On Christmas Eve, the 10th anniversary of the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl occurs in Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii when the Nevada Wolf Pack takes on the Golden Eagles. The sportsbook has its eyes on this match as well with Southern Miss at -6 with the over/under at 62.
If you prefer your Bowl matches hot and ready, the Little Caesars Bowl starts off at Ford Field in Detroit on December 26th with the Broncos competing with the Boilermakers. Back in 1998 when it was initially called the Motor City Bowl, former Michigan State football coach George Perles helped give birth to the Little Caesars Bowl. It’s been a Michigan tradition since then with excellent bouts each year and this year is no distinct. The sports book has the line fairly near with the Purdue Boilermakers at -2 ½ with the over/under at 60.
College football revolved around a number of season-ending contests before the influx of bowl matches in recent years. One of these matches started 35 years back in Shreveport, Louisiana was the Independence Bowl. The sportsbook has this at Missouri Tigers -5 with the over/under at 52 ½.
The Louisville Cardinals take on the Wolfpack in the 10th anniversary of the Belk Bowl on December 27th at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. Louisville comes into play with a 7-5 record with a 5-2 first place record in the Big East. After spending the prior seven seasons as an assistant coach in Gainesville at Florida under Urban Meyer, Charlie Strong is in his second year as Cardinals coach. The sports book has this at North Carolina State -2 ½ with the over/under at 44 ½.
Among the newest Bowl matches comes out to party on December 28th when the Toledo Rockets battle against the Air Force Falcons in Washington D.C. at the Military Bowl. The game has been a fixture in December since 2008 and happens in RFK Stadium. The sportsbook constantly has its eyes on the prize with Toledo at -3 and the over/under at 70.
In the 1980′s and 1990′s, these 2 teams could have been a lock for a Fiesta Bowl or another BCS-type game but the BCS system was not in place in those days. Players and systems could transform over the years, but these 2 teams can still put on one heck of a show. The Seminoles face the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando on December 29th. We have Jimbo Fisher vs Brian Kelly instead of Bobby Bowden vs Lou Holtz in what is sure to be an amazing game. The sports book seems to concur with Florida State at -3 and the over/under at 47.
San Diego, California sets the stage when the California Golden Bears take on the #24 rated Longhorns on December 28th at the Holiday Bowl. These 2 teams who are evenly matched will slug it out and Qualcomm Stadium will be jumping. The Holiday Bowl has been a San Diego custom since 1978 and this year’s game wants to be a classic. The sportsbook has the line at Texas -3, with the over/under at 47 ½.
After a mixed start to the season the Cincinnati Bengals have stabilized the ship with a five game winning streak which will fill them full of confidence prior to the visit of the Pittsburgh steelers.
The Houston Texans will encounter the Tampa bay buccaneers on November 13th at Raymond James Stadium.
As one of the more interesting competitions of the week, the Saints will visit the Falcons for a battlefor the greater team in contention for the playoffs. Because they have a slightly greater record at 6-3 in contrast to the Falcons’ 5-3 record, the Atlanta Falcons are focused on attempting to close the gap between them and the New orleans saints. The New orleans saints are now in first place and this sets up an excellent division battle between the two teams in the NFC South.