A day off in the bowl betting bonanza on January 5th won’t stop us from enjoying another fantastic game on the college football bowl schedule on the 6th. The Kansas State Wildcats and Arkansas Razorbacks were both good enough to be BCS quality teams this year, and they are going to face off in the 2012 Cotton Bowl.

Cotton Bowl: Arkansas Razorbacks vs. Kansas State Wildcats
Cotton Bowl Location: Dallas Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, TX
Cotton Bowl Date/Time: Friday, January 6th, 8:00 p.m. (ET)
Cotton Bowl Television Coverage: FOX

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

Key #1: Collin Klein has to have the biggest heart on the field
Say what you want about Klein. We know that he isn’t a great passer. We know that he stands very little chance of completing even 60 percent of his passes in any game that he plays. We know that he looks to run first and then throw the ball. We know that, for a mobile quarterback, he has a miserable yards per carry average right around 4.0. However, with all that being said, you can’t measure a kid’s heart, and that’s exactly what Klein has. This is a man that carries the ball over 24 times per game out of the quarterback spot, and he isn’t doing a heck of a lot of sliding or running out of bounds. There’s a reason that he led the team in scoring with 26 TDs on the campaign and why he came up with 1,099 rushing yards. Klein has the ability to do some real damage, and though his offense’s numbers aren’t all that impressive in totality this year, he just finds ways to keep putting points on the board, a trait that has to show to beat the Hogs.

Cotton Bowl Odds at Wager Web Sportsbook
Arkansas Razorbacks -7.5
Kansas State Wildcats +7.5
Over/Under 62.5
Click Here to Bet The Cotton Bowl Picks!

Key #2: The Razorbacks cannot let their special teams beat them
The Hogs were only beaten twice this year, once by the Alabama Crimson Tide and once by the LSU Tigers. Both games were on the road, and they were against the two best teams in the country. There was no shame in either defeat, but both games shared a common bond: Bad punt coverage. Against Alabama, WR Marquis Maze had 125 punt return yards, including an 83 yarder that came all the way back for a touchdown. That took a 17-7 game and made it 24-7. The Hogs were beaten 38-14. Against the Bayou Bengals, DB Tyrann Mathieu had two massive punt returns and totaled 115 yards on two runbacks. One went for 92 yards and a TD. From that point on, LSU outscored Arkansas 34-3.

Key #3: Tyler Wilson has to shred a very suspect secondary
In fairness to the Wildcats, they had to play a schedule this year that included taking on Robert Griffin III, Seth Doege, Landry Jones, Brandon Weeden, and Ryan Tannehill. If we had to play those five guys, who will combine for over 20,000 passing yards when the bowl season is said and done with, we would have a secondary with some suspect numbers as well. However, Wilson is another one of these quarterbacks that could inch near 4,000 yards when the season is said and done with. He has 3,422 yards and is averaging a rock solid 8.4 yards per pass attempt this year, and he has a great set of receivers that can really spread the field all over the place. Wilson also did a nice job taking care of the pigskin on the campaign, throwing just six picks against 22 TDs. KSU’s secondary can be had; just look at the 505 yards and five TDs that Jones came up with when the Oklahoma Sooners came to Manhattan. Wilson just has to take advantage of it if the Razorbacks are going to have a shot at beating the Cotton Bowl odds.

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Both the Stanford Cardinal and Oklahoma State Cowboys finished up their season with 11 wins, but both fell short of their ultimate goal by a single game. They’ll try to beat the Fiesta Bowl odds in the second BCS bowl game of the year on January 2nd.

Fiesta Bowl: Stanford Cardinal vs. Oklahoma State Cowboys
Fiesta Bowl Location: University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, AZ
Fiesta Bowl Date/Time: Monday, January 2nd, 8:30 p.m. (ET)
Fiesta 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: These teams have to prove that they want to be here
This is the second straight season that both the Cowboys and the Cardinal have really fallen short of their ultimate goal. Neither team failed so late in the season though to cost them the ultimate prize, and the end result saw Stanford kill the Virginia Tech Hokies in the BCS and had Oklahoma State destroying the Arizona Wildcats in the Alamo Bowl. Now, both teams are in the BCS once again, but again, neither one was able to be a National Championship contender due to their one flaw. We have to wonder if there is going to be a bit of a hangover for either side. Stanford still doesn’t quite look like it is totally over the loss to the Oregon Ducks, as it hasn’t been as dominating down the stretch as it was in the beginning of the season, while the Cowboys looked tremendous in Bedlam against the Oklahoma Sooners in their first action after their lone loss to the Iowa State Cyclones.

Fiesta Bowl Odds at Wager Web Sportsbook
Stanford Cardinal +3.5
Oklahoma State Cowboys -3.5
Over/Under 74
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Key #2: Andrew Luck needs to find a receiver to do damage
Luck didn’t win the Heisman Trophy this year even though he was considered the runaway favorite for the mass majority of the season, and part of the problem is that he really didn’t have a bona fide wide receiver to get the ball to. Sure, his tight ends were dominating all season long, and TE Coby Fleener was as awesome as a tight end could be at the collegiate level. WR Griff Whalen caught 49 passes for 664 yards and four scores, but perhaps Luck’s best target, WR Chris Owusu has been dealing with a concussion for the majority of the season. We aren’t counting on him for the Fiesta Bowl, but we know that someone else is going to have to step up on the outside to do some damage. If not, the Pokes are going to be able to load the box up and try to take away the rushing game with RB Stepfan Taylor, and if that’s the case, Stanford is going to be back basically in the same situation that it was in against Oregon when it was blown out of the water by three TDs on its home turf.

Key #3: Justin Blackmon has to be stopped
When you look at the numbers that the Cowboys put up this year, they are absolutely devastating. RB Joseph Randle had nearly 1,200 rushing yards and a whopping 25 trips to the end zone this year, and backup RB Jeremy Smith also had 645 yards on just 90 carries, nine of which went for TDs. QB Brandon Weeden completed 72.6 percent of his passes and accounted for 4,328 yards and 34 TDs versus just a dozen picks. However, the man that really has made this offense go for the past two years has been Blackmon. He only averaged 11.8 yards per reception this year, a far cry from his 16.1 a season ago, but he once again hauled in just a slew of passes (113 to be exact) and had 1,336 yards with 15 TDs. Blackmon is as talented of a receiver as there is in the nation, and assuming that he comes out of school this year and heads to the pros, he is likely going to step onto an NFL roster and become a true No. 1 wide out for a team that is willing to take him in the first dozen picks or so in the NFL Draft. The whole offense opens up when Blackmon is going, and the Cowboys have to have him in a big time way to keep up in what could be a major league shootout against the Cardinal.

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The college football bowl schedule will be winding down come January 4th, but here at Bankroll Sports, the action is just getting started, as we are set to introduce our 2012 Sugar Bowl keys to the game in the clash between the West Virginia Mountaineers and the Clemson Tigers.

Orange Bowl: West Virginia Mountaineers vs. Clemson Tigers
Orange Bowl Location: Sun Life Stadium, Miami, FL
Orange Bowl Date/Time: Wednesday, January 4th, 8:30 p.m. (ET)
Orange 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: Clemson’s secondary has to prove that it can stop the pass
One blush at the statistics for the Clemson secondary this year, and you must be convinced that the team is pretty darn proficient against opposing passing games. Now, it is true that the Tigers rank No. 35 in the land against the pass at 202.9 yards per game. However, when you really look at the ACC this year, you really don’t see a heck of a lot of teams that are tremendously proficient at throwing the football. The non-conference schedule this year was weak, as there was an FCS team in the Wofford Terriers, a Sun Belt team on the downswing in the Troy Trojans, an Auburn Tigers bunch that looked nothing like the team that won the National Championship last year, and a South Carolina Gamecocks team that was still breaking in a quarterback in Connor Shaw. QB EJ Manuel, probably the most talented quarterback in the ACC didn’t play against Clemson when his Florida State Seminoles came to Death Valley. Now, West Virginia is going to test the two Tigers’ corners, as both WRs Stedman Bailey and Tavon Austin were good for over 1,000 receiving yards on the campaign, and QB Geno Smith will have well over 4,000 passing yards when this one is said and done with. If Clemson isn’t ready, it won’t look anything like even a Top 50 secondary.

Orange Bowl Odds at Wager Web Sportsbook
West Virginia Mountaineers +3
Clemson Tigers -3
Over/Under 61
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Key #2: One team has to figure out how to get past its relatively dismal end to the season
Both Clemson and West Virginia were able to win their final games of the season to make it to the BCS. Had either been beaten in that situation, neither would be here in the BCS. The Tigers just had the number of the Virginia Tech Hokies this year, but aside from that, from the end of October on, they really didn’t play a good game. Clemson was beaten by at least 14 by its three opponents on the road, and it had to truly survive a challenge from a very marginal Wake Forest Demon Deacons team at home. Speaking of surviving, that is exactly what West Virginia had to do against the Cincinnati Bearcats, Pitt Panthers, and South Florida Bulls at the end of the year just to make it to the BCS. The last truly good game from start to finish that WVU played was on October 29th against the Connecticut Huskies on October 8th. But really take a look at this slate that the Mountaineers played. They were losing to Norfolk State at halftime, had to fight off Maryland, got crushed by Syracuse, had to come from behind against Rutgers, got beaten (at home!) by Louisville, should have lost to a Cincinnati team that lost its starting quarterback in the game, survived the Backyard Brawl even though Pitt only had one scholarship running back on the team by game’s end, and just barely made it out of South Florida alive. These weren’t tough games, and they were bad results, so things have to turn around in a hurry for both of these. The one that does it better will probably beat the Orange Bowl odds.

Key #3: Sammy Watkins has to make his impact on this game
Bailey and Austin are great playmakers for the Mountaineers, but all of the players in blue and gold pale in comparison to the excitement that Watkins brings to the table for the Tigers. The freshman missed some games down the stretch and clearly wasn’t as healthy as he was at the start of his season, and the offense was a wreck at times without him. Watkins gets the ball in his hands in a plethora of ways. He ran it 31 times for 229 yards, had 26 kick returns for 683 yards, had a pair of punt returns, threw it once, and of course, led the team in receiving with 79 receptions, 1,159 yards, and 11 TDs. With the team’s second leading receiver, WR DeAndre Hopkins battling a concussion suffered in a car accident just after Christmas, Watkins is going to have to be that much more explosive for the Tigers to win this game.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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

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
Click Here to Bet The Armed Forces Bowl Picks!

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.

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

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

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

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
Click Here to Bet The Pinstripe Bowl Picks!

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.

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