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New Mexico Bowl Odds Colorado State vs Fresno State Football Predictions
The 2008 New Mexico Bowl features the Colorado State Rams out of the Mountain West Conference and the Fresno State Bulldogs from the WAC. This will be Fresno State’s 9th bowl appearance in the last 10 years, while the Rams are seeing post-season action for the first time since 2005. Fresno State had high expectations this season. They were ranked in the Top 25 early in the year and were expected to challenge Boise State for the WAC title. Injuries and inconsistent play made the Bulldogs fall well short of their high aspirations. Not much was expected from Colorado Sate this year with first-year head coach Steve Fairchild taking over, but the Rams won their last two games of the year, notching their 5th and 6th wins, becoming bowl eligible and landing a spot in the New Mexico Bowl. Fresno State is favored by 2.5 points over Colorado State with the total set at 60 points.
Offensively, the Colorado State Rams turned in an average season at best. Finished the regular season gaining 377 yards of total offense and scoring 23.9 points per game. The Rams like to run the ball, but have managed just 130 rushing yards per game on 3.7 yards per carry. The passing game has seen a little more success, as starting QB Billy Farris completed around 60 percent of his passes this year for 247 yards per game and 17 touchdowns, but who was hampered by 12 interceptions along the way. To beat Frenso State in the New Mexico Bowl this weekend, they’ll need to run the ball much more consistently and avoid those costly interceptions.
On the defensive side of the ball the Rams struggled to keep up with their opponents. They ended up allowing 408 yards per game and just under 30 points per contest. The defensive front did not fair well against the run, yielding 186 yards per game on 5.2 yards per carry. The Rams also allowed opposing QBs to throw for more than 64% against them for just over 220 passing yards per game. They’ll face a run-first Fresno State team on Saturday that has excelled on the ground this season. The Rams could be in for a long day if they can’t make any adjustments against the run. Colorado State is a 2.5 point dog this Saturday.
Fresno State didn’t live up to expectations on offense this season, but they were still solid. The Bulldogs racked up 383 total yards per game and ended the regular season scoring nearly 30 points per game. Fresno was able to do the most damage on the ground, averaging 4.8 yards per carry and 177 rushing yards per game. Fresno quarterback Tom Brandstater is a talent, but he’s thrown for just 206 yards per game and is completing just at 60% of his passes. While these aren’t horrible numbers, Brandstater was supposed to be one of the biggest threats in the WAC. Luckily for the Bulldogs, their running game has made up for their lackluster passing game.
The biggest reason that Fresno State didn’t have a better year than they did in 2008 falls on their defense. The Bulldogs struggled this year, giving up over 30 points per game and nearly 400 yards of total offense per game. Their defensive front allows nearly 200 yards per game on the ground on 5.3 yards per carry, numbers that would be worrisome for any coach headed into a bowl game. Fresno is favored by 2 over Colorado State.
The Bulldogs have some possible injury issues in their backfield, but they’ve had those all season and have still been able to rack up some impressive numbers on the ground. Colorado State is just happy to be in a bowl and should put forth their best effort in the New Mexico Bowl. On paper these are two evenly-matched teams, though you would have to give a slight edge to Fresno’s offense and a slight edge to Colorado State’s defensive unit.
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