Home | Sports Forums | Chat Room | Blog | Free Picks | Sportsbooks | Tools | Odds | Injuries | Articles | Links | Contact Us

Posts Tagged ‘Beef O’Brady’s Bowl picks’

December 11th, 2012 By Andrew Ryan

College Football Betting Bonus Offer From Premium Cappersinfo Sponsor
Get a 100% Free Play Bonus @ JustBet Sportsbook By Clicking Here!
Get An Exclusive VIP Service Agent & 50% Match Play Bonus on Reloads From Cappersinfo

To beat the Beef O’Brady’s Bowl odds, you have to put a heck of a lot of work into the game. Our college football expert handicappers have done just that here at Cappers Info, and we think that we have the winning edge for the clash between the UCF Knights vs. Ball State Cardinals.

Beef O’Brady’s Bowl Picks: UCF Knights vs. Ball State Cardinals
Date: Friday, December 21st, 7:30 ET
Location: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, FL
Beef O’Brady’s Bowl Betting Odds: UCF -7
UCF vs. Ball State Live TV Coverage: ESPN

This is one of the rare bowl games where we think that the favored team is just going to come out and pummel the underdog, as we think that there is a clearly discord between where Ball State and UCF happen to be at in their respective seasons. Remember too, that this is a de facto home game for the Knights, and even the juniors know that this is going to likely be their last shot at a bowl game with a pending bowl ban potentially coming next season along with the move to the Big East.

QB Keith Wenning really didn’t have all that great of a year for Ball State, and though his ground game is good, averaging 214.2 yards per game, this is a tough draw against a UCF team that saw a heck of a lot of teams that were more talented and more aggressive on the ground than this one. The Cardinals did come out and win their final six games of the season, but none of those games, save for against the Toledo Rockets on the road, were really all that impressive when you think about it.

The challenge for the Knights is going to be getting the ball moving on the ground. RB Latavius Murray is considered one of the most talented backs to ever play at UCF, and that’s quite the statement, knowing that both Marquette Smith and Kevin Smith went on to have tremendous athletic careers. Where the Cardinals are really going to get themselves in trouble though, is trying to stop Murray and the rest of the UCF rushers. The Knights can deploy any number of backs in the backfield, and when they do, they are tough to stop. QB Blake Bortles has done a better job as the year has progressed of making smart reads and not turning the ball over, and if he keeps that up, the Knights should really take advantage of a defense that ranked 104th in the nation in total ‘D’ this year at 459.8 yards per game against a schedule that really wasn’t all that brutal.

UCF vs. Ball State Pick: UCF Knights -7
Beef O’Brady’s Bowl Score Prediction: UCF 41 – Ball State 20

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in College Football |

 
December 2nd, 2012 By Andrew Ryan

5Dimes SportsbookMy 2012 Beef O’Brady’s Bowl picks between the UCF Knights and the Ball State Cardinals are all set and ready to go here at Cappers Info. The Beef O’Brady’s Bowl kickoff starts at 7:30 p.m. ET at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL, and I’m going to be your expert college football handicapper that points you towards the winning bet for the UCF vs. Ball State game.

2012 Beef O’Brady’s Bowl
Ball State Cardinals (9-3, 9-3 ATS) +7
UCF Knights (9-4, 6-7 ATS) -7
Over/Under 61.5

Statistically speaking, the Knights and the Cardinals are really the same team. UCF would rather run the football, but a lot of its running comes out of the shotgun and other spread out formations with multiple receivers on the field. Ball State, like so many teams in the MAC, utilizes a pair of outside receivers to go with a quarterback that has some mobility, but would rather give it off to one of many backs in the system.

History doesn’t necessarily bode well for Cardinals in bowl games. They haven’t been to a bowl since 2008, and even when they have gotten to their five postseason games, they’re 0-5 to show for their work. In those games though, include some real high scorers, including an 82-point International Bowl against Rutgers and a 57-point GMAC Bowl against Tulsa. Historically, this Ball State defense has been run right through, but the team has done a significantly better job over the course of the last four games of the year, allowing no more than 27 points in any of those games. It’s going to take UCF getting into the 30s to have a shot at this ‘over’, and that just doesn’t seem all that likely to happen when push comes to shove.

5Dimes

Remember that Head Coach George O’Leary preaches to his team good defense and running the football. It’s a team that allowed 22.5 points per game this year and didn’t allow any of its final seven foes to score more than 24 points against it. With as badly as the Ball State defense has played this year though, this ‘total’ has been pushed artificially high. Yes, this is a game that is going to be played on turf in a fast tracked dome, and the Beef O’Brady’s Bowl has historically been a game that features plenty of offense, but when push comes to shove, this one just isn’t getting into the 60s.

Ball State vs. UCF Picks & Tips: Under 61.5

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in College Football Tips, Football Tipster |

 
December 11th, 2011 By Andrew Ryan

NCAA Football Betting Bonus Offer From Premium Cappersinfo Sponsor
Get a 100% Free Play Bonus @ JustBet Sportsbook By Clicking Here!
Get An Exclusive VIP Service Agent & 50% Match Play Bonus on Reloads From Cappersinfo

On Tuesday, December 20th, two teams that are going to be thrilled to be pitted against one another on the 2011 bowl schedule meet in the Beef ‘O’Brady’s St. Petersburg Bowl, as the Florida International Golden Panthers take on the Marshall Thundering Herd.

Click Here For The Rest Of Our 2011-12 Bowl Game Previews

Beef ‘O’Brady’s St. Petersburg Bowl Matchup: FIU Golden Panthers vs. Marshall Thundering Herd
Beef ‘O’Brady’s St. Petersburg Bowl Date/Time: Tuesday, December 20th, 8:00 ET
Beef ‘O’Brady’s St. Petersburg Bowl Location: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, FL
Beef ‘O’Brady’s St. Petersburg Bowl Odds: Florida International -4
Beef ‘O’Brady’s St. Petersburg Bowl Total: 48.5
Beef ‘O’Brady’s St. Petersburg Bowl TV Coverage: ESPN, ESPN3.com

When you first look at what Florida International accomplished this year, you see a team that really did some special things. Sure, the Golden Panthers didn’t win the Sun Belt once again, getting beaten by the Arkansas State Red Wolves, Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, and Louisiana Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns, but the only loss that was truly inexcusable this year was the one at home against the Duke Blue Devils. Aside from that, there were eight sturdy wins in a conference that was a heck of a lot better this year than most would give it credit for. There was a huge win on the road at the Louisville Cardinals, the Big East co-champions, and a huge road win over one of the best teams in the land not to be in a bowl game this year, the UCF Knights.

You also see an FIU team that picked up a heck of a lot of experience last year in winning the Sun Belt, prompting many to look at Head Coach Mario Cristobal as a potential candidate for some big time job openings across college football. QB Wesley Carroll is going to be playing in his final game in college after two years at Mississippi State and a redshirt year to transfer, and he does a remarkable job protecting the football. The Golden Panthers have a fantastic receiver who is sure to be playing at the next level in WR TY Hilton, and their rushing game was respectable this year with RB Kedrick Rhodes leading the way with 1,131 yards and eight scores.

And then there is Marshall, a team that you would first look at and shake your head at. The Herd had to win their final two games of the regular season just to make it to a bowl game, and they did so by the skin of their teeth. They were absolutely trounced by the Virginia Tech Hokies, Tulsa Golden Hurricane, and Houston Cougars, and the end result saw them getting outscored by over eight points per game and outgained by about 80 yards per game. QB Rakeem Cato is a freshman, and he has made his share of mistakes as he learns the ropes in Huntington, and he doesn’t have a rusher or a receiver that had even 600 yards for the season.

And now, parlay all of that with the fact that this isn’t all that far away from being a home game for the Golden Panthers, and the choice in this one seems awfully easy… right? Maybe not… Marshall also went on the road and beat the exact same Louisville team, and it also beat a Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles squad that went on to win Conference USA. If Cato can avoid the turnovers, we could absolutely see Marshall pulling off the upset in this game, especially since the team has closed out three straight seasons very strong, and it has won all but two of its bowl games in team history, posting a 5-2 record. Only one of those games was lost by more than four points, the 2004 Fort Worth Bowl against the Cincinnati Bearcats. Take the points and know that an upset could be in the cards.

Free Beef ‘O’Brady’s St. Petersburg Bowl Pick: Marshall +4

Chime In With Your Thoughts On The Cappers Info Sports Forum By Clicking Here

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in College Football |

 
December 20th, 2010 By Andrew Ryan

Bet On The Beef O'Brady's Bowl With Our Featured Sponsor…
Get a 100% Free Play Bonus @ JustBet Sportsbook By Clicking Here!
Get An Exclusive VIP Service Agent & 50% Match Play Bonus on Reloads From Cappersinfo

The Louisville Cardinals and Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles took some major steps in the right direction this year, as both programs were fantastic by their standards. For the Cards, a trip to the Beef O'Brady's Bowl shows growth for a school that featured years of dismay under the direction of departed Head Coach Steve Kragthorpe. The Golden Eagles really wanted to win Conference USA this year, and though they didn't pull it off, they did beat the C-USA champs and ended up with arguably one of the best teams in the history of the school. But which team will beat the Beef O'Brady's Bowl odds in this one? Here are our college football bowl picks for Tuesday night's duel in the Sunshine State.

Beef O'Brady's Bowl Matchup: Louisville Cardinals vs. Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles
Date: Tuesday, December 21st, 8:00 ET
Location: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, FL
Beef O'Brady's Bowl Line: Louisville -2.5
Over/Under 57

Cardinals Notes: It was a great first year calling the shots for Head Coach Charlie Strong, who guided the Redbirds to a bowl game in his first year as a head coach in the rough and tumble Big East. Strong could have a major problem on his hands on Tuesday night if QB Adam Froman's leg injury continues to act up. Froman was supposed to be the catalyst for a spread attack this year, and though he had a respectable 11/4 TD/INT ratio, a 60.6 completion percentage and just 1,633 yards through the air wasn't really what the doctor ordered. What we found out about the 'Ville this year was that the wide receivers just weren't good enough to compete at this type of level in a BCS conference. None caught even 40 passes, and none got to the 500 yard mark either. However, the ground game was a significantly difference story. RB Bilal Powell only had about 800 yards in the running department for his career coming into this year, but all of a sudden, he shined very, very brightly. Powell was the second best runner in a Big East full of top backs, as he rumbled 211 times for 1,330 yards and ten scores. The Cardinals really made a name for themselves defensively in the Big East this year, though. They shut out two foes this year and only allowed two teams to score more than 24 points against them all season long. This should be a great test for a defense which allowed just 298.4 yards and 18.7 points per game. The aerial game for the opponents was just shut down on a regular basis, as teams only averaged 162.5 passing yards per game, No. 9 in the country.

Golden Eagles Notes: Was this the best version of the Golden Eagles ever? Even though SMS has had seasons with more than eight wins before, it's not often that you can go on the road and beat the conference champs and put up a legitimate Top 20 offense in the nation in the same year, especially without winning the league title. Head Coach Larry Fedora has a lot to be proud of for this squad this year, especially offensively. QB Austin Davis will be a 3,000 yard passer by the time this one is over, and he already has ten TDs on the ground and 18 more through the air, against just six INTs. Just like Louisville, there aren't a ton of great receiving options on this team, though WR Kevin Bolden and WR Johdrick Morris both had at right around 660 yards on the season. On the ground, five different men, including Davis, rushed for at least 228 yards, led by RB Kendrick Hardy, who had 855 yards and seven scores on the campaign. The Golden Eagles ranked No. 15 in the country in total offense at 461.1 yards per game and No. 15 in scoring at 37.6 points per game. However, their defense was a totally different story. SMS allowed 56 and 41 points respectively in its final two games of the season, and the unit gave up at least 41 points five times on the year. Giving up 29.4 points per game certainly wasn't what was expected this year, but it was the reason for which the Golden Eagles didn't win the East Division of Conference USA.

The Final Word: The Cardinals are going to make for a tough team to top in this one, but we're not so sure that the Golden Eagles aren't the right side. Conference USA was significantly better than people give it credit for this year, and it made start to be proven this week at the Beef O'Brady's Bowl. Louisville will get a great final game out of Powell, but its strengths will be countered by the strengths of the C-USA reps. The Golden Eagles fly out of St. Pete with a win in the Beef O'Brady's Bowl.

Beef O'Brady's Bowl Free Pick: Southern Mississippi +3
Beef O'Brady's Bowl Prediction: Southern Miss 31 – Louisville 27

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in College Football |