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2008 Champs Sports Bowl Predictions – Wisconsin v. Florida State Football Odds & Picks

Written by Jimmy Boyd

wisconsin-fsu

The Wisconsin Badgers and the Florida State Seminoles meet in Orlando in the Champs Sports Bowl in what is an intriguing matchup. Back in 1977, FSU head coach Bobby Bowden led the Seminoles to Orlandso for just its eight bowl game in school history. Twenty-nine bowl trips later, Bowden and ‘noles are back for a December 27th showdown with the Big Ten’s Wisconsin Badgers. Odds makers have listed Florida State as a 5.5-point favorite with the total set at 52.

In just Bowden’s second season at FSU, he took the Seminoles to the Tangerine Bowl (now Capital One Bowl) and they defeated Texas Tech 40-17. This bowl game marks FSU’s 30th bowl appearance under the legendary Bobby Bowden and its 27th consecutive. That marks the longest streak in the country. Bowden has led FSU to three national titles in his tenure but always comes back to his very first bowl game as one of his fondest memories.

Florida State finished the 2008 season at 8-4. It was a solid campaign but this team is nothing like the ones we saw that dominated in the last 1980’s and throughout the 1990’s. FSU has not had a 10-win campaign since 2004 and is participating in its third straight non-BCS bowl game after a string of 15 straight January Bowl dates. Bobby Bowden trails only Penn State’s Joe Paterno for all time wins and bowl victories. Last season, the ‘noles went down to Kentucky 35-28 in the Music City Bowl. The loss was Bowden’s only in a December bowl game in his career. He is 7-1-1 all time in December bowls.

FSU’s offense will struggled down the stretch as the ‘noles lost three of their last five games. The good news is that the running game finally returned. The Seminoles rushed for 2,194 yards, their most in six years. Running back Antone Smith led the charge with 753 yards and 14 touchdowns. Florida State, averaged 149.7 yards in its last six games, failing to reach 100 in two of them, after gaining 216.0 rushing yards per game in its first six. It is important the FSU gets it ground game going against a beefy Wisconsin defense because the passing game has not been able to stand on its own.

QB Christian Ponder threw more interceptions than touchdowns this season. The Seminoles average only 185.8 passing yards per contests which is only good for 87th in the country. If you like Bobby Bowden to keep racking up the bowl wins, bet Florida State at -5.5 at Bookmaker and receive a 20% cash sign up bonus.

The Badgers had high hopes of contending with the Ohio State Buckeyes for a Big Ten title, but it did not work out that way for either team. Wisconsin finished the season 7-5. The Badgers will not venture into unfamiliar territory this postseason as they will be playing in a Florida bowl for the fifth straight season.

Wisconsin climbed as high as ninth in the rankings this season before collapsing with the start of the Big Ten season. But the Badgers strung together three straight wins to put momentum on their side heading into this one. Wisconsin’s offensive problems, much like FSU, have stemmed from lack of consistent play at the QB spot. Allan Evridge was not getting the job done so the Badgers decided to go with Dustin Sherer following a 48-7 embarrassment at the hand Penn State. Sherer threw five touchdowns and four interceptions in six games as a starter, completing only 53.8 percent of his passes. The passing game took a major hit on October 25th when it lost All-American tight end Travis Beckem for the season with a broken leg.

The Badgers always have a strong running game to fall back on as they put one of the biggest offensive lines on the field year after year. Tail back P.J. Hill had a team-high 1,024 yards and 13 touchdowns to help the Badgers rank 14th in the country with 212 rushing yards per game. If you like the Badgers to control this game with their strong running attack, bet Wisconsin at +5.5 at Bookmaker.

Both teams strengths are running the ball on offense and also stopping the run on defense. Florida State ranks 34th, holding opponents to 126.8 yards per game, and Wisconsin ranks 43rd at 133.3 yards. This is sure to have football betting enthusiasts taking a long, hard look at the under.

Wisconsin has not finished with fewer than eight wins since 2003 but they have lost three of their last five bowl games, including last year’s Outback Bowl to Tennessee.

Make sure you check to see if Jimmy has any college football picks on this big matchup before blindly betting this game. Jimmy has uncapped resources at his finger tips to help you beat the football odds through the BCS title game.

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Written by Jimmy Boyd on December 22, 2008 · Filed Under College Football Betting Articles, News & Previews

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