 18 vs. Akron
Oct. 25 at Western Michigan
Nov. 5 vs. Buffalo
Nov. 18 vs. Northern Illinois
Nov. 25 at Miami (OH)

Poinsettia Bowl Pick

Bettors World — Tue, 08 Apr 2014 17:39:00 +0000

Poinsettia Bowl Pick

Navy

vs.

San Diego State

12/23/14

Navy is familiar with this situation, but getting less than 10 days to prepare for their bowl Game is something only they have to deal with. Not to mention, San Diego State will be playing in their home stadium for the Poinsettia Bowl. The Aztecs are still just a -2.5 point favorite.

The Midshipmen are coming off a 17-10 win against Army, their 13th straight in the rivalry. That makes it five wins in their last six Games, with the only loss coming against Notre Dame. It’s been a typical season for Navy, finishing at 7-5. They started off slow at 2-4, but eventually came around as the offense picked things up. This also happens to be their Fourth trip to this bowl Game, since it was introduced in 2005. They lost 35-14 to SDSU back in 2010.

As for San Diego State, they’ll be in the Poinsettia Bowl for the second time in the past three years (they lost to BYU 23-6 in 2012). The Aztecs finished with the same record as Navy and never really got going through the year having never won three straight Games. Their 30-14 win over Air Force was their only one against a team with a winning record.

In similar opponents, Navy lost at Air Force 30-21 and beat San Jose State 41-31. SDSU played both of those teams at the end of the year, closing the season with a 38-7 win over SJSU.

San Diego State leads the MWC in total defense allowing just 20 points per Game and that will be huge in stopping Navy’s triple-option. It also helps that they played a similar offense in Air Force just a month ago, stopping the Falcons to only 140 yards on 41 carries.

Even with veteran QB Keenan Reynolds leading the team, the Navy offense is about on the same level as Air Force’s. Reynolds is still the head of the team with 1,182 yards and 21 touchdowns, and he’s flanked by Noah Copeland (889 yards, 5 TDs) and Chris Swain (621 yards, 4 TDs). Due to SDSU’s experience against this type of offense, they should have a little edge.

On the other end, Navy’s defense isn’t great and hasn’t really stopped a solid offense all season. The Aztecs don’t have a great offense, but are a bit more balanced and also have a strong running Game.

Running back Donnel Pumphrey has unleashed in his sophomore season for 1,755 yards and 19 touchdowns. He has rushed for at least 131 yards in Four straight Games to go with seven total touchdowns. It wouldn’t be surprising if he continued that streak to five after this Game. The Aztecs don’t have a great passing Game behind Quinn Kaehler (9 TDs, 10 INTs), but if the running Game is going and the defense is making stops, he won’t need to do much.

Playing in their home stadium and with more rest, San Diego State looks like the smart play. But counting out this triple-option offense with the way they’ve looked toward the end of the season won’t be easy.

The Midshipmen are 18-5 ATS in their last 23 vs. the MWC and 7-3 ATS vs. a team with a winning record. The Aztecs are 5-2-1 ATS in their last eight home Games and they’ve won eight straight Games over military academies.

We’ll offer up two opinions for this one. San Diego State coach Rocky Long has been successful against the service academies in stopping the option offense as shown in this years 30-14 win over Air Force (who beat Navy). We’ll lay the field goal here with the “home” team and we’ll also go under the total of 53.5 as these teams will run, run and run some more and will hopefully move this Game aong at a quick pace.

San Diego State -3 and UNDER 53.5