Our 2012 bowl predictions continue on Monday, December 31st with the Liberty Bowl, and we are set to make our Liberty Bowl predictions, tips, and keys to the game for the duel between the Iowa State Cyclones and the Tulsa Golden Hurricane.

2012 Liberty Bowl: Iowa State Cyclones vs. Tulsa Golden Hurricane
2012 Liberty Bowl Location: Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, Memphis, TN
2012 Liberty Bowl Date/Time: Monday, December 31st, 3:30 p.m. (ET)
2012 Liberty 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 Golden Hurricane have to do more on the ground
When Tulsa is at its best, this is a team that can run all over the place. The offense operates at a breakneck speed, and the team runs the ball a ton. In fact, the squad averaged 47.3 rushing attempts per game this year, one of the top marks in the entire country. All three of the team’s top backs, RB Trey Watts, RB Ja’Terian Douglas, and RB Alex Singleton carried the ball at least 10 times per game this year, and each averaged at least 58.8 yards per game. Both Watts and Douglas averaged at least six yards per carry, while Singleton was the moose near the goal line, rushing for a whopping 21 touchdowns. The first time that these two teams met though, matters weren’t good for the Tulsa rushing attack. These three men only combined for 24 total carries, and the Golden Hurricane only had a total of 160 rushing yards. That just doesn’t cut it for a team that just doesn’t have a great passing game. We expect to see at least double the carries in this one for Tulsa that we saw from those backs the first time around, and if that turns out to be the case, the Golden Hurricane should be in good shape.

Liberty Bowl Odds at WagerWeb Sportsbook
Iowa State Cyclones -1.5
Tulsa Golden Hurricane +1.5
Over/Under 51
Click Here to Bet Your Liberty Bowl Picks!

Key #2: The moment can’t be too big for Sam Richardson
QB Sam Richardson has to be on Cloud Nine right now on the eve of his first ever bowl game. Just last year, he was still in high school in Central Florida, and he had to think that he was either going to redshirt this year or play sparingly. Instead, he has jumped over both QB Steele Jantz and QB Jared Barnett and is now the starting quarterback for the team. There is always a question as to how a freshman plays in a big game like this one, and this could be problematic. Remember that this is only going to be the third start for Richardson in his career. His numbers are good, as he has completed 62.1% of his passes for 412 yards and seven TDs without a pick, and he has rushed for 187 yards and a TD as well. However, he needs to keep his emotions in check and take his time against a Tulsa defense that has made its share of big plays on the season.

Key #3: The Iowa State offensive line has to be careful against a huge pass rush
Part of the problem that Richardson is going to have in this game is that his offensive line is going to have its hands full. Tulsa ranks third in the nation in sacks this year, and the team ended up with 48 sacks on the campaign. The Golden Hurricane also picked off 10 passes, had 55 pass deflections, and ultimately just made big play after big play. Granted, we know that Tulsa has allowed its share of big plays as well, and Richardson is going to have the opportunity to make some big time plays against this defense as well. When it was Jantz that was under center when these teams played at the outset of the season, he ended the day with -9 rushing yards on 13 carries. If Richardson ends up in this same type of a situation, it could be a long day for him and for this offense. If the Golden Hurricane get four or five sacks in this game, they should be in a situation to get the ‘W’.

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The reward for the winner of Conference USA every single year is to come here to the Liberty Bowl for their NCAA football betting bowl bash. This year, the reps from C-USA are the UCF Knights, who are ranked in the Top 25 for the first time in the history of the school this year. They’ll be looking for their first bowl victory in the history of the school when they take on the Georgia Bulldogs out of the SEC. There are three major keys that need to be watched when making your Liberty Bowl picks in this one on New Year’s Eve.

Key #1: AJ Green has to be a hero for UGA
Over the course of the first four games of the season, QB Aaron Murray was awfully questionable. The Bulldogs went just 1-3 in those games, and the buzzards were swarming to get rid of Head Coach Mark Richt. However, in those four games, WR AJ Green was suspended and wasn’t available. The first game he was back in the lineup, Green had a highlight reel touchdown catch against the Colorado Buffaloes. No, Georgia didn’t beat the Buffs, and it dropped to just 1-4 on the season. However, from that point forward, the Dawgs scored at least 31 points in all of their games. Green ended up with 49 catches for 771 yards and nine TDs to lead the team in all three categories. What Green also does is open up the deep game for WR Kris Durham, who averaged 21.1 yards per reception this year. The Knights have a solid pass defense, but they haven’t seen anything like what they are about to get from Green and the UGA passing game.

Key #2: Georgia has to win the battles in the trenches on both sides of the ball
Normally when you think about Conference USA football, you tend to think about teams that are throwing the ball all over the field and aren’t playing much in the way of defense. However, this UCF team is a significantly different story. Head Coach George O’Leary comes from the mindset of the NFL, where running the ball and playing good defense is key, and he has instilled that tenacity in his squad. The Knights are outrunning their foes by over 90 yards per game this year. On the defensive front, DE Bruce Miller isn’t just one of the best linemen in C-USA, but he is one of the best in the entire country as well. He is now a two time Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year. On offense, RB Latavius Murray and RB Ronnie Weaver have the ability to run the ball all over the place, and they both are able to slam the ball right up the gut at the opposition. Both men have at least ten TDs this year, and they combined for a whopping 278 carries and 1,423 yards on the campaign.

Key #3: One of these freshman quarterbacks has to shine
These two quarterbacks, Aaron Murray and Jeff Godfrey are amongst some of the only freshmen signal callers this year in bowl games. Murray obviously was helped out when Green came back into the lineup five games into the year, but his numbers really show a lot of maturity as the season progressed. He made some mistakes this year, but they were limited, as he only had six picks against 24 TDs. Murray should also become a 3,000 yard passer in this game assuming that he doesn’t get injured. Godfrey was a tremendous newcomer for the Knights this year. He won Conference USA Freshman of the Year this year for good reason. After replacing the injured QB Rob Calabrese, Godfrey threw for 2,042 yards on 68.4 percent completions. He accounted for 13 TDs against six picks through the air, and he ran for another 546 yards and 10 TDs on the ground. Godfrey did a great job managing everything this year, as he not only was a fantastic passer, but he managed to help UCF become one of the three rushers on this team that accounted for ten TDs on the ground. The only other team in the nation that can stake a claim to that? The Wisconsin Badgers, who will be playing in the Rose Bowl as the Big Ten champions.