2012 Holiday 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 UCLA Bruins and the Baylor Bears. Join us for our Holiday Bowl keys to the game, complete with our 2012 Baylor vs. UCLA predictions, only right here at Bankroll Sports.

2012 Holiday Bowl: UCLA Bruins vs. Baylor Bears
2012 Holiday Bowl Location: Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, CA
2012 Holiday Bowl Date/Time: Thursday, December 27th, 9:45 p.m. (ET)
2012 Holiday Bowl On TV: ESPN, Watch ESPN

Click Here For The Rest Of The 2012-13 Bowl Game Schedule And Other Bowl Game Previews

Key #1: One of these teams has to play some defense
It’s the obvious statement to make in a game when the ‘total’ is as high as any bowl game has ever seen at 82.5 (and rising), but it’s the truth in this one. We have seen UCLA play in some games like this one in the past, and the key to beating the Arizona Wildcats and the USC Trojans was the fact that the defense came up with two of its better games of the year in those victories. Baylor too, was only able to win games this year in which the defense at least made a few plays, such as allowing 34 points to the Oklahoma State Cowboys or 24 to the Kansas State Wildcats. It was really sad to think that this club scored 63 in a game and still lost by a touchdown to the West Virginia Mountaineers and then turned around three weeks later, scored 50 in Austin and still lost to the Texas Longhorns. It’s not going to take total Herculean efforts on either side to win this one, but whichever team can make a play here or a play there to help quell what would have been a touchdown drive in all likelihood will be the one that ultimately goes on to beat the Holiday Bowl odds.

Holiday Bowl Odds at BetGuardian Sportsbook
UCLA Bruins -3
Baylor Bears +3
Over/Under 82.5
Click Here to Bet Your Holiday Bowl Picks!

Key #2: The Baylor defense has to have an answer for Johnathan Franklin
About the only good news that the Baylor ‘D’ has to bring to the table in this game is that the club “only” ranks 90th in the NCAA in rush defense at 190.8 yards per game. Of course, a lot of that is because the teams in the Big XII are generally a lot more based upon the pass than the run, and the Bears themselves aren’t much of an exception to that rule. That being said, the Bruins would much rather keep the ball on the ground. QB Brett Hundley gets the job done with his feet, but the bell cow of this offense is RB Johnathan Franklin. With 1,701 rushing yards already under his belt, Franklin still has a chance to lead the nation in rushing if he can get over 200 yards on the ground in his final game. Don’t think that he is beyond doing it either, knowing that he just rumbled for 194 yards on a fantastic Stanford Cardinal defense in the Pac-12 Championship Game. Franklin has 4,370 rushing yards and a total of 34 TDs in his career, and he has put together 10 rushing TDs in his last seven games, including scoring at least twice in four out of those seven. This is a man that Baylor simply has to contain, knowing that Franklin has had at least 160 rushing yards in four of his last six.

Key #3: Terrance Williams has to be the best receiver in the nation
No man had more receiving yards in the regular season this year than did Williams, who had 95 catches, 1,764 yards, and 12 TDs. He had eight of those scores in his first five games of the year though, which really brings up some questions down the stretch. Williams also only had a total of 24 receptions in his last four games, and he only exceeded 91 yards once in those four outings. We have seen this man explode before, as he has had four games this year with double digits worth of receptions, eight games with at least 130 yards, and four games in which he averaged at least 21 yards per catch. Williams has the talent to do anything that he wants to against this unit, but in the end, we have to remember that the Bruins, for all of their flaws defensive, did hold WR Marqise Lee to a relatively tame 9/158/1 stat line, most of which was picked up in the second half of that game against the Bruins. This secondary definitely doesn’t stink as bad as Baylor’s does, and that could make this a huge challenge for the Bears.

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Our 2012 bowl predictions continue on Thursday, December 27th with the Military Bowl, and we are set to make our Military Bowl predictions, tips, and keys to the game for the duel between the San Jose State Spartans and the Bowling Green Falcons.

2012 Military Bowl: San Jose State Spartans vs. Bowling Green Falcons
2012 Military Bowl Location: RFK Stadium, Washington DC
2012 Military Bowl Date/Time: Thursday, December 27th, 3:00 p.m. (ET)
2012 Military Bowl On TV: ESPN, Watch ESPN

Click Here For The Rest Of The 2012-13 Bowl Game Schedule And Other Bowl Game Previews

Key #1: Bene Benwikere and the Spartans ‘D’ has to make some big plays
The Spartans have had some troubles over the course of the year stopping some of the higher octane offenses that the nation has had to offer. Granted, we do recognize the fact that this ‘D’ did allow just 21.4 points per game this year, but conceding 43 to the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs and 34 to the San Diego State Aztecs does raise an eyebrow or two. DB Bene Benwikere did pick off seven passes this year, leading a secondary that tied for 23rd in the nation with 15 INTs on the campaign, and the team forced a stunning 31 turnovers in just 12 games. A lot of those turnovers came against some of the miserable teams in the WAC though, and Benwikere and the SJSU defense has to be able to make some of these big plays against an offense that has been known to turn the ball over. QB Matt Schilz alone tossed 12 interceptions in 2012.

Military Bowl Odds at WagerWeb Sportsbook
San Jose State Spartans -7.5
Bowling Green Falcons +7.5
Over/Under 44
Click Here to Bet Your Military Bowl Picks!

Key #2: The Bowling Green defensive backs have to contain the passing attack
The Falcons allowed just 173.0 yards per game this year, so they know what it takes to be able to slow down some solid passing games. None of the quarterbacks that have been seen this year though, have had nearly as good of a year as QB David Fales has had. Not only does Fales have 31 TD passes, and not only does he have 3,797 passing yards already, but he has been incredibly efficient as well. Fales has completed 72.1 percent of his passes, and he has averaged 9.3 yards per pass attempt. More important might be the fact that both WR Noel Grigsby and WR Ryan Otten both averaged at least 16 yards per catch this year. That’s a heck of a lot of big time plays, and it almost seems expected that these two are going to figure out how to get the job done. Still, those big plays have to be limited, or the MAC reps are in some big time trouble.

Key #3: The Falcons can’t get killed in special teams
The third phase game is most certainly advantage to the Spartans. K Austin Lopez knocked in 15-of-16 field goals on the campaign, and he is just four points shy of 100 for the season. P Harrison Waid averaged 42.4 yards per punt, while as a team, San Jose State averaged 26.3 yards per kickoff return. Bowling Green has had kicking problems all year long, knocking down just 7-of-15 field goals along the way. K Stephen Stein is the short range kicker, as he only has kicks made from 26-yards and further in this year, while K Tyler Tate has just five field goals, none of which have been longer than 42 yards. The punting game has averaged a solid 41.8 yards per game, but the kickoff return game has averaged just 18.6 yards per kick return. This really doesn’t bode well for the Falcons, and they have to keep this game remotely close in the special teams battle if they want to cover the Military Bowl odds.

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The 2012 Belk Bowl picks are going to be difficult to make, as the Cincinnati Bearcats and Duke Blue Devils are set to do battle with one another in a Big East vs. ACC battle. Check out our Belk Bowl predictions and the keys to the game for Cincinnati vs. Duke.

Click Here For The Rest Of The 2012-13 Bowl Game Schedule And Other Bowl Game Previews

2012 Belk Bowl: Cincinnati Bearcats vs. Duke Blue Devils
2012 Belk Bowl Location: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC
2012 Belk Bowl Date/Time: Thursday, December 27th, 6:30 p.m. (ET)
2012 Belk Bowl Television Coverage: ESPN, Watch ESPN

Key #1: The Blue Devils have to prove they can play with the big boys
The Belk Bowl isn’t exactly a BCS bowl game or anything of the sorts, but this is as big of a stage as the Blue Devils have played on in quite some time. They haven’t been in a bowl game in 17 years, and they haven’t won one in over 50 years. That’s a heck of a long time for a team to wait between bowl appearances or bowl victories. Duke played great ball this year against some lousy teams to start the season, but what we have to remember is that there wasn’t a win against a bowl eligible team to show for its work. Head Coach David Cutcliffe and the gang went 0-6 SU and ATS against teams that were bowl eligible and 6-0 SU and ATS against teams that weren’t eligible. The only asterisk to that mark was the fact that the North Carolina Tar Heels would have been eligible if not for the fact that they were faced with a bowl ban handed down by the NCAA. In their last four games of the season, the Blue Devils were outscored by an average score of 49-24.

Famous Belk Bowl Odds at Diamond Sportsbook
Cincinnati Bearcats -9.5
Duke Blue Devils +9.5
Over/Under 60.5
Click Here to Bet Your Famous Belk Bowl Picks!

Key #2: George Winn has to find the end zone for UC
The equation really is frighteningly simple for the Bearcats this year. When RB George Winn has found the end zone, they have done tremendously well. When he hasn’t, they haven’t. Winn has 12 touchdowns on the season spread over six different games. In those games that he has scored, the Cats have averaged 36.0 points per game. In those six outings, Winn has averaged 110.0 rushing yards per game. When he hasn’t scored, Winn has averaged just 90.7 yards per game, and the team has been good for only 26.0 points per game (21.0 points per game against FBS teams). There is a good chance for Winn to get into the end zone in this game against a Duke outfit that has allowed 17 rushing touchdowns in its last seven games.

Key #3: Duke’s seniors have to play like seniors
QB Sean Renfree has started for three seasons for the Blue Devils, while WR Connor Vernon is now in his fourth straight campaign starting. These two men arguably been the best QB/WR tandem that the Blue Devils have had in decades, and it is really showing. Renfree threw for 2,755 yards and 18 TDs this year, and he now has a total of 55 TDs between passing and rushing in the last three campaigns. Vernon has had 273 receptions, 3,630 yards, and 20 trips to the end zone in his four campaigns. He wrapped up his regular season finale with 11 catches, 109 yards, and two scores against Miami, and that marked the third time this year that he had multiple touchdowns in an outing. This is a game where the Blue Devils have everything stacked against them, and if they are going to figure out how to beat the Belk Bowl odds, they’ll need great contributions from their big time leaders that have been around the team for a long time.

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The X’s and O’s of the Little Caesars 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 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers vs. Central Michigan Chippewas. The Little Caesars 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 Western Kentucky vs. Central Michigan predictions!

2012 Little Caesars Bowl: Western Kentucky Hilltoppers vs. Central Michigan Chippewas
2012 Little Caesars Bowl Location: Ford Field, Detroit, MI
2012 Little Caesars Bowl Date/Time: Wednesday, December 26th, 7:30 p.m. (ET)
2012 Little Caesars Bowl On TV: ESPN, Watch ESPN

Click Here For The Rest Of The 2012-13 Bowl Game Schedule And Other Bowl Game Previews

Key #1: Central Michigan has to figure out how to score against a bowl team
The Chippewas haven’t done a whole heck of a lot over the course of the year against bowl teams this year. They won just six games, and none of those games came against bowl teams. In fact, Central Michigan was crushed 41-7 by the Michigan State Spartans, 55-24 by the Northern Illinois Huskies, 50-35 by the Toledo Rockets, 31-13 by the Navy Midshipmen, and 41-30 by the Ball State Cardinals. That’s nothing but losses, and all of those losses came by at least 11 points, while many of the games weren’t even remotely close. Granted, this is likely just as bad, if not the worst of all of the bowl teams that the Chippies have played thus far this year, but still, the situation remains the same. This isn’t Akron, or Eastern Michigan, or Massachusetts, or any of the other lousy teams that CMU beat this year. This is a legitimate game against a team that has won 14 games over the course of the last season and a half.

Little Caesars Bowl Odds at BetRevolution Sportsbook
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers -5.5
Central Michigan Chippewas +5.5
Over/Under 57.5
Click Here to Bet Your Little Caesars Bowl Picks!

Key #2: The moment cannot be too big for the Hilltoppers
It has got to be good to be a Hilltopper right now. Western Kentucky has won those 14 games over the course of the last two seasons. It is unfortunate that the Hilltoppers and Head Coach Willie Taggart are no longer a unit, as Taggart has left for the brighter lights of the South Florida Bulls, but the man that is coming to town now is Bobby Petrino. Petrino might have a checkered past, but there is no doubt that he has won just about everywhere that he has gone, and he should be winning at WKU as well. That being said, this is the first bowl game that the Hilltoppers have ever played in, they have to prove that they are ready to play at this level. Last year, they were snubbed out of a bowl game in spite of the fact that they finished out the year by winning seven of their last eight games and covering nine in a row. This is a veteran team led by QB Kawaun Jakes, but in the end, the team has to prove that it is truly good enough to handle this moment of playing in a bowl game in a standalone time slot against a reasonable team, though this is a nice spot against what is clearly the worst of all of the 70 bowl teams this year.

Key #3: The Chippewas have to figure out how to stop the run
It is clear that RB Antonio Andrews has to be a monster on the ground for the Hilltoppers to win their first ever bowl game. He rushed for 1,609 yards and 11 TDs this season, and he has taken right over for RB Bobby Rainey, who has been one of the most accomplished rushers in the country over the course of the last few years. Andrews rushed for 230 and 238 yards in his last two games of the year, and he averaged 5.8 yards per carry this year. Andrews also averaged 154.3 yards per game on the ground in his last 10 games of the year, and he had at least 88 yards in all of those games. Central Michigan ranked 97th in the country against the run at 196.7 yards per game allowed. That number was all the way up to 246.8 yards per game against teams that qualified for bowl games this year. If all of that continues in this game, this game could end up being a blowout.

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2012 Hawaii 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 SMU Mustangs and the Fresno State Bulldogs. Join us for our Hawaii Bowl keys to the game and our Fresno State vs. SMU predictions.

2012 Hawaii Bowl: SMU Mustangs vs. Fresno State Bulldogs
2012 Hawaii Bowl Location: Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, HI
2012 Hawaii Bowl Date/Time: Monday, December 24th, 8:00 p.m. (ET)
2012 Hawaii Bowl On TV: ESPN, Watch ESPN

Click Here For The Rest Of The 2012-13 Bowl Game Schedule And Other Bowl Game Previews

Key #1: The Mustangs have to not get trampled defensively
All too often in these bowl games, one of the two teams (and it isn’t always the inferior team) just gets trampled defensively. Teams come out of the blocks with guns blazing, and in the blink of an eye, 21 points hit the scoreboard, making it virtually impossible to get back in the game. SMU’s offense isn’t good enough in all likelihood against a stout defense to come back from down three scores to win, so the unit really has to make sure that it doesn’t just get run all over right out of the blocks. The Mustangs will especially have some problems if they end up letting QB Derek Carr throw the ball all over the place, as this team ranks just 107th in the country, allowing 271.2 yards per game. Five teams were able to put at least 36 up against the Mustangs this year, but that just can’t happen if they are going to figure out how to stay in this game. Fresno State will get its points, but the hope is to keep it so gobs of points don’t get on the scoreboard.

Hawaii Bowl Odds at BetGuardian Sportsbook
SMU Mustangs +11.5
Fresno State Bulldogs -11.5
Over/Under 59.5
Click Here to Bet Your Hawaii Bowl Picks!

Key #2: SMU has to figure out how to not lose the turnover battle
The reason that the Mustangs won six games this year is because their defense, though sometimes shoddy, did manage to force 33 turnovers in just 12 games. It was crucial for sure to keep this team in the fold, knowing that the offense only turned the ball over a total of 21 times, giving the Mustangs a +1.0 turnover per game advantage. The Bulldogs though, ranked tied for fifth in America in turnover margin at +17 for the year. Turnovers are the great equalizers in these bowl games for sure, and it is going to be tough for either of these teams to win this game from behind in that category. QB Derek Carr isn’t likely to make mistakes, knowing that he only threw six INTs all year long. QB Garrett Gilbert though, is a much different story. He had 13 picks, and he barely completed half of his passes in some of his games. If the Mustangs win this game, we would bet that they are at least +2 in the turnover category as a result.

Key #3: Fresno State has to stay balanced and keep the ball in Robbie Rouse’s hands
Fresno State has always had a great tradition of solid running backs, and RB Robbie Rouse is the next in that line. He rushed for 1,468 yards and had 406 more as a receiver, totaling 14 TDs as well. This is a back that is truly a horse, as Rouse now has 598 carries over the course of the last two seasons alone. When the ball is in his hands, good things tend to happen. Rouse got over 100 rushing yards in nine of his 12 games this year, and the one game that wasn’t covered or won, the 20-10 loss on the Smurf Turf at the Boise State Broncos, he had just 77 rushing yards. Carr will do the job that he needs to do, but the team can’t get pass happy. To cover a number like this one, it is going to take a nicely poised game with a lot of touches from Rouse to get the job done. Don’t be shocked if Rouse has another humongous game like he did against the Nevada Wolf Pack, as he rushed for 261 yards on 36 carries in that 52-36 victory. If he does, the Mustangs are in a heck of a lot of trouble.

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There are just two weeks worth of games left on the NFL schedule, and that makes this week’s sets of NFL odds all the more important for the week to come. Join us for our quick discussion of the NFL Week 16 betting lines, and don’t miss all of the Week 16 odds that are at the bottom of this post.

There are a number of teams that are going to be playing for crucial playoff spots this week, and a lot of teams are playing those that are out of the race for the second season. As a result, there are a ton of games that are featuring just huge point spreads.

The biggest of the big pits the New England Patriots on the road against the Jacksonville Jaguars. There are nine games separating these two teams in the standings, and there are 14 points separating them on the NFL Week 16 odds with a game being played at EverBank Field. New England absolutely has to have these last two games if it wants any chance of getting a first round bye in the playoffs. The Jags probably need to lose these last two to have any chance to get the top pick in the NFL Draft.

The problem that the Pats have this week is that the two teams above them in the standings, the Houston Texans and Denver Broncos are huge favorites at home as well. The Broncos are hosting the Cleveland Browns and are favored by 13, while the Texans are laying 7.5 in the crucial game against the Minnesota Vikings, a game the Vikes have to have if they are going to stay on the right side of the playoff race in the NFC.

Meanwhile, over in the NFC, the Green Bay Packers can keep the pressure on by beating the Tennessee Titans this week as 12.5-point choices on the Week 16 betting lines. The other huge favorites this weeekend are the Carolina Panthers, who are -9 against the Oakland Raiders.

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This week is also odd from the standpoint that there is no Monday Night Football game on Christmas Eve and no Thursday Night Football game either. There is though, a Saturday Night Football clash between the Atlanta Falcons and the Detroit Lions on ESPN. The Lions are coming off of the embarrassment of getting blown away by Arizona last weekend, and they are going to want to get back in the saddle against an Atlanta team that is still tenuously holding onto the top spot in the NFC playoffs. Atlanta can win the No. 1 seed and make sure that the road to the Super Bowl goes through the Georgia Dome with a victory, something that could be had as 3.5-point underdogs at Ford Field.

The only other division that still needs to be sorted out in the league is the NFC East. The Washington Redskins hold their own destiny right now, and they just need to win these final two games this year to lock up the division. They’re taking on the Philadelphia Eagles this weekend in the City of Brotherly Love, and they’re 5.5-point favorites to move within just one step. Meanwhile, both the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants, who are both also at 8-6, are involved in very tough games this weekend. New York is on the road against the Baltimore Ravens, while the Cowboys are hosting the New Orleans Saints. Both teams are favored by 2.5-points.

Those Ravens have their work cut out for them if they plan on winning the AFC North. They are still in control of the division at the moment, but if they lose this one against the Giants, they’re going to probably be forced into a do-or-die game next week for at least the division, and maybe the playoffs all together against the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals meanwhile, can clinch a playoff spot if they can beat the Pittsburgh Steelers on the road this week. It’s a do or die game for the Steelers, who have to win at least this game, and likely the game next week against the Browns to get into the playoffs. They can still win the AFC North though, and that would go a long way towards getting back to the Super Bowl. The Steelers are -4 at Heinz Field, but a lot of betting in this game has actually gone on the Bengals, who have lost five in a row in this series.

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The big game of the weekend is Sunday Night Football, though. The Seattle Seahawks are going to host the San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers will lock up the NFC West with a win, and they might ultimately clinch no worse than the No. 2 seed as well with some help. In all likelihood though, San Francisco is in some trouble if this game is lost. It will still control of its own destiny to win the division, and it likely won’t in Week 17 to get the No. 2 seed in the NFC. Seattle meanwhile, is just trying to get into the playoffs, and it will get in with a win and a heck of a lot of help. The easiest thing for the Seahawks to do is win twice to end the regular season, as if they don’t, they are leaving themselves open to be left out of the second season. After watching the Niners go to New England last week and win, the oddsmakers have lined them at a pick ’em at CenturyLink Field.

There are a few other games that we have yet to discuss that we are going to quickly gloss over. The Chicago Bears are laying five to the Arizona Cardinals on the road in a game that they have to win if they have any playoff aspirations left. The Miami Dolphins, who are technically still alive in the playoff race, are -4.5 against the Buffalo Bills at home. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are giving a field goal to the St. Louis Rams in a battle of two teams that have overachieved this year and have a lot to look forward to in the future. The Indianapolis Colts will clinch a playoff berth if they can beat the Kansas City Chiefs as 6.5-point favorites at Arrowhead Stadium, while another of the lousy teams in the AFC West, the San Diego Chargers, are +2.5 on the road against the New York Jets, who will be giving QB Greg McElroy his first career start.

In terms of ‘totals’, they are starting to trickle down just a bit this week as the weather gets colder. The only two games in the 50s, the New Orleans/Dallas game and the Atlanta/Detroit game are both played in domes. Both games feature numbers posted at 51. Chicago and Arizona have two of the best defenses in the game, but most importantly, they both have anemic offenses. That’s why that game is the lowest number on the board of the week at 36.5. The Seattle/San Fran game also only features a ‘total’ of 39, the second lowest ‘total’ of the week. Those two teams played a brutal 13-6 game when these two met two months ago, but Seattle has scored 108 points in the last two weeks, while the 49ers have scored 68 points in those same two weeks.

2012 NFL Week 16 Odds @ WagerWeb Sportsbook (as of 12/19/12):
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Week 16 NFL Betting Odds for Saturday, December 22nd
101 Atlanta Falcons -3.5
102 Detroit Lions +3.5
Over/Under 51

Week 16 NFL Point Spreads for Sunday, December 23rd (1:00 ET Kickoffs)
103 Tennessee Titans +12.5
104 Green Bay Packers -12.5
Over/Under 46

105 Oakland Raiders +9
106 Carolina Panthers -9
Over/Under 46

107 Buffalo Bills +4.5
108 Miami Dolphins -4.5
Over/Under 41.5

109 Cincinnati Bengals +4
110 Pittsburgh Steelers -4
Over/Under 43.5

111 New England Patriots -14
112 Jacksonville Jaguars +14
Over/Under 48.5

113 Indianapolis Colts -6.5
114 Kansas City Chiefs +6.5
Over/Under 41.5

115 New Orleans Saints +1
116 Dallas Cowboys -1
Over/Under 51

117 Washington Redskins -5.5
118 Philadelphia Eagles +5.5
Over/Under 44.5

119 St. Louis Rams +3
120 Tampa Bay Buccaneers -3
Over/Under 43.5

123 Minnesota Vikings +9
124 Houston Texans -9
Over/Under 43.5

131 San Diego Chargers +2.5
132 New York Jets -2.5
Over/Under 40.5

Week 16 NFL Spreads for Sunday, December 23rd (4:00 ET Kickoffs)
125 Cleveland Browns +13
126 Denver Broncos -13
Over/Under 44.5

127 Chicago Bears -5
128 Arizona Cardinals +5
Over/Under 36.5

121 New York Giants -2.5
122 Baltimore Ravens +2.5
Over/Under 47

NFL Week 16 Betting Lines for Sunday Night Football, December 23rd
129 San Francisco 49ers +2
130 Seattle Seahawks -2
Over/Under 39

The X’s and O’s of the Beef O’Brady’s 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 UCF Knights vs. Ball State Cardinals. The Beef O’Brady’s 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 UCF vs. Ball State predictions!

Click Here For The Rest Of The 2012-13 Bowl Game Schedule And Other Bowl Game Previews

2012 Beef O’Brady’s Bowl: UCF Knights vs. Ball State Cardinals
2012 Beef O’Brady’s Bowl Location: Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, CA
2012 Beef O’Brady’s Bowl Date/Time: Friday, December 21st, 7:30 p.m. (ET)
2012 Beef O’Brady’s Bowl On TV: ESPN, Watch ESPN

Key #1: Blake Bortles has to keep control of the football
The Knights only turned the ball over a grand total of 15 times this year, and just seven came off of the arm of Bortles. Keeping those picks down has been key for UCF to stay in games and to win them. It has been over five games since the last time Bortles threw an interception, and he is going to be determined to keep that up here in the Beef O’Brady’s Bowl. Ball State only picked off seven passes and forced seven fumbles this year, making it one of the worst teams in the nation in forced turnovers, lower than some of the worst teams in the land. It’s not that the Knights are going to win this game if they don’t turn the ball over, but if they do turn it over more than once, perhaps twice, they almost certainly have no chance whatsoever to win the game, as the team preaches playing good defense and running the football. This is a club that isn’t afraid to punt, and it has to take advantage of that by not turning it over.

Beef O’Brady’s Bowl Odds at BetRevolution Sportsbook
UCF Knights -7
Ball State Cardinals +7
Over/Under 61.5
Click Here to Bet Your Beef O’Brady’s Bowl Picks!

Key #2: Keith Wenning has to stay away from AJ Bouye
Wenning threw 10 picks this year for the Cardinals, but he still threw 22 TDs and has two great wide receivers in WR Willie Snead and WR Jamill Smith. The two men have combined for 151 receptions, 1,776 yards, and 13 TDs this year, and both can light up the Knights for sure if given the chance. However, Wenning has to be smart with the football. UCF’s best DB is Conference USA second team All-Conference DB AJ Bouye, who is one of the three players in the history of the school to return both a pick and a fumble for a touchdown in the same season. Bouye is probably the best player in this secondary, and he is one of the ones that might hear his name called in the NFL Draft come April. He can’t cover both Snead and Smith though, and Wenning has to be smart and figure out how to keep the ball away from the crafty senior, because disastrous things have been proven to potentially happen when push comes to shove when the ball comes his way.

Key #3: Jahwan Edwards has to poke some holes in the UCF defense
Part of the key to keeping the ball away from Bouye and those Knights’ defenders is going to be getting the ball going with the run. We know that RB Jahwan Edwards can run the ball and bust some big ones, as he averaged 6.1 yards per carry this year and had 14 trips to the end zone. But can the sophomore stay consistent? That’s the real question here, knowing that he has had four games this year with less than 80 yards and three with more than 140 yards. Edwards also had six games this year where he averaged over 6.0 yards per carry, but he also had four games in which he averaged less than 5.0 yards per carry as well. If Edwards doesn’t get up to that 5.0 yards per carry mark against a defense that ranked 64th in the nation against the rush, it is going to be a long day for Wenning and this passing attack in the teeth of a ferocious pass rush.

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