2012 TicketCity Bowl Odds
Written by Jack Jones - Google +
The No. 20 Houston Cougars take on the No. 24 Penn State Nittany Lions in the 2012 Ticket City Bowl. Both teams had a shot to got to a BCS game late into the season, but each will have to settle for this game, which is played in inside the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas. It will take place on Monday, January 2nd and will be nationally televised on ESPNU with kickoff set for 12:00 EST.
Taking a look at the odds, I find a spread of Houston -6.5 over Penn State and a total set of 57 points.
Houston
The Cougars had a very successful bounce-back year after a 5-7 campaign last season. Houston (12-1, 8-0 C-USA) reeled off 12 straight wins to open the season to make it to the conference title game, which is a contest they’d certainly like to do over again. The Cougars would lose 49-28 to the Southern Miss Golden Eagles in the championship. That loss cost them a huge payday and a trip to a BCS bowl.
Houston features one of the best offenses in the country. They are rank 1st in total offense (599.0 yards/game) and 1st in scoring offense (50.8 points/game). The Cougars do most of their damage through the air, throwing for 443.8 yards/game while rushing for 155.2 yards/game to keep opposing teams honest. They rank 62nd in total defense (386.0 yards/game).
The Cougars are led by one of the best quarterbacks in the history of college football. Earning a sixth year of eligibility due to injury, Keenum took advantage. He completed 71.7 percent of his passes for 5,099 yards with 45 touchdowns and five interceptions this season. He has thrown 152 touchdown passes in his career, which is a new NCAA record.
Houston is 8-11-1 all-time in bowl games. The Cougars have been to a bowl in seven of the last nine seasons, though they only have one bowl wins since 1980. That came in the 2008 Armed Forces Bowl with a 34-28 victory over Air Force. Kevin Sumlin has taken the job at Texas A&M, and he will not be coaching the Cougars in the Cotton Bowl. Tony Levine will serve as interim head coach.
Penn State
No team in the country went through more off the field distractions than the Nittany Lions. Penn State (9-3, 6-2 Big Ten) would normally go to a more sought-after bowl destination with nine wins, but the scrutiny surrounding the program had them sent to the Cotton Bowl. The Jerry Sandusky scandal has been one of the worst in college sports history.
Head coach Joe Paterno passed Eddie Robinson for the most Division 1 victories in college football history. However, his accomplishment was overshadowed by the scandal, which resulted in the school electing to controversially fire Paterno. Defensive coordinator Tom Bradley stepped in as interim head coach. Penn State still had a chance to play in the Big Ten title game until the final week, which resulted in a 45-7 loss at Wisconsin.
Penn State comes into this game with the 91st-ranked offense (344.7 yards/game) in the country. What has kept this team competitive is a defense that ranks 10th in yards allowed (301.0/game) and 5th in scoring (15.7 points/game). They also have an answer for Houston’s passing attack, ranking 5th in the country against the pass (162.2 yards/game).
Starting quarterback Matt McGloin suffered a seizure and a possible concussion after getting into a fight with wide receiver Curtis Drake in a Dec. 17 practice. It’s still uncertain whether or not he will be able to play. Also, backup Rob Bolden was cited for stealing a $2 bottle of Gatorade from a campus dining hall the same weekend. The incident shouldn’t affect his playing time, but it could pave the way for third-stringer Paul Jones to make his collegiate debut.
Houston will see a heavy dose of Silas Redd, who has rushed for 1,188 yards and seven touchdowns this season. The Nittany Lions are 27-14-2 all-time in bowl games. Paterno was the only head coach to win all five major college bowls during his career. This will be their seventh straight bowl game. They lost last year to the Florida Gators 24-37 in the Outback Bowl.
Betting Trends
Penn State is 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games after allowing more than 40 points in their previous game, but only 2-9-1 ATS in their last 12 vs. a team with a winning record.
Houston is 7-1 ATS in their last 8 games as a favorite, but just 1-6 ATS in their last 7 neutral site contests.
Projected Score: Houston 32 – Penn State 25
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