Triple option fans will revel in this one on Monday night at the Independence Bowl, where we’ll make our college football picks on the duel between the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and the Air Force Falcons. These two teams have virtually similar resumes to work with, and though Air Force had the better record, Georgia Tech clearly had the more difficult schedule. Both teams could be missing key pieces to the puzzle as well, which could make this one very, very interesting. Check out our keys to the game for beating the Independence Bowl odds on Monday.

Key #1: Jared Tew has to be a part of the offense again after the long layoff
Tew was really expected to be the key cog in the triple option attack this year for the Falcons, and we was off to a great start, running for 540 yards and three TDs on 110 carries over the course of the first half of the season. However, he broke his leg, which was thought to end his senior season. From “out for the season” to “probable,” Tew has worked his way up the depth chart and has worked himself into game condition again. He’ll probably give it a go here in the Independence Bowl, but whether he is going to be able to really be himself or not after over two months off is a different question. The three year letterman at Air Force has rushed for over 1,800 yards for his career, and he would love nothing more than to be able to cap it all off with a great performance in a bowl game in his career season.

Key #2: Tevin Washington has to prove that he can beat a bowl team
Just as Air Force had some problems with Tew being out of the lineup, QB Josh Nesbitt has been out as well. He has been out of the fold for the last four games of the regular season, which has left Washington, the future leader of this triple option in charge. The sophomore has thrown for 376 yards and has rushed for 383 more yards. However, he has turned the ball over quite a bit, and since he has taken over under center, the Ramblin’ Wreck have three losses and just one win, and the one ‘W’ came against the Duke Blue Devils. Head Coach Paul Johnson knows that the key of this triple option offense is that the quarterback has to make sound decisions and cannot turn the ball over, and really only scoring a substantial amount of points against two very poor defensive teams in the Georgia Bulldogs and Duke Blue Devils doesn’t do anything for us. Washington really has to step his game up after a month of practice to beat the Falcons.

Key #3: Georgia Tech has to be prepared for a team that has really played a tough slate
We made mention that the Ramblin’ Wreck played a better schedule, but we really can’t discount the fact that the Falcons really played a brutal slate. This was a team that hung around with the Oklahoma Sooners on the road and nearly took out the San Diego State Aztecs at Qualcomm Stadium as well. The three TD win over the BYU Cougars really does look impressive, and a 14-6 victory over the Navy Midshipmen proved that Air Force could stop the triple option as well. The bottom line is that the Academy really has seen it all, and there is no way that this is going to be a team that is intimidated going into this one. Georgia Tech, on the other hand, only has two wins over bowl teams this year, with the better team on the bunch being the North Carolina Tar Heels. However, ‘W’s against the Tar Heels and the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders really don’t do anything for us, especially knowing that the one win with Washington calling the shots was the Duke Blue Devils.

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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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Week 16 of the 2010 NFL campaign is going to get underway this weekend and the . Below you will find the current list of 2010 Week 16 NFL lines and spreads along with a breakdown of the Week 16 NFL odds. Be sure to check out the free NFL picks from the expert handicappers at Bankroll Sports this weekend…

The playoff races can really get sorted out once and for all in Week 16, as virtually every single spot in the postseason can be clinched this week with the right results, while other teams are just narrowly hanging on for dear life for that last slender shot at capturing the Lombardi Trophy.

The weekend is going to kick off on Thursday night, as the Pittsburgh Steelers can help make the race in the AFC North a heck of a lot less interesting if they can beat the Carolina Panthers. Carolina showed its pulse last week by beating the Arizona Cardinals at home, but this is obviously a totally different situation, especially with the men in black and gold coming off of their loss to the New York Jets in Week 15. You’ll want to make sure you keep track of our NFL picks in this one, as Pittsburgh is being asked to lay a hefty 13.5 points. A win parlayed with a Baltimore Ravens loss wins the AFC North and clinches a first round bye in the playoffs in the AFC.

The New England Patriots are just one win away from snaring the No. 1 seed in the playoffs as well. The pressure is really off of QB Tom Brady and company in this one, as there are two chances to get the job done. You can bet that the Bills, who have been playing tough ball of late, are going to want to continue their streak of games having stuck within at least three points. New England is favored by 8.5 points on the NFL betting lines, though.

One of the most interesting games of the second to last Sunday of the regular season happens at the Edward Jones Dome, where the St. Louis Rams and San Francisco 49ers meet up. The Rams probably need to win both of their final two games to get into the playoffs this season, which would complete a remarkable turnaround from a season in which they went just 1-15. St. Louis might only be 6-8 this year, but it can ensure that next week’s game becomes a de facto NFC West title game against the Seattle Seahawks by putting San Fran out of its misery once and for all. Somehow, the 49ers just continue to stick around in this division race, and two wins will most likely win the division at 7-9. In this one though, they are 2.5 point underdogs.

The Tennessee Titans and Kansas City Chiefs put their playoff hopes on the line at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday as well. The Titans need two wins paired with two losses by both the Jacksonville Jaguars and Indianapolis Colts to get into the playoffs, something that is going to be very difficult, yet at least potentially reasonable. KC wins the AFC West with a win and a loss by the San Diego Chargers in Week 16. Even though they are 6-0 at home this year, the Chiefs feel like they are getting disrespected on the opening Week 16 lines in this one, as they are favored by just five points over a team that is most likely finishing below .500.

As for the Colts as Jags, they’re both favored in their week 16 games. Jacksonville should have a significantly easier time against the Washington Redskins, where it is favored by 6.5 points, than Indy will against the Oakland Raiders, where it is a field goal choice of the oddsmakers. Indianapolis needs a combination of two wins or two Jacksonville losses to get into the playoffs by winning the AFC South.

Though the contest probably means very little, the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints will meet on Monday Night Football, the final one of the 2010 campaign. Atlanta wins the NFC South and the No. 1 seed in the playoffs with a win, but the exact same thing will be accomplished with a win next week against the Carolina Panthers at home. New Orleans can clinch a playoff berth with a win as well on Monday, though that spot might already be clinched with some help prior to this kickoff. The Falcons won the battle between these two teams at the Superdome in OT earlier this year, and they are 2.5 point favorites to pick up the season sweep on MNF.

2010 NFL Football Week 16 Lines @ BetUS Sportsbook (as of 12/20/10):
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Week 16 NFL Lines for Thursday, 12/23/10

101 Carolina Panthers +13.5
102 Pittsburgh Steelers -13.5
Over/Under 37

Week 16 Spreads for Saturday, 12/25/10

103 Dallas Cowboys -6.5
104 Arizona Cardinals +6.5
Over/Under 45

Week 16 Lines for Sunday, 12/26/10

105 Detroit Lions +3.5
106 Miami Dolphins -3.5
Over/Under 41.5

107 Minnesota Vikings OTB
108 Philadelphia Eagles OTB
Over/Under OTB

109 Washington Redskins +6.5
110 Jacksonville Jaguars -6.5
Over/Under 45.5

111 San Francisco 49ers +2.5
112 St. Louis Rams -2.5
Over/Under 39.5

113 Seattle Seahawks +6
114 Tampa Bay Buccaneers -6
Over/Under 43

115 New England Patriots -8.5
116 Buffalo Bills +8.5
Over/Under 44.5

117 New York Jets OTB
118 Chicago Bears OTB
Over/Under OTB

119 Baltimore Ravens -3
120 Cleveland Browns +3
Over/Under 39.5

121 Tennessee Titans +5
122 Kansas City Chiefs -5
Over/Under 41.5

123 Indianapolis Colts -3
124 Oakland Raiders +3
Over/Under 47

125 Houston Texans -2.5
126 Denver Broncos +2.5
Over/Under 48.5

127 New York Giants OTB
128 Green Bay Packers OTB
Over/Under OTB

129 San Diego Chargers -7.5
130 Cincinnati Bengals +7.5
Over/Under 44.5

Week 16 Spreads for Monday, 12/27/10

131 New Orleans Saints +2.5
132 Atlanta Falcons -2.5
Over/Under 48.5

The Carolina Panthers come into this Thursday Night Football duel with very little hope of actually beating the Pittsburgh Steelers. However, there are still some tremendous props on the board for this game that we can profit with, so be sure to check out our Carolina/Pittsburgh prop picks for Thursday!

Jonathan Stewart Over/Under 78.5 Rushing Yards
Let’s just be reasonable here, shall we? You’re asking Stewart to get to 79 yards against a defense which allows less than 65 yards per game on the ground, when Stewart splits his carries with RB Mike Goodson, and when his team is clearly going to be trailing the entire game? C’mon now. Let’s get real here, ladies and gents. Let’s get real. There’s absolutely no way that Stewart is getting to this number unless he busts a tremendous one early in the game. This is Pittsburgh, where the best running backs in the league essentially come to die. Bank on Stewart going Under 78.5 Rushing Yards (-150 at Hollywood Sportsbook) on Thursday Night Football.

Rashard Mendenhall Over/Under 99.5 Rushing Yards
Carolina definitely doesn’t have a strong rush defense, ranking No. 23 in the league at 126.2 yards per game, but asking Mendenhall to get to 100 yards tonight is a tall task for a man that has just four games at the century mark on the ground this year. Though we know that the former member of the Illinois Fighting Illini has carried the ball a ton over the course of the season, we’re not so certain that, especially if this game gets out of hand, that Head Coach Mike Tomlin won’t want to give him a breather and use men like RB Isaac Redman to tote the rock some more. We’ll take our chances that Mendenhall stays Under 99.5 Rushing Yards (-115 at Hollywood Sportsbook).

Ben Roethlisberger Over/Under 1.5 TD Passes
This is perhaps the most interesting prop on the board on Thursday Night Football, as one would figure that there is no way that Big Ben doesn’t throw at least two TD passes against one of the worst teams in football. However, with potentially iffy conditions, we know that there are going to be some longer drives in this game. The Steelers aren’t one of these teams that needs to win games by three or four TDs just to prove a point. Wins are wins. Heck, against the Cincinnati Bengals in a very similar situation, Big Ben didn’t throw a single TD pass and the offense only had one TD. Though Roethlisberger does have three TDs in three games this year and one other game with at least two picks, we’re not so certain that that is going to happen again on this night. Don’t be shocked if the Panthers find a way to keep him Under 1.5 TD Passes (+110 at Hollywood Sportsbook) and gives us a huge cash.

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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.