All selections, analysis and thoughts will be posted on the Bowl Express Thread
SPOOKY EXPRESS BOWLING FOR DOLLARS SELECTION AND ANALYSIS THREAD
ADVOCARE V100 INDEPENDENCE BOWL
BOSTON COLLEGE vs. ARIZONA
Tuesday, Dec. 31, 12:30 pm
ESPN
Two of the stronger running teams in college football are going at it in the AdvoCare V100 bowl game. The Arizona Wildcats and the Boston College Eagles both are sitting with 7-5 records coming into this game, and their numbers across the board are actually pretty similar. Offensively the Wildcats and Eagles average 32.8 points per game and 28.4 points per game respectively, with Arizona being the higher scoring of the two.
On the defensive side of things, Arizona's defense has been a bit better, which is surprising considering all of the ridiculously good offenses that the Wildcats had to play this year. The Wildcats most recently knocked off a strong Oregon team, holding them to only 16 points. They've definitely improved from the start of the year, but they'll have to find a way to stop Heisman Trophy Finalist, Andre Williams, who topped 2,100 yards this year.
Boston College's defense allowed 27.8 points per game this season, and they were a far better team at home than they were on the road. The Eagles were 5-1 at home, and they were 2-4 on the road, but obviously a neutral site shouldn't factor too much into this.
Rushing Yards
You can't top finding two top 20 rushing offenses going at it in a bowl game. The Wildcats rank 11th in the country in running at 265.8 yards per game, while the Eagles are 20th in the country at 218.1 yards per game. Obviously Williams has really carried the load for the Eagles this year, while the Wildcats have gotten production across the board when running the ball. It'll be interesting to see which defense is going to be able to slow down their opponent.
The early sports betting line on this one is actually moving around a bit. We've seen Arizona move around between -6.5 to -7.5 for the Wildcats. The Wildcats are getting the bulk of the love here, and I think that's definitely right. They are a better, well-rounded team, but they also have played tougher competition than the Eagles have this year. If I can get this betting line at -6 on a sportsbook then I'll be on the Wildcats to get a win and a cover of the spread. I'm not a huge fan of laying 7.5 or 14.5 or numbers that are a half point off of key numbers, so I'm definitely interesting in moving the line if it doesn't go in our direction. Regardless, I like Arizona in this game to get a win, and I'll take them to cover a touchdown. Arizona should roll in this game and win by almost a couple touchdowns. I would definitely buy this down to 6 or lower but this should be a play nonetheless. Will update as we get closer to game.
ARIZONA -6