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.

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

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The SMU Mustangs and Army Black Knights probably aren’t the two sexiest bowl teams in the world, but they are both feel good stories, and they should make for a fantastic college football betting action. Before making your Armed Forces Bowl picks in this one on Thursday afternoon, be sure to check out the three keys to which team is beating the NCAA football odds.

Key #1: Jared Hassin has to become a 1,000 yard rusher
The triple option really needs to shine for the Black Knights to have any chance of succeeding in the Armed Forces Bowl. QB Trent Steelman is going to be responsible for both running the ball on his own and getting Hassin the football. Though Steelman is the man that will be the catalyst, Hassin is the one that needs to get the tough yards up the gut. Hassin has a chance to become the second 1,000 yard rusher for the Cadets in the last 20 years if he can get just 69 yards in the Armed Forces Bowl. He had a terrible time in the final few games of the regular season, accounting for just 148 yards on 46 carries with just one TD since November 13th. The Mustangs were torched by the UCF Knights in the Conference USA Championship Game just a few weeks ago, and that only made the rushing numbers for the year even worse. Allowing 142.2 yards per game ranked just No. 51 in the nation, but we have to remember that Conference USA is a conference that is more known for its passing than its rushing. The winner of this battle between Hassin and the SMU front seven is probably going to win this duel.

Key #2: Kyle Padron needs to be a superstar
This key really goes back to Hassin as well, as taking care of the football on offense will limit the Mustangs and their lethal passing attack. This is why Army held teams to just 190.5 yards per game through the air this year, but again, we have to remember that this was a schedule that wasn’t very tough, as there wasn’t a bowl eligible team that was beaten this year, and there were only five on the entire schedule. Meanwhile, SMU averaged 273.8 yards per game on the year through the air, which ranked No. 22 in the land. QB Kyle Padron has a real chance to make a name for himself in his second season as a starting quarterback. He put up a real dud against UCF four weeks ago, and he would love to make a big time rebound. He threw for 3,526 yards and 29 TDs this year, though Head Coach June Jones really would have rather seen his signal caller throw fewer than 12 picks. Both WR Aldrick Robinson and WR Cole Beasley should be in store for a great game, as both were 1,000 yard receivers this year. Robinson caught 60 passes for 1,225 yards, an average of 20.4 yards per reception, and he found the end zone 13 times. Beasley was more of a workhorse, catching 84 passes for 1,036 yards and six TDs.

Key #3: Zach Line cannot be forgotten on either side of the ball
Army really can’t just sell out against the pass in this one, or the running game is going to really sneak up on it and bite it in the butt. Padron has some wheels, as he rushed for 254 yards and four TDs this year, but the man of the hour is going to be RB Zach Line. You don’t normally think about a June Jones offense featuring a 1,500 yard rusher, but Line already has 1,391 yards and ten TDs in 2010. This sophomore had back to back 30 carry games against the Marshall Thundering Herd and the East Carolina Pirates, and he finished up the season with 419 yards and three scores in his last three games combined. Needless to say, Line will get his touches in the finale of his sophomore season, if for no other reason, that he’ll be able to build some momentum coming into next year when the Mustangs should really be ready to rock and roll.

It’s here! Our 2010 college football picks are ready and raring to go here at Bankroll Sports, and to get you ready for the first week of play, we’ve got the list of only the best NCAA football trends that can point you in the right direction towards cashing in on a slew of winners! Get your college football betting season off on the right foot with these hot college football trends!

Thursday, September 2nd: Pittsburgh Panthers @ Utah Utes
Trends of Note
-The Panthers are only 2-6 ATS in their L/8 games played in the month of September
-Utah is a whopping 27-12-1 ATS in its L/40 games played outside of the MWC
-The Utes are 10-4-1 ATS in their L/15 home games

Series History
Utah defeated the Panthers 35-7 in the Fiesta Bowl in 2005, marking the first time that a non-BCS team went to one of college football’s premier bowl games. The Utes destroyed the 14 point spread that day and made an embarrassment out of U-Pitt, the Big East champs for that year.

Friday, September 3rd: Arizona Wildcats @ Toledo Rockets
Trends of Note
-The Wildcats are just 2-7 ATS in their L/9 road games
-Arizona is 0-4 ATS in its L/4 games played outside of the Pac-10
-Toledo is just 1-4 ATS in its L/5 games overall dating back to last year

Series History
These two teams have met twice before, in 2008 and in 1985. Arizona won both games, crushing the Rockets 41-16 in ’08 and easing to a 23-10 decision two and a half decades ago. Young RBs Nick Grigsby and Keola Antolin, both of which are still around for the Cats, combined to rush the ball 29 times for 157 yards and three TDs in the victory two years ago.

Saturday, September 4th: UCLA Bruins @ Kansas State Wildcats
Trends of Note
-The Bruins are a perfect 5-0 ATS in their L/5 non-conference tussles
-UCLA is 34-16-2 ATS in its L/52 games played in September
-K-State is 4-1 ATS in its L/5 home games and 5-1 ATS in its L/6 overall
-The Wildcats are just 5-17 ATS in their L/22 non Big XII games

Series History
Last year, the Bruins used a stifling defense and 119 rushing yards from RB Johnathan Franklin to roll to a 23-9 victory over the Wildcats. That was the only lifetime meeting of these two schools prior to this week’s NCAA football betting bash in Manhattan.

Saturday, September 4th: Connecticut Huskies @ Michigan Wolverines
Trends of Note
-The Huskies are 7-0 ATS in their L/7 road games and are 12-2 ATS in their L/14 overall
-UConn is 34-16-1 ATS in its L/51 non-conference clashes
-Michigan is 4-1 ATS from last September

Series History
First meeting

Saturday, September 4th: LSU Tigers vs. North Carolina Tar Heels
Trends of Note
-The Tigers have covered four straight NCAA football spreads against the ACC and 15-7 ATS in their L/22 non-SEC duels
-LSU is 4-1-1 ATS in its L/6 neutral site games
-North Carolina failed to cover both spreads last season against the other five BCS conferences

Series History
You have to go back to 1985 and 1986 to find the last two times that these teams met. LSU won both games and covered both spreads, winning 30-3 in the Bayou and 23-13 on Tobacco Road.

Saturday, September 4th: Oregon State Beavers @ TCU Horned Frogs
Trends of Note
-Oregon State is 23-9 ATS in its L/32 games overall
-The Beavers are 8-21-1 ATS in their L/30 games played in the first month of the season
-TCU is 6-2 ATS in its L/8 games overall

Series History
First meeting

Sunday, September 5th: SMU Mustangs @ Texas Tech Red Raiders
Trends of Note
-SMU has gone 4-1 ATS in its L/5 road games
-The Mustangs are just 3-13-1 ATS in their L/17 games against the Big 12
-Texas Tech is 3-1-1 ATS in its L/5 games played in the month of September

Series History
The home team is 4-1-1 ATS in the L/6 clashes of these Lone Star State rivals. The Red Raiders are 3-1-1 ATS in their L/5 and 6-2-1 ATS in their L/9 against SMU. Two years ago, the Mustangs were defeated 43-7 by T-Tech, marking the third straight year in which they were beaten by at least 32 points in this series. SMU hasn’t covered a college football betting line in this rivalry since 2004, a 27-13 win for the Red Raiders. The Mustangs haven’t won a game in this series for two decades.

Monday, September 6th: Boise State Broncos vs. Virginia Tech Hokies
Trends of Note
-The Broncos are 7-1 ATS in their L/8 games played outside the WAC
-Boise State is 17-7-1 ATS in its L/25 games overall
-Virginia Tech has covered five straight spreads
-The Hokies are just 4-9 ATS in their L/13 games played in September

Series History
First meeting