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2009 Emerald Bowl Point Spread, Odds & Picks

Jack Jones — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 22:55:05 +0000

After playing seven years in a BCS championship game the USC Trojans will have to settle with the Emerald Bowl as they face the 9 point underdog Boston College Eagles on December 26 at AT&T Park at 8:00 PM ET.

College Bowl Betting Odds:

Boston College Eagles +9
USC Trojans -9
O/U 44

The Trojans had a terrible second half of the season dropping 3 of their last 5 games. “We’re disappointed with the way we played the last half of this season, so the Emerald Bowl gives us a chance to finish the year on a positive note,” coach Pete Carroll said. “We’ll work hard to send our seniors out in the fashion they deserve. And it’ll give our younger players some extra practice time that will pay off in the future.’

Boston College Eagles on the other side becomes the first team to play in the Emerald bowl twice. If they want to win their 9 bowl game in the last 10 games they will need to improve their game a bid.

You can get winning college bowl picks on this game and every bowl game this season when you pick up a premium package from one of our leading experts.

They know they can stop the run, so stopping USC RB Joe McKnight will not be a concern. But BC’s pass defense has several holes and will have a tough time trying to stop opposing QB Matt Barkley.

Barkley is known for throwing interceptions but BC won’t be able to pressure him into losing the game on his basis of his mistakes.

On offense the Eagles will rely on RB Montel Harris as he recorded 1355 rushing yards and 13 TDs this season. Harris should take advantage of a slow Trojans rush defense that allows 5.1 yards per carry and struggled against running teams like Oregon and Stanford.

If they can establish the run, QB Dave Shinskie could have more room to connect with his receivers. Expect him to look for WR Rich Gunnell and WR Colin Larmond Jr down the field against an average USC passing defense.

“We could not be happier with this matchup,” bowl director Gary Cavalli said. “In USC, we have one of the great brands in college football and a program that is almost always in the national championship hunt. In Boston College, we have one of the nation’s premier academic institutions and an overachieving team that overcame a lot of adversity this season.”

College Football betting trends: Southern Cal is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games and Boston College is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games. Also the total has gone UNDER in 4 of Boston College’s last 5 games

My winning pick: USC -9

Joe McKnight’s Emerald Bowl Status

Jack Jones — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 22:25:25 +0000

Nothing is certain for USC’s star running back, Joe McKnight as the Trojans prepare for the Emerald Bowl on December 26th against Boston College. The NCAA is investigating a potential rules violation by McKnight that involves him receiving gifts based on this athletic ability, in this case a 2006 Land Rover valued at $27,000. This according to a recent story on McKnight in the LA Times.

McKnight says he has never driven the SUV, despite reports that he has been observed driving the vehicle. The Land Rover is registered to Scott Schenter, who owns and works for several companies with marketing interests, but who has said that he “has nothing to do with agents, marketing players or representing athletes.” Get a 20% first deposit bonus when you sign up for a new sports betting account with Bookmaker.

So what is the explanation? Schenter is saying that he registered the vehicle for Johanna Michelle Beltran, a family friend who just happens to be McKnight’s girlfriend, because she could not qualify for a loan herself. Schenter says that Beltran makes payments on the vehicle and pays for the insurance.

What doesn’t seem right about the story is that several people have come forward saying that McKnight was driving the Land Rover, yet he denies it. If it is truly his girlfriends vehicle and he has driven it before, why not just come clean and say that she didn’t feel like driving that day? The NCAA is already looking into USC for alleged violations by Reggie Bush and O.J. Mayo and this doesn’t do much to help the perception that elite USC athletes are receiving gifts in violation of NCAA rules.

According to our college bowl odds there has not been much of an impact to the game based McKnight’s uncertain status. The Trojans are still 7.5 to 8 point favorites. Either bettors and odds makers are waiting to see what really happens with this all, or they figure that USC has enough depth at running back to cover for the loss even if McKnight is out. Only time will tell. Be sure you get winning college bowl picks this season from out top rated football handicappers. They’ll keep a close eye on this story and many others that you may not know about in order to bring you the best picks in the industry.

USC’s Emerald Bowl Outlook

Jack Jones — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 18:10:59 +0000

Paul Peszko made a bold statement that the Emerald Bowl is the most important postseason game of the decade for USC. I’m not quite sure I can agree with that statement, but let’s take a look at some of the points he makes. If this team is really going to treat it with the same kind of intensity as their national title games, then this is a team you might want to keep an eye on when making your bowl picks. Of course, when looking at the bowl game odds you’ll see they are a hefty 9-point favorite to win anyway.

This is a team that had two appearances in the Orange Bowl and a victory over Texas in 2006 would have given them at least a share of three straight national titles. However, Pete Carroll has done a lot of talking about the rebirth of the program and recreating the winning spirit, saying it all starts with this game. A loss would end an already disappointing season on a down note and hamper this “rebirth.”

There are a lot of questions about the players that will be returning and if they are up to the task of carrying on the tradition, and this game will be a nice test to see where they stand.

2006 Emerald Bowl Picks

Jack Jones — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 17:07:35 +0000

Two teams that are heading in opposite directions will face off in the 2006 Emerald Bowl when UCLA takes on Florida State. This bowl will be played at AT&T Park, which is the home of the San Francisco Giants, and will be the first time these two schools have faced off on the gridiron.

The Bruins are coming off an impressive win against USC in their last game of the season and also beat Oregon State and Arizona State to close out the year. UCLA also has some bowl momentum stemming from their 22 point comeback, the largest in school history, in last year’s Sun Bowl. They will want to keep the momentum going against a group of falling Seminoles. UCLA has really improved on the defensive side of the ball, going from 113th out of 118 last season to 33rd this year.

Florida State is going bowling for the 25th straight season, but a year after winning the ACC and almost beating Penn State in the Orange Bowl, the Seminoles are close to their first losing season since Bowden’s first in Tallahassee. The team lost more home games, 4, than any other year and was also shut out at home for the first time ever this year. However, they did manage a bowl game and the team will be making it’s first trip to the West Coast since 1997. The deceiving thing about the Seminoles this season was that 5 of their losses came by a total of only 26 points.

If you want to know which team is going to cover tonight’s game, take a look at what our expert handicappers have on tap for college football bowl picks.

Best odds:

Florida State +4.5 -109 at Pinnacle
UCLA -4.5 -101 at Pinnacle

OVER 40 -110 at BetCris
UNDER 40.5 -110 at VIP

Burns’ 2008 Emerald Bowl Picks

Jack Jones — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 03:53:02 +0000

Ben Burns showed yet again just why his college football bowl picks are so sought after in this industry. If you need a little help in beating the bowl game odds this year then make sure you take a look at the plays that Burns has to offer, such as this 2008 Emerald Bowl winner on the under in the Cal/Miami game:

I’m playing on California and Miami to finish UNDER the total. Both these defenses are more than capable. Miami comes in having allowed just 315.8 total yards per game throughout the season. Cal has almost identical numbers, having allowed only 315.4 total yards per game. Its true that the Bears put up some huge point totals against weaker defenses and that eight of their 12 games finished above the total. However, when matched up against stronger teams, their games weren’t nearly as high-scoring. For example, when facing Arizona State, the Bears won by a score of 24-14. When matched up against USC, they lost 17-3. Including that result, the Bears have held five of their last six opponents to 20 points or less, surrendering seven to Washington in their regular season finale and 16 vs. Stanford the previous week. Looking back a bit further and we find the UNDER at 10-7 (59%) the last three seasons when the Bears have been matched up against a team with a winning record.

Its true that the Hurricanes closed out the season with back to back losses, giving up a lot of points in the process. However, they’ve had a whole month to “right the ship” defensively and I expect a much better effort on that side of the ball. As Coach Shannon said of his defense: “We’re going to be back in the weight room getting stronger, getting ready for the bowl game…” Note that prior to the two losses, the Hurricanes had held Virginia Tech, Virginia and Wake Forest to a combined 41 points with none of those teams scoring more than 17. Additionally, note that the Hurricanes have seen the UNDER go 5-2 the last seven times that they were coming off back to back losses. During the same stretch, including the 16-14 win over Virginia Tech, they’ve seen the UNDER go 4-1 when coming off a bye. The Hurricane have played in four bowl games since 2003 and all of them produced 43 combined points or less. I feel that this evening’s o/u number is generous and I expect the final combined score to prove lower than most are expecting. *Best Bet

Harvey’s 2008 Emerald Bowl Picks

Jack Jones — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 03:49:08 +0000

It’s been a great year for followers of Bob Harvey and his bowl picks have not let them down either. This is a handicapper who has been around the betting scene for years and has used that experience to beat the bowl game lines every season. He’s right on pace for another winning year, and you can learn from his detailed notes on the games. Take a look at why he liked the UNDER here with the Miami/Cal Emerald Bowl in 2008.

Cal is favored and for good reason. They boast the best young running back in the nation in Jahvid Best, they’ve got a bruising and experienced offensive line and the Bears excel in every facet of special teams. Throw in the decided coaching advantage and you’ve got all the ingridients for a blow-out in the Emerald Bowl.

The Hurricanes haven’t played on the West Coast since winning the 2001 national championship by beating Nebraska in the Rose Bowl. Their last game against a Pac-10 team on the road was in 2000, when they lost at Washington. For Cal, this is more of a home game playing in San Francisco just miles away from their campus in Berkeley. For the Bears, it’s just a short commute across San Francisco Bay.

There’s also a big coaching advantage as Cal’s Jeff Tedford is 4-1 in bowl games while his counterpart Randy Shanahan will be making his first bowl appearance as a head coach.