The Central Michigan Chippewas battle the San Diego State Aztecs in the New Mexico Bowl on Saturday at 2:00 PM ET. The college football odds favor San Diego State by 3.5 points and the total has been set at 41.

New Mexico Bowl

Coverage: ESPN

How They Got Here

What Jim McElwain has done for Central Michigan this season is worthy of head coach of the year consideration. Central Michigan was 1-11 last season and he got there and took them to the MAC Championship Game. They did lose 26-24 against Miami (Ohio) on December 7 but they have an 8-5 record and a balanced team, ranking 40th in the nation in both passing and rushing yards per game.

San Diego State is 9-3 and while their offense is far from explosive, ranking 185th in the nation averaging just 19.0 points per game, their defense is very tough to score against, as they allow just 12.8 points per game (5th in the nation).

Central Michigan

Central Michigan has two talented running backs: Jonathan Ward (1,082 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns on 174 carries) and Kobe Lewis (977 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns on 177 carries). Their run game has been strong most of the season and Ward had 331 rushing yards in the three wins before the loss against Miami (Ohio). He ran for just 26 yards averaging 2.6 yards per carry in that game.

Lewis also had a tough time in the MAC Championship Game with just 24 rushing yards but he ran for 131 yards in the 49-7 win against Toledo on November 29. Ward and Lewis have to play well if Central Michigan wants to beat San Diego State.

Senior quarterback Quinten Dormady also has to step up, particularly if San Diego State stops their run game. Dormady has 2,148 passing yards and 14 touchdowns with six interceptions and four of his wideouts have at least 496 receiving yards, led by Kalil Pimpleton (79 catches for 823 receiving yards and six touchdowns).

The San Diego State defense is the second-best in the nation against the run, allowing just 72.3 rushing yards per game but Dormady can exploit that they're 52nd against the pass, allowing 216.3 passing yards per game.

San Diego State

The San Diego State defense is one of the best in the nation. It is pretty much the reason why they had success this season. They won't light up the scoreboard on offense though, so they will go as far as their defense can take them.

The Aztecs closed the regular season with a 13-3 win against BYU on November 30. Redshirt freshman Carson Baker led the way, completing 19 of 24 passes for 172 yards and one touchdown, stepping up for the starter Ryan Agnew. He missed the game with a left calf bruise. Agnew could come back against Central Michigan. Will it improve their chances to win? He has completed 216 of 340 passes for 2,175 yards and 11 touchdowns with five interceptions in 11 games but he struggled as of late with just one touchdown in his last three games.

Betting Trends and Prediction

The Central Michigan Chippewas are:

5-1 ATS in their last six non-conference games

6-2 ATS in their last eight games overall

The San Diego State Aztecs are:

3-7 ATS in their last 10 games following an ATS win

5-13 ATS in their last 18 games on grass

San Diego State hasn't allowed more than 20 points in five straight games but they will have their hands full against a Central Michigan offense that averages 34.6 points per game and can be effective through the air or on the ground.

College Football Pick: Central Michigan +3.5

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College football bowl season kicks off this week, and there are plenty of games around the country this weekend. The Gaspirilla Bowl is one of the games to keep your eye on early next week as kickoff is scheduled for Monday night. The UCF Golden Knights will take on the Marshall Thundering Herd in this game that takes place in Tampa, Florida. UCF represents The American Conference and Marshall is the representative of Conference-USA.

UCF comes into this game with a record of 9-3 and this was actually a down year for the Golden Knights. The Golden Knights should have a ton of momentum after finishing the season by winning five of their final six games. Marshall went 8-4 during the regular season, including a 6-2 record in conference play. The Thundering Herd also won five of their final six games. UCF is a massive -17.0 point favorite in the Gaspirilla Bowl.

Golden Knights Can Score in a Hurry

The University of Central Florida has lost plenty of talent to the NFL in recent seasons, but it hasn’t affected their offense. UCF comes into this game averaging 43.0 points per game, making them a top-10 scoring offense again this season. There was a question as to who would be quarterback of this team, but Dillon Gabriel took the job and ran with it. Gabriel threw for over 3,300 yards this season and tossed 27 touchdown passes. The Golden Knights are also averaging over 216 rushing yards per game, and they can score points in a variety of ways.

The offense gets most of the headlines for the Golden Knights, but their defense has played well also. The Golden Knights are allowing less than 23 points per game this season, and they have plenty of athletes on that side of the ball. UCF gave up just seven points to rival USF in their season finale, and they should put together another great performance in this game.

Marshall Will Need to Defend

If Marshall is going to keep this game close then their defense is going to have to play their best game of the season. The Thundering Herd allowed just over 23 points per game this season, but this will be one of the best offenses they have faced. Marshall did hold an explosive Boise State team to just seven points earlier this season, and will need that kind of performance again in this game.

Marshall can also really run the football, and they will need to extend some drives with their running game. The Thundering Herd are averaging just under 200 rushing yards per game, and running back Brenden Knox has been unstoppable this season. Knox leads the way with 1,284 rushing yards, and quarterback Isaiah Green can make plays with his legs as well. Green has thrown for 2,265 yards this season, and he will need to find some holes in the UCF secondary.

Thundering Herd No Match For Golden Knights

There are some terrific matchups during the college football bowl season, but the Gasparilla Bowl is not one of them. This game looks like a complete mismatch on paper, and will likely be an even bigger mismatch on the football field. UCF is a team that can play with some of the best teams in the country, and the Thundering Herd have not been tested this season. The Golden Knights can score points in a hurry, and they will pick apart the Thundering Herd defense in this game. 17 points is a large spread, but UCF will cover it. Bet the UCF Golden Knights -17.0 over the Marshall Thundering Herd in the Gaspirilla Bowl. Take the Golden Knights at RealBookies, our favorite pay per head bookie location.

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College football is entering bowl season, and the Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl will kick things off on Friday afternoon. The Buffalo Bulls and Charlotte 49ers will stop the sight-seeing and hit the field for a matchup in this game. Buffalo will represent the Mid-American Conference in this game, and the Charlotte 49ers enter this game as a member of Conference-USA. Each teams will be looking to pick up the first win of bowl season and represent their conference well.

The Charlotte 49ers come into this game with a ton of momentum after winning their last five regular season games. Charlotte finished the season with an overall record of 7-5, including a solid 5-3 record in Conference-USA games. Buffalo should also have some momentum after winning five of their final six games. The Bulls also finished the season with a record of 7-5, and went 5-3 in MAC action. The Buffalo Bulls are -6.5 point favorites over the Charlotte 49ers in this game.

Buffalo Can Run the Football

The Buffalo Bulls were one of the best rushing teams in college football this season, and they will use that strategy in the Bahamas Bowl. Buffalo ran for over 254 yards per game this season, and they have a stable of running backs to get the job done. Running back Jaret Patterson led the way with 1,626 rushing yards this season and has also found the end zone 17 times. Buffalo will be without running back Dylan McDuffie in this game, but they have plenty of weapons.

The Buffalo offense has gotten most of the headlines this season, but they have a terrific defense as well. The Bulls have allowed just 22.3 points per game this season, and that is against some terrific offenses in the Mid-American Conference. Buffalo gave up just seven points in the final game of the season, and they should be feeling good entering this game. The Bulls have racked up 38 sacks so far this season, and they will be aggressive in this game.

Charlotte Doesn’t Play Much “Defense”

Charlotte will be facing a terrific defense in this game, but don’t look for them to play much defense themselves. The 49ers have given up over 32 points per game this season, and their rushing defense has been problematic. Charlotte did not allow more than 22 points in each of their last four games, and there is a chance that their defense has finally started to figure some things out. The 49ers will need some stops to give their offense a chance in this game.

Quarterback Chris Reynolds will be the player to watch when the Charlotte 49ers have the ball. Reynolds has thrown for over 2,600 yards this season and has thrown 17 touchdown passes. The 49ers have scored more than 31 points per game this season, and they will need to score a ton of points to win this game. Charlotte has over 430 total yards per game this season, and they will need each one of them to extend drives in this game.

Buffalo Blows Out Charlotte in Bahamas Bowl

Buffalo is an extremely high-scoring team, and the Charlotte 49ers have really struggled to get some stops this season. That is a recipe for disaster for Charlotte in the Bahamas Bowl, and it’s going to let Buffalo pile up the points. The Bulls will be without some key players in this game, but their roster is just much better than Charlotte. The 49ers will get a nice, free trip to the Bahamas out of the deal, but the actual football game is not going to be enjoyable. Bet the Buffalo Bulls -6.5 over the Charlotte 49ers in the Bahamas Bowl on Friday afternoon. Bet the Bulls at A1pph.com our top pay per head bookie site.

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#2 LSU is traveling to Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta to take on the #4 Georgia Bulldogs in a game to get to the college football playoff and to win the SEC. Both teams come into this game off of clean wins over inferior opponents and neither should be dealing with a ton of wear and tear that has been an issue for months now.

While there wasn’t a huge game last week, Georgia lost DeAndre Swift and George Pickens against Georgia Tech and they will be without Pickens for the first half in this game since he threw a punch in the second half of that game. While Pickens is not the focal point of the offense, he is clearly the #2 right now behind Lawrence Cager in the receiver room.

Top Receiver Out for Georgia

Speaking of Cager, he will miss this game as well, which should not be great for the Bulldogs. Cager has been the best receiver on this team and they have already struggled to create separation downfield for a lot of the season. I expect Swift to play in this game, although he may not be 100%. Even if Swift is out, Georgia has one of the best RB rooms in the country and they should still lean on the run game.

The largest question mark in this game is how many points will Joe Burrow and this LSU offense put up on one of the best and most athletic defenses in the country. While Burrow has been phenomenal this year, I still want to give a ton of credit to the play design that is going on behind the scenes and the receivers ability to execute at a high level.

Burrow has an adjusted completion percentage just 3-5% away from his actual completion percentage depending on who you ask. That is ridiculous and it goes to show how this offense is designed to give him easy options at all times and that his receivers are almost always converting those looks for completions. While this isn’t really a good or bad thing overall, I think that this is less sustainable over time and I expect Burrow to struggle more than he has all season against a Georgia defense that should be able to hang with the great route concepts and play designs.

Now, we have not seen LSU be truly slowed down all season, but what would it look like if they did? LSU struggled to run the ball early in the season, but they have gotten a lot better over the last few games. I think this is a combination of more teams respecting the passing attack and just the result of an offensive line getting better as the year goes on.

I think that there is a scenario where Georgia doesn’t have to try too hard to stop the run game and this would create issues for LSU. The Georgia front is full of scary dudes and I don’t think that LSU’s run game has shown me enough where they will be forced to cheat in obvious run downs. I think that this will inherently give LSU tougher looks than we have seen them face all season.

I think that this is going to be an all or nothing game for the LSU offense to prove that they will score on anyone anywhere and that they can put up points on top defensive teams. When looking forward to the playoffs, Clemson and Ohio State both have Georgia caliber defenses with more offensive firepower. This is a tune up for the LSU offense and I think we could see them struggle a bit against better players.

Run Run Run

On the other side of the ball, I expect Georgia to attempt to run the ball down LSU’s throat all game, especially without their playmakers on the outside. LSU’s defense has been bad this year, but the secondary is talented and I’m not sure that Georgia will be able to create any separation downfield.

This side of the ball will come down to LSU’s run defense showing improvement. I think that Georgia may be able to manhandle LSU early in the game, forcing LSU to cheat and leave their corners on an island. While Georgia doesn’t have a ton of guys to torch that coverage it will still give them more opportunities to make big plays.

Spread Pick

The Tigers are favored by 7.5 and I want the other side here. I would not be surprised to see the Tigers show up defensively and completely stomp Georgia out of the building in a statement win. However, I think that the Bulldogs will jump to an early lead and make LSU panic a little early. I think this is a 1 possession game with Georgia in the lead with under 5 minutes to go. Give me the Bulldogs +7.5. Take the Bulldogs at RealBookies,, our favorite pay per head bookie.

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