2011 New Era Pinstripe Bowl Odds
Written by Jack Jones - Google +
Two teams that rarely see the postseason will square off on Friday, December 30th in the 2011 New Era Pinstripe Bowl. The Rutgers Scarlet Knights won eight games this season and seriously competed for a Big East title. The Iowa State Cyclones won six games, including the upset of the year over then-No. 2 Oklahoma State that prevented the Cowboys from playing for a national title.
Oddsmakers in Las Vegas have installed a line of Rutgers -2 over Iowa State with a total set of 44.5 points.
Rutgers
The Scarlet Knights had little expectations coming into the season after going 4-8 last year. Rutgers (8-4, 4-3 Big East) managed to put together a pretty impressive season and nearly won the Big East. A loss at Connecticut in their season-finale had the Scarlet Knights finishing one game out of first place. They would settle for being tied for fourth in the conference with the Pittsburgh Panthers.
Greg Schiano is in his 11th year as head coach of this program, which isn’t too far from where the Pinstripe Bowl is held. The Scarlet Knights should have a solid home-field advantage in this one because of it. Rutgers is 4-2 all-time in bowl games, including 4-1 under Schiano. They made five straight bowls from 2005-09. They come in on a four-game bowl winning streak after a 45-24 victory over UCF in the ‘09 St. Petersburg Bowl.
Rutgers has been winning this season behind a defense that ranks 12th in scoring (18.8) and 12th in total defense (311.5 yards/game). Their strength is a pass defense that gives up a mere 168.5 yards/game. However, the Scarlet Knights rank just 96th in total offense (336.5 yards/game), including 112th in rushing (91.5 yards/game).
Their offense is led by receiver Mohamed Sanu, who earned first-team Big East honors after setting a school and nonferrous record with 109 receptions. His 1,144 yards and seven touchdowns ranked second in the league. Linebacker Khaseem Greene leads the defense. He was named co-Big East defensive player of the year after leading the conference with 127 tackles.
Iowa State
The Cyclones have been an excellent story under head coach Paul Rhoads, who has made ESPN with his numerous locker room speeches after big wins. He added another one to his resume when Iowa State (6-6, 3-6 Big 12) rallied from a 17-point deficit to beat Oklahoma State 37-31 in overtime on November 18th. That win allowed the Cyclones to become bowl eligible for a second time in three years under Rhoads.
Iowa State is 3-7 all-time in bowl games, but 1-0 under Rhoads. They beat Minnesota 14-13 in the Insight Bowl in Rhoads’ first year on the job. The Cyclones came into the season with the second-toughest schedule in the country, so it’s very impressive that they even made a bowl game. Five of their six losses came against ranked teams, while Rutgers only played one ranked team all season.
The Cyclones come in ranked 53rd in total offense (392.9 yards/game) behind a balanced attack that averaged 181.2 yards on the ground and 211.7 yards through the air. They rank just 97th in the land in total defense (432.4 yards/game), but play in a conference that is loaded with many of the top offenses in the FBS. ISU gives up 195.2 yards on the ground and 237.2 through the air.
ISU has really taken off ever since Jared Barnett took over as their starting quarterback midway threw the season. He has thrown for 1,178 yards and six touchdowns to six interceptions. He ranks second on the team in rushing (435 yards, one TD), and his dual-threat ability has made them tougher to tame. James White (701 yards, eight TD) leads all rushers, and Darius Reynolds (41 receptions, 655 yards, seven TD) leads all receivers.
Betting Trends
The Scarlet Knights are 4-0-1 ATS in their last 5 bowl games.
The Cyclones are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games as an underdog.
Projected Score: Rutgers 23 – Iowa State 21
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