Bowl season is in full swing, and Friday brings us some tremendous matchups. Along with the 2 College Football Playoff games, Central Michigan goes up against Washington State in the Sun Bowl and Wake Forest faces Rutgers in the Gator Bowl. All in all, it should be a wonderful day of college football action. In this article we are breaking down two of our best bets for Friday’s slate.
Along with these plays, make sure to also check out our free picks on the side and total for every NCAAF bowl game.
Now let’s get to it.
Michigan +7.5 (-110) over Georgia
The Michigan Wolverines are playing with a ton of confidence and momentum right now. Both of those components are very valuable this time of year. In this matchup, the Wolverines find themselves as 7.5-point underdogs against the Georgia Bulldogs. This is only the third time this season the Wolverines will play as underdogs. In the previous two scenarios, Michigan won both games outright. They were +2 underdogs earlier this season when they played on the road against Wisconsin and won that game 38-17, and then beat Ohio State 42-27 when they were 6.5-point underdogs.
These teams have similar styles, as they can attribute their success to strong defenses and consistent running games. Georgia might have the best front-7 in college football, but they will be going up against a Michigan offensive line that just won the Joe Moore Award, which is given to the nation’s best offensive line. Michigan ranks 10th in the country in rushing offense and averages 5.32 yards per carry. With 2 dominant defenses and offenses that run the ball often, points will be valuable in this game. This should be a close game, so pocketing the 7.5 points with Michigan is the better side to be on.
Be sure to check out our full game preview for Georgia vs Michigan
Central Michigan +7 (-110) over Washington State
Central Michigan takes this spot on late notice, but that won’t stop the Chippewas from putting up a fight. They ended their regular season on a 4-game winning streak and were victorious in 6 of their final 7 games. The Chippewas also covered the spread in 5 of their last 6 games down the stretch. Offensively, Central Michigan has the firepower to hang with a team like Washington State from start to finish. It actually boasted one of the better offenses in all of college football during the regular season, anchored by explosive running back Lew Nichols who ran for 1,708 yards and 15 touchdowns. Their run defense also ranks in the top 40 in FBS, allowing just a shade over 131 yards per game.
The Washington State Cougars definitely surpassed all preseason expectations after a decent 7-5 year, but the ground game is still lacking on both sides of the ball. WSU rushes for just over 130 yards per contest (96th in the country), while the defense surrenders over 162 yards per game on the ground (81st). They’ll be pressed even more in this one as running back Max Borghi declared for the NFL Draft and offensive lineman Cade Beresferd has transferred out. Both of those losses bode well for the Chips. Additionally, the recent history in the Sun Bowl is definitely on Central’s side; five of the last six Sun Bowl games have been decided by 6 points or less. Take the points with Central Michigan in what should be a fairly entertaining matchup.
Be sure to check out our full game preview for Washington State vs Central Michigan
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