You might say that the Bowling Green Falcons are carrying a head of steam into the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl in Detroit on Thursday night, as they have won 10 out of 13 games, both straight up and against the football odds. The Pittsburgh Panthers, on the other hand, could be limping into this one, as they’ve covered just one out of their last eight and have a 6-6 record. The action gets underway at 6 PM ET at Ford Field in Detroit.
Bowling Green is the champion of the Mid-American Conference, defeating Northern Illinois in the title game. That contest is significant for a number of reasons; for one thing, Bowling Green spoiled the hopes of the Huskies, who thought they might bust into the BCS for the second straight season. Also, that game took place at Ford Field, so they should have some familiarity with the surroundings. There might be up at of a transition, as coach Dave Clawson has accepted the job at Wake Forest, but they have an assistant, Adam Scheier, who has been with the team the last five years, assuming the head coaching duties for this game on an interim basis.
In the college football odds that have been posted on this game at BetAnySports, Bowling Green is the favorite:
College Football Odds courtesy of BetAnySports Offshore Sportsbook
Bowling Green Falcons -6.5 -115
Pittsburgh Panthers +6.5 -105
Over 49.5 points -110
Under 49.5 points -110
Bowling Green did get blown out by Indiana (42-10) in what was the low point for its season, but they did close strong, outscoring the last five opponents by a 223-44 margin. The strength of this team is on defense; they ranked fifth in scoring defense fourth in passing efficiency defense, and eighth in total defense. They are very good at mixing the run and the pass on offense. Quarterback Matt Johnson, who was actually rejected by Pittsburgh for being too small to play the position, had 23 touchdown passes on the year, with only seven interceptions. Unquestionably his best game of the season came when it counted most – in the conference title game, as a three-point underdog in the football odds, when he threw for 393 yards and five touchdowns against the team that had been undefeated up to that time.
He’s got an outstanding wide receiver in Ronnie Moore, who averaged 20.6 yards per catch, and running back Travis Greene rambled for 1555 yards. This “Big Three” on offense affected much balance, but as some BetAnySports customers know, Bowling Green has to worry about the man who might be not only the best defensive player on the field, but the best defensive player on ANY field in college football. We’re talking about Aaron Donald, Pittsburgh’s defensive tackle, who led the nation with 26.5 tackles for loss. He has the ability to disrupt a running game, and also get pressure on the passer.
College football odds bettors should keep in mind that Pittsburgh has scored some significant wins for example, they dealt the Duke Blue Devils one of their two regular-season losses (that is, before Duke got walloped by Florida State in the ACC title game) and they also defeated Notre Dame. The only question is, will be inconsistency that has plagued the Panthers all season long rear its ugly head here?
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