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Academy Sports & Outdoors Texas Bowl

Where: NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas
Date & Time: Wednesday, December 27, 2017 at 9:00 PM ET
Spread: Missouri -3
Over/Under Total: 60.5
Quick Pick: Missouri -3

The Texas Longhorns will square off with the Missouri Tigers in this year's Academy Sports & Outdoors Texas Bowl. This bowl game is being played at the energy Stadium Houston, Texas on Wednesday, December 27, 2017 at 9:00 PM Eastern time. This game can be watched on ESPN. BetOnline has the spread in this game at Missouri Tigers -3 and the total of 60 1/2.

Academy Sports & Outdoors Bowl

The Academy Sports & Outdoors Texas Bowl is an annual football bowl game that is played annually in Houston, Texas at the NRG Stadium.

The Texas Bowl has been played since 2006, under various other names. The Academy Sports & Outdoors Texas Bowl has been played under the names Meineke Car Care Bowl, Advocare Bowl and now under its current sponsorship, Academy Sports & Outdoors Texas Bowl.

The Academy Sports & Outdoors Texas Bowl has conference tie-ins with the BIG 12 Conference and the SEC Conference. This year, the Texas Longhorns will represent the BIG 12 Conference while the Missouri Tigers represent the SEC.

Both the Longhorns and the Tigers have appeared in the Texas Bowl in the past, with both teams losing their only appearance. In 2009, the Missouri Tigers were defeated by the Navy Midshipmen by the score 35-13. In 2014, the Texas Longhorns were defeated by the Arkansas Razorbacks by the score 31-7 in front of a record-breaking 71,000 fans.

Previous Matchup History

The Texas Longhorns and the Missouri Tigers are familiar foes playing each other 23 times over the history of the 2 schools. In the 23 games, the Texas Longhorns hold a decisive edge with a 17-6 record over the Missouri Tigers. Missouri won the last matchup, back in 2011 17-5, but overall Texas has won 15 out of the last 17 games against the Tigers.

Texas Longhorns 6-6 (BIG 12)

The Texas Longhorns finished up the regular season at 6-6 SU and 7-4-1 ATS. They had their struggles this year under first-year head coach Tom Herman. Herman was hired at the end of last year and expectations were high in Austin, Texas. They opened up the season allowing the Maryland terrapins to put up 51 points on the Longhorns by completely thrashing the defense. They followed that up with splitting their next 6 games, going 3-3. That left them needing to win 3 out of their last 5 games to end the season bowl eligible.

The Longhorns recorded wins over Baylor and West Virginia, both on the road, and dominated Kansas at home to become bowl eligible and to prevent the 2017 season from being a complete wash.

The Longhorns have been a defensive oriented team this year. They played 8 out of their last 10 games under the posted total. When it comes to defense for the Longhorns, they are really good up front at stopping the run but they are also really bad at secondary at stopping the pass. Teams that strictly pass the ball dominated the Longhorns 108th ranked passing defense but teams that tried to run against Texas's 6th ranked rushing defense greatly struggled!

The Longhorns have gone 27-24-2 in their 53 bowl appearances in the history of the school. Texas have a decent amount of trends supporting them in this bowl game. They have been a very strong team to bet on in these neutral site match ups. They are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 neutral site games. They have also gone 5-2 ATS in their last 7 non-conference games. One trend that is not supportive of the Longhorns is the fact that they are only 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games against teams from the SEC.

Missouri Tigers 7-5 (SEC)

The Missouri Tigers are 7-5 on the year and covered the spread in 7 out of the last 8 games overall. The Tigers 2017 college football season was a tale of 2 halves of the year. In the 1st 6 games of the season, Missouri went 1-5. In the 2nd half of the season, the Tigers went 6-0. The difference is clear to see, offense offense offense! In the 1st 6 games the season, the Wildcats averaged 27 points per game but in the 2nd half of the season they averaged 51 points per game, nearly doubling their offensive output in the 1st half.

That offensive increase has rested on the shoulders of QB Drew Lock. Lock has gone from being relatively untalked about to now being talked about at the same time as the likes of Baker Mayfield, Josh Rosen and Sam Darnold as being a NFL caliber quarterback.

The Tigers offensive explosion in the second half of the season also has to be credited to former offensive coordinator Josh Heupel, who recently accepted a position to take over the head coaching vacancy at Central Florida. The Tigers have not named a replacement for Heupel but head coach Barry Odom stated that the Tigers will continue to play a fast pace, same style offense in the bowl game because that is what the Tigers players are used to.

The Tigers are 15-16 in school history in bowl games. They haven’t appeared since 2014, when they faced the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the Citrus Bowl. They won that game 33-17, as well as their prior two bowls to come into the Academy Sports & Outdoor Bowl with a 3 game bowl game win streak.

Academy Sports & Outdoors Bowl Handicapping

This game is pretty cut and dry. Missouri is going to play at an extremely fast pace and tire this Texas Longhorn defense out, very similar to what the Maryland Terps did in game 1 of the season. Drew Lock is going to air it out, which will force the Longhorns to adjust their secondary, which will open up the plethora of running backs that Missouri will use to keep the Longhorns on the toes.

Spooky’s Selection

Our system has Missouri winning this game in a close one by a field goal. 5Dimes has this game at Missouri -3 and the total at 60.5.We will play the Missouri Tigers as a moneyline play as one of our biggest plays of the bowl season. Play the moneyline and cash it in!!!

Spooky Express Pick: Missouri on the Moneyline

Note: This bowl game is being handicapped and broken down weeks in advance of the game being played. Please be sure to check back periodically to determine if any changes have been made and be sure to check the day of the game, to receive and over/under plays that we may provide or for the latest updates head to Spookyexpress.com

 

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Military Bowl

Where: Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland
Date & Time: Thursday, December 28, 2017 at 1:30 PM ET
Spread: Virginia Cavaliers -1.5
Over/Under Total: 55
Quick Pick: Navy Midshipmen +2 (Buy up half point)
The Navy Midshipmen will take on the Virginia Cavaliers on Thursday, December 28, 2017 at 1:30 PM ET in the 2017 Military Bowl presented by Northrop Grumman. The Military Bowl will played at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland and will be aired on ESPN.

Military Bowl

The Military Bowl presented by Northrop Grumman is an annual college football bowl game played each year during the NCAA’s College Bowl Season. The Military Bowl has been around since 2008, when it was called the Congressional Bowl and then played as the EagleBank Bowl.

The Military Bowl features teams with tie-ins to the Atlantic Coastal Conference and American Athletic Conference. This year, the Military Bowl will feature the Navy Midshipmen against the Virginia Cavaliers.

Navy has played in the Military Bowl 2 previous times, splitting their 2 games winning one and losing one. Navy beat the Pittsburgh Panthers 44-28 in 2015 but lost in the inaugural game in 2008 against Wake Forest 29-19. This will be the first time the Virginia Cavaliers have played in the Military Bowl.

Previous Matchup History

The Virginia Cavaliers and the Navy Midshipmen are familiar with each other, having played each other 39 times in the past. The Midshipmen and Cavaliers haven’t played each other since 1994, when the Virginia Cavaliers defeated Navy 47-10 in Annapolis, Md. Virginia has won the last 5 games straight against Navy and 8 out of the last 11 matchups overall. In the past 4 games between the Cavaliers and Midshipmen, Navy has only scored 20 points total combined.

Virginia Cavaliers 6-6 (ACC)

The Virginia Cavaliers come into the bowl game with a 6-6 SU and ATS record. They finished the season in 5th place in the ACC’s Coastal Conference with a 3-5 conference record. The Cavaliers lost their final 3 games of the year against Louisville, Miami and Virginia Tech. In the final game of the year, against the Virginia Tech Hokies, the Cavaliers were shut out 10-0.

The Cavaliers have appeared in 18 bowl games and have a 7-11 record in those games. This will be the first time the Cavaliers have played in a bowl since 2011 when they lost to the Auburn Tigers 43-24. They have lost their last 2 bowls and 3 out of their last 4 overall.

Cavaliers Head Coach Bronco Mendenhall was recently mentioned as a candidate for the Oregon State Coaching job but immediately shot down any speculation by stating that he is not interested in the job. Mendenhall is in his second year as head coach of the Virginia Cavaliers. Mendenhall has taken the Cavaliers from a 2-11 team last year to a 6-6 team this year.

Navy Midshipmen 6-6 (American Athletic Conference)

The Navy Midshipmen finished the regular season 6-6 SU and 5-5-2 ATS. Navy finished the year in 4th place in the AAC West with a 4-4 conference record. They played 8 of their 12 games under the posted total, thanks to their running offense that chews up the clock. The Midshipmen started out the year 5-0 but ended the season on a complete reversal of fortune by going 1-6 to end the season. They finished the year at 4-4 in the AAC West, which was good enough for 4th place in the conference.

The Midshipmen ended the year by losing an emotional game in the snow against the Army Black Knights 14-13. They actually lost their last 3 games of the year and 6 of the last 7 games overall.

The Midshipmen are no doubt a run heavy team and if you want to stop them, you have to base your game plan on stopping the run. That all starts with QB Zach Abey and RB Malcolm Perry. Abey has ran the ball 280 times for 1325 yards and 14 touchdowns. Perry has ran the ball 122 times for 1068 yards and 9 touchdowns. Between those two running the option, they are able to find holes in the defense and rack up the yardage in games.

The Midshipmen have appeared in 20 bowl games in the history of the program and have compiled a 9-10-1 record. The Midshipmen lost last year in the Armed Forces Bowl to La Tech 48-45. Prior to that game, they were on a 3 game winning streak in the bowl season. Navy has gone 4-0 ATS in their last 4 bowl games.

Military Bowl Handicapping

Both of these teams have local ties in the area and both should have a decent turnout of fans in the seats. It is basically a home game for Navy but Virginia is only a few hours west of the location. Navy will get the nod for home field due to the fact…..well, it is their home field!

Virginia have struggled stopping the run. They have the 81st ranked defense in the NCAA allowing 178.3 yards per game. Those yards were compiled against rushing teams that don’t run the ball nearly as much as Navy. No matter how good the defense is, Navy is a tough offense to plan for and to try to contain. Virginia will find themselves with a major headache trying to stop this running game and we just don’t see it happening.

Spooky’s Selection

Our system tells us that this will be a very close game with the Midshipmen winning by a field goal. BetOnline has this game atVirginia Cavaliers -1.5 and the total of 55. Buy the extra half point and take the points here with Navy +2. Also play the moneyline here with Navy as we have them winning by a field goal.

Spooky Express Pick: Navy +2 and MoneyLine Dog!!!

Note: This bowl game is being handicapped and broken down weeks in advance of the game being played. Please be sure to check back periodically to determine if any changes have been made and be sure to check the day of the game, to receive and over/under plays that we may provide or for the latest updates head to Spookyexpress.com

 

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Camping World Bowl

Where: Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida
Date & Time: Thursday, December 28, 2017 at 5:15 PM ET
Spread: Oklahoma State -4.5
Over/Under Total: 63
Quick Pick:Virginia Tech +5 (Buy up half point)

The Virginia Tech Hokies will take on the Oklahoma State Cowboys in this year’s Camping World Bowl. This game is being played on Thursday, December 28, 2017 at 5:15 PM ET at the Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida and can be watched on ESPN.

Camping World Bowl

The 2017 Camping World Bowl is an annual college football bowl that is played in Orlando, Florida. This bowl is one of the oldest bowls actively being played and has been around since 1990. The Camping World Bowl has been played under numerous other names such as the Blockbuster Bowl, Carquest Bowl, Micron PC Bowl, Florida Tourism Bowl, Mazda Bowl, Champs Sports Bowl and the Russell Athletic Bowl.

The Camping World Bowl has conference tie-ins with the ACC and the BIG 12. This year, the Virginia Tech Hokies will represent the ACC and the Oklahoma State Cowboys will represent the BIG 12. This will be the first time that the Cowboys from Oklahoma State will play in the Camping World Bowl. The Hokies from Virginia Tech have played here one other time, winning their 2012 Russell Athletic Bowl by the score of 13-10 in overtime over the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. (Camping World Bowl was known as Russell Athletic Bowl during that time)

Previous Matchup History

The Virginia Tech Hokies and the Oklahoma State Cowboys have met each other 2 times in the past but not since 1972. Each team has a win at their home stadium, Virginia Tech winning in Blacksburg, VA 34-32 and Oklahoma State winning in Stillwater, OK by the score 24-16.

Virginia Tech Hokies 9-3 (ACC)

The Virginia Tech Hokies finished up their 2017 regular season with a 9-3 SU and 6-6 ATS record. They were a defensive oriented team that shut teams down and held 8 of their 12 games under the posted total. The Hokies played 4 out of their last 5 games under the posted total and held their final 6 opponents of the year to under 14 points per game.

Virginia Tech have played in 30 previous bowl games and have a record of 13-17 in those games. This is the 25th consecutive bowl game for the Hokies, who are coming off back-to-back-to-back wins in the last 3 years in bowl games. They are coming in off a 35-24 win at last year’s Belk Bowl over the Arkansas Razorbacks. The Hokies have gone 6-1 ATS in their last 7 non-conference games. They are also 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games played against teams from the BIG 12.

They finished in 2nd place in the ACC’s Coastal Conference with a 5-3 conference record. The Hokies finished the regular season by defeating the Pittsburgh Panthers 20-14 and the Virginia Cavaliers 10-0 to earn a bid in the Camping World Bowl.

The Hokies have the 12th ranked defense, with the 16th best at stopping the run and 21st at preventing the passing plays. They are a very well rounded team that can run the ball, as well as pass with QB Josh Jackson. Jackson is a dual threat quarterback that has completed 60% of his passes this year for 2743 yards, 19 touchdowns and 8 INT’s.

Oklahoma State 9-3 (BIG 12)

The Oklahoma State Cowboys finished the regular season at 9-3 SU and 6-6 ATS. They were one of the highest scoring offenses in the NCAA led by head coach Mike Gundy. Gundy’s offense was ranked #2 on the year with averaging nearly 400 yards of passing offense in each game. Gundy was rumored as possibly leaving Oklahoma State to go to Tennessee but those talks came to an abrupt stop when he announced on Twitter that he was the head coach of Oklahoma State Cowboys, “For life”.

The Cowboys played phenomenal on the road this year, going undefeated at 6-0. They have been a very strong team lately when playing in these non-conference games. They have gone 5-0 ATS in their last 5 non-conference games. The Cowboys have also been strong in games that are played on a neutral site, going 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games played on a neutral site.

The Cowboys are anchored on offense by QB Mason Rudolph. Rudolph started out the season as hot as any QB in the country but hit a rough skid in late September where he threw 4 INT’s in 3 games. On the year, Rudolph completed 65% of his passing attempts for 4553 yards, 35 touchdowns and 9 INT’s.
Rudolph has a plethora of wide receivers that he uses but his favorite is Biletnikoff Award winner James Washington. Washington has caught a team high 69 passes for 1423 yards and has pulled down 12 touchdowns. He is averaging 20.6 yards per reception and played in all 12 games this year for the Cowboys.

Camping World Bowl Handicapping

The Cowboys have a very good team but they have struggled when they face tough, opposing defenses like TCU, and Oklahoma and if a team can score points by the handful, the Cowboys have lost games. What I mean by that is the three highest amount of points allowed this year by Oklahoma State was in their 3 losses. They will now face a Virginia Tech team that put up 64 points on East Carolina, 59 on North Carolina, 38 on Old Dominion and 31 on West Virginia. Josh Jackson is hard to contain and it is hard to imagine that the Cowboys will be able to slow this team down.

Spooky’s Selection

Our prediction is Virginia Tech is a hot underdog here that will win the game by a touchdown. MyBookie has the line in this game at Oklahoma State Cowboys – 4.5 and the total at 63. We recommend you buying up the half point and taking Virginia Tech +5 points, as well as play them on the moneyline as a moneyline dog!!!

Spooky Express Pick: Virginia Tech +5 and take them on the MoneyLine!!!

Note: This bowl game is being handicapped and broken down weeks in advance of the game being played. Please be sure to check back periodically to determine if any changes have been made and be sure to check the day of the game, to receive and over/under plays that we may provide or for the latest updates head to Spookyexpress.com

 

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Valero Alamo Bowl

Where: Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas
Date & Time: Thursday, December 28, 2017 at 9:00 PM ET
Spread: TCU Horned Frogs -2.5
Over/Under Total: 49
Quick Pick: TCU Horned Frogs Moneyline Play

Valero Energy Corporation took over the sponsorship of the bowl game in 2007 and have remained the sponsor since that time.

Valero Alamo Bowl

The Valero Alamo Bowl has conference tie-ins with the PAC-12 and the Big 12. This year, the TCU Horned Frogs will represent the Big 12 and the Stanford Cardinal will represent the PAC-12. TCU has appeared one other time in the Alamo Bowl, winning their game in 2015 against the Oregon Ducks by the score of 47-41 in overtime. This will be the first time the Stanford Cardinals have appeared in the Alamo Bowl.

Previous Matchup History

The TCU Horned Frogs and the Stanford Cardinal have played each other two times in the past. These two faced off in 2007 and 2008, with both games going to the Horned Frogs by the score of 31-14 and 38-36.

Stanford Cardinal 9-4 (PAC 12)

The Stanford Cardinal are 9-4 SU and 6-6-1 ATS in the regular season. They only went 3-4 on the road this year but split their final 4 road games 2-2. The Cardinal won 3 of their final 4 games of the regular season both SU and ATS.

The Cardinal will rely heavily on Heisman Candidate Running Back Bryce Love. Love has been in the media lately as experts across the land try to figure out if he will return for his senior season or if he will enter the NFL draft. Many experts compare Love to his former teammate Christian McCaffrey but there are drastic differences that I see.

First and foremost, McCaffrey left early because he wanted to be a professional football player and follow in the footsteps of his father. He knew going into college that he wanted to play in the pro’s and academics, weren’t on the top of his list of goals. On the other hand, Love places academics on the front burner and knows what he wants to do after college…..he wants to be a pediatrician. That’s not to say that Love doesn’t go into the NFL for a few years and then finish up medical school but he is goal oriented and I firmly believe he will return for his senior season.

Love finished 2nd in this year’s Heisman voting but one must wonder if that has anything to do with him playing at Stanford, a west coast team, that plays many late games throughout the year on pacific time, when many fans don’t watch due to time differential.

Love will have a new Offensive Coordinator when the bowl game kicks off. Former Cardinal Offensive Coordinator Mike Bloomgren left Stanford to become the Head Coach at Rice. The Cardinal are expected to move former Cardinal QB Tavita Pritchard up into the Offensive Coordinator position.

TCU Horned Frogs 10-3 (BIG 12)

The TCU Horned Frogs went 10-3 SU and 6-7 ATS in the 2017 regular season. TCU finished up the regular season with a 7-3 conference record to end up second in the BIG 12. They lost to Oklahoma in the BIG 12 championship game, which happened to be their second loss to the Sooners on the year, by the score 41-17.

The played 10 of their 13 games under the posted total this year. The Horned Frogs defense led in nearly every category in the BIG 12 for defensive statistics. They were #1 in rushing defense, #1 in passing defense, #1 in total defense, #1 in scoring defense, #1 in passing defense efficiency, #1 sacks and #1 in red zone defense. They allow less than 100 yards per game on the ground, which is 4th overall in the country. The bottom line, the TCU defense is really good not easy to move the ball on.
On offense, the Horned Frogs are well balanced and led by senior QB Kenny Hill. Hill has passed for 2838 yards this year and has completed 67% of his passing attempts. He has thrown for 21 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. Hill has also ran for 265 yards and 4 touchdowns on the year.

Valero Alamo Bowl Handicapping

Planning and preparing for a defense like TCU is a headache on anyone but when your main offensive planner, the O-Coordinator leaves for another job, that puts more pressure on everyone. The Horned Frogs are going to put constant pressure on the Stanford O-Line and force the Cardinal to beat them with the arm of sophomore QB KJ Costello. Costello is no elite QB and facing this daunted defense is a headache causing nightmare for him and the offensive line!

Spooky’s Selection

Our system is calling for a 10 point win for the Horned Frogs. Bookmaker has the line currently set at TCU -2.5 and the total of 49. We will be playing TCU on the Moneyline here. Bet it and forget it!!!

Spooky Express Pick: TCU Horned Frogs Moneyline Play

Note: This bowl game is being handicapped and broken down weeks in advance of the game being played. Please be sure to check back periodically to determine if any changes have been made and be sure to check the day of the game, to receive and over/under plays that we may provide or for the latest updates head to Spookyexpress.com

 

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San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl

Where: SDCCU Stadium in San Diego, California
Date & Time: Thursday, December 28, 2017 at 9:00 PM ET
Spread: Washington State -2
Over/Under Total: 45
Quick Pick: Washington State Moneyline Play

The Washington State Cougars will take on the Michigan State Spartans in this year’s San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl. The game is being played at the San Diego County Credit Union Stadium in San Diego, California on Thursday, December 28, 2017. The game will kick off at 9:00 PM ET and can be watched on FS1.

San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl

The San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl has been played annually since 1978. The bowl has tie-ins with the Pac-12 and the BIG 10. This year, the Washington State Cougars will represent the Pac-12 and the Michigan State Spartans will represent the BIG 10.

The Washington State Cougars will be playing in their 4th San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl. They have gone 1-2 in those bowl with their only win coming against Texas in 2003 by the score 28-20. Their two losses came against BYU in 1981 by the score 38-36 and last year against the Minnesota Golden Gophers 17-12. This is the first time the Michigan State Spartans have appeared in the San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl.

Previous Matchup History

The Michigan State Spartans and the Washington State Cougars have faced off against each other 7 times in the history of the two programs but haven’t played recently since 1977. In the series, the Spartans hold a 5-2 edge over the Cougars. In the past, these games have been rather low scoring games with the average score being Michigan State 29 – Washington State 14

Washington State Cougars 9-3 (PAC 12)

The Washington State Cougars come into this bowl with a 9-3 SU and 7-5 ATS record. They were undefeated at home this year at 7-0 but only 2-3 on the road. The Cougars played 3 of their last 4 games over the posted total.

The Cougars will be playing in their 3rd consecutive bowl game this year. They have played in a total of 13 bowl games and have a 7-6 record. They are coming in off a 17-12 loss to Minnesota last year and have lost 2 of their last 3 bowl games by a combined 8 points.

To say that the Washington State Cougars are a pass heavy offense would be the most drastic understatement of the bowl season. They don’t have a single rusher on the team that has ran the ball 100 times on the season but they have 2 quarterbacks that have combined for 663 passing attempts on the year for a combined 4497 yards passing and 35 touchdowns.

This is a Mike Leach offense and that means he is going to pass the ball and pass it some more and then just when you think he will run it….he will pass it again. They call themselves the “Air Raid Passing Attack” and that is exactly what they will do in this game. They open up the field and play catch all day with QB Luke Falk leading the way. Falk went 357 for 534 and 3593 yards. He threw 30 TDs and 13 INTs. Falk struggled with control at the end of the season, throwing 2 INT’s in the first 6 games but 11 INT’s in the final 6 games of the year. Falk is a decent QB and those numbers are a little misconstrued as several of those INT’s were tipped balls that were out of his control.

The Cougars and Falk will be without his two top wide receivers for this bowl game. WR Tavares Martin Jr was dismissed from the team and will not play in the San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl. He led the Cougars with 70 receptions, 831 yards and 9 touchdowns. They will also be without sophomore Isaiah Johnson-Mach, who announced the intended to transfer out of Washington State to be closer to his family in Florida.

Michigan State Spartans 9-3 (BIG 10)

The Michigan State Spartans are 9-3 SU and 7-5 ATS on the 2017 regular season. They finished up the regular season in 3rd place in the BIG 10 (East) behind Ohio State and Penn State. The Spartans ended the year, winners of their final two games against Maryland and Rutgers.

The Spartans have played in 26 bowl games since 1896. They are 11-15 overall in the bowl games and will be returning to play in a bowl after missing last year. In their last bowl, they were shut out by the Alabama Crimson Tide 38-0 in the 2015 Cotton Bowl. Prior to their Alabama loss, the Spartans were on a 4 game bowl winning streak.

The Spartans have the 9th best defense in the NCAA and are holding passing teams to only 196.5 yards per game. Their defense held half of their opponents to no more than 1 touchdown scored in the game. This unit is not an easy one to move the ball on and they consistently get pressure on the quarterback.

San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl Handicapping

For those that are now aware, the Air Raid offense is basically a new style of the Run and Shoot offense that teams played in the pro’s back in the 90’s. It utilizes many crossing patterns that are meant to confuse man-zone and man to man defenses. It creates many short passes that equal big yardage. This will be difficult for Michigan State to design a game plan for as it was back in 2010, when Mike Leach’s Texas Tech Red Raiders, using the same style offense, slashed the Michigan State Spartans for 579 yards! They better come up with a defensive strategy fast or this game will be over before it even gets started!

Spooky’s Selection

Our systems tells us that Washington State will win this game by a field goal, which makes it difficult to give out Washington State because the line is right around that 3 point mark. Bookmaker has this game at Washington State -2 but we will instead take the Cougars on the moneyline.

Spooky Express Pick: Washington State Moneyline play

Note: This bowl game is being handicapped and broken down weeks in advance of the game being played. Please be sure to check back periodically to determine if any changes have been made and be sure to check the day of the game, to receive and over/under plays that we may provide or for the latest updates head to Spookyexpress.com

 

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Belk Bowl

Where: Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina
Date & Time: Friday, December 29, 2017 at 1:00 PM ET
Spread: Wake Forest -3
Over/Under Total: 65
Quick Pick: Wake Forest Moneyline Play!

The Wake Forest Demon Deacons will take on the Texas A&M Aggies on Friday, December 29, 2017 at 1:00 PM ET in this year’s Belk Bowl. This game is being played at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina and can be seen on ESPN.

Belk Bowl

The Belk Bowl is an annual college football game that is played during the NCAA’s Bowl Season. The Belk Bowl is played at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina each year and has been played since 2002.

The Belk Bowl features conference tie-ins with the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and the Southeast Conference (SEC). This year, the Wake Forest Demon Deacons will represent the ACC and the Texas A&M Aggies will represent the SEC. This will be the second time that the Demon Deacons have appeared in the Belk Bowl, defeating the Connecticut Huskies in 2007, while this will be the first time the Texas A&M Aggies will appear in the Belk Bowl.

Previous Matchup History

This will be the first time the Wake Forest Demon Deacons have played the Texas A&M Aggies. That being said, both teams have losing record against the opposing team’s conference. The Demon Deacons have going 35-62-2 against the SEC. The Aggies are a tad bit better against the ACC going 13-16 against teams from the ACC.

Wake Forest Demon Deacons 7-5 (ACC)

The Wake Forest Demon Deacons went 7-5 SU and 8-3-1 ATS in the regular season. Wake started out the season with a ton of optimism and went 4-0. The optimism turned to deflated hope as the Demon Deacons dropped 4 of their next 5 games. That being said, all was not lost as you have to consider the teams they played in those games.

The Demon Deacons went toe to toe Florida State 26-19, Clemson 28-14 and Notre Dame 48-38. They also lost to Georgia Tech on the road 38-24 but the fact is they played all of those opponents tough and were within one score late in the game. There were really no games this year that Wake wasn’t in the game.

The Demon Deacons should have no problems with filling the stands with fans for this bowl game as it is only a 1 hour drive from Winston-Salem, NC to Charlotte, NC. This will basically be a home game to the Demon Deacons, as they should travel well. As of Wednesday, December 13, 2017, the Demon Deacons had completely sold out of their allotted amount of tickets and had requested more.

Wake Forest has appeared in 10 bowl games and have gone 7-4 in those games. Last year, the Demon Deacons traveled to Annapolis, Maryland and defeated the Temple Owls 34-26 in the Military Bowl. The Demon Deacons have won 3 out of the last 4 bowl games and 6 of their last 8 bowls.
There are a ton of trends that support Wake in this game. For starters, the Demon Deacons are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 bowl games. In addition to playing teams in the bowls, they are also 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games that were played on a neutral site. This game is sort of hard to call a neutral site but it isn’t their “home” field so we will still consider it a neutral site. They are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games that were played during the month of December. Finally, the Demon Deacons are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 non-conference games. Those are some pretty hefty trends to take in and sort of hard to ignore.

For many years the Demon Deacons have been known as a run heavy team but this year, they were actually a predominantly pass heavy team. Their passing offense averaged 266.6 yards per game, which was good enough for 35th in the nation. They are led by Senior John Wolford. Wolford completed nearly 64% of his passing attempts on the season and threw 25 touchdowns and 6 INT’s. Wolford averaged 8.6 yards per passing attempt and he truly didn’t favor any one target on the year.

Wolford connected with 4 receivers, who each caught a minimum of 35 receptions and at least 444 yards of offense. Greg Dortch was the leading receiver pulling in 53 receptions for 722 yards and 9 touchdowns.

Texas A&M Aggies 7-5 (SEC)

The Texas A&M Aggies finished up their regular season 7-5 SU and 7-4-1 ATS. That 7-5 record wasn’t good enough to keep Kevin Sumlin’s job as he was fired as head coach of the Aggies. The Aggies went out and lured Jimbo Fisher away from the Florida State Seminoles by offering him a guaranteed $75 million dollars over 10 years.

Interim Head Coach Jeff Banks will take the lead in the Belk Bowl for the Aggies. Banks is basically playing for one game and will make $75,000 for the game. If he is able to lead the Aggies to a win, he will make an additional $25,000.

The trends in this game are against the Aggies. Texas A&M have gone 5-2 ATS in their last 7 neutral site game, which is good, but then you have to take into consideration that they are also 3-8 ATS in their last 11 bowl games. They are also 2-6 ATS in their last 8 games played in December. The Aggies have also gone 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games against teams from the ACC.

Belk Bowl Handicapping

Wake Forest doesn’t try to hide anything on offense. They are pretty cut and dry. If it is short yardage, they are going to run and if it is long yardage, they are going to pass. When I say long yardage, I mean even on first down, they will come out firing the ball. They have 10 receivers that each average over 10 yards per reception, which is truly remarkable for a team that has always ran the ball.

Trying to find a way to contain that passing threat is tough on any head coach, so one can only imagine that it will be extremely difficult for a interim head coach to prepare for. The Aggies have always had their issues with running quarterbacks and Wolford leads the team with 10 rushing touchdowns. Another thing the Aggies will have to do is find a way to change the red zone efficiency of the Demon Deacons. In 50 trips inside the red zone, the Demon Deacons scored 47 times. Those are tremendous numbers and considering the fact that the Aggies are the 112th ranked red zone defense……this game could get ugly.

Spooky’s Selection

Our system has Wake Forest winning this game by a field goal, the same basic amount that they are giving to Texas A&M. Bookmaker has this game at Wake -3 and that is exactly what we are predicting they will win by. Therefore, we will play this on the Moneyline on Wake Forest and not lay the points.

Spooky Express Pick: Wake Forest MoneyLine Play

Note: This bowl game is being handicapped and broken down weeks in advance of the game being played. Please be sure to check back periodically to determine if any changes have been made and be sure to check the day of the game, to receive and over/under plays that we may provide or for the latest updates head to Spookyexpress.com

 

[SpookyExpressNews]

Hyundai Sun Bowl

Where: Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso, Texas
Date & Time: Friday, December 29, 2017 at 3:00 PM ET
Spread: NC State Wolfpack -6
Over/Under Total: 59.5
Quick Pick: NC State Wolfpack -6

The Arizona State Sun Devils will take on the NC State Wolfpack in the 2017 Hyundai Sun Bowl. The game is scheduled for Friday, December 29, 2017. This game is set to kick off at 3:00 PM ET and can be seen on CBS.

Hyundai Sun Bowl

The Sun Bowl is an annual football game that is played during the NCAA College Bowl Season. The Sun Bowl is tied with the Sugar Bowl and Orange Bowl as the 2nd oldest bowl in history of the bowl season.

The bowl is played at Sun Bowl Stadium at University of Texas El Paso. The Sun Bowl has been called the Hyundai Sun Bowl since 2010 but was called numerous other names throughout its history. It has been called the John Hancock Sun Bowl, John Hancock Bowl, Norwest Bank Sun Bowl, Norwest Sun Bowl Wells Fargo Sun Bowl, Vitalis Sun Bowl, Brut Sun Bowl and Sun Bowl.

The Sun Bowl features conference tie-ins with the ACC and the PAC 12. This year, the NC State Wolfpack will represent the ACC and the Arizona State Sun Devils will represent the PAC 12. This will be the first time that the North Carolina State Wolfpack will appear in the Sun Bowl but the Sun Devils from Arizona State have appeared in the Sun Bowl 5 previous times. They have a record of 3-1-1.

Previous Matchup History

The Wolfpack and the Sun Devils have played each other two times in the history of the programs but the most recent game was played way back in 1974. Both teams have split wins/losses with NC State winning in 1974 by the score 35-14 and Arizona State winning in 1960 by the score 25-22.

North Carolina State Wolfpack 8-4 (ACC)

The North Carolina State Wolfpack finished up the season in 2nd place in the ACC’s Atlantic Conference, behind Clemson. The Wolfpack ended the season with a 8-4 SU and 4-7-1 ATS record. They went 3-2 on the road this year and played 8 of their 12 games under the posted total. The Wolfpack struggled covering the line to end the regular season. They ended up only covering the spread in 1 of their final 5 games.

The North Carolina State Wolfpack are led on offense by junior quarterback Ryan Finley. Finley has completed 64% of his passes for 3200 passing yards on the year. He is averaging 7.1 yards per attempt, has thrown 16 touchdown passes and 6 interceptions. Finley likes to spread the ball around and has 4 wide receivers with at least 450 yards on the season. Kelvin Harmon leads the Wolfpack with 993 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns.

Nyheim Hines has rushed for 1040 yards and has crossed the goalline 9 times for the Wolfpack. Hines gets his share of carries but also splits carries with junior tailback Reggie Gallaspy II. Gallaspy has ran 106 times for 435 yards and 5 touchdowns.

The Wolfpack have appeared in 30 bowl games, going 16-13-1 in those games. The Wolfpack have appeared in 3 straight bowl games, going 2-1 in those bowl games. Last year, the Wolfpack defeated Vanderbilt 41-17 in the Independence Bowl.

Arizona State Sun Devils 7-5 (PAC-12)

The Arizona State Sun Devils and the regular season 7-5 SU and ATS. They were just 2-3 on the road this year and played 7 of their 12 games under the posted total. The Sun Devils played in some tough games this year and came out of it with a winning record but that wasn't enough to save the job of head coach Todd Graham. The Arizona State University cut ties with Graham firing their head coach and moving on in a different direction. Graham has already been given notice but will finish out the season and coach the Sun Devils in the Sun Bowl game.

That direction ended up with the legend and Herm Edwards. Edwards agreed to a five-year contract making $2 million per year in guaranteed salary and another $3.7 million per year in incentives and bonuses.

The Sun Devils offense can score against any team in the nation. They posted 30 or more points in 8 of their 12 regular-season games. They are let on offense by junior quarterback Manny Wilkins. Wilkins completed 63.5% of his pass attempts for a total of 2918 yards, 17 touchdown passes and 5 interceptions. Wilkins top target for the Sun Devils is wide receiver N'Keal Harry. Harry has pulled in 73 receptions for 1000 yards and 7 touchdowns.
The Sun Devils also have a pair of talented running backs in the Demario Richard and Kalen Ballage. Richard leads the Sun Devils with 12 touchdowns on the ground and is just 23 yards shy of a 1000 yard rushing season.

The Sun Devils have appeared in 29 bowl games in the history of the program. The Sun Devils are 14-14-1 overall and are coming in off a 2016 loss in the Cactus Bowl to West Virginia by the score of 43-42 (was played in 2016 but is considered a 2015 bowl). They are 2-5 in their last 7 bowl games overall.

Hyundai Sun Bowl Handicapping

The Wolfpack were undefeated this year when they are the favorite in the game with the exception of the opener. GTBets has NC State as the favorite at -6 in this game. The Sun Devils offense was explosive to close out the season but now they face a defense that can put pressure on an offensive line, led by defensive player of the year Bradley Chubb. Some people suspect that Chubb will sit this one out but it may not matter as they are still a dangerous defense with the core group around him. There is no doubt, the Sun Devils will play hard as they want to send Graham out in style with a win but will it be enough to beat a well rounded team like the Wolfpack???

Spooky’s Selection

Our system shows North Carolina State winning this game by close to two touchdowns. With the line being 6, that still leaves us a touchdown to play with. Don’t sweat it, play NC State -6 and cash the winner!

Spooky Express Pick: North Carolina State -6

Note: This bowl game is being handicapped and broken down weeks in advance of the game being played. Please be sure to check back periodically to determine if any changes have been made and be sure to check the day of the game, to receive and over/under plays that we may provide or for the latest updates head to Spookyexpress.com

 

[SpookyExpressNews]

Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl

Where: Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee
Date & Time: Friday, December 29, 2017 at 4:30 PM ET
Spread: Northwestern Wildcats -6
Over/Under Total: 51
Quick Pick: Northwestern Wildcats-6 (buy it down if you need to)

The game is played in Nashville, Tennessee at the Nissan Stadium, home of the Pro Football NFL Team, Tennessee Titans. The game has been around since 1998, when it was played at Vanderbilt Stadium.

Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl

This game has been referred to and played under the names of Music City Bowl, HomePoint.com Music City Bowl, Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl and Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl presented by Bridgestone.

The Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl features teams with conference tie-ins from the ACC or the BIG 10 and the SEC. This year, the Kentucky Wildcats will be the SEC representative, while the Northwestern Wildcats will represent the BIG 10.

The Kentucky Wildcats have played in the Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl more than any other team, coming in with 4 prior appearances and a 2-2 record. This will be the first time that the Northwestern Wildcats will play in the Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl.

Previous Matchup History

The Kentucky Wildcats and the Northwestern Wildcats have only played each other one time, if you even consider these stats with the game being played…..in 1928!!! In that game, NW won the game 7-0 in a lack of offensive outing by both teams in Evanston, Illinois.

Kentucky Wildcats 7-5 (SEC)

The Kentucky Wildcats are 7-5 SU and 3-9 ATS on the regular season. They were not a team that many bettors made money on as they only covered the spread in three games all year. Kentucky ended up finishing up the regular season with only covering 1 game in their final 8 games!!!

They ended up going 3-2 SU on the road but only 2-3 ATS this year but this really isn’t much of a travel, with the University of Kentucky only being a 3 hour drive from Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee. In the last 4 games that Kentucky played at Nissan Stadium, the fans traveled well with the average attendance being roughly 63k fans in attendance. Kentucky ended up losing 3 of their final 4 games of the year, with their only win coming on the road against Vanderbilt 44-21.

Kentucky has relied heavily on QB Stephen Johnson. Johnson completed 60.7% of his passes for 2048 yards. Johnson threw 10 touchdowns and only 4 INT’s on the year. The Wildcats also rode a heavy rushing attack this year from RB Benny Snell Jr. Snell has ran the ball 256 times for 1318 yards and a whopping 18 touchdowns.

The Kentucky Wildcats have appeared in 16 bowl games and have a .500 record of 8-8. They have lost their last 3 bowl games against Georgia Tech in the 2016 TaxSlayer Bowl by the score 33-18, Pittsburgh Panthers in the 2010 BBVA Compass Bowl by the score 27-10 and the 2009 Music City Bowl to the Clemson Tigers 21-13. They will be looking to snap that 3 game losing streak with a win over Northwestern.

Northwestern Wildcats 9-3 (BIG 10)

The Northwestern Wildcats ended their regular season with a 9-3 SU and ATS record. Unlike the Kentucky Wildcats, NW was a great play for bettors this year covering the spread in 9 of the 12 games. NW was one of the hottest teams in the country to close out the year, as they won their final 7 games both SU and ATS Enter Info about conference championship game and how they got to bowl

The Northwestern Wildcats will lean on QB Clayton Thorson. Thorson has completed 60.8% of his passes for 2809 yards. He has thrown 15 touchdowns but struggled with control throwing 12 INT’s. Justin Jackson has been the workhorse for the Wildcats. He has ran the ball 255 times for 1154 yards and 9 touchdowns. The Wildcats will look to send Jackson out in style as a winner in his final game in Northwestern.

Northwestern has only appeared in 13 bowls in the history of the program and their record is just 3-10. They have won 2 of their last 3 bowl games and come into this one with a win over Pittsburgh Panthers in the 2016 Pinstripe Bowl.

Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl Handicapping

Justin Jackson is the type of player that can take over games and carry teams to wins on his back. He led NW to many wins and defenses are absolutely forced to stack the box because of his elusiveness and running capabilities. The fact is since he has been in NW, he has been the workhorse and is the main source of offense. They will NOT let him go out as a loser! He will run between the tackles and find holes along the line, where they will chew up the clock and yardage!

Spooky’s Selection

We have the Northwestern winning this game by nearly 3 touchdowns. This is a big win for us as the line in this game is only NW -6, buy it down if needed. We like this one as we think it is a good line and one we can take advantage of. Bet it and forget it!

Spooky Express Pick: Northwestern -6

Note: This bowl game is being handicapped and broken down weeks in advance of the game being played. Please be sure to check back periodically to determine if any changes have been made and be sure to check the day of the game, to receive and over/under plays that we may provide or for the latest updates head to Spookyexpress.com

 

[SpookyExpressNews]

Nova Home Loans Arizona Bowl

Where: Arizona Stadium in Tucson, Arizona
Date & Time: Friday, December 29, 2017 at 5:30 PM ET
Spread: Utah State -4
Over/Under Total: 62
Quick Pick: Lean on Utah State Moneyline Play

A battle of two teams called “Aggies” will face off as the New Mexico State Aggies take on the Utah State Aggies in the 2017 Nova Home Loans Arizona Bowl. This game is being played at Arizona Stadium in Tucson, Arizona on Friday, December 29, 2017 at 5:30 PM ET and can be watched on CBS Sports Network.

Nova Home Loans Arizona Bowl

The Nova Home Loans Arizona Bowl is a football game that is played during the NCAA College Bowl season.

The Arizona Bowl has been around for 2 prior games and this is the third year overall for the bowl. Nova Home Loans has been the primary sponsor for the Arizona Bowl since its inception in 2015.

The Arizona Bowl feature conference tie-ins with the Mountain West and the Sun Belt Conference. This year, the Utah State Aggieswill represent the Mountain West Conference and the New Mexico State Aggies will represent the Sun Belt. This is the first year that both of these teams will appear in the Arizona Bowl.

Previous Matchup History

New Mexico State and Utah State are old familiar foes from their days playing in the WAC (Western Athletic Conference) from 2005-2012, Sun Belt in 2002-2003 and Big West from 1985-2000. They have faced each other a total of 37 times, with Utah State holding a decisive edge 30W-7L. Utah State has won the last 3 games straight against New Mexico State and 5 out of their last 6 overall.

New Mexico State Aggies 6-6 (Sun Belt Conference)

The New Mexico State Aggies will be appearing in a bowl for the first time since 1960! But making that bowl bid wasn’t easy! TheAggies started out the year 2-4 and barely beat some lower level teams. They finished up the regular season by winning 3 of their final 4 games to get bowl eligible.

In their final game of the regular season, the NM ST Aggies defeated South Alabama 22-17. QB Tyler Rogers threw for 451 yards and led the Aggies to their first bowl in 57 years. Rogers has completed 62.3% of his passing attempts on the year and thrown for 3825 yards, 26 touchdowns and 16 INT’s. New Mexico State will throw it early and often. They throw the ball a ton and rank 4th in the nation in passing yards per game.

New Mexico State has only appeared in 3 bowl games in the history of the program and have a 2-0-1 record in those bowls. Their 3 prior bowl were all in the Sun Bowls, with the last one coming in 1960! New Mexico State has covered the spread in 6 of their last 7 non-conference games with a 6-0-1 ATSrecord.

Utah State 6-6 (Mountain West Conference)


The Utah State Aggies ended the regular season with a 6-6 SU and ATS record. They played 9 of their 12 games over the posted total thanks to an offense that posted 35 or more points in 6 of their games. The Utah State Aggies are coming in off a 38-35 loss to Air Force after shutting out Hawaii in the game prior 38-0.

Utah State is playing in their 6th bowl game in 7 years. They have played in a total of 11 bowls and have a record of 4-6 overall in those bowl games. In their last bowl game, the Aggies lost to Akron in the 2015 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl 23-21.

The Utah State Aggies have been an especially tough team when they are coming in off a bye under head coach Matt Wells. TheAggies are 8-1 when they are coming in off a bye or more than 1 week off under Wells.

Jordan Love leads the Aggies on offense at the QB position. Love has started the past 6 games for the Aggies and has racked up 1377 yards, 8 TD’s and 6 INT’s. Love took over the starters position from Kent Myers, who passed for 1278 yards, 8 TD’s and 7 INT’s. Both Love and Myers have had their struggles on the year with turning the ball over and need to get more consistent in the bowl game.

Nova Home Loans Arizona Bowl Handicapping

Utah State creates turnovers and creates them in bunches! They forced 26 turnovers on the year, 15 forced fumbles and 11 INT’s. They are 9th in the nation in turnovers and will be a handful for New Mexico State’s QB Rogers, who has thrown 16 INT’s on the year. Utah State has scored touchdowns in 9 of their 12 games that were not offensive scores. If they continue to put this defensive pressure on New Mexico State,

Spooky’s Selection

We are 100% certain that the Aggies will win this game……OK, all jokes aside, we see Utah State winning by little more than a field goal. Bookmaker has the line in this game at Utah State -4. We are leaning to Utah State on the Moneyline but we recommend that you sit tight for now and we will update as we get closer to the game.

Spooky Express Pick: Lean on Utah State Moneyline Play

Note: This bowl game is being handicapped and broken down weeks in advance of the game being played. Please be sure to check back periodically to determine if any changes have been made and be sure to check the day of the game, to receive and over/under plays that we may provide or for the latest updates head to Spookyexpress.com

 

[SpookyExpressNews]

Goodyear Cotton Bowl

Where: AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas
Date & Time: Friday, December 29, 2017 at 8:30 PM ET
Spread: Ohio State -7.5
Over/Under Total: 64.5
Quick Pick: TBD

This year’s Goodyear Cotton Bowl will take place on Friday Night, December 29, 2017 at 8:30 PM ET between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the USC Trojans. This game is being played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas and can be watched on ESPN. BetDSI has this game at Ohio State -7.5 and the total is set at 64.5.

Goodyear Cotton Bowl

The Goodyear Cotton Bowl is one of the oldest bowls that are played each year during the NCAA’s College Football Bowl Season. The Cotton Bowl has been played since 1937 and has been played in Arlington and Dallas Texas.

There are no true conference tie-ins for this bowl game as it is one of the six bowls that make up the college football playoff system. This year, two teams that contended throughout the regular season for a potential spot in the top 4 for the NCAA College Football Playoffs will meet up as USC Trojans take on the Ohio State Buckeyes.

The Buckeyes and the Trojans have both appeared in the Cotton Bowl in the past. The Buckeyes played in the Cotton bowl in 1987, defeating Texas A&M 28-12. The Trojans appeared in the Cotton Bowl in 1995, beating Texas Tech 55-14. They both are 1-0 and will be looking to improve to 2-0 in this rendition of the Cotton Bowl.

Previous Matchup History

The Ohio State Buckeyes and the USC Trojans have faced each other 23 times in the history of the two programs. The Trojans hold a 13-9-1 advantage over the Buckeyes and currently have a 7 game winning streak over the Buckeyes. In their last game, they beat theBuckeyes in Ohio by the score 18-15.

Ohio State Buckeyes 11-2 (BIG 10)

The Ohio State Buckeyes come into the Cotton Bowl with a 11-2 SU and 6-7 ATS record. The Buckeyes wrapped up their regular season by defeating the Wisconsin Badgers in the BIG 10 Championship game. They were hoping to become the first 2 loss team to make it into the NCAA College Football Playoffs but fell short in their bid.

The Buckeyes have the 6th ranked offense in the FBS, led by Quarterback JT Barrett. The 5th year senior is fresh off arthroscopic knee surgery to clean up his right knee but he has been practicing with the team and is expected to be a full participant in the game. Barrett has completed nearly 65% of his passing attempts this year, thrown for 2939 yards, 35 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. Barrett has also been a threat on the ground, running the ball 149 times for 732 yards and 10 more touchdowns. His running capabilities may be held in check as the Buckeyes may not want to risk him running much on the recently repaired knee.

The Buckeyes would have been playing in the playoffs, had it not been for their losses to Oklahoma in the second week of the season by the score 31-16 and a complete thrashing by the Iowa Hawkeyes 55-24. Those two losses cost the Buckeyes their chance at a national championship but Urban Meyer will still want this team winning in the final game of the year, the Cotton Bowl.

The Buckeyes have appeared in 46 bowl games and are 2 games shy of .500 at 22-24. The Buckeyes are 3-0 in their last 3 bowl games, including last year’s 44-28 Fiesta Bowl win over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the 42-20 win over the Oregon Ducks in the 2014 National Championship game.

USC Trojans 11-2 (PAC-12)

The USC Trojans were not a good team to bet on throughout the regular season, going 11-2 SU but only 3-9-1 ATS. The Trojans won their final 5 games of the regular season, including the PAC 12 championship game over the Stanford Cardinals.

The Trojans offense is anchored by QB Sam Darnold. Darnold could be playing in his final game at USC. Darnold came into the regular season as a potential Heisman Trophy candidate but early control issues dropped Darnold down the line of Heisman hopefuls. Darnold completed 63.7% of his passes on the season for 3787 yards, 26 TD’s and 12 INT’s.

Darnold anchors the offense but much of their success comes when Running Back Ronald Jones II has success out of the backfield. Jones rushed 242 times for 1486 yards and 18 touchdowns for the Trojans. Jones scored touchdowns in every game this year with the exception of the Notre Dame loss.
The Trojans have appeared in 53 bowl games in the history of the program and are 34-19 in those bowl games. The Trojans come in off a 52-49 win over Penn State in last year’s Rose Bowl. The Trojans have played in 5 straight bowl games in 5 years.

Goodyear Cotton Bowl Handicapping

This game is really tough to handicap for the simple fact that it’s hard to judge which team will have more motivation to win with getting shut out of the College Football Playoffs. Ohio State is very tough on the ground and if Barrett is healthy, will force the Trojans to not only be concerned with Barrett’s passing ability but also his running threat.

On the other side, when USC is controlling the ball, they are as dangerous on offense as any team in the country. Jones is the type of RB that can have a huge game in a bowl and let us not forget that this could be Darnold’s final game in a Trojan uniform if he decides to turn pro.

Spooky’s Selection

This game is really tough to handicap at this point. We want to make a responsible decision on this game but at this point, we feel it is better to wait for further info about Barrett’s knee and gather more info on the game. Please check back closer to game time to get our official play for this game.

Spooky Express Pick: TBD

Note: This bowl game is being handicapped and broken down weeks in advance of the game being played. Please be sure to check back periodically to determine if any changes have been made and be sure to check the day of the game, to receive and over/under plays that we may provide or for the latest updates head to Spookyexpress.com

 

[SpookyExpressNews]

Taxslayer Bowl

Where: EverBank Field in Jacksonville, Florida
Date & Time: Saturday, December 30, 2017 at 12:00 PM ET
Spread: Louisville Cardinals -7
Over/Under Total: 63
Quick Pick: Mississippi State Bulldogs +7 | Mississippi State Moneyline

This year’s TaxSlayer Bowl will be played on Saturday, December 30, 2017 at 12:00 PM ET at EverBank Field in Jacksonville, Florida. The game features the Louisville Cardinals and the Mississippi State Bulldogs and can be seen on TV on ESPN.

TaxSlayer Bowl

The TaxSlayer Bowl is an annual football game that is played during the NCAA College Football Bowl Season. The TaxSlayer Bowl has also been known as the Gator Bowl, Mazda Gator Bowl, Outback Gator Bowl, Toyota Gator Bowl, Konica Minolta Gator Bowl, Progressive Gator Bowl and TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl.

The original Gator Bowl was played back in 1946 and has been played every year since. The bowl features conference tie-ins with the SEC, BIG 10 and ACC. This year, the Louisville Cardinals will represent the ACC and the Mississippi State Bulldogs will represent the SEC.

Mississippi State has appeared in the TaxSlayer Bowl 2 previous times, splitting the games 1-1. They won in 2011 over Michigan 52-14 and lost two years later against Northwestern 34-20. Louisville has appeared in the TaxSlayer Bowl just one time, losing their only appearance here in 2006 to Virginia Tech 35-24.

Previous Matchup History

The Cardinals and Bulldogs have matched up against each other 4 times in the history of the two programs however they haven’t played each other since 1976. On paper, the teams appear to have split the games 2-2 but if you actually dig into the records, you will notice that Mississippi State actually won all 4 games. The reason they look like they have split the games at 2-2 is because in 1975 and 1976, the Mississippi State Bulldogs forfeited their games due to a player being ineligible, costing them both games in the series. In the 4 games, 2 games were played in Louisville and 2 games were played in Mississippi. Mississippi State has won the games 30-21, 28-14, 56-7 and 18-7.

Louisville Cardinals 8-4 (ACC)

The Louisville Cardinals finished their regular season with a 8-4 SU and 5-7 ATS record. They won their final 3 games of the regular season against the likes of Virginia 38-21, Syracuse 56-10 and Kentucky 44-17. All 4 of the teams that the Cardinals lost to this year, are playing in a bowl game this year. They lost to Clemson 47-21, NC State 39-25, Boston College 45-42 and Wake Forest 42-32.

The Cardinals have the 3rd ranked offense in the FBS behind last year’s Heisman Trophy winner, Lamar Jackson. Jackson completed 60.4% of his pass attempts for 3489 yards. Jackson threw 25 touchdown passes compared to only 6 interceptions. Jackson also leads the Cardinals rushing attack with 1443 yards and 17 touchdowns.

There is no secret with the Louisville playbook. If you want to beat them, you must contain the former Heisman winner and keep him in the pocket. He is able to beat you with his arm and his legs but keeping him in the pocket sort of prevents him from exposing defenses on the backside.

The Cardinals have appeared in 21 bowl games and have gone 10-10-1 in bowl games in the history of the program. The Cardinals have appeared in 7 straight bowls, this year making 8 in a row. They are coming in off a 29-9 loss in last year’s Citrus Bowl to LSU. In this 7 game bowl streak, the Cardinals are 4-3 and will be looking to stay above .500 with a win over the Bulldogs.

Mississippi State Bulldogs 8-4 (SEC)

The Mississippi State Bulldogs come into the bowl game with a 8-4 SU and 7-5 ATS record for the regular season. The Bulldogs played 8 of their 12 games under the posted total.

Dan Mullen made the decision to leave the Mississippi State Bulldogs after 9 years with the program to become the head coach of the Florida Gators. Mullen’s name was thrown around on a regular basis over the past few years with each new head coaching vacancy in the southeast. Part of the decision was based on the fact that Mullen constantly referred to the Bulldogs as a “Developmental Program” because they housed much of the southeast’s lesser recruited players.

The Bulldogs turned around and signed Penn State offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead to become the head coach in Starkville. Moorhead agreed to a 4 year, $11 million dollar contract to coach the Bulldogs.

The Bulldogs had full steam rolling along into their inner-state rival game against Ole Miss and QB Nick Fitzgerald went down with a gruesome leg injury that ended his season. That forced freshman Keytaon Thompson to come into the game and try to play savior. Thompson went 13 for 27 for 195 yards 1 TD and 1 INT. Thompson also rushed for 121 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Thompson is a talented freshman….but he is a freshman nonetheless.

The Bulldogs have appeared in 20 bowl games and have gone 12-8 in bowls. They have appeared in 7 straight bowls, this being their 8th in a row, and have won their last 2 in a row against NC State in 2015 by the score 51-28 and Miami Ohio in 2016 in the St Petersburg Bowl by the score 17-16.

TaxSlayer Bowl Handicapping

If Fitzgerald was QB’ing this game, the Bulldogs would probably be a field goal favorite but he is out, Thompson is in and BetDSI has Louisville as 7 point favorites. We really haven’t see much from Thompson other than 3 quarters in the Mississippi game.

We’'ve researched this kid from his high school days and he has an immense amount of potential. He was a 4 star recruit and highly recruited coming out of high school. Thompson is a dual threat quarterback that can be elusive out of the pocket. If you look at the games that Louisville struggled in, they were against mobile quarterbacks that could beat them with their arm or with their legs.

Spooky’s Selection

Our system has Mississippi State winning this game by a field goal, pulling off a bowl upset. Due to the fact that they are the underdog who are getting 7 points, we will take the points here, along with a moneyline dog play in the game.

Spooky Express Pick: Mississippi State +7 | Mississippi State MoneyLine

Note: This bowl game is being handicapped and broken down weeks in advance of the game being played. Please be sure to check back periodically to determine if any changes have been made and be sure to check the day of the game, to receive and over/under plays that we may provide or for the latest updates head to Spookyexpress.com

 

[SpookyExpressNews]

AutoZone Liberty Bowl

Where: Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee
Date & Time: Saturday, December 30, 2017 at 12:30 PM ET
Spread: Memphis Tigers -3.5
Over/Under Total: 65.5
Quick Pick: Iowa State +4 (Buy it up) | Iowa State MoneyLine

The AutoZone Liberty Bowl will take place on Saturday, December 30, 2017 at 12:30 PM ET. This year, the bowl will feature the Iowa State Cyclones and the Memphis Tigers. The Liberty Bowl is being played at the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee and can be watched on ABC.

AutoZone Liberty Bowl

The AutoZone Liberty Bowl is an annual football game that is played during the NCAA’s College Football Bowl Season. The AutoZone Liberty Bowl has been played since 1959 and has been previously known as the Liberty Bowl, St. Jude Liberty Bowl and the AXALiberty Bowl.

The AutoZone Liberty Bowl has conference tie-ins with the BIG 12, SEC and the American Athletic Conference. This year, the Iowa State Cyclones will represent the BIG 12 and the Memphis Tigers will represent the American Athletic Conference.

This is the third time that Iowa State has appeared in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. They have gone 0-2 in their 2 previous appearances, losing to Tulsa 31-17 in 2012 and to Georgia Tech 31-30 in 1972. This will be the first time that the Memphis Tigers will appear in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl.

Previous Matchup History

This is the first time the Iowa State Cyclones and the Memphis Tigers have ever played each other.

Iowa State Cyclones 7-5 (BIG 12)

The Iowa State Cyclones come into this game with a 7-5 SU and 10-1-1 ATS record. They were one of the best teams to bet on this year, covering 10 out of 12 games in the regular season. The Cyclones haven’t cost their betting supporters a loss since September 28 when they los to the Texas Longhorns 17-7 as 5 point dogs.

Head Coach Matt Campbell took the Cyclones from a 3-9 team to a 7-5 bowl eligible team in just 2 years. Campbell and the Cyclones were a team that no one wanted to play, with wins over two top 15 teams. The Cyclones defeated Oklahoma and TCU and showed that they can compete with the best in the BIG 12. In the Cyclones 5 losses, the point differential was only -25 in 5 games, which breaks down to losing by only 5 points per game.

The success earned Campbell an extension and now he will be looking to get the Cyclones over the hump and back in the win column in a bowl. The Cyclones have appeared in 12 bowls in the history of the program and are 3-9 in those games.
The Cyclones have a very talented Running Back in David Montgomery. Montgomery rushed for 1094 yards and 11 touchdowns on the year. He had 828 yards after contact and is extremely hard to bring down.

Memphis Tigers 10-2 (American Athletic Conference)

The Memphis Tigers will be basically playing a home game at the AutoZone Liberty Bowl as the game is played right in Memphis, Tennessee! The Tigers went 7-0 at home this year and are always a tough team to travel to for road teams. The Tigers ended their regular season with a 10-2 SU and 7-4-1 ATS record overall.

The Tigers have the 4th best offense in the FBS. They are led by QB Riley Ferguson, who has passed for nearly 4000 yards this year.Ferguson has completed 63% of his passes for 36 touchdowns and 9 INT’s. Ferguson’s top target is senior WR Anthony Miller. Miller has 1407 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns on the year.

The Tigers have appeared in 10 bowl games in the history of the program. They have gone 5-5 (.500) and are coming into this year’sAutoZone Liberty Bowl on a 3 year bowl streak. This is their 4th consecutive bowl but they have only gone 1-2 in the last two years, losing to Auburn 31-10 in the 2015 Birmingham Bowl and to Western Kentucky 51-31 in last year’s Boca Raton Bowl.

Autozone Liberty Bowl Handicapping

Many people are going to see Memphis’s game totals and think, “Wow, they are really good” but we will caution to you be careful and dig deep! An interesting tidbit of information on Memphis is 6 of their 12 opponents rank in the bottom 9 for defense in the FBS.

Now, flip the coin to the other side and consider that Iowa State’s defense is ranked 46th in the nation and held high scoring teams likeOklahoma to 31 points, Texas Tech to 13 points, West Virginia to 20 points, and TCU to 7 points. They are a decent defense that plays physically up front. That being said, when the Cyclones have the ball, they should be able score at will due to the fact that Memphis has one of the worst defenses in FBS.

Spooky’s Selection

Our system is predicting a upset here. Bookmaker has this game as Memphis -3.5 and the total set at 65.5. We will buy up the half point and take Iowa State +4 and we will also play the moneyline dog play.

Spooky Express Pick: Iowa St +4 (Buy half point) and Iowa State MoneyLine

Note: This bowl game is being handicapped and broken down weeks in advance of the game being played. Please be sure to check back periodically to determine if any changes have been made and be sure to check the day of the game, to receive and over/under plays that we may provide or for the latest updates head to Spookyexpress.com

 

[SpookyExpressNews]

Playstation Fiesta Bowl

Where: University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona
Date & Time: Saturday, December 30, 2017 at 4:00 PM ET
Spread: Penn State -2
Over/Under Total: 55
Quick Pick: Washington Huskies +2

The Washington Huskies will meet up with the Penn State Nittany Lions in Glendale, Arizona for the 2017 Playstation Fiesta Bowl. This game is being played at the University of Phoenix Stadium and will kickoff at 4:00 PM ET.

Playstation Fiesta Bowl

The Playstation Fiesta Bowl is an annual college football game that is played each year during the NCAA’s Bowl Season. The Fiesta Bowl has been played each year in Arizona since 1971.

The Playstation Fiesta Bowl has been called many names over the years including Sunkist Fiesta Bowl, IBM OS/2 Fiesta Bowl, Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, Vizio Fiesta Bowl and the BattleFrog Fiesta Bowl.

The Fiesta Bowl no longer has “Conference Tie-ins” and rather use at large spots from the Group of 5. This year, the Fiesta Bowl will feature the Washington Huskies and the Penn State Nittany Lions.

Penn State has appeared in the Fiesta Bowl 6 times in the history of the program and are 6-0 in those 6 bowl games. Penn State hasn’'t appeared in a Fiesta Bowl since 1997, when they beat the Texas Longhorns 38-15. This will be the first time that the Washington Huskies have ever appeared in the Fiesta Bowl.

Previous Matchup History

The Nittany Lions and the Huskies have faced off against each other two times in the history of the two programs, once in the 1983 Aloha Bowl and once in 1921 during the regular season. The Penn State Nittany Lions won both games, 13-10 and 21-7.

Washington Huskies 10-2 (PAC-12)

The Washington Huskies finished up the regular season with a 10-2 record. The Huskies won 4 out of their last 5 games overall and their only two losses this year came against Stanford and Arizona State, by a combined 14 points!

The Huskies rely heavily on their defense, which is ranked 5th in the FBS. The simply do not allow teams to move the ball on them and they allow them to score even less. The Huskies held 9 of their 12 opponents to 16 or less points in the regular season.

The Huskies are led by junior quarterback Jake Browning. Browning is a deadly accurate passer that has completed 68.8% of his passing attempts this year. Browning has thrown 18 touchdowns and only 5 interceptions. Browning has also ran for 6 touchdowns on the year. The Huskies have a very talented running back in the backfield in Myles Gaskin. Gaskin has rushed for 1282 yards and 19 touchdowns on the year.

Washington has appeared in 36 bowl games in the history of the program and have gone 18-17-1 overall in those games. In the Huskies last bowl game, they lost 24-7 in last years Peach Bowl to the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Penn State Nittany Lions 10-2 (BIG 10)

The Penn State Nittany Lions had a really good year and had it not been for back to back losses against Ohio State and Michigan State, both of which were on the road, the Nittany Lions could be playing for a national championship spot. The Nittany Lions lost both of those games by a combined 4 points! They ended the regular season 10-2 overall and 7-2 in the BIG 10.

The Nittany Lions are led at QB by junior Trace McSorley. McSorley is considered to be an early contender for next year’s Heisman Trophy and will be looking to improve those considerations in the Fiesta Bowl. McSorley completed 65% of his passing attempts on the year for 3228 yards, 28 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. McSorley also accounted for 11 touchdowns on the ground this year.The Nittany Lions also have one of the most elusive running backs in the nation in Saquon Barkley. Barkley carried the ball 199 times for 1134 yards and 16 touchdowns on the year.

McSorley, Barkley and the rest of the Nittany Lions offense will be without a key part to their 2017 season. Former Nittany Lions Offensive Coordinator Joe Moorhead left Happy Valley to take the Mississippi State Head Coaching job. Moorhead was the center point for the Penn State offensive game plan and it is not certain how much this will affect them with game planning for the Fiesta Bowl.

The Nittany Lions have appeared in 47 bowl games in their history. They are 28-17-2 in those bowl games and come into this game making a bowl in 3 consecutive years. The Nittany Lions have not played well in these recent bowl games going 1-4 in their last 5 bowl games and 2-5 in their last 7 bowl games.

Playstation Fiesta Bowl Handicapping

This game comes down to one of the best running games in the NCAA against the best rushing defense in the NCAA! That means the Penn State offense will have to come up with some passing plays to beat Washington with the pass…..not so fast…The Huskies passing defense is only allowing 185.1 yards per game through the air which is 19th best in the FBS. Defense wins championship and Washington has plenty of it!

Spooky’s Selection

When people zig, we zag! The world is on Penn State here. We will go against the world! Washington keeps it close and look to see them win at the wire! MyBookie has this game at Penn State -2 and the total at 55.

Spooky Express Pick: Washington Huskies +2

Note: This bowl game is being handicapped and broken down weeks in advance of the game being played. Please be sure to check back periodically to determine if any changes have been made and be sure to check the day of the game, to receive and over/under plays that we may provide.

For the latest updates head to Spookyexpress.com

 

[SpookyExpressNews]

Capital One Orange Bowl

Where: Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida
Date & Time: Saturday, December 30, 2017 at 8:00 PM ET
Spread: Wisconsin -6.5
Over/Under Total: 45.5
Quick Pick: Wisconsin -6 (Buy down half point)

The Wisconsin Badgers will take on the Miami Hurricanes in this year’s rendition of the Capital One Orange Bowl! This game is being being played at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida on Saturday Night, December 30, 2017 at 8:00 PM ET and can be watched on ESPN.

Capital One Orange Bowl

The Capital One Orange bowl is an annual football bowl played during the NCAA College Football Bowl Season.

The Orange Bowl is the 2nd oldest bowl actively played, tied with a Sugar Bowl and the Sun Bowl, and has been in existence since 1935. Since 1935, the Orange bowl has been referred to as the Federal Express Orange Bowl, FedEx Orange Bowl and the Discover Orange Bowl.

This year, the Capital One Orange Bowl will consist of teams from the Big 10 and the ACC. The Wisconsin Badgers will represent the Big 10, while the Miami Hurricanes represent the ACC.

The Miami Hurricanes have appeared in the Orange Bowl 9 previous times and sport 6-3 record in those games. They will be making in their 10th Orange Bowl appearance, which is the 3rd most in Orange Bowl history. The last time the Miami Hurricanes appeared in the Orange Bowl, they defeated in-state rival Florida State by the score 16-14 back in 2004. This will be the 1st time that the Wisconsin Badgers will play in the Orange Bowl.

Previous Matchup History

The Miami Hurricanes and the Wisconsin Badgers have played each other four times in the history of the two programs. Each team has won two games and lost two games in the series. The latest matchup was in the 2009 Champs Sports Bowl, where the Wisconsin Badgers won the game 20-14.

Wisconsin Badgers 12-1 (BIG 10)

The Wisconsin Badgers went into the Big Ten Conference Championship game with an undefeated 12-0 record. Everything was pointing upwards, for the Badgers to take their number 1 defense in the NCAA, to the college playoffs and contend for a National Championship. That was…. All the way up until the time they met the Ohio State Buckeyes! The Buckeyes controlled the game and went into halftime with a 21-10 lead. From that point on, the Badgers were never able to get a lead and lost the game 27-21.

Wisconsin ended the year and their regular season with a 12-1 SU and 8-5 ATS record. The badgers were great team on the road this year, going 5-0 away from Madison, Wisconsin. They have also been a very good team to bet over their last 11 games, while on the road, where they sport a 10-1 ATS record.

A great amount of credit must be given to the Badgers defense for their extravagant success in the 2017 season. The badgers have the 2nd best rushing defense in the FBS, only allowing 92.6 yards per game on the ground. They have the 4th best passing defense in the FBS, only allowing 160.6 yards per game through the air. Overall, the Badgers have the #1 defense in the FBS and continuously apply pressure on opposing offenses.

On offense, the Badgers relied heavily on freshman of the year running back Jonathan Taylor. Taylor started the year as the 3rd string running back but gradually climbed his way up the ranks and took over the starters position. Taylor ran the ball 273 times for 1847 yards. Taylor crossed into the end zone 13 times to lead badgers and touchdowns.

Wisconsin has appeared in 28 bowl games in the history of the program. The Badgers have appeared in bowl games and 22 of their last 24 seasons. They have played in 15 straight bowl games dating back to 2002. The Badgers have won their last 3 bowl games including last year's cotton bowl, where they beat Western Michigan 24-16.

Miami Hurricanes 10-2 (ACC)

The Miami Hurricanes started out the season 10-0 and went into their final regular-season game with a ton of optimism. They thought that they could close out the regular season undefeated and the ACC championship game was the only obstacle keeping them out of the playoffs. The hurricanes had everything going their way! They had a great defense, they were creating turnovers and the media was talking about them being one of the best teams in the NCAA…… but they still had 2 games remaining.

The Hurricanes ended up losing to both games to the Pittsburgh Panthers 24-14 in the final regular-season game, and also lost to the Clemson Tigers 38-3 in the ACC Championship game. Those 2 consecutive losses put them out of any hopes of making the NCAA College Playoffs.

Miami finished up the regular season at 10-2 SU and 5-7 ATS. This game is basically a home game for the Hurricanes, with the Orange bowl being played in Miami, Florida. Miami ended up going 7-0 at home this year and played 10 of their 12 games under the posted total thanks to their dominating defense. In the 1st 10 games of the year, the Hurricanes defense only allowed 17.7 points per game. In the final 2 games of the year, the Hurricanes defense allowed an average of 31 points per game.

There are numerous trends that recommend playing against the hurricanes in this game. First and foremost, the Hurricanes have gone 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games against teams from the Big 10. They are also 1-5 ATS in their last 6 bowl games. Finally, they are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games that were played during the month of December.

The Miami Hurricanes have appeared 38 bowl games in the history of the program and have compiled a record of 19-19 in those games. They are coming off of 2016 Russell athletic bowl win over the West Virginia Mountaineers 31-14. They have appeared in 4 straight bowl games, this being their 5th in a row, but have only won 1 of their last 7 bowl games.

Capital One Orange Bowl Handicapping

This game features 2 of the league's best defenses. Miami's defense was ranked in the top 10 for most of the year and although they're not ranked in the top 10 now, they are still were the most dominating forces in the FBS. That being said, there defense doesn't compare to the Wisconsin Badgers. Miami has not played a defense as talented as Wisconsin this year and Mark Richt's team should struggle moving the ball against this Badgers defense.

On the flip side, Jonathan Taylor and the Wisconsin Badgers have faced some rather tough defenses throughout the year in the Big Ten and have had success throughout the year running the ball. Expect a heavy dosage of Taylor in this game as the Badgers put a heavy workload on the young running back.

Spooky’s Selection

Our system has Wisconsin winning this game by 2 touchdowns over the Hurricanes. BetOnline Has this game at Wisconsin -6 1/2 points. As with all of our bowl games, we recommend you buying down the half-point and taking Wisconsin -6.

Spooky Express Pick: Wisconsin -6

Note: This bowl game is being handicapped and broken down weeks in advance of the game being played. Please be sure to check back periodically to determine if any changes have been made and be sure to check the day of the game, to receive and over/under plays that we may provide.

For the latest updates head to Spookyexpress.com

 

[SpookyExpressNews]

Outback Bowl

Where: Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida
Date & Time: Monday, January 1, 2018 at 12:00 PM ET
Spread: Michigan Wolverines -7.5
Over/Under Total: 42.5
Quick Pick: Michigan -7 (Buy down half point)

The Michigan Wolverines and the South Carolina Gamecocks will face off in this year’s Outback Bowl. The Outback Bowl will be played at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on Monday, January 1, 2018 at 12:00 PM ET and can be watched on ESPN2. JustBet has this game point spread at Michigan Wolverines -7.5 and the over/under total set at 42.5.

Outback Bowl

The Outback Bowl is an annual football game played in Tampa, Florida during the NCAA College Bowl Season.

The Outback Bowl has only been called one other name in the history of the bowl, which was the Hall of Fame Bowl from 1986 thru 1995, when Outback Steakhouse became the bowl sponsor and it became the Outback Bowl.

The Outback Bowl features conference tie-ins from the BIG 10 and the SEC. This year, the Michigan Wolverines will represent the BIG 10 and the South Carolina Gamecocks will represent the SEC.

The Michigan Wolverines and the South Carolina Gamecocks have appeared in the Outback Bowl more than any other team in the history of the bowl. This will be the Wolverines 6th Outback Bowl appearance, while the Gamecocks will have played here for the 5th time, which is tied with 4 other teams for the second most bowl appearances in the Outback Bowl. If you are looking for a conference advantage, these two conferences have the opposite records with the SEC sporting a 16-11 record in the Outback Bowl and the BIG 10 having a 11-16 record in the Outback Bowl.

Michigan is 3-2 in their 5 prior Outback Bowls. They won in 1988 over the Alabama Crimson Tide 28-24, in 1994 over the NC State Wolfpack 42-7 and in 2003 against the Florida Gators 38-30, while losing in 1997 to Alabama 17-14 and in 2012 against these South Carolina Gamecocks.

South Carolina is 3-1 in their 4 prior Outback Bowl appearances. The Gamecocks won here in 2001 over the Ohio State Buckeyes 24-7, 2002 over the Buckeyes 31-28 and in 2013 over the Michigan Wolverines 33-28, while losing in 2009 against the Iowa Hawkeyes 31-10.

Previous Matchup History

The Michigan Wolverines and the South Carolina Gamecocks have played each other 3 times in the history of the two clubs, with the most recent being in the 2013 Outback Bowl. The Gamecocks hold a 2-1 slight advantage in their 3 games. As we noted earlier, the Gamecocks won the 2013 Outback Bowl by the score of 33-28 and they also won their match up in 17-14. The Wolverines won the game in 1985 by the score of 34-3.

Michigan Wolverines 8-4 (BIG 10)

The Michigan Wolverines ended their regular season with a 8-4 record and finished 4th in the BIG 10 East with a 5-4 conference record. The Wolverines started out the season with much optimism with early season wins over Florida Gators, Cincinnati, Air Force and Purdue and were 4-0.

The Wolverines defense came into the start of the regular season with the #1 defense overall under head coach Jim Harbaugh. The defense is still one of the best in the nation, coming in at #3 overall and #1 against the pass. The Wolverines secondary is the best in the nation and kept opposing offenses from throwing on them all year.

Up front, the D-line was also completely dominating and was one of the best in the BIG 10 this year. Mo Hurst, Chase Winovich and Rashan Gary formed an elite unit that wreaked havoc on offensive lines. Those three players created 137 QB pressures, which was more than any other combination of 3 defensive linemen in the FBS.

The issue with Michigan this year was their offense….or lack thereof. In all 4 of the Wolverines losses this year, they were held to 20 or less points and in half of those games, they were held to a single touchdown. The Wolverines have the defense to keep them in every game but they need a decent offense to be as competitive and win those close games.

The Wolverines have appeared in 45 bowl games and have a 21-24 record in those games. The Wolverines have made a bowl game every year since head coach Jim Harbaugh took over the head coaching position in Ann Arbor. In their last bowl, which was last year’s Orange Bowl, the Wolverines lost to the Florida State Seminoles 33-32. They have lost 3 out of their last 4 bowl games and lost 8 of their last 11 bowl games overall!

South Carolina Gamecocks 8-4 (SEC)

The South Carolina Gamecocks finished out their regular season winning 2 out of their last 3 games, with the only loss in that stretch of games being in the final game of the regular season to the defending National Champion Clemson Tigers. The Gamecocks finished the regular season 8-4 overall and in 2nd place in the SEC East with a 5-3 conference record.

All 4 of the Gamecocks losses came against teams playing in a bowl game this year, Clemson, Georgia, Texas A&M and Kentucky. They were a very competitive team this year but struggled against some of the better defenses. In 6 of their games, they were held to 17 or less points, which resulted in a 2-4 record in those 6 games. In games that they scored 18 or more points, the Gamecocks were 6-0!

Head Coach Will Muschamp terminated the contract of co-offensive coordinator Kurt Roper and has temporarily promoted Bryan McClendon as the offensive coordinator for the Outback Bowl. McClendon has been the other part of the co-offensive coordinator position, who has focused mainly on wide receivers. McClendon will make all of the play calling during the Outback Bowl

The Gamecocks have played in 21 bowl games and have a record of 8-13 in those games. The Gamecocks lost their last bowl, which was last year’s Birmingham Bowl, to South Florida 46-39. Prior to that loss, the Gamecocks had won 4 straight bowl games.

Outback Bowl Handicapping

This game comes down to the South Carolina offense, working under a new offensive coordinator and trying to move the ball on a stout Michigan defense. Much easier said than done! South Carolina has struggled with these physical defensive teams and this game should be no different. Jim Harbaugh knows how to get a team up and ready for a bowl game and with several weeks to plan a defensive scheme for the game, they will be tough to move the ball on.

Spooky’s Selection

Our system has Michigan winning this game by 2 touchdowns. JustBet has the game set at Michigan -7.5. We recommend that you buy down the half point and take the Wolverines at -7.

Spooky Express Pick: Michigan -7

Note: This bowl game is being handicapped and broken down weeks in advance of the game being played. Please be sure to check back periodically to determine if any changes have been made and be sure to check the day of the game, to receive and over/under plays that we may provide.

For the latest updates head to Spookyexpress.com

 

[SpookyExpressNews]

Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl

Where: Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia
Date & Time: Monday, January 1, 2018 at 12:30 PM ET
Spread: Auburn Tigers -9.5
Over/Under Total: 66.5
Quick Pick: TBD

This year’s Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl will take place on Monday, January 1, 2018 at 12:30 PM ET between the Central Florida Knights and the Auburn Tigers. The game will be played at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia and can be watched on ESPN.

Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl

The Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl is an annual football game played each year during the NCAA College Football Bowl Season. The Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl has been around since 1968 and played each year in Atlanta, Georgia.

The Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl has really only been referred to by 2 names in the history of the bowl, the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl and the Peach Bowl. Chick-Fil-A took over the sponsorship in 1997 and has remained the main sponsor since that time.

The Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl truly doesn’t have conference tie-ins but instead, they choose at large from the Group of Five. This year, the Auburn Tigers will take on the undefeated UCF Knights. Auburn has played in the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl 5 times in the past, going 4-1 in their 5 previous appearances. Their only loss came back in 2001 when they dropped a 16-10 battle to the North Carolina Tar Heels. In their last Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl appearance, the Tigers defeated the Virginia Cavaliers 43-24. This will be the first time the Central Florida Knights have appeared in the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl.

Previous Matchup History

The Auburn Tigers and the UCF Knights have played each other 3 times, in 1997, 1998 and 1999. The Auburn Tigers won all 3 games by the score 28-10, 10-6 and 41-14.

UCF Knights 12-0 (American Athletic Conference)

The Central Florida Knights ran the table and were the only undefeated team in the FBS. They ended the season 12-0 and won the American Athletic Conference by defeating Memphis in the Conference Championship. The Knights went from being a team that could win if their lives depended on it just a few years ago to a team that couldn’t lose even if they tried! They went from 0-12 to 12-0 in 2 years in what many are calling one of the biggest turnarounds in NCAA College Football history.

Head coach Scott Frost led the Knights to their best season and it earned him not only the AP Coach of the Year award, but nearly every other coaching award given out in the NCAA. It also got him a job with the Nebraska Cornhuskers. The Cornhuskers offered Frost the head coaching job following their AAC Conference Championship win and Frost excepted. All thought Frost has accepted the head coaching position to coach the Cornhuskers, he and his staff will remain on to coach the Knights in the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl.

Frost has basically been doing the job of two people. He is recruiting for Nebraska, while flying back and forth to Orlando to prepare for the Peach Bowl. Frost will lead his 5th ranked offense into the Peach Bowl with QB McKenzie Milton leading the team on the field. Milton has completed 69.2% of his passing attempts for 3795 yards, 35 TD’s and 9 INT’s. McKenzie will launch the ball down field to his plethora of wide receivers. Tre’Quan Smith has caught the team high 54 receptions and 1082 yards for 13 touchdowns. This offense is really good and they will want to play hard for Frost in his last game as head coach of the Knights.

The Knights have appeared in 8 bowl games in the history of the program. They are 3-5 in those bowl games and are coming in off back to back bowl loses in the 2016 Cure Bowl to the Arkansas State Red Wolves 31-13 and the 2014 St. Petersburg Bowl against the NC State 34-27.

Auburn Tigers 10-3 (SEC)

The Auburn Tigers were one of the most interesting teams in the nation this year. They beat some really tough teams and lost a few that were really close. At one time, they had beat two number one teams and lost to another.

The Tigers lost their second game of the year to the defending National Champions but showed in that game that they would be a legitimate contender throughout the year. They only lost 14-6 to the Clemson Tigers in a defensive battle upfront. The Auburn Tigers had their chances but just couldn’t get over the hum and lost the game but a touchdown.

Auburn ran off a 7-2 record before meeting up with #1 team in the nation, Georgia Bulldogs. Georgia was rolling along undefeated but Auburn proved that they were a team that should not be taken for granted. The Tigers blew out the Bulldogs 40-17 in a one sided dominating performance.

The Tigers followed that up 2 weeks later with another matchup against a #1 team in the Alabama Crimson Tide. Auburn again proved they can play with the best in the country and defeated a Nick Saban Crimson Tide team by the score 26-14. Then there was the SEC Championship game where the Tigers had a rematch with the Bulldogs. This time, the Bulldogs took advantage of some mistakes and won 28-7, ending the Tigers bid for a playoff spot in the College Football Playoff System.

Auburn won a majority of their games this year by playing balanced football. Their defense is ranked 14th in the nation and held 8 of their 13 opponents under 17 points. Their offense is also just as good as the defense. In 8 of their 13 games, they scored 40 or more points. The Tigers can adjust to their opponent and score points to keep up with higher scoring offenses in games.
The Tigers have appeared in 41 bowl games in the history of the program. They are 23-16-2 in those games and are coming into this bowl off a 35-19 loss to Oklahoma Sooners in last year’s Sugar Bowl.

Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl Handicapping

This game is one of the harder games to handicap in the bowl season. This breaks down to UCF’s offense ability to score points and move the ball against Auburn’s stout defense that restricts opposing offenses from moving the ball on them. This is Scott Frost’s last game and the Knights are going to want to play hard for him but moving the ball against teams like Memphis, Temple, UConn and SMU is a whole lot different than moving the ball against the Tigers defense!

Spooky’s Selection

Our system tells us that Auburn should win this game but we are going to wait to give out the official play until closer to gametime. We are leaning to Auburn but recommend you buying it down to 8 points to make the play. Please check back closer to gametime for the official play.

Spooky Express Pick: TBD (Lean to Auburn)

Note: This bowl game is being handicapped and broken down weeks in advance of the game being played. Please be sure to check back periodically to determine if any changes have been made and be sure to check the day of the game, to receive and over/under plays that we may provide.

For the latest updates head to Spookyexpress.com

 

[SpookyExpressNews]

Citrus Bowl Matchup at a Glance

Where: Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida
Date & Time: Monday, January 1, 2018 at 1:00 PM ET
Spread: LSU-3
Over/Under Total: 51.5
Quick Pick: TBD
This year’s Citrus Bowl will take place on Monday, January 1, 2018 at 1:00 PM ET at the Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida. This game will feature the Notre Dame Fighting Irish taking on the LSU Tigers in what is certain to be one of the best games of the bowl season. The game is set to kickoff at 1:00 PM ET and can be watched on ABC.
Citrus Bowl presented by Overton’s

The Citrus Bowl is a annual football game that is played each year in the beautiful sunny State of Florida during the NCAA College Football Bowl season.




The Citrus Bowl was originally played in Gainesville, Florida but is now played in Orlando at the Camping World Stadium. The Citrus Bowl has been around since 1947 and has been called numerous other names including Tangerine Bowl, Florida Citrus Bowl, CompUSA Florida Citrus Bowl, Ourhouse.com Florida Citrus Bowl, Capital One Florida Citrus Bowl, Capital One Bowl and the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl.
This year, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish will take on the LSU Tigers in the New Year’s Day bowl. LSU has appeared here 4 times in the past, this game being their 5th, ranking them 3rd all time for the most appearances in the Citrus Bowl. LSU played here last year and defeated the 13th ranked Louisville Cardinals and Heisman winner Lamar Jackson by the score 29-9. This will be the first time that the Notre Dame Fighting Irish have appeared in this game.
Previous Matchup History

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the LSU Tigers have met up 11 times in the history of the two programs. Notre Dame holds a very slight edge in the matchup winning 6 games, while LSU has won 5 games. In the most recent matchup, the Fighting Irish won the game 31-28 in the 2014 Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl. Three out of the last four times these two have met up, it has been in a bowl game.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish 9-3 (Independents)

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish finished the regular season with a 9-3 record. The Irish played one of the toughest schedules in the FBS this year with games against Georgia, Michigan State, USC, NC State, Miami Fl and Stanford. There is no doubt that the experience against those top teams will pay off in the postseason for the Irish.
The Fighting Irish have one of the best offensive lines in the nation and recently were awarded the Joe Moore Award for the best O-Line in the nation. They are anchored by Quenton Nelson and Mike Glinchey, who were both unanimous first team All-Americans. This unit has been stable all season and are keeping QB Brandon Wimbush safe, while giving him time to make decisions.
Wimbush has not had the best year at QB with passing, only completing 49.8% of his passes for 16 TD’s and 6 INT’s but when Wimbush will kill you is with his legs. Wimbush has ran for 765 yards and 14 touchdowns on the year. Wimbush is accompanied in the backfield by RB Josh Adams, who leads the team with 1386 yards and 9 touchdowns. Wimbush will be without one of his top WR’s as they announced that Chase Claypool will miss the Citrus Bowl with a shoulder injury.
The Irish have played in 35 bowl games and will be looking to get to .500 in bowls as they are 17-18 in bowl games. The Irish are coming in fresh off a loss in last year’s Fiesta Bowl against the #7 Ohio State Buckeyes 44-28. The Irish have gone 2-1 in their last 3 bowl games.



LSU Tigers 9-4 (SEC)

The LSU Tigers finished up the regular season with a 9-3 record overall and 6-2 in the SEC. They finished 3rd in the SEC and their three losses were against three bowl eligible teams, Mississippi State, Troy and Alabama. The Tigers finished up the regular season by winning their final 3 games against Arkansas, Tennessee and Texas A&M.
The Tigers are led on offense by QB Danny Etling. Etling completed 60.3% of his passes for 2234 yards, 14 TD’s and 2 INT’s. The Tigers have one of the top running backs in the backfield with Derrius Guice. Guice has carried the ball 216 times this season for 1153 yards and 11 touchdowns. Guice is averaging 5.3 yards per carry and as you can tell from his numbers, he is the workhorse of the offense.
The Tigers are 25-22-1 in their 48 bowl game appearances. They have made 17 straight bowl appearances and have won two straight in the Citrus Bowl and the Texas Bowl in back to back years. The Tigers are 3-1 in their last 4 bowl games overall.
Citrus Bowl Handicapping

This is another one of those games that are really hard to handicap. If Notre Dame’s offensive line is giving the protection that they have all year, they can keep this game very close and with LSU’s defense playing tough hard nose football, their unit can control movement by a limited Irish offense. This game truly can go either way. The key here is going to be who is able to get their running game going early in the game. If LSU can get out to a early lead and able to use Guice and RB Darrel Williams to control the clock, they may make it too tough for Notre Dame to stop them. There are many factors that will affect this game and it truly is too early to make a decision.
Spooky’s Selection

We are leaning to LSU but it is just too early to make the call on this game. Please check back closer to gametime so that you can get our official play. There are a lot of things that can happen with this game and we will sit back and see how things play out.
Spooky Express Pick: TBD
Note: This bowl game is being handicapped and broken down weeks in advance of the game being played. Please be sure to check back periodically to determine if any changes have been made and be sure to check the day of the game, to receive and over/under plays that we may provide.

For the latest updates head to Spookyexpress.com

 

[SpookyExpressNews]

Rose Bowl Matchup at a Glance

Where: Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California
Date & Time: Monday, January 1, 2018 at 5:00 PM ET
Spread: Georgia Bulldogs -2
Over/Under Total: 60
Quick Pick: Georgia MoneyLine

This year’s Rose Bowl will take place on Monday, January 1, 2018 at 5:00 PM ET at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California. The game will be the semifinal matchup for the College Football Playoffs and will feature the Oklahoma Sooners and the Georgia Bulldogs. The winner of this game will play the winner out of Clemson Tigers and Alabama Crimson Tide for the National Championship.
Rose Bowl

The Granddaddy of them All, the Rose Bowl is the oldest active bowl game currently being played.




The bowl was first played back in 1902 and is the highest attended bowl game in all of the NCAA College Bowl season.
The Rose Bowl has been played with numerous sponsors but has always been called the Rose Bowl. The Rose Bowl has been sponsored by the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association, AT&T, Sony Playstation 2, Citi, Vizio and Northwestern Mutual.
This year, the game will feature the Oklahoma Sooners and the Georgia Bulldogs. Both of these teams have appeared in the Rose Bowl 1 time each. The Oklahoma Sooners played in the 2003 Rose Bowl against the Washington State Cougars and won 34-14. The Georgia Bulldogs played in the 1943 Rose Bowl, winning the game over UCLA 9-0.
Previous Matchup History

This will be the first time the Oklahoma Sooners and the Georgia Bulldogs have ever met up in the history of the two programs.
Oklahoma Sooners 12-1 (BIG 12)

The Oklahoma Sooners finished up the regular season with a 12-1 record, which was good enough to get them into the College Football Playoffs. Their only loss on the season was in week 5, when they lost to the Iowa State Cyclones 38-31.
The Sooners will be led on offense by Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield. Mayfield and the Sooner offense is the #1 offense overall and the 4th best scoring offense in the nation. Mayfield and the Sooners posted at least 41 points in 9 of their 13 games.
Mayfield completed 71% of his pass attempts on the season for 4340 yards and 41 touchdowns and 5 INT’s. Mayfield spreads the ball out for the Sooners and uses a wide variety of receivers. WR Marquise Brown is the leading yardage receiver for the Sooners, while TE Mark Andrews is the reception leader with 58 receptions on the year.
The Sooners have appeared in 50 bowl games in the history of the program and have sported a 29-20-1 record in those games. The Sooners are coming into this bowl off a 35-19 2016 Sugar Bowl win over the Auburn Tigers. They have lost 3 of their last 5 bowl games overall.




Georgia Bulldogs 12-1 (SEC)

The Georgia Bulldogs ended the regular season with a 12-1 record. Their only loss on the year came back in November, when they dropped a game to SEC rival Auburn 40-17. The Bulldogs covered the spread in 9 out of their 13 games and played under the posted total in 8 of their 13 games this year.
The Bulldogs offense is anchored by the running back tandem of Nick Chubb and Sony Michel. Chubb and Michel returned for their senior years with the intention of winning a national championship and now, they are 2 wins away from accomplishing that feat. These two have been a complete force on opposing defense and if Michel gains 52 yards in the game against Oklahoma, they will be the first pair of Bulldog running backs to both run for 1000 yards in a single season.
The Bulldogs defense was one of the best in the nation and rank 4th overall in FBS. They held 10 of their 13 opponents to 14 or less points on the season. The Bulldogs have some of the best linebackers in FBS and they are going to constantly come after Baker Mayfield. The linebacker crew got a boost of good news as Natrez Patrick has all of his charges dropped
The Georgia Bulldogs have played in 52 bowl games in the history of the program. They are 30-19-3 in those 52 games and come into this bowl with a 3 bowl game winning streak. The Bulldogs won their bowl game last year in the Liberty Bowl, over the TCU Horned Frogs 31-23.
Rose Bowl Handicapping

This game comes down to asking yourself 2 questions…..1) When Oklahoma has the ball, can the Georgia defense stop them 2) When Georgia’s rushing attack has the ball, can Oklahoma stop them? We would venture to say that the Bulldog defense will stop or at least slow down Baker Mayfield and the Sooner offense but when Sony Michel and Nick Chubb have the ball, it will be very hard for this Sooner defense to contain them.
Spooky’s Selection

Our system tells us that the Georgia Bulldogs will win this game by nearly a touchdown. This is one of our top plays on the bowl season! We are going to be playing Georgia on the Moneyline as a 5 star play! Bet it and forget it!
Spooky Express Pick: Georgia MoneyLine

Note: This bowl game is being handicapped and broken down weeks in advance of the game being played. Please be sure to check back periodically to determine if any changes have been made and be sure to check the day of the game, to receive and over/under plays that we may provide.


For the latest updates head to Spookyexpress.com

 

[SpookyExpressNews]

Sugar Bowl Matchup at a Glance

Where: Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana
Date & Time: Monday, January 1, 2018 at 8:45 PM ET
Spread: Alabama -3
Over/Under Total: 47
Quick Pick: Clemson +3
The Allstate Sugar Bowl this year will be played on Monday, January 1, 2018 at 8:45 PM ET at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. This year, the Allstate Sugar Bowl will serve as the semifinals for the NCAA College Football Playoffs. The winner of this game will face the winner of the Rose Bowl, which will be played earlier in the day, in the National Championship game on Monday, January 8.
Allstate Sugar Bowl

The Allstate Sugar Bowl is an annual football game that is played during the NCAA’s College Football Bowl season.




The Sugar Bowl is part of the College Football Playoff structure and serves as the semifinal matchup between two of the four teams. The Sugar Bowl has been played since 1935.
The Sugar Bowl has been called a few different names since its induction with such sponsorships coming on board with the Sugar Bowl. Those names consist of the USF&G Sugar Bowl, the Nokia Sugar Bowl and of course, this year’s Allstate Sugar Bowl.
This year, the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Clemson Tigers will match up in the Sugar Bowl. Both of these teams have already played in at least 1 Sugar Bowl. The Alabama Crimson Tide have appeared in the Sugar Bowl more than any other team with this year being their 16th appearance in the Sugar Bowl. They have gone 8-7 in the 15 previous Sugar Bowl matchups and will be looking to stay above .500 with a win here to advance to the National Championship. The Clemson Tigers lost their only appearance in the Sugar Bowl back in 1959.
Previous Matchup History

The Crimson Tide and the Tigers have played each other 17 times throughout the history of the two programs with the latest being in the past 2 National Championship games. Both of the squads recorded a win and a National Title by defeating the other but the Crimson Tide have a decisive advantage over the Tigers going 13-4 against Clemson in their 17 game history.
Alabama Crimson Tide 11-1 (SEC)

The Alabama Crimson Tide will come into this game looking to win and get their chance at their 17th National Championship. The Tide are 11-1 on the year and have covered the spread in only 5 of their 11 games. Alabama won their first 12 games of the regular season but fell short at an undefeated season by losing the final game of the year to Auburn.
The Crimson Tide had one of the top defenses in the NCAA this year and are only allowing opponents to score an average of 11.5 points per game. They held 9 of their 12 opponents under 19 points and 6 of those opponents were held to single digits.
The Crimson Tide are getting healthy with the extra time off. The Crimson Tide haven’t played since the Iron Bowl, when they lost to Auburn, which was on November 25. That extra time has allowed the Tide to get some players, especially their linebacking core, healthy and able to play without injury in the Sugar Bowl.
The Crimson Tide have appeared in 65 bowl games, which is the most of any FBS College Football Team. They have a record of 38-25-3 in those 65 bowl games and this will be there 14th consecutive bowl game. The Crimson Tide have gone 3-1 in their last 4 bowl games overall and are winners of 7 of he last 10 bowl games.




Clemson Tigers 12-1 (ACC)

The Clemson Tigers come into this game with the hopes of defending their National Title that they won last year. The Tigers are 12-1 overall and have covered the spread in 8 of their 13 games. The Tigers only loss came in upset fashion as they dropped a mid-week game to the Syracuse Orange.
The Tigers also had a very good defense this year, ranking 2nd in points allowed, only behind the Crimson Tide, with 12.8 points per game allowed. Clemson’s defense held the opponents to under 280 yards per game in each game this year. Clemson held 12 of their 14 opponents
Brent Venables will strategically come up with a defensive game plan to stop the Bama offense. This is where Venables shines! If you take a look at Clemson’s recent history in bowl games and look at how the Tigers have fared in weeks where the Tigers had a bye, you will see that they are very tough and their defense shines. Venables is a planner and constructs defenses that can cause headaches for opposing offenses.
The Clemson Tigers have appeared in 41 bowl games in the history of the program and have gone 22-19 in those bowl games. The Tigers have won their last 2 bowl games and 6 of their last 7 bowl games overall.
Sugar Bowl Handicapping

Round III of the Clemson vs. Alabama saga takes place and this one may be the most even game of the 3. If you think these two don’t play close games, you need to know that the 2 prior games scores added up to 76-75. Sure, Alabama has dominated the series but you have to consider the over recent matchups vs. 20-30 years ago. Things are different now and this should be a very competitive game!
Spooky’s Selection

Spooky is going with Clemson in the game but it is still too early to weight how much he like them. We will wait to see what happens between now and game day. Please make sure you check back to find out what our final play will be.
Spooky Express Pick: Clemson Tigers +3
Note: This bowl game is being handicapped and broken down weeks in advance of the game being played. Please be sure to check back periodically to determine if any changes have been made and be sure to check the day of the game, to receive and over/under plays that we may provide.

For the latest updates head to Spookyexpress.com

 

[SpookyExpressNews]

UPDATE:
Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl

Spooky’s Selection

We are going to roll with FIU in this game. The running game will come into play and we think it is closer than experts think. Take the points here (buy up half point) and roll with FIU+7

Spooky Express Pick: FIU+7 (1 out of 5)