2012 Capital One Bowl Odds

Written by Jack Jones

The tenth-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks are coming off another solid season under head coach Steve Spurrier. They overcame a lot of adversity to finish 10-2 overall, including 6-2 in the SEC. They will take on the No. 21 Nebraska Cornhuskers in the Capital One Bowl on January 2nd. Nebraska (9-3, 5-3 Big Ten) also had a solid year under head coach Bo Pelini. This is going to be a match-up of two great defenses from two power conferences. Kickoff is set for 1:00 EST on ESPN.

Oddsmakers in Las Vegas have installed a spread of South Carolina -2.5 over Nebraska with a total set of 46 points.

South Carolina

Spurrier has really built this program into something special. He has never had a losing record in his seven seasons at South Carolina. Their 10 wins matched the 1984 team for the most wins in school history, and these Gamecocks would certainly love to be the ones to break that record. They also had a school-best six wins in SEC play while defeating all five of their East Division rivals.

If they want to break the school record for most wins in a season, than they’ll have to put to end a three-game bowl losing streak. South Carolina’s last postseason win came in the 2006 Liberty Bowl with a 44-36 victory over Houston. The Gamecocks lost in the Chick-fil-A Bowl last season to Florida State by a final of 17-26, dropping the program to 4-12 all-time in bowls. Spurrier is 7-10 in bowl games as a head coach.

Like many of the other top SEC teams, the Gamecocks have been winning this season because of their defense. South Carolina ranks 4th in the country in total defense (368.9 yards/game) and 13th in scoring defense (18.8 points/game). They rank just 72nd in total offense (375.4 yards/game), though they are a respectable 45th in scoring offense (30.1 points/game).

The Gamecocks lost their best player, running back Marcus Lattimore, for the season to a knee injury in a Week 7 game against Mississippi State. This team did not flinch, winning five of their final six games of the season. Quarterback Connor Shaw helped stabilize the offense. He completed 65.5 percent of his passes for 1,218 yards with 12 touchdowns and six interceptions.

Nebraska

The Cornhuskers have some nice history on their side heading into this one. Nebraska has never lost to South Carolina, winning all three previous meetings in this series. Spurrier has never beaten Nebraska, either. His No. 2 Florida Gators fell to Nebraska 62-24 in the 1996 Fiesta Bowl, which decided the national championship.

The Cornhuskers have been to 47 bowl games in their history, posting a 24-23 record. They have been to three straight bowls, though they fell victim to one of the biggest upsets of the bowl season a year ago. Nebraska lost to Washington 7-19 in the Holiday Bowl despite coming into the game as a 14-point favorite. They were certainly overlooking the Huskies after beating them 56-21 earlier in the season.

Nebraska ranks 56th in the country in total offense (390.5 yards/game) and 42nd in scoring offense (30.5 points/game). They rely heavily on a ground game (223.9 yards/game) that ranks 13th in the FBS. The Huskers are 35th in total defense (350.7 yards/game) and 38th in scoring defense (22.8 points/game). They have been a little vulnerable on the ground, yielding rushing 161.6 yards/game.

Nebraska’s offense is led by quarterback Taylor Martinez and running back Rex Burkhead. Martinez is completing 55.9 percent of his passes for 1,973 yards with 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He is also second on the team in rushing with 837 yards and nine scores. Burkhead has rushed for career highs of 1,268 yards and 15 touchdowns this season.

Betting Trends

The Cornhuskers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 neutral site games.

The Gamecocks are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games as a favorite of 0.5-3.0 points.

Projected Score: South Carolina 24 – Nebraska 22

Looking for winning college bowl predictions? Check out what expert handicapper Jack Jones has in store.

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