We are still several months away from the start of the 2012 college football schedule, but here at Bankroll Sports, we never stop looking at some of the best NCAA football odds on the internet. Take a first look at the 2012 Heisman Trophy odds along with some of our early Heisman Trophy picks and predictions for the upcoming season.

With so many of the other Heisman Trophy candidates declaring for the NFL Draft, it is no surprise that the man that is the favorite to win the 2012 Heisman Trophy is a man that elected to pass on the NFL for one more year at the collegiate level. USC Trojans QB Matt Barkley (Odds To Win The Heisman Trophy: 3.85 to 1 at JustBet Sportsbook) is clearly going to be one of the top quarterbacks in the nation this year. In fact, the whole Southern Cal team is going to be great this year, especially with WR Robert Woods leading a talented set of receivers this year. The Pac-12 has the potential to be not all that fantastic with teams like the Oregon Ducks and Stanford Cardinal getting ripped apart by players leaving for the NFL, and the Trojans are clearly playing in the worst half of their conference. This all bodes well for the Trojans and for Barkley, who has to be considered the top returning quarterback this year.

As we found out last year though, the man that is the bona fide favorite isn’t always the one that ends up winning the award. The Michigan Wolverines had a heck of a year in 2011 under the direction of new Head Coach Brady Hoke. If Big Blue can contend for the Big Ten title again this season, the man that could be on a lot of Heisman Trophy ballots is QB Denard Robinson (Current Heisman Trophy Odds: 6.50 to 1 at JustBet Sportsbook). Robinson has over 2,000 passing yards and over 1,000 rushing yards in each of his first two seasons calling the shots in Ann Arbor, and he is going to surely be in a position to put up these types of numbers once again. The Wolverines are going in the right direction, and Robinson is a big part of the reason for that. This is a man that has flirted with the Heisman in the past, but right now, Robinson is more or less this year’s version of last year’s Heisman winner, Baylor Bears’ QB Robert Griffin III.

Of the four Heisman Trophy finalists on the offensive side of the ball from last year, the only one of the bunch that is coming back to school this year is Wisconsin Badgers RB Montee Ball (Heisman Trophy Betting Lines: 5 to 1 at JustBet Sportsbook). We just can’t see how Ball is going to put up numbers that were better than what he had last year when he rushed for 1,759 yards and accounted for a total of 39 TDs. Parlay all of that with the fact that the Badgers won the Big Ten and played in the Rose Bowl this year, and we become very confused as to what more Ball needs to do to win the Heisman Trophy. Of course, the stats that Griffin put up last year were out of this world, but Ball wasn’t even really all that close to winning the award. Ball isn’t a flashy back, as he is more or less just that vintage “between the tackles” back, and though he is going to put up the numbers once again assuming that he stays healthy, the issue is that he just doesn’t have the flare of some of the other top players in the land.

There are a few players with some long odds that we are willing to take a stab at this year. We’ll start with the Clemson Tigers’ WR Sammy Watkins (Current Heisman Trophy Odds: 22 to 1 at BetOnline Sportsbook). Though QB Tajh Boyd is going to get a lot of the accolades for the Tigers, Watkins is clearly the player that made the difference to this team this year. Watkins does everything for Clemson, carrying the ball as a receiver, catching the ball, returning kicks, and perhaps selling popcorn on the side as well. Remember that he is only a sophomore this year. This is the year in which QB Tim Tebow won the Heisman, and it is also the year in which RB Mark Ingram won it as well. Watkins is going to be the man that has to make the Tigers the top team in the ACC once again, and if that happens, Watkins could be a Heisman contender.

We’re also going to look at the Georgia Bulldogs’ QB Aaron Murray (Current 2012 Heisman Trophy Lines: 15 to 1 at BetOnline Sportsbook). The top teams in the SEC are the ones that always have Heisman Trophy finalists. The Alabama Crimson Tide are clearly going to have some big time players, as will the LSU Tigers, but both teams are lacking stars offensively. Sure, Tyrann Mathieu was a finalist last year, but there are just so few defensive players that have the ability to actually win the award. Instead, Murray seems to be the up and coming star in this conference. He had one of the best years for a UGA quarterback in school history last year, and he was only a sophomore. The Dawgs took some major steps in the right direction this year, winning 10 straight games before losing in the SEC Championship Game. If they can keep going the right way and challenge again for the SEC crown, Murray could have a shot at posting a Heisman Trophy campaign.

2012 Odds To Win The Heisman Trophy @ BetOnline Sportsbook (as of 2/7/12):
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Matt Barkley (USC Trojans) 3 to 1
Denard Robinson (Michigan Wolverines) 5 to 1
Montee Ball (Wisconsin Badgers) 4 to 1
Landry Jones (Oklahoma Sooners) 6 to 1
Geno Smith (West Virginia Mountaineers) 7 to 1
Marcus Lattimore (South Carolina Gamecocks) 8 to 1
AJ McCarron (Alabama Crimson Tide) 8 to 1
Tajh Boyd (Clemson Tigers) 9 to 1
Taylor Martinez (Nebraska Cornhuskers) 9 to 1
De’Anthony Thomas (Oregon Ducks) 9 to 1
Rex Burkhead (Nebraska Cornhuskers) 10 to 1
Aaron Murray (Georgia Bulldogs) 15 to 1
Robert Woods (USC Trojans) 18 to 1
Tyler Wilson (Arkansas Razorbacks) 20 to 1
Sammy Watkins (Clemson Tigers) 22 to 1
Keith Price (Washington Huskies) 28 to 1
Tyrann Mathieu (LSU Tigers) 30 to 1
Giovani Bernard (North Carolina Tar Heels) 35 to 1
Isaiah Crowell (Georgia Bulldogs) 40 to 1
James Franklin (Missouri Tigers) 50 to 1
Kenny Stills (Oklahoma Sooners) 50 to 1
Malcolm Brown (Texas Longhorns) 50 to 1
Henry Josey (Missouri Tigers) 60 to 1

2012 Heisman Trophy Odds @ JustBet Sportsbook (as of 2/7/12):
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Aaron Murray (Georgia Bulldogs) 12 to 1
AJ McCarron (Alabama Crimson Tide) 20 to 1
Collin Klein (Kansas State Wildcats) 50 to 1
Dayne Crist (Kansas Jayhawks) 20 to 1
De’Anthony Thomas (Oregon Ducks) 20 to 1
Denard Robinson (Michigan Wolverines) 6.50 to 1
EJ Manuel (Florida State Seminoles) 30 to 1
Geno Smith (West Virginia Mountaineers) 8 to 1
James Vandenberg (Iowa Hawkeyes) 50 to 1
Keith Price (Washington Huskies) 28 to 1
Landry Jones (Oklahoma Sooners) 6.50 to 1
Marcus Lattimore (South Carolina Gamecocks) 15 to 1
Matt Barkley (USC Trojans) 3.85 to 1
Montee Ball (Wisconsin Badgers) 5 to 1
Rex Burkhead (Nebraska Cornhuskers) 20 to 1
Robert Woods (USC Trojans) 40 to 1
Sammy Watkins (Clemson Tigers) 20 to 1
Tajh Boyd (Clemson Tigers) 30 to 1
Taylor Martinez (Nebraska Cornhuskers) 30 to 1
Tyler Wilson (Arkansas Razorbacks) 20 to 1

List of Odds to Win The 2013 College Football National Championship Can Be Found Below!

The 2012 college football season is said and done with, and here at Bankroll Sports, we are already taking the time to look at the 2013 college football national championship odds in an effort to find some big time winners with great value.

That being said, the first team that comes to mind has to be the one that just lost the BCS National Championship Game, the LSU Tigers (Odds To Win The College Football Championship: 3.85 to 1 at SportBet Sportsbook). The Bayou Bengals are going to have to have a significantly easier time running the table in 2012 than they did in 2011. They do have to take on Auburn, Florida, Texas A&M, and Arkansas on the road, but they also get Alabama and South Carolina at home. The non-conference schedule, which was littered with the likes of Oregon and West Virginia this year, features North Texas, Washington, Idaho, and Towson, and all four games are played at home. Head Coach Les Miles is returning a slew of players from this year’s team, which many thought might be considered one of the best in the nation, but thanks to the fact that that game against the Crimson Tide is going to be at home, we have to take LSU this year, not Alabama with both teams at comparable odds.

Things set up really well this coming season for the USC Trojans (Odds To Win the 2013 National Championship: 8 to 1 at SportBet Sportsbook). The Men of Troy got some great news when QB Matt Barkley decided that he was going to come back to school for his senior year, and with that being the case, there are going to be a ton of teams that are going to face the wrath of what should be an absolutely amazing offense. A trip at Stanford won’t be nearly as hard this year as the trip to Oregon was this year, and the Ducks are coming to Pasadena. The non-conference slate is difficult, but home games against Hawaii and Notre Dame and a road test essentially at Syracuse (though at MetLife Stadium, not at the Carrier Dome) should be manageable. Don’t be shocked if USC runs the table next year, and in its first year back from the bowl ban, it is able to challenge for the whole enchilada.

The next team in line that we are going to look at is the Georgia Bulldogs (2013 National Championship Odds: 30 to 1 at SportBet Sportsbook). Once again, the schedule makers have done some major favors here for the Dawgs, who again avoid the toughest teams in the West Division. Not only are both LSU and Alabama not on the slate, but neither is Texas A&M. The toughest tests are going to be at the Missouri Tigers (9/8) and at the South Carolina Gamecocks (10/6), but aside from that, the rest of this schedule isn’t all that bad by SEC standards. Georgia Tech is at home this year as well, and with the way that UGA finished up this season, we see no reason why QB Aaron Murray can’t lead this team to at least an 11-1 regular season, which as we have found out in the SEC, is generally more than enough to play for the National Championship.

The team with all of the hype surrounding it this year will be the Florida State Seminoles (2013 College Football Championship Odds: 12 to 1 at SportBet Sportsbook). QB EJ Manuel is back in the saddle, and in games in which he played this year, the FSU offense was quite good. The Noles went 9-1 in the games that Manuel both started and finished. Next year, the ACC schedule isn’t exactly kind, with road dates against Miami and Virginia Tech, but Clemson and Wake Forest, the two biggest competitiors in all likelihood in the ACC Atlantic Division are at home. West Virginia is scheduled to come to Tallahassee, but that game may be replaced with a second straight FBS foe when push comes to shove, and the other two non-conferene affairs are against South Florida on the road (9/29) and at home against Florida (11/24).

With this being their last season in the MWC, we still have some confidence that the Boise State Broncos (NCAA Football Championship Odds: 50 to 1 at SportBet Sportsbook) at least have a bit of a shot to take the national title next year. Head Coach Chris Petersen is staying in Boise for another year, and young freshman QB Nick Patti highlights another tremendous recruiting class. The first game of the year is slated to be at the Michigan State Spartans, and the Southern Miss Golden Eagles and BYU Cougars should also make for some tough challenges, but we know that when push comes to shove, Boise State will have a shot in all of those games. Again, we don’t really see anyone challenging this team this year in the MWC, especially with those pesky Horned Frogs now out of the way.

2012-2013 BCS National Championship Betting Lines @ SportBet Sportsbook (as of 1/10/12):
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Alabama Crimson Tide 5 to 1
Arkansas Razorbacks 18 to 1
Auburn Tigers 50 to 1
Arizona Wildcats 75 to 1
Boise State Broncos 50 to 1
Boston College Eagles 125 to 1
BYU Cougars 100 to 1
California Golden Bears 100 to 1
Cincinnati Bearcats 66 to 1
Clemson Tigers 25 to 1
Florida Gators 30 to 1
Florida State Seminoles 12 to 1
Georgia Bulldogs 12 to 1
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 125 to 1
Iowa Hawkeyes 80 to 1
Kansas State Wildcats 35 to 1
LSU Tigers 3.85 to 1
Miami Hurricanes 125 to 1
Michigan Wolverines 22 to 1
Michigan State Spartans 75 to 1
Missouri Tigers 85 to 1
Mississippi State Bulldogs 65 to 1
Nebraska Cornhuskers 35 to 1
North Carolina Tar Heels 100 to 1
Notre Dame Fighting Irish 20 to 1
Oklahoma Sooners 12 to 1
Oklahoma State Cowboys 80 to 1
Oregon Ducks 12 to 1
Oregon State Beavers 200 to 1
Penn State Nittany Lions 125 to 1
Pittsburgh Panthers 100 to 1
South Carolina Gamecocks 30 to 1
South Florida Bulls 125 to 1
Stanford Cardinal 80 to 1
TCU Horned Frogs 50 to 1
Tennessee Volunteers 100 to 1
Texas Longhorns 25 to 1
Texas A&M Aggies 100 to 1
UCLA Bruins 125 to 1
USC Trojans 8 to 1
Virginia Tech Hokies 25 to 1
Washington Huskies 66 to 1
West Virginia Mountaineers 30 to 1
Wisconsin Badgers 35 to 1
Field 12 to 1

There is just one game left on the college football TV schedule, and that game takes us to the Louisiana Superdome for the BCS National Championship. There has been a ton of pomp and circumstance surrounding this game over the course of the last month or so, and here at Bankroll Sports, we are taking one last look at the LSU Tigers vs. Alabama Crimson Tide. Check out our National Championship prop picks courtesy of Bovada Sportsbook.

AJ McCarron Over/Under 200.5 Passing Yards
McCarron threw for 199 yards when these two teams met the first time around, but we just aren’t all that sure that that is going to be the case again in this one. The Georgia Bulldogs were a great passing team this year, and QB Aaron Murray was frustrated the entire game by this LSU defense. The Bayou Bengals have two of the best corners in the nation, and getting the ball to anyone aside from RB Trent Richardson on screens is going to be dangerous to say the least. The Crimson Tide do have the receivers to be able to do some damage when push comes to shove, but we just don’t see this much in terms of yardage allowed by the LSU secondary. McCarron Under 200.5 Passing Yards (-110 at Bovada Sportsbook)

Trent Richardson Over/Under 28.5 Receiving Yards
Richardson did plenty of damage to these Tigers earlier this year as a receiver, accounting for 80 yards through the air. Granted, most of that came on one long play, but in the end, he had five catches and eight targets on McCarron’s 28 pass attempts. There is going to be a heck of a lot of checking down in this one, and we see Richardson getting plenty of looks. This is a man that caught 27 passes this year for 327 yards, so we know that he has the hands to be able to make the receptions to make this prop stand up. Richardson might not have the day on the ground for the Tide, but we do think that he is going to be used as a receiver quite a bit. He should get at least into the 40s in this game in receiving yards in our estimation. Richardson Over 28.5 Receiving Yards (-110 at Bovada Sportsbook)

Will Rueben Randle Score a Touchdown?
If this game turns out to be anything like the first meeting, there won’t be any touchdowns to speak of, so all of these props will turn out to be “No.” We do think that there will at least be a few TDs in this one, and that would make Randle a prime candidate to get the job done on a deep ball. However, for the last month, these Alabama corners have been hearing all about how the Tigers have the best corners in the nation. Yet it was the Crimson Tide that ranked No. 1 in literally every single major defensive yardage category this year, and you can bet that these corners have something to prove. Randle did catch 50 balls this year for 904 yards and eight trips to the end zone, and he is surely the deep threat in this game, but if you are asking us whether he is going to get behind the Alabama secondary in this game, we certainly don’t think so. This seems like an awfully short price on a man that only scored eight TDs all season long. Randle To Not Score a TD (-180 at Bovada Sportsbook)

Total Turnovers Over/Under 3.5
Though both of these defenses forced a ton of turnovers this year, the truth of the matter is that neither one turned the ball over all that much, including in the game against one another back in November. There were a grand total of four turnovers in the first meeting, but QB Jarrett Lee threw two of them, while WR Marquis Maze threw one as well. These teams simply don’t lose fumbles, and in the punt return game, DB Tyrann Mathieu has some of the best hands in the game, while P Brad Wing’s punts are basically never returned. That will certainly cut down the number of opportunities that either team has at turning the ball over. There could be a ton of punts in this one, just like there was the first time around, but we don’t see a slew of turnovers. Asking either team to force more than two turnovers against the other in this one is going to be a tall, tall task, and we just don’t see any way that it happens. It’s chalky, but it is certainly the right play to make. Under 3.5 Total Turnovers (-350 at Bovada Sportsbook)

Will Either Team Score Three Straight Times
Sure, if you are really a believer that these two teams are going to play another one of these wild 9-6 games that ends in overtime, you are better served betting the “No” on this prop. That being said, we think that suckers are going to take that +120 all day long, as the thought has to be whether there are going to be three scores, let alone three scores coming in a row by the same team. It only needs to happen once though, and in at least two out of every three games, it happens. Both of these teams are good enough offensively to make it happen, and in the event that this one starts to get out of hand (and don’t discount the fact that it might), it will be clear that someone will score three straight times, either when trying to post a comeback, or trying to pull away from the other once and for all. A Team Scores Three Straight Times (-160 at Bovada Sportsbook)

Sunday night presents football betting fanatics with the situation of their dreams. The first round of the NFL playoffs will be over with and that need for that one more football game for the weekend will be had in a game that should feature a slew of points and a bunch of commercials and promotions that the average guy won’t want to miss. Check out our keys to the game for the GoDaddy.com Bowl, pitting the Arkansas State Red Wolves against the Northern Illinois Huskies.

GoDaddy.com Bowl: Arkansas State Red Wolves vs. Northern Illinois Huskies
GoDaddy.com Bowl Location: Ladd Peebles Stadium, Mobile,AL
GoDaddy.com Bowl Date/Time: Sunday, January 8th, 9:00 p.m. (ET)
GoDaddy.com 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: Chandler Harnish and Ryan Aplin have to put on a show
There aren’t many offenses that you are going to find in the country that operate like those of ASU and NIU, and then pivots of the units are Harnish and Aplin. Harnish is a four year starter in the Huskies’ offense, and this year was clearly his best of the bunch. The senior threw for 2,942 yards and rushed for 1,382 more. Meanwhile, Aplin is starting for the second full season in Jonesboro, and he had 3,235 passing yards and 605 more as a runner. That means that these two by themselves, with no help from anyone else are accounting for an average of 652.6 total yards from scrimmage per game. Care to count the touchdowns now as well? Harnish is averaging 2.85 total TDs per game. Aplin is at 2.33 TDs per game. Needless to say, both of these men can do it all (Aplin even has a receiving touchdown on the year and has three punts for an average of 37.7 yards per punt!), and both are going to have to literally put their team on their backs for plays, drives, and maybe even full quarters at a time to be able to beat the other.

GoDaddy.com Bowl Odds at Wager Web Sportsbook
Arkansas State Red Wolves -1.5
Northern Illinois Huskies +1.5
Over/Under 63
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Key #2: One of these teams has to prove that it has a defense
And don’t kid yourself about that. Sure, you see that Northern Illinois is out of the MAC, and the first thing that you think of are some of those wild games that had 120+ points scored in them on those random Tuesday and Wednesday nights. However, these Huskies shut out the Ohio Bobcats in the second half of the MAC Championship Game to clinch a spot in this bowl game, and they held three other teams in the teens in scoring on the campaign. You would figure that Arkansas State is a team that features a slew of points allowed per game as well, but perhaps you need to take a closer look. The Illinois Fighting Illini were held down to just 33 points before they fell off the face of the earth offensively, and the Virginia Tech Hokies were kept to just 26 at Lane Stadium. Aside from those two games, no one has scored more than 22 points at the FBS level against the Red Wolves. Someone needs to show you that they can really play defense against a fellow stout offense to win this game.

Key #3: The Red Wolves need to force some turnovers
This Arkansas State team was tremendous at turning teams over this year. The squad tied for 20th in the land in turnovers forced with 28, and a veteran secondary really led the with 18 picks on the campaign. That being said, Northern Illinois only threw five INTs all season long, No. 5 in the nation, and it only had a grand total of 18 turnovers. The Red Wolves don’t necessarily have as many yards as other teams do because of the great field position that they end up getting because of all of these turnovers, and the easier that scoring becomes, the less pressure that is on your defense to get the job done. The Huskies have been known to have some special teams problems as well, and if there are turnovers or points left on the board in the kicking game, they are probably going to be in some trouble as well.

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

And it all comes down to this… The BCS National Championship Game odds will finally be contested by the Alabama Crimson Tide and the LSU Tigers at the Louisiana Superdome. The “Game of the Century” from earlier this year will be replayed, and we offer up the five Alabama vs. LSU keys to the game for the biggest game of the year.

BCS National Championship Game: Alabama Crimson Tide vs. LSU Tigers
BCS National Championship Game Location: Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, LA
BCS National Championship Game Date/Time: Monday, January 9th, 8:30 p.m. (ET)
BCS National Championship Game Television Coverage: ESPN, ESPN3.com

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

Key #1: Trent Richardson has to be a star
In fairness to Richardson, he did a heck of a lot in the first meeting between these two teams. He had 80 yards receiving and another 89 on the ground, and at the end of the day, that really made him the top offensive player on the field in a game in which there wasn’t a single touchdown scored. With 1,583 rushing yards, 327 receiving yards, and a total of 23 TDs, Richardson was good enough to win the Heisman Trophy this year. Those were numbers that were just as good as those of RB Mark Ingram when he won the Heisman Trophy two years ago. There haven’t been many players that have found some holes in that stout LSU defense, and for as great as those corners are on the outside, the best way to get the ball going anywhere against it is probably right up the middle of the field. Whether it is going to be by throwing the ball to him or letting him run it up there, the Tide have to find some way to really get Richardson going.

Key #2: Jordan Jefferson can’t turn the ball over like Jarrett Lee did
LSU fans that are screaming at the tops of their lungs that the Bayou Bengals should be favored in this game, especially with the slight home field advantage probably going their team’s way can definitely rest on the fact that Jefferson should be taking all of the snaps in this game, barring injury. Lee tossed two INTs to the tremendous Alabama defense, and with as sneakily good as that Tide offense can be, you just can’t give the ball up. Jefferson has done a nice job this year after that suspension for the off the field issues at the outset of the season. He has rebounded and gotten back in the good graces of the fans in Baton Rouge and with his coaching staff. His numbers aren’t particularly special at this point, as 684 passing yards and 248 rushing yards in basically six full games worth of playing time or so isn’t that special, but what Jefferson does that Lee doesn’t is manage a game and not turn the ball over. Jefferson only has one pick this year, and he historically does a nice job protecting the rock.

BCS National Championship Game Odds at Wager Web Sportsbook
Alabama Crimson Tide -1
LSU Tigers +1
Over/Under 41
Click Here to Bet The BCS National Championship Game Picks!

Key #3: Alabama’s special teams cannot be its downfall again
Anyone who watched the first “Game of the Century” can’t make the argument that the Bayou Bengals were clearly the better team. Alabama could have been argued as definitively the better side, but in truth, we would probably be splitting hairs to pick one team over the other. The real difference in that first meeting were the poor Crimson Tide special teams. It felt like it didn’t matter which kicker was coming out to give the ball the big boot, the ball wasn’t going through the uprights. It’s a miracle that the Tide picked up two field goals in that game with as badly as the ball was being kicked. This wasn’t just a problem in this game, though. Alabama only converted on 62.1 percent of its field goal tries this season, and that won’t cut it.

Key #4: LSU simply has to make Alabama punt the ball more
You would figure in a game that was tied 6-6 at the end of regulation would feature a ton of punts on both sides, right? Not quite in this case. The Crimson Tide only punted the ball twice to LSU, which really limited the amount of touches that DB Tyrann Mathieu had on the football. Mathieu ended up being a Heisman Trophy finalist this year because of the way that he broke open the games against the Arkansas Razorbacks and Georgia Bulldogs in successive weeks on national television. The “Honey Badger” as they call him, averaged well over 16 yards per punt return, and getting the ball into his hands is key. The Tide had more drives end on missed field goals than anything else on the day, and if you’re the Bayou Bengals, you can’t put yourself in that position once again.

Key #5: Brad Wing has to have another huge game
You’ll notice that we’re not talking a heck of a lot about offense or defense in this game. These two teams are absolutely mirror images of one another, save for the fact that the rushing game for Alabama is basically Richardson’s game, save for when he needs a spell, whereas LSU is going to use four or five different backs for a total of 40 carries per game. Wing can be a real game changer, though. He averaged over 44 yards per punt this year, and he was a dynamo when he really needed to be. Wing can punt the ball with either foot, and he has that rugby style kick that sometimes can turn into a fake punt if the coast is clear. It is just something for the Crimson Tide to think about, and it probably won’t let the likes of Richardson or WR Marquis Maze get free. Wing has allowed a grand total of six yards on punt returns this year, and he would really love for that to keep up in the BCS National Championship Game.

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

The Pittsburgh Panthers barely made it to a bowl game this year, and they needed to win their final game of the season just to qualify. The SMU Mustangs came out of the blocks hot but stumbled to the finish line. The two meet in Birmingham in a battle to beat the 2012 BBVA Compass Bowl odds.

BBVA Compass Bowl: SMU Mustangs vs. Pittsburgh Panthers
BBVA Compass Bowl Location: Legion Field, Birmingham, AL
BBVA Compass Bowl Date/Time: Saturday, January 7th, 1:00 p.m. (ET)
BBVA Compass 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: Both teams need to have confidence in their coaching staffs
What an interesting situation this is! The bowl season has a strange way of finding bedmates to pair with one another, and totally unbeknownst to the BBVA Compass Bowl, SMU and Pitt were going to have a strange common ground. June Jones, SMU’s head coach, seemed all set to jump ship and take the job with the Arizona State Sun Devils. When contract negotiations fell flat, the man that took the ASU job was now former Pitt coach, Todd Graham. This Pittsburgh program really has to feel betrayed. Dave Wannstedt was only fired just over a year ago, Phil Bennett was the interim coach for last year’s BBVA Compass Bowl, Mike Haywood was around for a few weeks before getting into trouble off the field and getting dismissed, Graham came in 11 months ago and is already out the door, Keith Patterson is going to be the interim coach for this game, and then Paul Chryst is going to take over when this is said and done with. Yikes! It’s hard to say whether either team is going to show unity or not. The Panthers might not have that much interest right now, knowing that yet another new coaching staff is on the way, but SMU might still not quite be “all-in” with Jones, knowing that he was all set to leave as well.

BBVA Compass Bowl Odds at Wager Web Sportsbook
SMU Mustangs +3.5
Pittsburgh Panthers -3.5
Over/Under 47
Click Here to Bet The BBVA Compass Bowl Picks!

Key #2: Someone needs to step up and run the football
It seems like a relatively simple concept. Running the football. However, both of these teams are absolutely running out of players to be able to do it. The Mustangs lost RB Zach Line in the second to last game of the season to a foot injury, and he won’t be back in time for this game. He led the team in rushing with 1,224 yards and had a total of 17 TDs to lead the squad in that category. It marked the second straight huge year for Line on the ground, as it was his second 1,200+ yard campaign and second year of double digits worth of TDs as well. Pittsburgh already certainly doesn’t have RB Ray Graham, one of the best backs in the Big East with a knee injury that was sustained at the end of October, and RB Zach Brown, the freshman that replaced him, has a sternum injury that has cost him the last game and a half and might keep him out of the BBVA Compass Bowl as well. There aren’t many carries that have been spread around in these two offense to other backs, but whichever team can find a diamond in the rough to have a decent day on the ground is going to have a huge leg up on the other.

Key #3: SMU has to keep control of the football
Of teams that rank No. 91 or worse in turnover margin in the country, only nine are playing in bowl games this year. As of the publishing of this original article on December 30th, four have taken the field. The Tulsa Golden Hurricane, Iowa State Cyclones, Utah State Aggies, and Notre Dame Fighting Irish have all already been beaten, and the other five still have to play. There isn’t a team in the land with a worse turnover margin than the Mustangs, who average losing 1.42 more turnovers per game than they get back. That’s an absolutely atrocious figure. SMU has turned the ball over 31 times and are at a -17 for the campaign. It’s amazing that this team has been able to win seven games like this. This Mustangs team found a way to beat the TCU Horned Frogs on the road in October, but since that point, they have had no luck hanging on to the pigskin. Failure to do that against Pittsburgh, a team that runs the ball and generally runs it pretty efficiently without turning it over, could be a nightmare for Jones’ turnover prone offense.

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The decision to put the Michigan Wolverines and the Virginia Tech Hokies in the BCS was a bit controversial to say the least. That being said, these two should still be in for a great battle, and that is going to make our Sugar Bowl predictions difficult to say the least.

Sugar Bowl: Michigan Wolverines vs. Virginia Tech Hokies
Sugar Bowl Location: Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, LA
Sugar Bowl Date/Time: Tuesday, January 3rd, 8:30 p.m. (ET)
Sugar Bowl Television Coverage: ESPN, ESPN3.com

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Key #1: The Hokies have to figure out how to slow down mobile quarterbacks
QB Denard Robinson is one of the most athletic quarterbacks that you’re going to find in the entire country. He now has two straight seasons with over 1,000 rushing yards and double digits worth of rushing touchdowns, and he has a decent arm and can get the ball up the field as well. The closest thing that the Hokies saw to that all season long was Clemson Tigers’ QB Tajh Boyd. Boyd didn’t have the two greatest games in the world against V-Tech, but he did find ways to make the plays when he really had to, and in the two games in which the Tigers knocked off the Hokies, a lot of those plays came after he left the pocket. Robinson generally likes to get outside first and see what he can make out of a play at that point, especially if he is designed to throw and doesn’t have his first read, and that’s when the Virginia Tech defense has tended to be picked apart. It’s odd to say for a team that has this much speed on this side of the ball, but it might be that speed that is truly costing the Hokies and pushing them out of position.

Sugar Bowl Odds at Wager Web Sportsbook
Michigan Wolverines -2.5
Virginia Tech Hokies +2.5
Over/Under 51
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Key #2: David Wilson needs to be contained
If the man that Virginia Tech has to stop is Robinson, the man that the Wolverines have to stop is Wilson. You really didn’t hear a lot of hype out of Wilson as a Heisman Trophy candidate, but if you take away those two games against Clemson and make them wins, the Hokies might have had the Heisman winner. Wilson only had 32 yards in the ACC Championship Game against Clemson, but he still ended the campaign with 1,631 yards on the ground with a total of 10 trips to the end zone. The junior averaged over six yards per carry, and his speed is what earned him kick returning duties as well. Though not nearly as proficient as he was last year, Wilson has shown that he can break the big ones based on his 26.5 yards per return average in 2010. Whether it be as a rusher, a receiver, or a returner, all eyes are going to have to be on Wilson. Without stopping Wilson, it will be awfully difficult to keep tabs on…

Key #3: Danny Coale has to make a lot of the grunt work plays for the Hokies
… Coale. When you look at Coale, you really aren’t all that impressed. He’s a 6’0″ receiver, weighs 200 pounds soaking wet, and he really doesn’t even remotely look like a wide receiver. Look at the stats for his career, and you still won’t be all that impressed. Coale did have four years worth of reps in this offense, and he has 157 career receptions, 2,541 yards, and eight TDs. His numbers should theoretically be better than that, but if you just sit and watch the tape, you realize how many huge plays that he makes for this team. It feels like QB Logan Thomas only has eyes for Coale on all of those 3rd and 7 plays, and he is always right there to get the job done. More than that in this game though, might be Coale’s ability to kick. He had a dozen punts this year and had the best net punting average for any of the V-Tech kickers at 44.1 yards per punt. On top of that, he may be forced into kicking duties. K Cody Journell, the team’s original kicker has been suspended, while K Tyler Weiss, his backup, missed curfew and won’t play in the Sugar Bowl. K Justin Myer has kicked for the team this year, but both punters Michael Branthover and Scott Demler were nothing special this year either. Coale is going to be called into a ton of duties for the Sugar Bowl, and he is going to have to really make some of those plays that you aren’t going to necessarily recognize how important they are on the stat sheet for the Hokies to pull off the upset.

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High flying offenses are going to be on display as we try to make our Rose Bowl picks for 2012, as the Wisconsin Badgers take on the Oregon Ducks in the “Granddaddy of Them All” in Pasadena.

Rose Bowl: Wisconsin Badgers vs. Oregon Ducks
Rose Bowl Location: Rose Bowl Stadium, Pasadena, CA
Rose Bowl Date/Time: Monday, January 2nd, 5:00 p.m. (ET)
Rose Bowl Television Coverage: ESPN, ESPN3.com

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Key #1: One of these defenses has to step up and make a play
It goes without saying that these two offenses are going to put some points on the board, but the question is whether either defense is going to be able to make a stand. When you look at these scoring averages, the two teams are only combining to allow 40.6 points per game, and the 17.0 points per game allowed by the Badgers looks a heck of a lot better than the 23.6 of the Ducks. But then again, Oregon had to contend with the LSU Tigers, Stanford Cardinal, and USC Trojans this year, while Wisconsin’s toughest defensive tests probably came against the Michigan State Spartans twice. We look at that Ducks defense and realize that they were able to pick off QB Andrew Luck three times on the road in Palo Alto in their biggest game of the season, but we are still wondering whether the Badgers have the ability to make that big play or not. In their first game against MSU, they allowed the Hail Mary that ultimately beat them in East Lansing, and in the Big Ten title game, they were really devastated time and time again both on the ground and through the air by Sparty.

Rose Bowl Odds at Wager Web Sportsbook
Wisconsin Badgers +6
Oregon Ducks -6
Over/Under 72
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Key #2: One Heisman hopeful has to rule over the other
RB LaMichael James was a Heisman Trophy finalist two years ago. RB Montee Ball was a finalist this season. These two should both have a field day, as they were two of the best rushers in America. Ball rushed for 1,759 yards and 32 TDs and had another 255 yards and six scores as a receiver. James had 1,646 yards and 17 TDs on the ground and 210 yards and a score as a receiver, and he did so in basically two fewer games. Both have mobile quarterbacks in Russell Wilson and Darren Thomas, and both have a backup tailback that is capable of massive things as well with James White and Kenjon Barner. The question is which is going to be more explosive when push comes to shove, and the answer is probably going to decide which team beats the 2012 Rose Bowl odds.

Key #3: A sluggish start by either team could be fatal
The Badgers were beaten in the Rose Bowl last year by the TCU Horned Frogs. The Ducks were silenced in the BCS National Championship Game by the Oregon Ducks. In both cases, the teams that are meeting in this year’s Rose Bowl got off to bad starts and really never recovered. Both of these offenses run a ton on timing and pace, and that’s the type of thing that can be lost without playing at game speed for well over a month. Both teams will have likely been helped by a conference title game this year for the first time in their respective conferences’ histories, and that might give both teams just that shred of help to get over the hump to start off games in a hurry. There is definitely some unfinished business for both of these teams, and they are going to have to start off well and make a statement to the other if they hope to be the winner in this BCS bowl game.

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