Posts Tagged NCAA

On January 8th, postseason ncaa football comes to Mobile, AL when the Arkansas State Red Wolves face the Northern Illinois Huskies at the GoDaddy.com Bowl. Both teams come up with rookie head coaches with the Northern Illinois Huskies led by first-year head coach Dave Doeren. Interim head coach David Gunn who’s been the running backs coach all year helms the Arkansas State Red Wolves. Arkansas State has hired Gus Malzahn who will take over after the year ends. The take from the sportsbook is now Arkansas State (-1 ½) with an over-under established at 63 points.

It’s not merely the Division I-A colleges getting face time on ESPN, on January seventh the NCAA Division I-AA Tournament game is played at Pizza Hut Park in Fricso, TX. The Bison face the Sam Houston Bearkats in a battle of the 2 top small colleges in the nation. Both the Sam Houston Bearkats and the Bison have steamrolled their opponents all season long and both are furthermore coming into play with comparable styles on offense. Expect a lot of running and a lot of first downs by each squad as the defenses are going to get a workout. The sports book is having a tough time with this one as the line now stands at North Dakota State (-1) with the over-under established at 46.

Birmingham, AL plays sponsor to the Compass Bowl on January seventh with the Pittsburgh Panthers competing with the Southern Methodist University Mustangs. The Pitt Panthers come in after the 1-year Todd Graham experiment at head coach. Graham quit his post on December 14th to take the head coaching position at Arizona State. Defensive Coordinator Keith Patterson will wear the headset for the Pitt Panthers in this clash of titans. SMU comes into competition with the threat of the “Death Penalty” passed down in the 1980′s still being talked about today. Former Nfl and Hawaii coach June Jones is already in his fourth year on the sidelines of SMU. The gambling line has this established at Pittsburgh (-3) with an over-under of 47 points.

It all comes down to this as the #1 rated Louisiana State University Tigers face the #2 rated Crimson Tide in the BCS National Championship Game at the Superdome in New Orleans, LA on January ninth. After winning the national championship in 2009 and additionally winning it with LSU as a head coach in 2003, Alabama head coach Nick Saban is no stranger to this match. LSU head coach Les Miles is additionally no stranger at this time as he’s won the national championship in 2007. Two fantastic teams and head coaches clashing on a collision course in what is certain to be an amazing game. The odds makers presently have this at Alabama (-1) with the over-under established at 40 points.

December 20 signifies the Beef O’Brady’s Bowl in St Petersburg, Florida with the Golden Panthers facing the Thundering Herd. Florida International enters into play with an 8-4 record along with a 5-3 record in the Sun Belt Conference. Florida International averages 19.4 ppg on defense and 26.3 ppg on offense. With their return squad a constant threat to take it all the way up, Florida International also leads the country in punt return yardage. Florida International is led by 5th-year head coach Mario Cristobal. Marshall enters into play with a 6-6 record that is second in Conference USA. The Thundering Herd average a somewhat confusing 30.2 ppg on defense and 22 ppg on offense. 2nd-year head coach Doc Holliday will direct Marshall.

The Louisiana Superdome comes alive on December 17 when the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl begins. The Aztecs face the Ragin’ Cajuns in a battle to the finish. The Aztecs arrive with an 8-4 record as well as a 4-3 record in the MWC. The Aztecs average 24.4 ppg on defense and 29.8 ppg on offense. 1st year head coach Rocky Long will be leading the Aztecs. The Ragin’ Cajuns come into New Orleans with an identical 8-4 record and a 6-2 record in the Sun Belt Conference. The Ragin’ Cajuns average 29.8 ppg on defense and 32.3 ppg on offense. Louisiana-Lafayette is directed by first year head coach Mark Hudspeth.

Dec 17 is circled on the calendar for the Gildan New Mexico Bowl in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Owls face the Wyoming Cowboys in this clash of two excellent squads. The Owls come into play with an 8-4 record and a 5-3 record, which is excellent for second in the MAC. Arriving in third in the Mountain West Conference, the Wyoming Cowboys additionally have an 8-4 record with a 5-2 record. With near-identical records, this match should prove to go right down to the last whistle. Temple enters into the game averaging 30.1 points per game on offense with an amazing 13.8 points per game on defense which rates third in the country. Wyoming’s win-loss record isn’t indicative of their ratio of points as the Wyoming Cowboys average 27 points per game on both sides of the ball.