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For the first time in the history of the program, the Florida International Golden Panthers are going to be playing in a bowl game. They’re heading to the Motor City in this post-Christmas treat in order to make your college football picks, as they take on the Toledo Rockets in a standalone game on Sunday night. Which team will help make great Little Caesars Bowl picks for you this weekend? Find out with these three keys to the game.

Key #1: Wesley Carroll has to be the leader for FIU both on the field and on the sidelines
Carroll transferring to Florida International really made a tremendous difference this year for the Golden Panthers. They know that the need to really get some strong leadership in this game, and Carroll is the only player that has even sniffed a bowl game before. Carroll was the starting quarterback in the 2007 Liberty Bowl, which featured an ugly 10-3 win for the Mississippi State Bulldogs over the UCF Knights for the team’s first bowl win in a number of years. Carroll went 8-of-18 for 39 yards with a pick, and he ran for 21 yards in the victory, but we have to remember that he was only a freshman at that point. Now, he is a senior leader for a very young team that is clearly on the rise in the Sun Belt. His numbers were exactly stellar this year, as he only threw for 2,483 yards with a TD/INT ratio of 15/13, but he was clearly head and shoulders above most of the rest of the signal callers that the Sun Belt had to offer this year. Carroll helped Head Coach Mario Cristobal put together a well balanced offense, and averaging 403.8 yards and 28.3 points per game were both the all-time highs for the Golden Panthers in their brief history.

Key #2: With Austin Dantin out, the offensive line has to help the Rockets
QB Austin Dantin was having a great year for the Rockets before he was injured at the end of the season, which really has only left QB Terrance Owens left to lead this offense. Owens has played relatively well in his first collegiate action as well, completing 60.3 percent of his passes for 1,112 yards and 12 TDs against just two picks, and he might be well on his way to having a great career at Toledo. However, at times, he has been flustered this year, and he clearly doesn’t have the legs that Dantin had, which limits his ability to escape. That means that Owens is going to want to turn around and hand the ball off to RB Adonis Thomas quite a bit. Thomas averaged a whopping 6.0 yards per carry this year, and though he didn’t quite reach 1,000 yards on the season, he did score six times and is a legitimate threat to make it to the century mark in every game that he plays. The trick is going to be opening up holes for Thomas and giving Owens time in the pocket to deliver the football. That means that this offensive line is going to have to play quite well against the Golden Panthers, who had a sneakily good defense this year at 365.1 yards per game allowed.

Key #3: FIU must stop the man that Toledo must get the ball to: Eric Page
Through three games this year, WR Eric Page only had 13 catches for 156 yards and a TD. In his final nine games, the sophomore averaged a whopping 9.0 catches and 102.8 yards per game, and he scored seven times. For his career, Page already has 176 catches for 2,240 yards and 15 trips to the end zone, and he is going to be a force to be reckoned with in this one even though he is only a sophomore. These last two games of the regular season, wins against both the Bowling Green Falcons and Central Michigan Chippewas, produced 21 catches for 238 yards and three TDs, and Page has also found the end zone in five straight. The Golden Panthers ranked No. 40 in the country against the pass this year at 205.5 yards per game. They did have a few games this year in which they faced some great receivers, and for the most part, they did fairly well. They kept WR Jeff Fuller down to just four grabs for 73 yards for the Texas A&M Aggies, and they limited WR Jerrel Jernigan for the Troy Trojans to just 32 yards in spite of the fact that he had ten receptions.

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The Hawaii Bowl is the early Christmas gift for NCAA football betting fans each and every season, and this year is no exception. For those on the Big Island, the chance to see the home team play at Aloha Stadium is the perfect present. The Hawaii Warriors will take on the Tulsa Golden Hurricane in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl. Ready to make your college football picks in this one? Be sure to take a look at the three big time keys to this game that will help determine the winner.

Key #1: Tulsa’s pass defense absolutely has to find some sort of help
This was the Achilles heel for the Golden Hurricane all season long, and this is absolutely the worst possible matchup for them to take on in this bowl season. They were one of the few teams in the land that allowed at least 300 yards per game to opposing aerial assaults, and there were several games this year in which teams dropped at least 400 yards on them. To make matters worse for Tulsa, Hawaii has a passing game that has averaged over 380 yards per game this year, and QB Bryant Moniz is the only man in the country that has the ability to throw for 5,000 yards. WR Greg Salas has 1,675 yards and 12 scores this year, but there is no doubt that WR Kealoha Pilares is the best No. 2 receiver in the land, WR Royce Pollard is the best No. 3 receiver in the land, and WR Rodney Bradley is the best No. 4 receiver in the land. Pilares had 15 TDs this year, one of the highest marks in major college football, while Pollard and Bradley combined for 1,283 yards on 104 receptions with seven TDs, numbers which most teams would be thrilled to have out of their first and second receivers. If there’s no stopping Moniz, there’s no stopping Hawaii, particularly at home where the team really shined.

Key #2: Hawaii needs to keep its offense well rounded
The Warriors aren’t just a one dimensional team. They did rank No. 1 in the country in the passing game, but they weren’t without their abilities to run the football either. RB Alex Green had the highest yards per carry average against qualified running backs at 8.8 yards per rush. He had just 133 attempts this year, but he made the most of them, rumbling for 1,168 yards and 17 TDs. The beauty for Green was that he really blew up at the end of the season, accounting for 453 yards and four TDs over the course of the last two games of the season. Only the best well rounded teams have really torched this Tulsa defense, though everyone had its licks. This is going to be the man that really has to be stopped for the Golden Hurricane to at least have a half of a chance to beat the Hawaii Bowl lines.

Key #3: GJ Kinne has to be virtually perfect
It’s really easy to say that a quarterback playing a perfect game is going to be the key to victory, but for Tulsa, this isn’t an exaggeration whatsoever. He really might have to play a perfect game to cover up the inevitable blunders of his defense. We know that the Warriors are going to score. The question is whether or not the Golden Hurricane can keep up or not. The ball was in Kinne’s hands 574 times this season, one of the highest totals in the land. He was the team’s top passer with 3,307 yards and 28 TDs against ten picks, and he was also the leading rusher with 557 yards and seven scores. However, perhaps even more importantly, Kinne has to make the decision about who he wants to get the ball in the hands of. There wasn’t a legitimate running back on this team that had even 400 yards on the ground, and the top rusher aside from him was WR Damaris Johnson, who had 462 yards on 50 carries, mostly on sweeps from the outside. Mistakes just cannot be made from the point that the snap is taken to the point that the ball leaves his hands, as every decision is crucial. This was a Hawaii defense that was great at forcing turnovers this year. DB Mana Silva had eight picks this year and led a ‘D’ that allowed just 341.8 yards and 22.7 points per game. Though these numbers only ranked No. 40 and No. 42 respectively in the country, they were more than good enough to beat up opponents thanks to an offense that has the ability to be picture perfect.

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The Boise State Broncos and Utah Utes were two of the best mid major programs all season long, but both fell upon hard times and lost games inexplicably to take them out of the BCS race. Though neither one is playing in that illustrious game that they were hoping for, they are going to meet up in Sin City on Wednesday night in the MAACO’s Las Vegas Bowl, with some big time bragging rights on the line. Boise State will be taking Utah’s spot in the Mountain West Conference in the future, while the Utes head over to the Pac-10. But which team will grab the upper hand when these two match wits on Wednesday night? Check out our keys to the Las Vegas Bowl here at Bankroll Sports.

Key #1: Does Boise State want to be here?
All too often, teams that think they are heading to BCS games that end up playing in secondary events don’t really prepare the same sort of way that they would have if they were in the big bowls. Quite often, the end result shows the team that wanted to be in the game playing a significantly better game than the one that really didn’t want to be there. The Broncos definitely still have to feel spurned just a bit by the BCS in spite of the fact that their one loss came against a team ranked in the Top 20. Still, the WAC shouldn’t have been so difficult this year that they were beaten to the point that they didn’t win the conference crown. Head Coach Chris Petersen definitely has his work cut out for him to be able to make sure that when this one kicks off on Wednesday night that his boys are ready to give its best shot. If it does, this game really shouldn’t be all that close.

Key #2: Terrance Cain must play like a star
When you’re going against a defense that is allowing just 155.8 yards per game through the air, you know you have your work cut out for you, especially when that team held the Hawaii Warriors under 200 passing yards for the game earlier this year. QB Jordan Wynn is being held out of this game with an injury, which has really opened the door for the senior leader of this team, Cain, to take charge once again. Cain really found himself on the short end of the stick in Salt Lake City last year when Wynn, the freshman young gun, came in and played tremendous ball. In last year’s Poinsettia Bowl, Wynn threw for three TDs and had a true bust out game. Though he didn’t play poorly this year, Wynn never really looked like an elite QB in his sophomore campaign, throwing for 2,334 yards and 17 TDs against ten picks. Cain got to start two games and play some mop up time in a few others. For the most part, he played very, very well, throwing for 610 yards and six scores against two INTs. His blunder though, came in the final game of Utah’s season in the Holy War against the BYU Cougars. Cain came in to relieve to injured Wynn and went just 2-for-7 for eight yards with two INTs, nearly costing the Utes the game. He is the man that needs to really be in charge for the underdogs in this one to be able to spring the upset.

Key #3: Boise State’s offense needs to be heroes and prove that they aren’t a product of the weak WAC
In games against teams from outside the major conferences and outside the Top 25 this year, Boise State averaged a stunning 52.2 points per game. It tallied at least 48 in all eight of those games and really played some tremendous ball. However, in its four games against teams from BCS conferences or those against teams from the Top 25 (or nearly in the Top 25) from the WAC, the Broncos only averaged 35.8 points per game and never scored more than 42 in any of those. Now, there’s no shame in averaging 35.8 points per game against any type of schedule in the country, but if they’re going to beat a number like this one and make for successful Las Vegas Bowl picks, the Broncos need to make sure they exceed this number on the scoreboard against the Utes. Putting up all of these yards and points is nice, but doing it against the best competition in the country is what is really going to make the difference. Unfortunately for Boise State, especially against a defense that is averaging allowing just 319.7 yards and 19.8 points per game against a significantly tougher schedule, it really might not be able to just run wild like it thinks it will.

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The Louisville Cardinals fought long and hard all season long to beat the college football odds often enough to make it to the Beef O’Brady’s Bowl in St. Petersburg, FL. The Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles had an up and down season, but they were certainly one of the best teams in a very respectable Conference USA. These two are going to be in the Sunshine State on Tuesday, December 21st to continue the bowl season. Check of these three keys to the game for these two teams as they get ready to wage war against each other and before you make your Beef O’Brady’s picks.

Key #1: Bilal Powell must be strong for the Cardinals
Louisville thought that it was going to be a team that was based on the pass all season long, but Head Coach Charlie Strong really found a diamond in the rough in the form of Bilal Powell. Powell, who hadn’t rushed for even 400 yards in a season prior to this, busted out for easily the biggest year of his life, rushing for 1,330 yards and ten TDs. The rushing attack was great for the Redbirds all season long, averaging 181.9 yards per game, ranking No. 32 in the land. With Adam Froman dealing with a leg injury, Powell is going to be the man in charge of this offense. Southern Miss had one of the best defenses in Conference USA this year against opposing ground games, allowing just 109.8 yards per game. One way or the other, this is going to be the biggest key for both teams, as Powell won’t just be providing points to the game, but will be keeping that potent SMS offense off of the field.

Beef O’Brady’s Bowl Odds at BetUS Sportsbook
Louisville Cardinals -2.5
Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles +2.5
Over/Under 57
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Key #2: The “better” SMS defense has to be the one that comes to play
We’ve mentioned how great the Golden Eagles were against the rush this year, but part of the reason for that is because teams have been destroying their secondary all year long. They gave up 248.8 yards per game through the air, ranking No. 103 in the nation. This defense was torched for at least 41 points five times this year, including basically every game against a rock solid offense. Louisville, at least by Big East standards, didn’t have a great ‘O’ this year, but there’s no telling what could happen when you pit these teams against each other from these different conferences, especially when you’re talking about bowl games with weeks and weeks to prepare for the games. However, we know if the bad ‘D’ that allowed 56 points to the Tulsa Golden Hurricane in the finale of the regular season, the Golden Eagles really don’t stand even half of a chance of winning this game.

Key #3: The passing game has to get something going for the Golden Eagles
This is going to be a fantastic showdown between these two units. The Golden Eagles have one of the most dynamic offenses in the country, and the argument could be made that this might be the best SMS offense in the school’s history. There weren’t a ton of teams that averaged at least 200 yards per game both through the air and on the ground. QB Austin Davis has rushed for 436 yards and has thrown for 2,898 yards. He really only had a few games to really be disappointed with, and for every game that was a dud, he had at least one that was a real stud effort. The ground game for the Golden Eagles is likely to at least something going, as there are just too many good rushers on this team, including RB Kendrick Hardy, RB Desmond Johnson, and RB Tracey Lampley, all of which had at least 350 yards on the year. Davis needs to be a rock in this one and work the ball around to all of his targets. The Big East wasn’t a fantastic passing league this year, which probably skews some of the numbers for the Louisville passing defense. Still, this is no mistake the Strong came over from the University of Florida and immediately made this defense a formidable one. The Cards averaged allowing just 162.5 yards per game this year, ranking No. 9 in the country.

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Down in the Bayou, representatives from the MAC and the Sun Belt are going to square off, as the Ohio Bobcats match up with the Troy Trojans in the New Orleans Bowl. These two teams have both had very up and down seasons, but they come together having just barely squeaked into the second season. Which one of these teams will be able to beat the slender college football odds on this day? Find out as we offer the keys to beating the New Orleans Bowl lines for Saturday night.

Key #1: Boo Jackson has to put up better numbers against an iffy defense… if he plays
If the Trojans had a major problem this year, it was that their defense was incredibly inconsistent. The unit ranked No. 101 against the pass this year at 247.6 yards per game, and they were just a pitiful No. 94 overall at 419.2 yards per game. There weren’t many bowl teams on this schedule this year, as there were only four teams that are going to the second season. The game against the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders should probably be thrown out, as it was the first time that QB Dwight Dasher suited up this season. However, in the other three games against bowl teams, Troy allowed 41 points to the Oklahoma State Cowboys, 52 to the Florida International Golden Panthers, and 69 to the South Carolina Gamecocks. Now a senior, QB Boo Jackson is playing in his final game with the Bobcats. He really did nothing but digress for the majority of his career after a stunning sophomore campaign, and his last few games of the regular season were probably his worst. Jackson was intercepted in ten of his 12 games this year, and the fact that he threw for just 133 yards and two picks against the Kent State Golden Flashes in the last game of the season was what kept the Bobcats out of the MAC Championship Game. Jackson had four games this year where he didn’t even get to double digits in completions, and for a man that doesn’t have a stellar running game, nor a solid set of legs himself, only throwing for 1,688 yards just didn’t cut it. He hasn’t thrown for more than 240 yards in a game all season long and will probably need more than that to survive against Troy. The problem that Jackson has right now is that he is fighting bowl eligibility issues. He has undisclosed academic problems right now, and at least as far as this point, he hasn’t made the trek to the Crescent City with the rest of the team. If that’s the case, the man that started the season, QB Phillip Bates, the team’s second leading rusher, is going to be calling the shots.

New Orleans Bowl Odds at Diamond Sportsbook 
Ohio Bobcats +2
Troy Trojans -2
Over/Under 58
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Key #2: Corey Robinson has to be a strong leader, even as just a freshman
QB Corey Robinson has plenty of college football left in his arm, and he has had a great first year at the helm in Troy. He has thrown for 3,339 yards and 24 TDs already, and he has had eight games with at least two TD passes on the year. Robinson really became the only quarterback option for the team over the course of the last month or so of the season, as the rest of the signal callers sort of became obsolete all of a sudden. In that last month of the year, Robinson threw for 300+ yards in three of his five games, giving him a total of five 300+ yard games on the campaign. The key is going to be his completion percentage. In games in which the frosh completed at least 60% of his passes, he is 6-1. In games in which he was under that 60% barrier, the team went just 1-4, and several of those losses were brutal. This is a relatively young Troy team that is direly still looking for a leader. This is the game where Robinson can step up and take charge, setting the tone for the next three years, and if he does, the Trojans will be tough to stop.

Key #3: Ohio needs to keep tabs on Jerrel Jernigan
In his career, WR Jerrel Jernigan has done just about everything that a man can do on a football field. He is just one catch away from setting a career high in receptions this year, and though he probably isn’t having his best season, he is also clearly not playing on a team that is as talented as it was when QB Levi Brown was calling the shots. Jernigan has already accounted for 5,916 yards in his career between rushing, receiving, returning, and passing, and he has been good for 774 receiving yards, 301 punt return yards, 600 kick return yards, 306 rushing yards, and 41 passing yards this year to go with nine TDs. The 2,022 yards is a career high, and left Jernigan with an average of 168.5 yards per game that he accounts for by himself. The Bobcats have a defense which is surrendering just 316.6 yards per game, and this unit really needs to make sure that it keeps tabs on Jernigan at all times to be successful in this one.

If you’re a fan of NCAA football picks, you’re going to love the Humanitarian Bowl this year! Two of the more underrated mid major clubs in the country lock horns on Boise State’s Smurf Turf, as the Fresno State Bulldogs, who have already been crippled once on this field, take on the Northern Illinois Huskies. This is the second bowl game of the year and is one that you certainly won’t want to miss out on. But will it be the MAC or the WAC that is celebrating when this toss up is over with? The oddsmakers can’t figure out who to favor in this one, but we certainly can help you pick out a winner! Check out these keys to the game you must consider before making your Humanitarian Bowl picks!

Key #1: Northern Illinois has to act like a team that wants to be here
The Huskies finally have their new man, as former Wisconsin Badgers Defensive Coordinator Dave Doeren is going to be taking over at the conclusion of this game. However, the man in charge now is linebackers coach Tom Matukewicz, as he has been leading the team in preparation for the Humanitarian Bowl. The departure of Head Coach Jerry Kill to the Minnesota Golden Gophers came as a bit of a surprise to many, but perhaps it shouldn’t have been for the Huskies. They just barely had cracked the Top 25 after going 8-0 SU and 7-0-1 ATS in MAC play, and they clearly play in an inferior conference to Minnesota. Now, without a real leader, the Huskies have to unite and come back from the devastating loss in the MAC Championship Game to the Miami Redhawks as well. We tend to believe that NIU has the better team in this game, but if it doesn’t play like it wants to be here in Boise, it is probably going to end up on the short end of the stick.

Humanitarian Bowl Odds at JustBet
Northern Illinois Huskies -1
Fresno State Bulldogs +1
Over/Under 58.5
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Key #2: Ryan Colburn and the rushing game must keep Fresno State balanced
Northern Illinois had one of the most balanced defenses in the entire country this year, holding teams to just 328.2 yards per game and ranking No. 35 or better in every major defensive category. At times this year though, the Bulldogs didn’t stay as true to themselves both with the pass and with the run. It seemed as though when RB Robbie Rouse was in the game, he was the one getting the football. Rouse touched the ball 205 times in just ten games this year, and he accounted for over 1,200 yards of offense and ten of the team’s 41 offensive TDs. When Rouse wasn’t in there though, there was no confidence in any other running back and QB Ryan Colburn was stuck putting the ball in the air a ton. Colburn threw for 2,529 yards this year, but his numbers were all over the board to get there. He put the ball up 33 or more times four times this year, but he also threw 26 or fewer times eight times. Needless to say, this type of inconsistency just isn’t going to cut it, especially when you know that the best opponents you have played have killed you this year. In these games against the Hawaii Warriors, Boise State Broncos, and Nevada Wolf Pack, Colburn threw for just 176.0 yards per game and completed an average of just 13.7 passes per game. That won’t cut it against Northern Illinois. Both Colburn and Rouse have to keep their acts together at the same time, or stopping this Huskies defense is going to be impossible.

Key #3: Chandler Harnish must be forced into some mistakes
QB Chandler Harnish did a fantastic job all season long taking care of the football. The junior only threw five picks for the campaign, and he hasn’t thrown a blunder since the end of the game against the Ball State Cardinals back on November 20th. He also has seven TDs in that stretch. A 20/5 TD/INT ratio for the season was the best for any signal caller in the MAC and one of the best in the entire country, and Harnish should be proud of that. The only thing that gets him in trouble at times is when he tries to do too much with his legs but cannot figure out how to get all the way to the perimeter to break loose. Harnish has a great running back to rely on in RB Chad Spann, and stopping Spann is going to be virtually impossible as it is for a rush defense that was really worked over by a few teams this year. Harnish had five games this year with at least 70 yards on the ground, including three with at least 110. If he has that type of momentum and isn’t making mistakes, this offense for Northern Illinois is very, very tough to stop. There’s a reason these guys scored an average of 47.8 points per game in the regular season in conference play this year.

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The New Mexico Bowl will kick off the 2010 bowl season on Saturday afternoon, and here at Bankroll Sports, we have the ins and outs covered for a great game for you to make your NCAA football picks for. The BYU Cougars and UTEP Miners really played opposite seasons of each other, as the Miners started off strong and limped to the finish line, while BYU won five straight games to become bowl eligible before losing the Holy War to the Utah Utes by a narrow margin. Which team will end up beating the 11.5 point spread in favor of the Cougs? Check out these three New Mexico Bowl keys to the game.

Key #1: Protecting Trevor Vittatoe
The BYU defense has done a great job this year against opposing passing games, especially in the second half of the campaign. The team only allowed 187.8 yards per game this year through the air, one of the top marks in the MWC and good enough to rank No. 21 in the country. No one threw for over 300 yards on this ‘D’ all season long. For UTEP, QB Trevor Vittatoe is dealing with an ankle injury, and though he is going to be playing in the game, he is probably going to be hobbled just a bit as well. Over the course of the last three seasons, the signal call was sacked 21, 25, and 22 times respectively, but the OL did a lot nicer job this year, allowing him to get dropped behind the line just 14 times. Of late, those numbers are getting worse, and more and more pressure is getting into his face. Vittatoe has only completed 37 passes over his last three games, and he hasn’t made it to the 200 yard mark in any of those efforts, averaging under 150 yards per game. He hasn’t thrown a TD pass in almost nine quarters of game time and has been picked off twice in that stretch as well. It’s fairly clear that, when given a chance, Vittatoe is lethal. He threw for 340 yards and three TDs against the Houston Cougars and 246 yards and five scores against the New Mexico State Aggies. However, this is probably the best pass defense he has seen all season long, and if the Cougs get to him in the backfield consistently, the Miners are in some big time trouble.

New Mexico Bowl Odds at BetUS Sportsbook
Northern Illinois Huskies -1
Fresno State Bulldogs +1
Over/Under 58.5
Click Here to Bet on Your New Mexico Bowl Picks! 

Key #2: Jake Heaps needs to play like the signal caller he was in the final four games of the year and not the one from the first two months
True freshmen sometimes get a bad rap for the way that they play. Sometimes it’s justified and they just never grow into themselves. Other times, they just need some more time to shine. That’s exactly what happened with QB Jake Heaps this year for the Cougs. He started off the season splitting reps with QB Riley Nelson, a far more experienced and significantly more mobile option. However, HC Bronco Mendenhall turned the keys to the car, per se, over to Heaps going into the game against the Nevada Wolf Pack. He struggled mightily in his first four games as the lone starter, throwing six picks and no scores. However, since the start of November, Heaps has been fantastic. He has completed 61.7 percent of his passes for an average of just under 250 yards per game with nine TDs and just one INT. All but two of his TD passes this year came in the month of November. Remember last year when Utah Utes QB Jordan Wynn really shined brightly down the stretch and in his bowl game? That’s exactly what Heaps has to do here in the New Mexico Bowl to beat the Miners.

Key #3: Someone aside from JJ Luigi needs to help Heaps out
RB JJ Di Luigi did just about everything for the Cougars this year. He had the most carries on the team (158), the most receptions (42), the most rushing yards (819), the most receiving yards (422) and the most total TDs (8). We know that, whether as a rusher or a receiver, Di Luigi is going to get his numbers, and there is nothing that the UTEP defense can do about it. What the Miners have to do though, is shut down everyone else around him. RBs Bryan Kariya and Joshua Quezada have combined for over 1,000 total yards from scrimmage this year, but there isn’t a receiver out there that has more than 34 catches or even 400 yards for BYU aside from Di Luigi. We know that both WR Cody Hoffman and WR Luke Ashworth are threats, but that doesn’t mean that they are going to be able to really bust out. UTEP has to contain these men on the outside and keep from letting the big play happen. There was only one pass play all season long that went for more than 50 yards for the Cougars, and the Miners need to make sure that it stays that way.