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.