Week 17 of the 2011 NFL campaign is going to get underway this weekend. Below you will find the current list of 2011 Week 17 NFL lines and spreads along with a breakdown of the Week 17 NFL odds. Be sure to check out the free NFL picks from the expert handicappers at Bankroll Sports this week…

As always, Week 17 is one of the toughest to handicap, as there are a number of games that mean little to nothing, and others in which teams will be scoreboard watching to see how hard they should be playing to keep or gain their playoff positioning. That being said, between that and the uncertain of a number of starting quarterbacks, there are a slew of games that are off the board as of Monday afternoon.

We’ll start with the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. If they lose on Monday Night Football against the New Orleans Saints, this game will mean very little against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. If they win in the Bayou though, it could mean the difference between the NFC South title and a Wild Card slot. Tampa Bay has lost 10 games in a row and is trying to avoid the embarrassment of closing out the season on such a terrible note. It is likely to be the final game for Head Coach Raheem Morris as well. Until all of this is sorted out though, the NFL odds are off the board in this game.

The San Francisco 49ers could be playing for a first round bye in the playoffs on Sunday at the St. Louis Rams. We know that regardless of what else happens, a win will get the job done for sure against a team that would much rather lose this game than win it. The Rams know that they need to lose this game to have a shot at the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft. They’re going to be without QB Sam Bradford as well. Again, this is another game that is off the board for the time being.

QB Drew Brees is trying to break the record for the most passing yards in a season. QB Cam Newton has already smashed virtually every single rookie passing mark. If the Saints win on Monday, they’ll need a win and a San Fran loss to get a first round bye. If they lose on Monday though, they’ll need this one to clinch up the No. 3 seed. We do think that Brees will play for the record regardless of what else happens, and that being said, New Orleans will probably be favored by at least a touchdown over the Panthers, though the visitors have been awfully stingy over the past few weeks and might not go down without a fight.

Other games of note that are off the board right now… The Detroit Lions will need at least a win in all likelihood to have a shot at the No. 5 seed in the NFC, but they have the task of going into Lambeau Field against the Green Bay Packers, who have nothing to play for, as they have already locked up the No. 1 seed in the NFC… The Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns face off in the Dawg Pound. The stakes are going to be high for the Steelers, as the difference could be a first round bye and a first round road game, but until we know the status of QBs Colt McCoy and Ben Roethlisberger, there won’t be a line on the game.

There are definitely some big time games of note that do have NFL lines up for discussion this week, though…

The Tennessee Titans take on the Houston Texans in a game which the visitors need to have any chance of getting into the postseason. Tennessee hasn’t played great ball of late, but Houston has been slumping and has nothing at all to play for, knowing that it has already won the AFC South and will be the No. 3 seed in the AFC. The Titans are favored by 2.5, but that could change if the Texans decide that they want to play this game full out and use both WR Andre Johnson and Defensive Coordinator Wade Phillips, both of which have been out of the fold for the past few weeks.

The biggest game in the AFC involves the Baltimore Ravens and the Cincinnati Bengals. Baltimore needs a win to lock up a first round bye and the AFC North title, and it can also end up with the No. 1 overall seed in the playoffs with some help. Meanwhile, the Bengals, who haven’t drawn anywhere near capacity at any of its games down the stretch this year in spite of their playoff push, need a win to get into the playoffs. They could also get in with a string of other team’s losses, but a win removes all doubt. Cincinnati hasn’t beaten either the Ravens or the Steelers all year long, but this is a great chance to do some damage. The Bengals are 2.5 point underdogs at home in this crucial spot.

It might not be the most important game in the world, but a loss for the Indianapolis Colts in Week 17 does ensure that they will have the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft. They’re 4.5 point underdogs at the Jacksonville Jaguars, who are trying to keep Head Coach Mel Tucker around for the upcoming season.

The Miami Dolphins can end the season of the New York Jets with a win on Sunday. New York shot itself in the foot with a loss against the Giants last week, and now, it needs a win and a tremendous string of fortunate events to happen to get into the postseason. That being said, the Jets are +1 on the road, and many are expecting to just seem them get romped.

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The Buffalo Bills have been terrible of late, but they did lock up a win over the Denver Broncos to hurt their playoff chances last week. Now, they take on the New England Patriots, a team that they upset early in the season at Ralph Wilson Stadium. This task won’t be nearly as easy, as they have to go into Foxboro on a day in which New England can lock up the No. 1 seed in the conference with a victory. That’s why the Pats, who had to survive a challenge last week from the Dolphins, are 12.5 point favorites.

Both the Oakland Raiders and Denver Broncos know that wins put them in good positions for the postseason. Oakland needs a win and a loss by Denver to win the AFC West, or it needs a win and a Cincinnati loss to win the last AFC Wild Card slot. For Denver, only a win or an Oakland loss to win the AFC West will do. The Raiders host the San Diego Chargers in Head Coach Norv Turner’s final game, while the Broncos host their former mate, QB Kyle Orton and the Kansas City Chiefs. Oakland is favored by three. Denver gets the nod by 3.5.

Finally, on Sunday Night Football, the NFL has flexed in the do-or-die game for both the New York Giants and the Dallas Cowboys. This is the NFC East Championship Game, as the winner will finish at 9-7 and host either the Lions, Falcons, or Saints in the first round of the playoffs next week, while the loser will be watching the playoffs from the couch. New York was impressive in last week’s win over the Jets, and it may have an upper hand in this one if QB Tony Romo doesn’t play with his broken bone in his hand. This one is off the board for now, but it will surely be one of the most hotly contested games on the NFL Week 17 spreads.

2011 NFL Week 17 Odds @ SportBet Sportsbook (as of 12/31/11):
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Week 17 NFL Point Spreads for Sunday, January 1st (1:00 ET Kickoffs)
301 Washington Redskins +9
302 Philadelphia Eagles -9
Over/Under 45.5

305 San Francisco 49ers -10.5
306 St. Louis Rams +10.5
Over/Under 35

307 Chicago Bears +1
308 Minnesota Vikings -1
Over/Under 41

309 Detroit Lions -3
310 Green Bay Packers +3
Over/Under 44

313 Carolina Panthers +8
314 New Orleans Saints -8
Over/Under 54.5

315 Tennessee Titans -2
316 Houston Texans +2
Over/Under 40.5

321 Indianapolis Colts +3.5
322 Jacksonville Jaguars -3.5
Over/Under 37

323 New York Jets +3
324 Miami Dolphins -3
Over/Under 41

325 Buffalo Bills +10.5
326 New England Patriots -10.5
Over/Under 50

Week 17 NFL Spreads for Sunday, January 1st (4:00 ET Kickoffs)
303 Tampa Bay Buccaneers +11.5
304 Atlanta Falcons -11.5
Over/Under 45.5

317 Baltimore Ravens -1
318 Cincinnati Bengals +1
Over/Under 38.5

319 Pittsburgh Steelers -6.5
320 Cleveland Browns +6.5
Over/Under 35.5

327 San Diego Chargers +3
328 Oakland Raiders -3
Over/Under 48.5

329 Kansas City Chiefs +3.5
330 Denver Broncos -3.5
Over/Under 37

331 Seattle Seahawks +3
332 Arizona Cardinals -3
Over/Under 41

NFL Week 17 Betting Lines for Sunday Night Football, January 1st
311 Dallas Cowboys +3
312 New York Giants -3
Over/Under 47

The Current NFL Week Seventeen NFL Odds @ Bovada Sportsbook
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The Florida Gators and Ohio State Buckeyes have a ton of strange connections to one another, including a National Championship Game and a head coach. Now, they share the 2012 Gator Bowl as well, and we are set to give our Gator Bowl analysis so you can make your 2011-2012 bowl picks.

Gator Bowl: Florida Gators vs. Ohio State Buckeyes
Gator Bowl Location: Ever Bank Field, Jacksonville, FL
Gator Bowl Date/Time: Monday, January 2nd, 1:00 p.m. (ET)
Gator Bowl Television Coverage: ESPN2, ESPN3.com

Click Here For The Rest Of The 2011-12 Bowl Game Schedule And Other Bowl Game Previews

Key #1: DeVier Posey has to become a force in this game
The combination of QBs Joe Bauserman and Braxton Miller weren’t exactly superstars this year for the Buckeyes, though we do trust that they will be in better shape once Miller really gets the hang of the new offense that Urban Meyer is going to bring to the table. Getting the ball out to wide receivers this year was tough, as there wasn’t a man on the team that caught even 15 passes on the whole season. WR Devin Smith led the team in receiving with 247 yards. Of course, Posey only ended up playing in two games in his senior season, one of which came against the hated Michigan Wolverines. That day, he came up with easily the only notable game that an OSU receiver has had all season long, catching three passes for 58 yards and a TD. He now has seven catches in these two games. Now that he would have had a full few weeks of practice, the time is here for Posey to have an impact on this game. The Gators DBs have been burned a few times in the past by a number of the solid receivers in the SEC, so they can be had, and it will be up to Posey to take advantage of the situation and his extra practice time to make himself a threat.

Gator Bowl Odds at Wager Web Sportsbook
Florida Gators -2
Ohio State Buckeyes +2
Over/Under 44
Click Here to Bet The Gator Bowl Picks!

Key #2: Chris Rainey and Jeff Demps have to use their world class speed to their advantage
Over the first few games of the season, it looked like the new look Florida offense was going to be fantastic with both Rainey and Demps doing damage as rushers and receivers. Now, it is true that the two did have over 1,300 rushing yards between them and might finish off the season with over 2,000 all-purpose yards between them, but the fact of the matter is that neither one really was able to showcase their tremendous speed all that often. They both averaged fewer than six yards per carry this season, a real stretch for a duo that averaged over seven yards per carry over the course of the last three seasons (under Meyer, no less). The Buckeyes might not have been the greatest team on the face of the earth this year, and they might have struggled against a somewhat similar offense that the Michigan Wolverines run at the end of the season, but that doesn’t change the fact that there is some ridiculous speed on the field. If Demps and Rainey don’t get a chance to show what they can do in the open field, the rest of the Gators are just too slow to put points on the board.

Key #3: Both teams need to keep focus
Focus is really going to be the key of this game. The Buckeyes are playing in their last bowl game for two years, as they are going on bowl probation in the 2012 season when this one is said and done with, and they are going to be bringing in a new head coach next year. The Gators have to feel a bit shaken by the fact that the man that led them to two national titles and then skipped town supposedly for retirement is going to be coaching the team that they face on the other side of the field in this bowl game. On top of that, OC Charlie Weis, who grew noticeably upset on the sidelines with his offense as the season wore on, moved on to become the head coach for the Kansas Jayhawks. Both of these teams were known to take stupid penalties this season, especially Florida, and that is why both teams are playing in the Gator Bowl and not some of the more illustrious bowl games that this season has to offer. The team that keeps its cool will probably finish the year off above .500, while the loser will sadly end up below .500.

Click Here to get the best college football picks that you’ll find on the internet, including our Gator Bowl picks and the NCAA football picks for the rest of the bowl game odds.

The NFL betting campaign is heading into its final week of the year, meaning that Black Monday is nearly upon us for coaches. Take a look at the coaches that have already been canned, and the ones that could be on their way out the door when this season is finally said and done with.

Jack Del Rio, Jacksonville Jaguars – Del Rio was canned a month ago, and it was merciful the way that it happened. The Jags haven’t really made all that much of a move in the right direction over the last few years, and the failure of raising QB Blaine Gabbert as a rookie really didn’t help his case any in a year in which owner Wayne Weaver said that it was playoffs or bust for Del Rio. Now, Weaver has sold the team, and Del Rio has been canned. The only question is whether interim coach Mel Tucker is going to be around to see how next season pans out. We tend to doubt it.

Norv Turner, San Diego Chargers – Turner was announced as a goner at the end of the year just days after Del Rio was fired. Turner was allowed to stay on until the end of the season to see if he can get this team into the playoffs. The postseason hopes came to an end with a loss at the Detroit Lions last week, and now, Norv and his staff are coaching their final game this week at the Oakland Raiders, and they have merely been reduced to potential spoilers in yet another very average season.

Tony Sparano, Miami Dolphins – Sparano was let go a few weeks ago in a move that came as absolutely no surprise to anyone. The Fins flirted with the idea of bringing in Jim Harbaugh before ever firing Sparano, and though Harbaugh didn’t come to South Beach, Sparano was still basically stuck with the job. He did a decent job this year and is deserving of a coaching gig immediately as far as we are concerned, but with the Dolphins moving into a new stadium next season, they needed a new direction to go in.

Todd Haley, Kansas City Chiefs – Thanks to some spats with ownership, players, and fellow coaches, Haley was relieved of his duties when it was assumed that the Chiefs’ playoff hopes were said and done with. Interim coach Romeo Crennel is expected to be a candidate for both this job and other jobs this year, and he really bolstered his case by beating the Green Bay Packers at home in his first game in charge of the team. Haley got a bit of a raw deal getting fired a year after taking the team to the AFC West title, especially knowing that this season became impossible without QB Matt Cassel, S Eric Berry, and RB Jamaal Charles for the majority of (or entirety of) the season, but it was clear that GM Scott Pioli wanted to go another direction with his team.

Jim Caldwell, Indianapolis Colts – Caldwell has probably saved his job over the course of the last couple of weeks, as the Colts have beaten the Titans and Texans at home in back to back encounters. However, if the team decides that it is going to use the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft on QB Andrew Luck, owner Jim Irsay may want to bring in a new coach to lead the ship in Indianapolis as well, since it is clear that the team is in need of a major overhaul.

Andy Reid, Philadelphia Eagles – The season came to a crashing halt last week for the Eagles before they ever took the field, as they were knocked out of the playoffs thanks to a win by the New York Giants. Now, it’s true that Reid’s Eagles have played a lot better of late, winning three straight games and threatening to finish .500 in a season in which very little went right, but we don’t know whether the media pressure in the City of Brotherly Love is going to allow the most tenured coach in the league to keep his post for another season. We tend to doubt it, and we think that Reid, either peacefully via a resignation or forcefully via a firing will be removed on January 2nd.

Tom Coughlin, New York Giants OR Jason Garrett, Dallas Cowboys – Owner/GM/Czar Jerry Jones has said that Garrett is the man that he is going to trust as his head coach for the future, but we aren’t so sure that an 8-8 season and missing out on the playoffs are going to keep him safe. Remember that the Cowboys, in spite of all of their injuries, have lost three out of four games, including dropping to the Arizona Cardinals and these Giants down the stretch. There have been plenty of questionable coaching moves this year in losses, and if the Cowboys lose on Sunday, Garrett might take the fall. Coughlin always seemingly has his back against the wall in the Big Apple, and it seems as though a loss at home will finally be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. Then again, the last time Coughlin was in this spot, the Giants won the games that they had to win and ended up winning the Super Bowl, so we know not to count Big Blue out until they are really, truly out.

Mike Shanahan, Washington Redskins – The Redskins’ loss at home on Sunday to the lowly Vikings might be more than owner Daniel Snyder can really take. Shanahan just hasn’t had any success here with the ‘Skins, and his lack of ability to settle on a quarterback and an offensive scheme has really hurt him. Washington is so mediocre and not so bad that it might not be able to settle on a quarterback for the future this year either, and Snyder is probably going to at least force Shanahan’s hand to make up his mind. Knowing Shanny, he may just decide that he has had enough and walk away from the job if Snyder doesn’t fire him next week.

Steve Spagnuolo, St. Louis Rams – The Rams were really, really bad this season, and that wasn’t what the franchise really wanted to see a year after just missing out on the postseason. There were some promising games, notably the home win over the Saints, but St. Louis was just never really able to build upon it. The question is there whether or not QB Sam Bradford is really the man that can lead this team, and if QB Andrew Luck ends up sitting on the board for the Rams, they might have to take him. If they do that, will Spagnuolo get a chance to rebuild this team a second time? We really don’t think so.

Raheem Morris, Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Morris wasn’t really on the hot seat for the majority of the season, but a few weeks ago, that steam picked up, and now, he is probably all but gone. It’s not that the Bucs have been losing games, it’s how they have been losing them. All that the team needed to see this year was a bit of progression on the field. Making the playoffs would have been the next step, but not a requirement. Now, the team is one of the worst in football, it has a 10-game losing streak going, and it is probably going to end up removing Morris as a result, especially after a lot of the four TD+ losses that this squad has had to endure down the stretch.

Lovie Smith, Chicago Bears – Someone is going to take the fall for the fall from grace that the Bears have had, and though we think that it is going to start with GM Jerry Angelo, a new GM might want Smith and has staff out. It’s really not Smith’s fault that he really didn’t have a quarterback or a running back to work with down the stretch, but the bottom line is that this team had a two game lead on a Wild Card bid a month ago, and it was eliminated from the postseason on Christmas night. To say that that isn’t all that good is a bit of an understatement, and Smith could get the blame.

Marvin Lewis, Cincinnati Bengals – We keep Lewis on the hot seat for now, because failing to make the playoffs might be enough to cause owner Paul Brown, who notoriously does things that go against the grain, to give him the boot. The Bengals are going a new direction, and Lewis started the team that way with QB Andy Dalton calling the shots, but that doesn’t mean that Brown is going to want to keep Lewis even if the team finishes 9-7 and out of the postseason. It would be a questionable firing at best, but in order to stay safe for absolutely certain, we recommend to Lewis to beat the Baltimore Ravens this week and lock up a playoff spot.

Ken Whisenhunt, Arizona Cardinals – We tend to think that the solid play down the stretch has been enough to give Whisenhunt one more go around with the Cardinals, but we’re not sure that ownership is going to go with that either, especially if one of the big time head coaches that have been sitting on the sidelines is showing some interest in the job. Finishing at that psychological barrier of .500 with a win over the Seahawks this week will probably be enough to take the heat off of Whisenhunt, at least for one more season.

The Wake Forest Demon Deacons and Mississippi State Bulldogs will square off on December 30th at the Music City Bowl, and we are set to make our college football bowl games predictions for the duel in Nashville.

Music City Bowl: Wake Forest Demon Deacons vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs
Music City Bowl Location: LP Field, Nashville, TN
Music City Bowl Date/Time: Friday, December 30th, 6:40 p.m. (ET)
Music City Bowl Television Coverage: ESPN, ESPN3.com

Click Here For The Rest Of The 2011-12 Bowl Game Schedule And Other Bowl Game Previews

Key #1: Wake Forest has to find some way to get past this stout MSU defense
The Demon Deacons aren’t the stoutest offensive team in the country this year, as they average just 374.5 yards per game and 26.8 points per game. They only had one game with more than 35 points scored this year, and that game against the Gardner-Webb Bulldogs from the FCS. Against bowl eligible teams, this offense was even worse for the most part, save for the big time game against the Florida State Seminoles. Remember that Mississippi State played in the big time SEC West, where there were games against the Arkansas Razorbacks, Alabama Crimson Tide, LSU Tigers, Georgia Bulldogs, South Carolina Gamecocks, and Auburn Tigers. Yikes. It’s amazing to think that the Dogs are only allowing 19.9 points per game this year, and unless all of a sudden, the Demon Deacons find some tremendous offense with someone that we aren’t expecting, this should surprisingly be a bit of an easier task for a tremendous Mississippi State defense.

Music City Bowl Odds at Wager Web Sportsbook
Wake Forest Demon Deacons +6.5
Mississippi State Bulldogs -6.5
Over/Under 48
Click Here to Bet The Music City Bowl Picks!

Key #2: Vick Ballard and LaDarius Perkins need to find some holes in the Wake Forest defense
Ballard and Perkins combined to run the ball 260 times this year, which, unlike a season ago, made this offense a lot more of a 50/50 run/pass team as opposed to a team that predominantly ran the football and threw it sometimes. The passing game still isn’t really all that great in terms of getting the ball down the field, as the team is only averaging less than seven yards per pass attempt on the campaign. Ballard came up just short of 1,000 yards on the ground last year, and he did so on more carries than he has had this season. Ballard is going to finish up his career in this one, and Wake Forest is going to have a hard time stopping him when he can take it between the tackles, especially knowing that this defense is conceding 162.9 yards per game on the ground, No. 69 in the nation.

Key #3: Chris Givens needs to make the big time play
In certain games this year, the Bulldogs were able to really do a consistent job of stopping most drives, but they were often prone to those one or two plays that really broke their backs. Givens has been doing that exact same thing to opposing defenses all season long. Though he only caught 11 more passes than his fellow WR Michael Campanaro, Givens averaged over 17 yards per reception, one of the best marks in the entire country. His 1,276 receiving yards were tops on the team, and he had nine TDs. He also had 71 yards on the ground and was often used in a number of different lights. He can break this game wide open for the Demon Deacons, and if he doesn’t do so, Wake Forest is going to be in a heck of a lot of trouble.

Click Here to get the best college football picks that you’ll find on the internet, including our Music City Bowl picks and the NCAA football picks for the rest of the bowl game odds.

Our NFL prop picks continue with our Monday Night Football picks and our Atlanta Falcons vs. New Orleans Saints prop picks. Be sure to check out our NFL prop picks for the big duel on Monday, courtesy of BetOnline Sportsbook.

Michael Turner, Jacquizz Rodgers, and Jason Snelling Over/Under 128.5 Rushing + Receiving Yards
Playing ‘unders’ in NFL props like this one can be dangerous, as we have a slew of players that are involved, which really removes the potential easy out of an early injury. The first time that these two teams met, Turner and Rodgers alone had 126 yards on the ground and another 43 as receivers, and that really doesn’t bode well for the ‘under’ in this one. However, we have to look at the great job that New Orleans has really done this year against backfield groupings like this one. The team is averaging allowing just 109.9 rushing yards per game, and that is in a division in which th e Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers run the snot out of the football. Sure, dump off passes might be the death of us in this one, but we are definitely going to take our chances that the power of the New Orleans defense is going to be enough to get the job done in this very crucial game. Michael Turner, Jacquizz Rodgers, and Jason Snelling Under 128.5 Rushing + Receiving Yards (-115 at BetOnline Sportsbook)

Darren Sproles Over/Under 83.5 Rushing + Receiving Yards
Sproles really is a one of a kind back in this league, as he does just about everything. Sure, he is only run between the tackles a handful of times per game, but he is capable of being a 100+ yard receiver as well in any game, and any time he touches the football, it could go a long, long way. Sproles has 496 yards on the ground and 659 more as a receiver, both of which are career highs with two games to play. In the first meeting, he was really kept under wraps, as he rushed for just one yard and had four catches for two yards. However, that isn’t going to stop him by any means, as he is surely going to have a heck of a lot better day than that. He will probably get at least seven or eight targets as a receiver, and if he can catch just four or five of them, it could result in a slew of yards. We just don’t like the Atlanta defense and its capability of slowing down Sproles yet again in this game. When push comes to shove, at home, Sproles is a different back, and he is going to show it on Monday. Darren Sproles Over 83.5 Rushing + Receiving Yards (-115 at BetOnline Sportsbook).

Drew Brees Over/Under 2.5 TD Passes
Asking a quarterback to throw for three TDs in a game is always a tall task, but we think that this is going to be one of these days in which Brees puts his name back in the hat for the MVP award once and for all. Sure, he isn’t going to catch QB Aaron Rodgers for the most passing touchdowns in the league at 45 since he “only” has 37 scores, but he is going to become the first quarterback of the season to throw for at least 5,000 yards, and he is probably going to break QB Dan Marino’s record for most passing yards in a season on this night. Brees is 220 yards shy of becoming the first man to ever throw for 5,000 yards in a season twice in his career, and he needs another 83 yards to break Marino’s record. We think that he will do it, and do it with flying colors, and if he needs to play in Week 17, we think that he could even come up near the 5,500 yard mark to totally smash the record to bits and pieces as well. With 16 TDs and no picks over the course of his last five games, Brees is just rolling right now, and we don’t see how he isn’t going to throw for at least three TDs at least half the time in this situation. Remember that he already has three or more scores in seven of his 14 games this year, including in five of his six played here at the Louisiana Superdome. Drew Brees Over 2.5 TD Passes (+105 at BetOnline Sportsbook).

Of all of the games the 2011-2012 college football bowl schedule, there isn’t a game that looks like it is going to be more lopsided than the duel between the Oklahoma Sooners and the Iowa Hawkeyes. Check out how we are breaking down the Insight Bowl odds this year.

Insight Bowl: Iowa Hawkeyes vs. Oklahoma Sooners
Insight Bowl Location: Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, AZ
Insight Bowl Date/Time: Friday, December 30th, 10:00 p.m. (ET)
Insight Bowl Television Coverage: ESPN, ESPN3.com

Click Here For The Rest Of The 2011-12 Bowl Game Schedule And Other Bowl Game Previews

Key #1: The Sooners have to want to be here in Tempe
Oklahoma had itself a heck of a season this year. There were many thoughts, especially after beating the Florida State Seminoles on the road early in the season that this was going to be a special year. However, the Sooners suffered three losses, the worst of which came right on the last day of the season against the Oklahoma State Cowboys in Bedlam. Now, instead of playing at University of Phoenix Stadium for the Fiesta Bowl, Oklahoma is stuck playing in the Insight Bowl before New Year’s Day. The team just can’t be all that excited about this situation, and we have seen the Sooners fall flat on their faces in games like this one before, just like they did in the Fiesta Bowl against the Boise State Broncos at the start of their questionable bowl results. Iowa is a team that is always excited to play in bowl games no matter where the games are played, so we know that the Hawkeyes are going to have the Sooners all that they want. The question is whether Oklahoma is going to get the job done or not.

Insight Bowl Odds at Wager Web Sportsbook
Iowa Hawkeyes +13.5
Oklahoma Sooners -13.5
Over/Under 58
Click Here to Bet The Insight Bowl Picks!

Key #2: Oklahoma needs some skill players to set up to replace the ones not playing in this game
This offense has already taken a bit of a shot from WR Ryan Broyles when he tore his ACL. His season was over in the beginning of November, and Oklahoma has been beaten twice in three games since that point. Add in the fact that RB Dominique Whatley has had a season ending ankle injury and WR Jaz Reynolds has a kidney injury that will probably keep him out of this one, and there is a real problem for QB Landry Jones. RBs Brennan Clay and Brandon Williams are rather raw, but they are going to be the backs that have to step up to run the ball effectively in this game if RB Roy Finch can’t get the job done. WR Kenny Stills is likely going to be the only man on the field for the Sooners that picked up more than 370 receiving yards this year in spite of the fact that Jones threw for 4,302 yards on the campaign. There is a lot of depth on this team in terms of talent, but that talent doesn’t always get onto the field. It’s a good thing that there are a few weeks of practice for this team, but there is still only so much that can be done to help this team out without real game experience.

Key #3: Marvin McNutt has to be a star
There is always a ton of pressure on RB Marcus Coker and McNutt, as they both dominate their respective facets of the game. When opponents shut them down, Iowa has nothing left to turn to. Save for runs by QB James Vandenburg, most of which has come when he has to get out of the pocket and out of trouble, Coker had 280 of the team’s 337 rushes. McNutt had 78 of the 217 receptions, and Coker had 21 of those as well. That being said, this offense came up with 4,550 yards in total this season. Coker had 1,541 of those yards (1,384 on the ground), while McNutt had 1,327 (1,269 as a receiver). That’s 63 percent of the entire Iowa offense. Coker has been suspended for this game for conduct issues, and that is going to leave a very, very big void for the Hawkeyes to try to fill.

Click Here to get the best college football picks that you’ll find on the internet, including our Insight Bowl picks and the NCAA football picks for the rest of the bowl game odds.

The Tulsa Golden Hurricane and the BYU Cougars are set to square off on December 30th at the Armed Forces Bowl in our nation’s capitol, and we are set with our Armed Forces Bowl keys to the game!

Armed Forces Bowl: Tulsa Golden Hurricane vs. BYU Cougars
Armed Forces Bowl Location: FedEx Field, Landover, MD
Armed Forces Bowl Date/Time: Friday, December 30th, 12:00 p.m. (ET)
Armed Forces Bowl Television Coverage: ESPN, ESPN3.com

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Key #1: The BYU passing attack has to take advantage of a questionable pass defense
If there has been an Achilles heel for Tulsa over the course of the last few years, it has been the team’s pass defense. This squad allowed over 300 yards per game a year ago through the air, and though that number has dropped to 289.3 yards per game, it is still only ranked No. 118 in the country. We saw the Houston Cougars rip this team apart a few weeks ago in the de facto West Division title game in Conference USA, and we know that there are other teams that have had a tremendous amount of success against this unit. The Cougars have really done a nice job moving the ball with QB Riley Nelson at times this year, and he is coming off of one of the best passing games of his career against the Hawaii Warriors. Nelson threw for 363 yards and three TDs that day, and he now has 1,467 yards and 16 scores against five picks since replacing QB Jake Heaps under center.

Armed Forces Bowl Odds at Wager Web Sportsbook
Tulsa Golden Hurricane +2.5
BYU Cougars -2.5
Over/Under 55.5
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Key #2: GJ Kinne has to be a one man wrecking crew
We have seen Kinne take over games before, but generally speaking, he has done so with WR Damaris Johnson. That being said, Johnson hasn’t taken a snap this season with off the field issue, and Kinne just hasn’t put up the same types of numbers. He threw for 2,876 yards and 25 TDs against 12 picks and ran for 405 yards and three more TDs. That being said, this is a senior that has been running this offense for three years, and this was probably the worst of his three campaigns. Last year, he accounted for over 4,200 total yards and 38 TDs, so we know that he has the potential to put up 400 yards in a game between rushing and passing, and he is going to have to be the man for Tulsa to pull off the upset in this game.

Key #3: Bronco Mendenhall’s defense needs to be on point
This has been an up and down season for the Cougars. The team allowed 17 points or fewer seven times this year, but it has also allowed 28 points to the lowly Oregon State Beavers, 38 to the TCU Horned Frogs, and 54 at home to the Utah Utes. This defense could be had for sure, but in total, the team only allowed 316.3 yards per game this year, No. 17 in the nation. If this unit has one of its good games, the Golden Hurricane are going to be in trouble. However, during the bowl season, we tend to see these good defenses collapse, so Mendenhall’s ‘D’ needs to stay on point no matter how quickly Tulsa is going to run its offense.

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The Iowa State Cyclones only just made it into the bowl season this year, but they got the job done and will be headed to the 2011 New Era Pinstripe Bowl. There, they will try to beat the 2011 college football bowl game odds against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.

Pinstripe Bowl: Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs. Iowa State Cyclones
Pinstripe Bowl Location: New Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY
Pinstripe Bowl Date/Time: Friday, December 30th, 3:20 p.m. (ET)
Pinstripe Bowl Television Coverage: ESPN, ESPN3.com

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Key #1: ISU’s defense has to stay strong
When you look at the last three games of the year for the Cyclones, you see 31, 26, and 30 points allowed, and you would think that that isn’t all that great. However, when you consider the fact that those games were home against the Oklahoma State Cowboys, at the Oklahoma Sooners, and at the Kansas State Wildcats, you realize just how well this unit has played. In fact, over the course of the first six games of the season, Iowa State’s defense was just atrocious, allowing 41 or more points three times. However, something happened around October 29th with the win against the Texas Tech Red Raiders, and from that point on, this unit has absolutely overachieved. Rutgers doesn’t have an overwhelming offense to say the least, so we are expecting the Cyclones to come up with a good effort in the 20s or so if they are to win this game.

Pinstripe Bowl Odds at Wager Web Sportsbook
Rutgers Scarlet Knights -1.5
Iowa State Cyclones +1.5
Over/Under 44.5
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Key #2: Mohamed Sanu needs to make his big impact on this game
This has been a year in which Sanu has finally been used more as a receiver than anything else. In the past, Head Coach Greg Schiano has used him as a passer, a runner, a return man, a receiver… you name it, Sanu did it. This year though, he was tempered and held to just being the team’s top wide out and a return man. He had 1,144 yards on 109 receptions with seven TDs, and he was the primary punt returner as well, though he only had 56 yards on 11 returns. Schiano knows that Sanu is going to have to get involved in a tremendous way in this one, as he is the best (and really the only) tremendous superstar that can bust a touchdown on any given play. If Sanu touches the ball 15 times in this game, he is going to need to make sure at least a few of those are the big time impact plays that change the course of a game.

Key #3: One team has to excel in the kicking game
The kicking game has been absolutely atrocious for both of these teams this year, and playing outdoors in a wild, potentially windy stadium like Yankee Stadium isn’t going to help. Iowa State missed four extra points this year and only converted on 10-of-16 field goal attempts. Only one kick was made from longer than 43 yards this year, and the team went 1-of-4 in those situations. It is clear that the Cyclones have to get inside the Rutgers 30 yard line to even think about booting a field goal, especially if the wind is kicking up. K San San Te for Rutgers wasn’t all that much better this year. He missed a PAT and went just 18-of-28 on field goals. He missed three field goals from 50+, three from 40-49 yards, but most notably, four from 20-39 yards. To make matter worse for Rutgers, its punting game isn’t all that great either, averaging less than 40 yards per punt, which isn’t getting the job done. You would like to think that the team that makes the most plays in the kicking game will be the one that proves to be victorious, but in this case, it is probably going to be the team that makes the most mistakes will probably prove to lose.

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