2010 Humanitarian Bowl Odds
Written by Jack Jones
The Northern Illinois Huskies (10-3, 8-1 MAC) will take on the Fresno State Bulldogs (8-4, 5-3 WAC) on Saturday, December 18 in the Humanitarian Bowl. This contest will take place in Boise, Idaho on the Blue Turf that the Broncos have made so famous. The Bulldogs are very familiar with this turf and certainly will be happy to be playing someone other than Boise State on it, though the Huskies are no pushover. College bowl lines for this contest show us odds of Northern Illinois -1 over Fresno State with a total set of 59 points.
October and November could not have gone any better for the Huskies, but they are off to a very rough start in December. NIU reeled off nine straight victories to secure a spot in the MAC championship game where they would lose to big underdog Miami (Ohio) 26-21. The loss came after the Huskies had scored 45 or more points in five of eight games coming in, and UNI gave up a late game-winning touchdown to the Redhawks in the closing seconds after a big fourth down conversion. It was a painful way to go out, but they’ll get one last chance to end the season on a positive note after what was really a dominant season in the MAC.
Just a few hours after Northern Illinois had been told they would play in the Humanitarian Bowl, head coach Jerry Kill bolted for Minnesota to take the vacant job with the Golden Gophers. Kill’s decision certainly left a sour taste in the mouths of players and fans. Among those players is QB Chandler Harnish, who has been the heart and soul of this team all season. “It’s still a feeling that I can’t really comprehend right now,” Harnish told the Daily Chronicle. “Disappointment. Shock. But we’re moving on.” Harnish has thrown for 2,230 yards and 20 touchdowns to 5 interceptions while also rushing for 764 yards and 5 scores.
Fresno State will have a bit of a home-field advantage Saturday, and they’ll be coming in with confidence after closing out their season with back-to-back victories. Head coach Pat Hill has been saying all along that Boise State is one of the best teams in the country and can play with anyone, which is certainly easy to say after his team got throttled 51-0 by Broncos on the Blue Turf earlier this year. Local fans will be rooting his team on because of the respect he has shown for his program.
The Bulldogs beat Idaho and Illinois in their two games following a blowout loss to the Broncos. Each team comes into this game off back-to-back bowl losses, so both should be hungry for a victory Saturday. Hill will be at Fresno State next year so there is no controversy there, though the Humanitarian Bowl is familiar with head coaching changes. Four of the last six years at least one team participating in this bowl will have a new, interim or lame-duck coach. Fresno State is led by QB Ryan Colburn, who has thrown for 2,529 yards and 21 touchdowns to 9 interceptions. On the ground, Robbie Rouse is their stud with 1,097 rushing yards and 8 touchdowns this year.
BetUS Projected Score: Northern Illinois 30 – Fresno State 29
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