2011 Champs Sports Bowl Odds

Written by Jack Jones

Two storied programs square off in the 2011 Champs Sports Bowl as the Florida State Seminoles take on the Notre Dame Fight Irish. These are two teams that failed to meet expectations this season, though many would say that they are still two of the best in the country. Notre Dame’s quarterback situation is up in the air, and whoever is under center could struggle against the nation’s No. 4 scoring defense. FSU will be making their third appearance in the Champs Sports Bowl. Kickoff is set for 5:30 EST on Thursday, December 29th

Taking a look at the college bowl odds, I find a spread of Florida State -3 over Notre Dame with a total set of 47 points.

Florida State

Many were talking about the Seminoles as possible national title contenders coming into the season. But a three-game losing streak early in the year put a damper on those hopes. This team has battled through injuries all season, but they managed to finish strong once they finally got healthy. Florida State (8-4) would win six of their final seven games, with their lone loss coming by a single point to Virginia after missing a last-second field goal that would have won it.

Florida State holds the longest active Bowl Appearance record with 30 and counting. They are second all-time to Nebraska’s run of 35 in a row. The Seminoles have played in 40 bowl games, posting a 24-14-2 record while winning two national championships. Head coach Jimbo Fisher guided FSU to a 26-17 victory over South Carolina last season in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl. It was the program’s third straight bowl win, and they’ll be looking to make it four in a row against the Fighting Irish.

FSU ranks 70th in the country in total offense (375.8 yards/game) while scoring 31.7 points/game. The Seminoles are 6th in total defense (274.6 yards/game) while allowing just 15.2 points/game. Quarterback E.J. Manuel is completing 65.4 percent of his passes for 2,417 yards with 16 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Florida State ranks just 97th in rushing offense (118.1 yards/game) and their leading rusher is Devonta Freeman with 531 yards and eight touchdowns. Rodney Smith leads the team in receiving with 32 catches for 527 yards and four scores.

Notre Dame

Like Florida State, there were a few people out there who expected the Irish to compete for a national title. At the very least, this team was expected to make a BCS bowl with all of the talent they had on board. Notre Dame (8-4) got off to a slow start, losing their first two games to South Florida and Michigan. They would rebound by winning eight of their last 10, though both losses came to USC and Stanford, two of their biggest rivals. Head coach Brian Kelly has not lived up to expectations quite yet, but he is not far off.

Kelly led the Irish to four straight victories to close out last season, including a 33-17 win over Miami in the Sun Bowl. Notre Dame is now 15-15 all-time in bowl games, and they have 11 national championships to their credit. The Irish had lost nine straight bowl games from 1995-2007 before going on a two-game bowl winning streak in their last two appearances. Kelly has had solid success in the postseason with a 3-1 bowl record as a head coach.

Notre Dame ranks 32nd in the country in total offense (424.1 yards/game) and 33rd in total defense (348.8 yards/game). They have played three different quarterbacks this season. Dayne Crist got the job to start the year, but he was replaced by Tommy Rees, who played most of the season. Rees was benched in favor of Andrew Hendrix in their season finale against Stanford. It’s uncertain who will start against FSU, but whoever is under center will be looking for star receiver Michael Floyd (95 receptions, 1,106 yards, eight TD). Also expect a heavy dose of Cierre Wood (1,042 yards, nine TD) and Jonas Gray (791 yards, 12 TD) in the running game.

Betting Trends

The Irish are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games as an underdog of 0.5-3.0, but 2-6 ATS in their last 8 bowl games.

The Seminoles are 6-0-1 ATS in their last 7 bowl games, and 9-1-1 ATS in their last 11 neutral site games.

Projected Score: Florida State 25 – Notre Dame 22

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