The X’s and O’s of the Sun 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 USC Trojans vs. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. The Sun 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 USC vs. Georgia Tech predictions!

2012 Sun Bowl: USC Trojans vs. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
2012 Sun Bowl Location: Sun Bowl Stadium, El Paso, TX
2012 Sun Bowl Date/Time: Monday, December 31st, 2:00 p.m. (ET)
2012 Sun Bowl On TV: CBS

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

Key #1: The Trojans have to care about this game
We question the motivation of teams all the time in bowl games like this one. USC was ranked as the No. 1 team in the country at one point early this season, and it was considered one of the early favorites to win the BCS National Championship. And yet what happened down the stretch? The team lost a game to the Arizona Wildcats on the road, and the wheels came off. The Men of Troy dropped four of their final five games of the year to drop from a team that still should have ultimately had a chance to play for the Rose Bowl to one that was lucky just to be in the Sun Bowl when push came to shove. What’s worse than just coming to the Sun Bowl is the fact that the only sub-.500 team playing in a bowl game this year is waiting. Georgia Tech went just 6-7 on the campaign, and it went 6-7 in spite of the fact that the ACC flat out stunk this year. It’s a tough matchup, not from a talent vs. talent standpoint for the Men of Troy, but from the standpoint that they have to put a lot of emotional effort into the game to win it. The potential is there for USC to win by 50. The potential is also there to lose by 20.

Sun Bowl Odds at BetRevolution Sportsbook
USC Trojans -7.5
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets +7.5
Over/Under 64.5
Click Here to Bet Your Sun Bowl Picks!

Key #2: The front seven of the USC defense has to hang in there
On paper, this should be an insane mismatch. The front seven for the Trojans features just a ton of NFL type of talent that should be able to stop any offense that is thrown their way. With four weeks and 16 practices to prepare for the triple option, this defense should have had plenty of time to devise a plan to stop a very basic unit that probably doesn’t feature a single player that will ever take a meaningful snap (if a snap ever at all) at the next level. What makes this tough though, is the style of play. The Ramblin’ Wreck offensive linemen get low and cut block play after play, and even the best defensive lines have been frustrated as could be by this unit. On top of that, the pace of the game is always quick in spite of the fact that the clock moves quickly as well. Whether it be QB Vad Lee or QB Tevin Washington that is running the triple option, both men can get to the line of scrimmage quickly and force you to keep your same defense on the field. That’s what makes this matchup particularly tough for the full 60 minutes for the Trojans.

Key #3: Max Wittek just has to play better football than he did against Notre Dame
Needless to say, this wasn’t the season that the Men of Troy truly figured that they were going to be getting this year. QB Matt Barkley was supposed to win the Heisman Trophy, and he was supposed to be the man that triumphantly led USC to a minimum of the Pac-12 Championship Game and the Rose Bowl, if not the BCS National Championship Game. Instead, Barkley led the team to four losses before getting injured and replaced by QB Max Wittek in the finale against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Wittek is the future of this program for sure, but he is struggling in the present. Wittek went just 14-of-23 against Notre Dame in the last game of the regular season, and he is going to be facing a defensive front that just loves to bring the pressure from all angles. A seasoned veteran would probably pick up on all of that. Wittek, at times, looked like a dear in headlights going against the Irish. Was it the fact that Notre Dame’s defense is that good, or is Wittek really in need of that much more cultivating. That’s going to be the key on New Year’s Eve. If Wittek doesn’t at least play respectable ball, the Trojans may as well get out of Dodge and head back to LA.

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If you’re a fan of historical value in college football betting action, the Sun Bowl is just the game for you. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Miami Hurricanes have a ton of National Championships between them, and they are going to meet up in the Sun Bowl on Friday. Though neither team is going to be thrilled with where they are playing from their expectations at the start of the year, they should be thrilled to renew an old rivalry from the 1980s and 1990s. The three keys to this game will help determine who will be walking about on El Paso with a ‘W’ for you to make your Sun Belt picks with.

Key #1: Miami’s offensive line has to keep Jacory Harris upright
It’s not always a matter of just getting sacked. The Hurricanes know that they have had all sorts of problems with quarterback injuries this year. Not only has Harris been knocked around a ton on the season, but both QB Stephen Morris and QB Alonzo Highsmith are both injured and are not accessible in this game. Everyone knows that QB Spencer Whipple, the son of Offensive Coordinator Mark Whipple isn’t ready to be playing in a bowl game at this point in his career, as he just isn’t talented enough to keep up with the Golden Domers or any of the other 69 bowl teams. If anything happens to Harris, the Hurricanes might as well just walk off the field. Notre Dame knows that it has a great defensive front, and it will be getting back NT Ian Williams, the heart and soul of the center of the line. Harris threw for 1,756 yards and 14 TDs this year, and he is going to have to make sure that he takes care of the football and takes care of his own health to give his Canes a chance on Friday.

Key #2: The backups for the Irish have to continue to shine
Head Coach Brian Kelly might not be all that thrilled that he had to really scratch and claw to get into the Sun Bowl this year, but he has to be incredibly encouraged about the depth on his team and the pride that the Golden Domers had this year. With QB Dayne Crist, TE Kyle Rudolph, and RB Armando Allen all out of the lineup, there are others that really had to step up their game to keep this men in white and gold going. QB Tommy Rees threw for 905 yards in limited action, and though he did struggle at time with eight picks, he also threw for ten TDs. RB Cierre Wood was virtually unheard of before Allen went down this year, and though he never really put together that tremendous game that made you go “Wow!” the sophomore did have 248 yards in total in his last three games of the year. TE Tyler Eifert stepped in place of one of the best tight ends in the country, and though he didn’t put up remarkable numbers either, he had 23 grabs for 321 yards and two trips to the end zone. These men are going to be critical against Miami, just as they have been all season long.

Key #3: It’s time for “The U” to show us that vaunted defense again
For years and years, what made the Hurricanes so good was their defense. There are generations of Miami players in the NFL on this side of the ball, from names like Ed Reed, Brandon Merriweather, Jonathan Vilma, Antrel Rolle… and the list could go on and on. This year, “The U” had some moments where it was dominating, especially against opposing passing games. This ‘D’ only conceded 146.3 yards per game through the pass this year, good enough to rank No. 2 in the nation. However, there is the feeling there that this team, especially in the front seven, is soft as could be. Allowing 167.3 yards per game on the ground is absolutely inexcusable, especially since the ACC really didn’t provide that much in the way of offensive challenges. Getting torched by the Florida State Seminoles was really the biggest disappointment of the year, and it showed that this was a team that could be taken down and tamed. The Canes really have to step up and get just downright angry at the Fighting Irish to make a statement on defense in this game.