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When the Boston College Eagles take the field for the Ticketsmarter Birmingham Bowl, it will have been 33 days since they last played. The layoff is week shorter than that for the Cincinnati Bearcats, but these post-New Year’s Day bowl games feel like an eternity away for these teams.

Cincinnati is a clear favorite of a touchdown in this one with a total of 55.5.

Boston College is one of the more mysterious teams when it comes to the bowl season. They won the finale against Pitt to be bowl-eligible, even though it had already been announced that head coach Steve Addazio wouldn’t be back. Wide receivers coach Rich Gunnell will coach the bowl game. Ohio State co-defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley has been hired as the program’s next head coach, but he stayed on with Ohio State to prep for the Fiesta Bowl. If the Buckeyes beat Clemson, Hafley will be away from BC for more than two additional weeks in advance of the National Championship Game.

To make matters worse, BC’s unquestioned best offensive player, AJ Dillon, has announced that he will skip the bowl game to prepare for the NFL Draft. Dillon rushed for 1,685 yards to finish out his career on 318 carries. The workload now falls to David Bailey, who actually had a higher yards per carry average on his 140 tries. Dillon’s announcement barely registered in the betting odds. Running backs are viewed as pretty plug-and-play in college football.

It has not been plug-and-play at the QB position for BC. Starter Anthony Brown went down with a season-ending knee injury and sophomore QB Dennis Grosel took over. He did post a 9/3 TD/INT ratio and only took eight sacks (Brown only took two), but he only completed 48.6% of his passes. Grosel could have some extra incentive in this one, as the Willoughby, OH native and St. Ignatius grad gets to play an in-state school that didn’t take him.

On the Cincinnati side, the layoff can’t be a bad thing. Not with how banged up Desmond Ridder was at the end of the season. Ridder really regressed this season while dealing with injuries. He threw for fewer yards in more games than he played in 2018. His completion percentage tanked more than 7% and his interception total went up by four. But, he was hurt. Down the stretch, Ridder was 12-of-22 vs. Tulsa, 12-of-24 vs. ECU, 13-of-23 vs. UConn, 9-of-18 vs. USF, 9-of-25 vs. Temple, and then 16-of-36 in the AAC Championship Game against Memphis. He missed the regular season finale the week prior. Four of Ridder’s nine interceptions came in those games.

Mike Warren ran for 1,160 yards to pace the Bearcats, but he did so with just a 4.8 YPC average. Ridder was the second-leading rusher with 545 yards, but he didn’t do as much running late in the year with the injury.

The Cincinnati offense tanked this season. After being 36th in yards per play with 6.12 last season, the Bearcats only mustered 5.55 YPP this season, which ranked 84th. Boston College was 60th in that department with 5.91. The ACC is better than the AAC, but Cincinnati played Ohio State and played Memphis twice, so the Sagarin strength of schedule marks are close, with Cincinnati 65th and Boston College 58th.

BC eked its way into a bowl game at 6-6, but the defense was beyond awful. Addazio has always been known as a defensive head coach, but the Eagles finished the regular season 112th in yards per play against with 6.46. Cincinnati was 33rd in that department with its own defensive-minded HC in Luke Fickell. The Bearcats were 31st against the run with 3.68 yards per carry allowed, which is an important stat for going up against the BC offense, even without Dillon.

Boston College wound up 91st against the run, but they were abominable against the pass. Their 8.5 yards per pass attempt allowed ranked tied for 119th in the nation. If Ridder is healthier after the extended layoff, that should really elevate a Cincinnati offense that badly underachieved during the season.

You have to wonder about motivation both ways here. BC has a new head coach coming into the mix. Gunnell went to BC and seems to be genuinely respected, but there has been a long period of turnover between the bowl game and the end of the regular season.

Cincinnati had higher hopes. The Bearcats won 10 games and their only losses were to Ohio State and Memphis twice. They wanted the conference championship game and that New Year’s Six Bowl spot in the Cotton Bowl against Penn State. They didn’t get there. The additional practices for teams that play so far away are tailored more towards next season than anything.

Also, nothing against the city of Birmingham, but this isn’t really a “destination” bowl. Playing in Florida or Texas or Hawaii or the Bahamas can really get a team energized.

With that in mind, I still think Cincinnati, despite the big number, is the play here. I’d be really concerned about Boston College’s engagement level here. If it is an interim situation early in the bowl period, it feels like time flies and that’s that. When the bowl game is after the New Year, and the new head coach has barely been around, my guess would be that a certain level of apathy settles in.

My line for the game is Cincinnati -6, but that was before the Dillon announcement and without considering all of the circumstantial factors in bowl games.

<strong>Pick: Cincinnati -7</strong>

Birmingham Bowl Odds, Pick, & Prediction: Boston College vs. Cincinnati

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<p>Looking to win big? The Dons and Ramblers face off at 6:30 ET on ESPN+. The Ramblers are hosting the game at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, WI. In this non-conference matchup, San Francisco is favored by -3 against Loyola Chicago. The over/under for the game is 139 points.</p><h3>SAN FRANCISCO DONS VS LOYOLA CHICAGO RAMBLERS BETTING PICK</h3><p>The Pick: Loyola Chicago Ramblers +3</p><p>This game will be played at Fiserv Forum at 6:30 ET on Sunday, December 15th.</p><h3>WHY BET THE LOYOLA CHICAGO RAMBLERS:</h3><ul><li>We have this one finishing with a projected score of 78-68 in favor of the Ramblers.</li><li>Not only will Loyola Chicago pick up the win, but look for them to cover at +3.</li><li>The over/under is currently sitting at 139 points, and we like the over with a projected 146 points.</li></ul><h3>Will the Dons Win on the Road?</h3><h3>San Francisco Dons Recent Game/Games</h3> 

<p>The Dons improved to 7-2 on the season with a 78-61 win over Saint Louis on Thursday. Playing at home, San Francisco entered the game as 9-point favorites and covered the spread. The total points for the game ended at 139, falling short of the 151.5 O/U line.</p> 

<p>San Francisco led 33-29 at halftime and pulled away in the 2nd half, outscoring the Billikens 45-32.</p><p>San Francisco's offense was clicking in their last game, shooting 50.8% from the field and hitting 45.8% of their threes, finishing 11-for-24 from deep. Their effective field goal percentage was an impressive 61%, and they added 10 offensive rebounds and 15 assists.</p> <p>Malik Thomas led the way with 22 points, shooting 9-for-14 overall and 3-for-4 from three. Marcus Williams and Robbie Avila each dished out 5 assists, with Williams also contributing 15 points and hitting 3 of his 5 three-point attempts.</p><p>Despite giving up 61 points, the Dons allowed their opponent to shoot 50% from the field, including 54% on two-point attempts (19/35). San Francisco also sent the other team to the free-throw line 11 times, where they converted 7 of those attempts for 63%.</p> <p>From beyond the arc, the Dons' defense conceded 11 threes on 24 attempts, a 45% shooting performance. They also gave up 10 offensive rebounds in the game.</p><h3>Will Loyola Chicago Make it Happen at Home?</h3><p>Loyola Chicago improved to 7-0 on the season with a 74-72 win over South Florida on Saturday. Despite being -10.5 point favorites, the Ramblers didn’t cover the spread. The game’s total points of 146 narrowly missed the O/U line of 146.5.</p> <p>Loyola Chicago trailed 38-35 at halftime but turned things around in the 2nd half, outscoring South Florida 39-34 to secure the win.</p><p>Loyola Chicago put up 74 points in their last game, shooting 42.6% from the field with an effective field goal percentage of 47.5%. They hit 50% of their two-point attempts (20/40) but struggled from beyond the arc, connecting on just 28.6% (6/21). At the free-throw line, the Ramblers shot 69.6% (16/23) and grabbed 8 offensive rebounds, dishing out 16 assists as a team.</p> <p>Jayden Reid led the way with 23 points, shooting 69.2% overall and 50% from three (4/8), while adding 7 rebounds and 4 assists. Kasen Jennings was perfect from deep, hitting 3/3 from three-point range, finishing with 13 points and 3 assists. Kymany Houinsou also shot over 70%, contributing 12 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists.</p><p>Despite Loyola Chicago's defensive efforts, they gave up 72 points in their last game. The Ramblers allowed their opponents to shoot 42% from the field, with 26 made baskets on 61 attempts.</p> <p>Inside the arc, Loyola Chicago's defense allowed 20 two-point baskets on 40 attempts, a 50% shooting rate. From three-point range, their opponents shot 28%, making 6 of 21 attempts. The Ramblers also sent their opponents to the free-throw line 23 times, where they converted 16 of those attempts, shooting 69%.</p>

San Francisco Dons vs Loyola Chicago Ramblers NCAA Basketball Betting Pick & Prediction 12/15/24

<p>Looking to win big? The Raptors and Celtics face off at 7:30 ET on NBCS. The Celtics are hosting the game at TD Garden in Boston, MA. The over/under for this Atlantic division contest is set at 225 points, with the Celtics being the favored team playing at home against the Raptors.</p><h3>TORONTO RAPTORS VS BOSTON CELTICS BETTING PICK</h3><p>The Pick: Toronto Raptors +9</p><p>This game will be played at TD Garden at 7:30 ET on Friday, December 29th.</p><h3>WHY BET THE TORONTO RAPTORS:</h3><ul><li>We have this one finishing with a projected score of 113-107 in favor of the Celtics.</li><li>Our projections have Jayson Tatum finishing with Jayson Tatum points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists.</li><li>From the field, we have the Celtics finishing with a field goal percentage of 48.8% and knocking down 17 threes.</li></ul><h3>Can The Raptors Secure a Win at Boston?</h3><p>So far this season, the Raptors have an overall record of 12-18, which has them in 11th place in the Eastern Conference. In road games, they are 4-9 and have an average scoring differential of -3.3 points per contest.</p>

<p>Against the spread, Toronto's road record is 6-7, and they have covered the spread in three straight games as the underdog. Their overall ATS record for the season is 14-16.</p>

<p>When looking at their over/under record, they have combined with opponents to go 15-15, and their games have averaged 227.4 points per contest. On average, the over/under line in their games is 224.7.</p>

<p>In their last game, Toronto took down the Wizards by a score of 132-102. This game finished with a total of 234 points, falling short of the 242-point over/under line. The Raptors also covered the spread in this game as 6.5-point favorites.</p><p>In their last game, the Raptors scored 132 points against the Wizards while shooting 57.1% from the field. They hit 15 three-pointers in the game. OG Anunoby was the team's leading scorer with 26 points, while Pascal Siakam contributed 22 points.</p><p>In terms of defense, Raptors is currently on par with the NBA average for points allowed, giving up an average of 114.4 points per game. For the season, Toronto is ranked 27th in fewest fouls per game. Team's are averaging 18.9 free-throws per game vs. the Raptors and have an overall field goal percentage of 48.4%.</p><h3>Is A Home Victory Likely for Favored Boston?</h3><p>As the Celtics get set to take on the Raptors, they come in as the favorites and have yet to lose at home this season. Overall, Boston is sitting at 24-6 and have won four straight games.</p>

<p>Coming into today, the Celtics are 9-point favorites and have an average scoring margin at home of +14.9 points per contest. Boston's average scoring differential on the road is +5.1 points per game.</p>

<p>Against the spread, Boston is just 14-14 this season, which includes going 9-5 at home vs. their 15-0 straight up mark. The team's average over/under line for the season is 227.9 points, and today's line is set at 225.</p>

<p>In their last game, the Celtics took on the Pistons and won by a score of 128-122. The over/under line in that game was 233.5 points, and Boston fell to cover the spread as 17-point favorites.</p><p>Looking at the Celtics offense, they are currently 6th in scoring at 120.3 points per game. In 66.7% of their games, they have scored more than what their opponent's defense is allowing on average. Jayson Tatum is the team's leading scorer at 27 points per game, while Jaylen Brown is right behind at 22.6 PPG.</p><p>So far this season, the Celtics defense has been performing well, ranking 4th in the NBA at 110.3 points allowed per contest. When it comes to defending inside the arc, the Celtics squad is permitting opposing teams to shoot at a clip of 50.5% inside the arc, and they're also giving up 36.8% from downtown.</p>

Toronto Raptors vs Boston Celtics Betting Pick & Prediction 12/29/23

<p>Planning on watching today's Golden Flashes and Zips game? Catch the action at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, OH, as the Zips hosts this showdown at 7:30 ET on ESPN2. The over/under for this Mid-American conference contest is set at 132.5 points, with Akron being favored by -4.5 at home against Kent State.</p><h3>KENT STATE GOLDEN FLASHES VS AKRON ZIPS BETTING PICK</h3><p>The Pick: Akron Zips -4.5</p><p>This game will be played at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse at 7:30 ET on Saturday, March 16th.</p><h3>WHY BET THE AKRON ZIPS:</h3><ul><li>We have this one finishing with a projected score of 76-69 in favor of the Zips.</li><li>Not only will Akron pick up the win, but look for them to cover at -4.5.</li><li>The over/under is currently sitting at 132.5 points, and we like the over with a projected 145 points.</li></ul><h3>Does Kent State Have a Shot at a Road Win?</h3><p>After a 73-60 win over Bowling Green, Kent State is 15-16 overall and 10-10 in Mid-American Conference play. Over their last 10 road games, the Golden Flashes are 5-5, and they are 8-10 on the road this season.</p>

<p>On the year, Kent State has been the underdog in nine of its 31 games, going 3-6 in those contests. As the underdog, the Golden Flashes have an average scoring margin of -0.7 points per game.</p><p>As the underdog this season, Kent State has gone just 3-6 vs. the spread. Over their last 10 games as the underdog, the Golden Flashes have an ATS record of 3-7. On the road, Kent State has gone 8-10 vs. the spread this year and their ATS mark for the season is 12-19.</p><p>This season, the over/under record in Kent State games is 17-14. Today's over/under line of 132.5 is lower than the average over/under line in their games this year (144.2). Over their last three games, the average scoring total is 138 points.</p><p>In their most recent game, the Golden Flashes' offense tallied 73 points, consistent with their ongoing season average of 75.2 points per game. The top scorer for the Golden Flashes was Jalen Sullinger with 22 points, while Giovanni Santiago also added 20 to the scoreboard.</p><p>Coming into today's game, the Kent State defense is giving up an average of 71.2 points per contest. So far, the Kent State defense is giving up an average of 8.0 offensive rebounds per game and are turning teams over 11.2 times per game (532nd).</p><h3>Can the Zips Grab a Win at Home?</h3><p>At home this season, Akron has been dominant, going 14-2 with an average scoring margin of +9.5. Over their last 10 games at home, the Zips are 9-1, and they have won their last three games at home.</p>

<p>Overall, Akron is 21-10 this season, and they have won three games in a row. In Mid-American Conference play, the Zips are 16-5, while they are 5-5 in non-conference games.</p><p>As the favorite this season, Akron has gone 13-10 vs. the spread. At home, their ATS mark is 11-5 and over their last 10 games as the favorite, they are 6-4 vs. the spread. In their last three home games, the Zips have gone 2-1 vs. the spread.</p><p>On the season, the over/under record for Akron games is 12-20. Today's over/under line of 132.5 is lower than the average over/under line in their games (141.1). Over their last three games, the over/under record is 2-1 and the average scoring total in those games is 145 points.</p><p>Akron offense recently wrapped up a game with a total of 65 points against Ohio. In that game, they made 8/22 three-point attempts and achieved a field goal percentage of 39.3%. Enrique Freeman is the current leading scorer for the team, with an average of 18.6 as they approach today's matchup. In addition, Ali Ali brings a PPG average of 15.5 into the game.</p><p>Akron's defense has been playing well, ranking 30th nationally, with 65.9 points allowed per game. In terms of field goal percentage allowed, Akron's defense has allowed opponents to shoot 41.3% from the field, including a three-point shooting percentage allowed of 28.7% this season.</p>

Kent State Golden Flashes vs Akron Zips Betting Pick & Prediction 3/16/24

<p>Illinois comes into this week five matchup with a 4-0 record, while Penn State is also undefeated at 3-0. The game is set for 7:30 ET at Beaver Stadium in University Park and will be broadcast on NBC. The Nittany Lions are the heavy favorite at -17.5 points, with the over/under line currently sitting at 47.5 points.</p><h3>ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI VS PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS BETTING PICK</h3><p>The Pick: Penn State Nittany Lions -17.5</p><p>This game will be played at Beaver Stadium at 7:30 ET on Saturday, September 28th.</p><h3>WHY BET THE PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS:</h3><ul><li>We have the Penn State Nittany Lions winning this one by a score of 37 to 18</li><li>Not only do we have the Penn State Nittany Lions winning straight-up, we have them covering the spread at -17.5</li><li>Look for this game to go over the line of 47.5 points</li></ul><h3>Will The Illinois Fighting Illini Pull Off An Upset As Road Underdogs</h3><p>Illinois is now 4-0 after a road upset over Nebraska. The Illini, who were +9.5 point underdogs, not only won the game but also covered the spread. The over/under line was 42.5 points, and the teams combined for 55 points, surpassing the total.</p><p></p><p>After trailing 10-7 at the end of the first quarter, Illinois fell behind 17-10 at halftime. The Illini rallied to tie the game at 17-17 by the end of the third quarter, and after each team scored 7 points in the fourth quarter, Illinois outscored Nebraska 7-0 in overtime to remain unbeaten.</p><p>Quarterback Luke Altmyer led Illinois to a 31-24 overtime victory, throwing for 215 yards and four touchdowns. He completed 77.8% of his passes and finished with a passer rating of 139.43. Pat Bryant was his top target, catching five passes for 74 yards.</p><p></p><p>The Illini's offense totaled 383 yards, with 168 yards coming on the ground. Kaden Feagin led the rushing attack with 69 yards on 12 carries. Illinois' passing game was responsible for all four of their touchdowns, while the ground game was held out of the end zone.</p><p>Illinois' defense will be looking to improve after giving up 297 passing yards and three touchdowns to Nebraska's passing attack in their most recent game. The Fighting Illini won the game in overtime, but their defense allowed 347 total yards. Illinois' run defense was solid, holding Nebraska to just 50 rushing yards on 32 attempts. The Illini did manage to come up with one interception in the game.</p><h3>Are The Penn State Nittany Lions Going To Defend Home Field Advantage?</h3><p>Penn State's record now stands at 3-0 after they defeated Kent State 56-0 at home. The Nittany Lions, favored by -49 points, not only won the game but also covered the spread. The over/under line was set at 57.5 points, but the combined score of 56 points fell short, resulting in an under.</p><p></p><p>Penn State took control early, leading 7-0 after the first quarter. By halftime, the score was 28-0, and the Nittany Lions added 14 points in both the third and fourth quarters to secure the dominant win.</p><p>Quarterback Drew Allar led Penn State's offense to a dominant 56-0 win, throwing for 309 yards and three touchdowns while completing 81% of his passes. The Nittany Lions' offense was unstoppable, racking up 718 total yards, with 409 yards coming through the air.</p> 
<p>Penn State's ground game was equally impressive, with 309 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Nicholas Singleton led the team in rushing with 81 yards on 11 carries, while Omari Evans was the top receiver, recording 116 yards on four receptions.</p><p>Penn State's defense was dominant in their most recent game, holding Kent State to just 71 total yards. The Nittany Lions allowed only 18 passing yards on 2 completions, and Kent State's ground game was limited to 53 yards on 29 carries. Penn State's defense was also effective in preventing first downs, allowing just six for the entire game.</p>

Illinois Fighting Illini vs Penn State Nittany Lions Betting Pick & Prediction 9/28/24