Steve Merril CFB
(3% play) OVER 56 (Kansas State/Arkansas) - 3:20 pm ET (ESPN) #275 - Liberty Bowl
Kansas State and Arkansas are all offense and no defense, so we expect a high-scoring shootout on Saturday afternoon. Kansas State averaged 30.5 points per game this season. The Wildcats are extremely well-balanced as they ran and passed for more than 160 yards per game this season. Kansas State will be facing a poor Arkansas defense that allowed 28.2 points per game on 6.4 yards per play away from home. Overall, the Razorbacks gave up 6.1 yards per play against a weak slate of offenses that only averaged 5.9 yards per play this season. Against the nine bowl teams they faced this season, Arkansas allowed 32 points on 437 yards of offense per game.
Arkansas also had a very good offense this season. The Razorbacks averaged 35.2 points per game on 6.7 yards per play versus defenses that gave up 27.9 points per game on 5.7 yards per play. Like Kansas State, the Razorbacks were extremely well-balanced as they ran for 192 yards and threw for 264 yards per game this season. Kansas State’s defense played below average football as the Wildcats gave up 30.3 points per game on 6.1 yards per play versus offenses that averaged 31.5 points per game on 6.0 yards per play. Against the seven bowl teams they faced this season, Kansas State allowed 41 points on 526 yards of offense per game. Look for a high-scoring game in the Liberty Bowl between Kansas State and Arkansas on Saturday afternoon.
Play OVER (Kansas State/Arkansas) as a 3% play.
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(3% play) OVER 62.5 (West Virginia/Arizona State) - 10:15 pm ET (ESPN) #279 - Cactus Bowl
West Virginia and Arizona State have two offensive-minded coaches that will result in a high-scoring shootout. The Mountaineers’ offense averaged 33.2 points per game this season, and their recent bowl history suggests a lot of points in this game. West Virginia’s last two bowl games were both shootouts; they lost 45-37 to Texas A&M last year and they beat Clemson 70-33 a few years back. The Mountaineers have solid seasonal numbers on defense, but they were night and day at home and on the road. Away from home, West Virginia’s defense was simply terrible as they gave up 34 points per game on 6.0 yards per play. Against seven bowl opponents, West Virginia gave up 33 points per game on 429 yards of offense this season. West Virginia is taking a major step-up in offensive class against Arizona State in this game, and we expect the Mountaineers’ defense to get exposed.
Arizona State has a potent offense that averaged 34 points per game this season. The Sun Devils were well-balanced as they averaged 185 yards on the ground and 289 yards thru the air per game this season. Head coach Todd Graham has a history of scoring a lot of points in bowl games; 36 points last year, 62 points in 2012, 62 points in 2010, 45 points in 2008, and 63 points in 2007. Arizona State’s defense played below average this season as the Sun Devils allowed 32.7 points per game on 6.1 yards per play. Against the ten bowl teams they faced this season, Arizona State gave up 35 points on 457 yards of offense per game. Look for a high-scoring game between West Virginia and Arizona State in the Cactus Bowl on Saturday night.
10 Game of the Month Total Play · Over [273] Penn State Nittany Lions vs. [274] Georgia Bulldogs
70% Computer Plays Sat Jan 2nd, 2016 12:00pm ESTExpert Analysis: 52 points computer projects...we are on it.
