The X’s and O’s of the Alamo Bowl predictions aren’t shared by many expert handicappers, but here at Bankroll Sports, we are giving up all of our insight and telling you all of the keys to the game for the Texas Longhorns vs. Oregon State Beavers. The Alamo Bowl picks are some of the hardest to make this year of all of the bowl games, so don’t miss out on all of our Texas vs. Oregon State predictions!

2012 Alamo Bowl: Texas Longhorns vs. Oregon State Beavers
2012 Alamo Bowl Location: Alamodome, San Antonio, TX
2012 Alamo Bowl Date/Time: Saturday, December 29th, 6:45 p.m. (ET)
2012 Alamo Bowl On TV: ESPN, Watch ESPN

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Key #1: Both coaches had better be right with their quarterback choices
What a tough decision that both Head Coach Mike Riley and Head Coach Mack Brown had to make here at the Alamo Bowl! Brown’s choice for his starting quarterback became easy when QB Case McCoy got himself suspended on the eve of the game for violating team rules, so that really only leaves QB David Ash to carry the load under center. However, Riley made the interesting choice by giving the ball over to QB Cody Vaz instead of QB Sean Mannion, a move that really could come back to hurt the team when push comes to shove. Mannion did a fantastic job of leading this club at the outset of the year, but the move was made to Vaz instead. Oregon State did lose three of its last five games in the Pac-12 portion of the schedule, but in the end, Vaz had the significantly better numbers, especially in the interception category. Depending upon which coach made the right decision, the Alamo Bowl odds might be beaten just based upon the coaching staff and the moves that they have each made leading up to this game.

Alamo Bowl Odds at BetRevolution Sportsbook
Texas Longhorns +3.5
Oregon State Beavers -3.5
Over/Under 57.5
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Key #2: The Longhorns need to find a way to slow down these great OSU receivers
It hasn’t mattered one bit who the quarterback is for the Beavers from the standpoint of WR Markus Wheaton and WR Brandin Cooks. These two men have both been fantastic this year, and they are one of the few tandems in college football that each made it to 1,000+ yards on the campaign. Wheaton was more of the possession receiver, accounting for 87 grabs, 1,198 yards, and 11 scores, while Cooks was the big play man, catching 65 passes for 1,129 yards and five TDs. The two also combined to carry the ball 34 times for 183 yards and two TDs to boot, so the Beavs will do everything that they can to make sure that their top receivers get the football. This has been problematic for Texas at times in the past. WR Eric Ward and WR Darrin Moore combined for 15 catches and 234 yards when the Horns played against the Texas Tech Red Raiders. WR Terrance Williams and WR Lanear Simpson had 16 catches, 253 yards, and two TDs for the Baylor Bears. WR Tavon Austin and WR Stedman Bailey put together 18 receptions, 177 yards, and four scores against the West Virginia Mountaineers. It’s a problem that has plagued this team all year long, and it has to not carry over to the Alamo Bowl for Texas to win this game.

Key #3: Oregon State needs to capitalize on Texas turnovers
The Longhorns haven’t done a ton right this year by their own standards, but at least they hung onto the football and didn’t turn it over all that much. They only coughed it up a total of 13 times on the campaign, and the just over once per game wasn’t the reason that the team was beaten four times. The bad news though, is that Oregon State does have one of the more opportunistic defenses in the country, forcing 30 turnovers on the year, including picking off 19 passes. Senior DB Jordan Poyer is an electrifying kick returner, and he also led the team with seven INTs on the season, so he has the potential to make a real impact on the game. The more than Poyer gets his hands on the ball, the worse shape that Texas is going to ultimately be in.

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2012 Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl picks are going to be entertaining to make this year, as we have two teams that are going to be going at it against each other in what could be an unpredictable game in the Arizona State Sun Devils and the Navy Midshipmen. Join us for our Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl keys to the game and our Navy vs. Arizona State predictions.

2012 Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl: Arizona State Sun Devils vs. Navy Midshipmen
2012 Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl Location: AT&T Park, San Francisco, CA
2012 Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl Date/Time: Saturday, December 29th, 4:00 p.m. (ET)
2012 Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl On TV: ESPN2, Watch ESPN

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Key #1: The Sun Devils have to shore up their rush defense
The great news for the Sun Devils this year is that they had one of the Top 15 pass defenses in the country this year, allowing just 178.8 yards per game in the big time Pac-12 with some of the best quarterbacks and most dynamic offenses in the nation. The bad news is that that isn’t going to come in handy in this one against the Midshipmen. The worse news is that ASU was terrible against the run, allowing 172.0 yards per game and ranking 75th in that category. Against the three teams that run sort of quirky offenses this year that the team has played, the UCLA Bruins, Arizona Wildcats, and Oregon Ducks, the Sun Devils allowed an average of just over 300 yards per game. If the Midshipmen end up with over 300 rushing yards in this game, Arizona State is going to be in a heck of a lot of trouble, especially if those yards are coming in gashes as we have seen this front seven allow at times this year.

Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl Odds at BetGuardian Sportsbook
Arizona State Sun Devils -14
Navy Midshipmen +14
Over/Under 53
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Key #2: The ASU offense cannot make careless mistakes
Untimely penalties have been problematic this year for the Sun Devils, and we think that those problems really need to go away against a typically disciplined Navy team that has the ability to really do some damage on both sides of the ball. ASU also committed 23 turnovers this year, and QB Taylor Kelly was accountable for 12 of those turnovers, including nine picks. Of course, what we do know about the Sun Devils is that they did a decent job this year with Kelly under center of not turning the ball over, as QB Michael Eubank also threw three picks in games in which he had to come in out of the bullpen for Kelly. There are also three running backs that have a hand in this offense as well in RB Marion Grice, RB Cameron Marshall, and RB DJ Foster, and these three are going to have to be sure-handed with the football as well if the Sun Devils are going to have a chance to cover such a huge number in a bowl game.

Key #3: Gee Gee Greene has to make some big time plays for the Navy offense
The triple option isn’t an offense that is known for its big time plays, and this really is no exception. RB Noah Copeland, QB Keenan Reynolds, and QB Trey Miller all averaged 4.6 yards per carry or less, and that isn’t going to get the job done when push comes to shove for the Navy offense. Reynolds averaged 9.1 yards per pass attempt and had eight scores against just one pick, which did help out quite a bit. The key though, is RB Gee Gee Greene, who is the most dynamic player on the offense. He led the team in rushing with 108 carries, 765 yards, and three scores, and his 7.1 yards per carry was easily tops on the team for rushers that had more than 20 carries. Greene was also the team’s leading receiver with 303 yards and two TDs on 17 receptions. This is the man that can really break this offense open at times, and he is going to need to do it on a few plays every now and again to keep Arizona State from clogging up the middle of the line and bashing the triple option at the point of attack.

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The 2012 Meineke Car Care of Texas Bowl picks are going to be difficult to make, as the Minnesota Golden Gophers and Texas Tech Red Raiders are set to do battle with one another in a Big Ten vs. Big XII battle. Check out our Meineke Car Care of Texas Bowl predictions and the keys to the game for Minnesota vs. Texas Tech.

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2012 Meineke Car Care of Texas Bowl: Minnesota Golden Gophers vs. Texas Tech Red Raiders
2012 Meineke Car Care of Texas Bowl Location: Reliant Stadium, Houston, TX
2012 Meineke Car Care of Texas Bowl Date/Time: Friday, December 28th, 9:00 p.m. (ET)
2012 Meineke Car Care of Texas Bowl Television Coverage: ESPN, Watch ESPN

Key #1: The Minnesota secondary has to stand firm
There’s no doubt whatsoever that Texas Tech is going to come out and throw the ball all over the place. QB Seth Doege will put the ball in the air at least 40 times over the course of the Meineke Car Care Bowl. However, the strength of the Minnesota defense is in its secondary, as the team is allowing just 178.5 yards per game this year. The problems? No one on the team has more than two picks, and the mass majority of the teams that the Gophers faced this season just weren’t all that good. Most of the teams in the Big Ten just don’t have great passing attacks, and this is clearly going to be the best passing game that the team has faced all year long. However, if the Golden Gophers can figure out how to at least slow this unit down, there is going to be a solid chance to at least hang around in this game.

Meineke Car Care of Texas Bowl Odds at Diamond Sportsbook
Minnesota Golden Gophers +13
Texas Tech Red Raiders -13
Over/Under 55.5
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Key #2: Whomever starts at quarterback for Minnesota has to keep the ball moving
The Golden Gophers ranked 108th in the country in passing this year, and a lot of the problem stemmed from the fact that the quarterback position has been a nightmare. QB Max Shortell, the team’s leading passer is transferring from the school, and the only wide receiver that had more than 19 catches this year, WR AJ Barker has left the program as well. The question is still whether it will be QB Philip Nelson or QB MarQueis Gray will end up taking the snaps in the Meineke Car Care Bowl. Nelson is clearly the future of this program, though the frosh only threw for 735 yards and six scores against seven picks. Gray is the man that has been here over the course of the last four years. He only threw the ball 56 times and threw for 464 yards and five TDs to go with 331 rushing yards and five scores. He’s probably the man that deserves to get the nod as the senior leader of this team, but neither option is really all that great. Whomever it is that is taking the snaps is going to have to get the ball moving on a regular basis against a fantastic offense if there is any hope for winning this game.

Key #3: The Red Raiders have to keep themselves together amidst problems
The Red Raiders are anything but sunshine and rainbows at this point. Head Coach Tommy Tuberville did everything that he could to get away from Lubbock, and he finally got out. The team has already suspended three players for this game, and most of the coaching staff is going to be cut and pasted together. That really could leave this club in a bit of array. We have already seen a bunch of teams this year in the bowl season that have fought adversity with a new, interim coaching staff, while others (we’re looking at you, Western Kentucky) have cracked under the pressure in the most critical of moments. This isn’t the sexiest bowl game in the world, and it is an opponent that is easy to overlook. If the Red Raiders come to play this game, they should become easy winners. If they don’t though, they are going to be in a heck of a lot of trouble when push comes to shove.

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The X’s and O’s of the Independence Bowl predictions aren’t shared by many expert handicappers, but here at Bankroll Sports, we are giving up all of our insight and telling you all of the keys to the game for the Ohio Bobcats vs. Louisiana Monroe Warhawks. The Independence Bowl picks are some of the hardest to make this year of all of the bowl games, so don’t miss out on all of our Ohio vs. Louisiana Monroe predictions!

2012 Independence Bowl: Ohio Bobcats vs. Louisiana Monroe Warhawks
2012 Independence Bowl Location: Independence Stadium, Shreveport, LA
2012 Independence Bowl Date/Time: Friday, December 28th, 2:00 p.m. (ET)
2012 Independence Bowl On TV: ESPN, Watch ESPN

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Key #1: Ohio has to get healthy along its offensive line
Health has been a big time problem for the Bobcats all season long, but the offensive line has taken the biggest hit for sure over the course of the last few weeks. Many don’t realize just how important the OL is for these smaller schools. The bigger schools tend to have some depth up front, while the little ones just don’t have the resources to go out and recruit second and third string offensive linemen for the “just in case.” For Ohio, that “just in case” has been enacted quite a bit of late, knowing that the team has five linemen that are on the injury report for this game. Just in the last game of the season against the Kent State Golden Flashes, with virtually an entirely new offensive line protecting him, QB Tyler Tettleton was sacked eight times and ended up losing 35 yards rushing on the day. Tettleton can move around in the pocket, but Cam Newton wouldn’t be able to find any running room or throwing room with an offensive line as bad as this one has been over the course of the last few games. If basically a whole month off didn’t get the Bobcats healthy, it at least needed to get the guys that are able to play in a position to block for Tettleton, or this is going to be a long game for the Ohio offense.

Independence Bowl Odds at BetRevolution Sportsbook
Ohio Bobcats +7
Louisiana Monroe Warhawks -7
Over/Under 60.5
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Key #2: Kolton Browning needs to have one of those hero moments
QB Kolton Browning made himself an immediate hero in Monroe when he rushed for the touchdown in overtime that beat the Arkansas Razorbacks way back at the beginning of the season. It was the biggest play in the biggest game in the history of the ULM program, and it was the game that really sparked this 8-4 season, easily the most successful for the Warhawks of all-time. This is the first time that they have played in a bowl game in their school’s history, and Browning is the man that is going to have to figure out how to be the man to win this one. It doesn’t matter what else anyone does on the field. As long as Browning still has a chance to make some magic happen at the end, he has proven time and time again, in spite of the fact that he doesn’t have the flashiest numbers in the world, that he can get the job done. Ohio’s defense has been prone at times this year to mobile quarterbacks in the MAC, and this might not be an exception to that rule.

Key #3: Beau Blankenship has to keep the ball moving on the ground
You might not realize it, but RB Beau Blankenship rushed for 1,500 yards this year for the Bobcats in spite of the shoddy play of the offensive line. The Iowa State transfer rumbled for 109 yards against a Penn State Nittany Lions defense that proved to be a strong unit at the end of the year, and he also rushed the ball 43 times for 269 yards and two TDs against the Massachusetts Minutemen in his best game of the season. This is a man that is a horse for sure. It isn’t about the yards per carry for Blankenship, though he did average a healthy 5.1 yards per tote on the season. It’s that he averaged carrying the ball 24.4 times per game and really wore down some of these defenses. This might be the best rushing attack that ULM has seen all season long, and it is going to be a real test to a ‘D’ that allowed just 135.8 yards per game this year on the ground, ranking 32nd in the nation. If Blankenship doesn’t get his 25 carries in this game and doesn’t turn those carries into at least 100 yards, the Bobcats are in a boatload of trouble.

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The 2012 Pinstripe Bowl picks are going to be difficult to make, as the West Virginia Mountaineers and Syracuse Orange are set to do battle with one another in a Big XII vs. Big East battle. Check out our Pinstripe Bowl predictions and the keys to the game for West Virginia vs. Syracuse.

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2012 Pinstripe Bowl: West Virginia Mountaineers vs. Syracuse Orange
2012 Pinstripe Bowl Location: New Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY
2012 Pinstripe Bowl Date/Time: Saturday, December 29th, 3:15 p.m. (ET)
2012 Pinstripe Bowl Television Coverage: ESPN, Watch ESPN

Key #1: These two teams have to weather the weather
We’ve always wondered if this was going to turn out to be the case in a bowl game here at Yankee Stadium, and we’re going to be getting some awfully fun weather as a result. It’s going to be snowy and cold in the Bronx, and the team that is going to win this game is going to be the one that adapts better to the conditions. Even though Syracuse is a team that plays its ball further north than this, it does take to games in the Carrier Dome, where it is always 72 degrees. West Virginia has already had a few games in which it has had to bare the elements, namely in a 59-10 win over the Kansas Jayhawks in Morgantown. Receivers have to make sure that they are wearing the right cleats and have the proper gloves on, and both quarterbacks are going to have to make sure that they keep a good grasp on the football, and whichever team executes that facet of the game better is going to be the one that ultimately goes on to win the Pinstripe Bowl in all likelihood.

Pinstripe Bowl Odds at Diamond Sportsbook
West Virginia Mountaineers -3.5
Syracuse Orange +3.5
Over/Under 72.5
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Key #2: The Syracuse secondary has to be ready for a war
It’s not so much that the West Virginia wide receivers have to be stopped, because there is just no way to actually stop both WR Tavon Austin and WR Stedman Bailey. The trick is figuring out how to contain them and to try to make someone else beat you if you’re the Orange. Syracuse’s secondary isn’t all that bad, as this unit ranked a modest 65th in the country against the pass this year, allowing 236.9 yards per game. The problem that we see though, is the fact that some of the best receivers in the nation have blown this secondary up. WR Robert Woods and WR Marqise Lee combined for 21 catches, 159 yards, and five TDs when the USC Trojans came to town earlier this year in the most comparable game. Stopping Bailey and Austin is just impossible, knowing that the two men combined this year to average the following stat line: 17.9 receptions, 230.6 receiving yards, 49.8 rushing yards, 85.9 return yards, and a total of 3.3 touchdowns per game. Those are numbers that are just out of this world for sure, and these two make up the best tandem of receivers this side of Woods and Lee in the nation.

Key #3: Ryan Nassib has to be prepared to throw for four bills
QB Ryan Nassib threw for 3,607 yards this year to go with 24 TDs, but he has to be prepared to really slug it out with QB Geno Smith and the West Virginia offense. This defense has shown its ability to give up points in bunches this year, and the team did allow just slews of points to teams with significantly less talented offenses. Nassib is going to have a lot on his shoulders in this one, as he is not only carrying the weight of his team, but he is also trying to impress the NFL scouts that think that he could be a first round NFL Draft pick this year. Nassib threw for 470 yards in the opening game of the season against the Northwestern Wildcats, and he had five other games this year in which he threw for at least 325 yards. He’s going to have to do that once again in this one in all likelihood if the Orange really have a chance of keeping up, and doing so in the snow is going to be all the more difficult to do.

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2012 Russell Athletic Bowl picks are going to be entertaining to make this year, as we have two teams that are going to be going at it against each other in what could be an unpredictable game in the Virginia Tech Hokies and the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. Join us for our Russell Athletic Bowl keys to the game and our Rutgers vs. Virginia Tech predictions.

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2012 Russell Athletic Bowl: Virginia Tech Hokies vs. Rutgers Scarlet Knights
2012 Russell Athletic Bowl Location: Florida Citrus Bowl, Orlando, FL
2012 Russell Athletic Bowl Date/Time: Friday, December 28th, 5:30 p.m. (ET)
2012 Russell Athletic Bowl On TV: ESPN, Watch ESPN

Key #1: Virginia Tech needs to establish a running game with someone other than Logan Thomas
It’s nice to think that QB Logan Thomas is a dual threat quarterback that has the ability to put up big gains with his legs, but you don’t establish a ground game with a quarterback. You do so by jamming the ball right up the middle with the big boys and a runner. Historically, whether it be RB Ryan Williams or RB David Wilson, the Hokies have always had a big, strong back that ended the year with at least 1,000 yards, if not more on the ground. This year though, there just hasn’t been a back step up to the plate and do much of anything. In fact, Head Coach Frank Beamer’s offense really hasn’t even tried all that hard to establish the run this year. RB JC Coleman, RB Michael Holmes, RB Tony Gregory, and RB Martin Scales only average carrying the ball 22.8 times per game between them, and that just isn’t good enough at this level when you’re playing in the ACC. Rutgers is a tough team to move out of the way up front, as its front seven is as good as any unit in the Big East. However, if the Hokies have any intentions of winning this game, they had better get something going on the ground.

Russell Athletic Bowl Odds at BetGuardian Sportsbook
Virginia Tech Hokies -2.5
Rutgers Scarlet Knights +2.5
Over/Under 41
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Key #2: These two quarterbacks have to hang onto the football
Both the Scarlet Knights and the Hokies threw 15 picks as a team this year, and neither QB Logan Thomas nor QB Gary Nova were able to make the big plays when their teams really needed it. Granted, Thomas does have a pair of receivers in WR Marcus Davis and WR Corey Fuller that both averaged nearly 20 yards per catch this year, so the deep ball was in play. However, Thomas also got himself into a lot of trouble in clutch spots in games to cost his team, which is why the Hokies have already been beaten by a pair of Big East teams this year. Nova was only picked off twice in his first six games of the year, but he threw six INTs against the Kent State Golden Flashes and has been intercepted six games in four games since that point. His confidence has to be shot, especially knowing that two of the last five passes that he threw in the de facto Big East Championship Game against the Louisville Cardinals were picked off to take away any hopes that the team had of playing in the BCS for the very first time.

Key #3: The Hokies have to take advantage of the Rutgers special teams
It’s known as Beamer Ball in Blacksburg, and the time is here for Head Coach Frank Beamer’s specialty to shine through in the biggest game of the team’s season. It feels like it has been awhile since the team had a blocked punt or a blocked field goal for a touchdown in a crucial spot to win a game, but that might be what it takes in this one. P AJ Hughes averaged 40.3 yards per boot this year. The team had both a punt return and a kick return for a touchdown this year, and Dimitri Knowles was a fantastic kick returner, putting together 595 return yards this year on just 21 attempts. K Cody Journell has struggled at times, but he has made at least one field goal in every game this year against an FBS foe. Rutgers has had to rotate kickers this year, and P Justin Doerner only averaged 37.4 yards per punt, something that has been problematic for a defensive-minded football team all season long.

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