Our 2012 bowl predictions continue on Saturday, December 29th with the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl, and we are set to make our Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl predictions, tips, and keys to the game for the duel between the TCU Horned Frogs and the Michigan State Spartans.

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2012 Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl: TCU Horned Frogs vs. Michigan State Spartans
2012 Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl Location: Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, AZ
2012 Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl Date/Time: Saturday, December 29th, 10:15 p.m. (ET)
2012 Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl On TV: ESPN, Watch ESPN

Key #1: Gary Patterson has to stick to his winning ways
Since 2002, the Horned Frogs have gone a whopping 7-2 in bowl games, and the only losses came in the 2003 Fort Worth Bowl and the 2009 Fiesta Bowl, both of which came against the Boise State Broncos. We have already seen what TCU can do against a Big Ten team, beating up the Wisconsin Badgers 21-19 in a defensive-minded Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day 2011 as well. What’s more about this team is that its defense is always ready for a fight. In the last seven bowl games, which have yielded a 6-1 record, the team hasn’t allowed more than 24 points in any of the games, and it has allowed an average of just 17.1 points per game in that stretch to boot. Add in the fact that the Horned Frogs would have ranked in the Top 10 in the nation defensively had they played in any other conference in America, and it is clear to see that this unit is the glue for the team and will remain the key to beating the Buffalo Wild Wings betting lines and continuing this great tradition of bowl victories for the men clad in purple and black.

Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl Odds at WagerWeb Sportsbook
TCU Horned Frogs -2
Michigan State Spartans +2
Over/Under 40.5
Click Here to Bet Your Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl Picks!

Key #2: Le’Veon Bell has to keep the ball out of Andrew Maxwell’s hands
It’s a tough thing to try to say that a quarterback just has to not throw the football, but the best things that happen to this Michigan State offense all happen with RB Le’Veon Bell carrying the ball. Maxwell put the pill in the air 431 times this year, which just isn’t going to cut it against a TCU defense that is one of the better units in America. He averaged just 6.0 yards per pass attempt, completed 52.9 percent of his passes, and threw just over one touchdown per game on average. Bell on the other hand, had 1,648 rushing yards and 11 TDs, and he averaged touching the football 31.7 times per game, making him a true horse for the offense. Just over the course of the last three games of the regular season, Bell had 35, 32, and 36 carries, and he had well over 500 rushing yards in those outings. Bell had 210+ yards three times this year, including getting 210 against the Boise State Broncos at the outset of the year on 44 carries. This needs to likely be a very similar game for Sparty to pick up a bowl victory.

Key #3: The big uglies in the trenches have to keep the Spartans ahead of the Horned Frogs
We’re not saying that TCU is weak in its front seven by any stretch of the imagination, but the truth of the matter is that Michigan State’s front line is just a more physical and more NFL ready unit. The offense line has been paving holes for Bell all year long, while the defensive front seven features a few true stars that could be immediate impact players at the next level. LB Denicos Allen is definitely one of those men, while DE William Gholston is surely going to be playing on Sunday’s soon. The team isn’t flashy, having forced just 18 turnovers all year long, but the reason that this defense ranks in the Top 10 in the land in total defense, pass defense, and rush defense is because of the play of the big guys up front. This is where the Spartans can be more physical than just about any team that they face on a regular basis, especially outside of the Big Ten, and it is the key to winning this game for sure for the men in green and white.

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