Ball State vs. Central Florida

Central Florida squares off with Ball State in the Beef O'Brady's Bowl in St. Petersburg Florida. The Knights missed out on an opportunity to play in the Liberty Bowl with a tough overtime loss in the Conference USA Championship game. While this could be a negative, the Knights should be rallied with a lot of fan support as they play this one in St. Petersburg Florida, which is about 100 miles away from campus. They should have a sizeable homefield advantage asa a result, and teams close to home in Bowl games have done exceptionally well over the years. Both teams averaged over 35 points per game this season but the Knights defense was much better (22.5 ppg allowed compared to 31.5). On the road this season, Ball State's defense surrendered 460 yards and 34.1 points per game. The Cardinals’ offense has some question marks regarding the status of QB Keith Wenning (22 TD). His status for this game has yet to be determined, but could be less than 100% if he sees action. And, his backup Kelly Page is also hobbled. The Knights lost four games this season. One was in overtime, another was by 2 points, and a third by 5 points. They also played tough against unbeaten Ohio State before losing by just 15. They are the better team here in a better spot, especially if Wenning can't go. While I am wary of laying 7 points, I feel a straight-up win is a very good play. Take Central Florida on the moneyline.