International Bowl Odds

International Bowl – January 2
Rogers Centre, Toronto Canada
 
Northern Illinois Huskies     +7    +235    Over    49
South Florida Bulls        -7    -275    Under    49

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Since 2007, the NCAA has sent a bowl eligible team from the MAC and the Big East north of the border to compete in the International Bowl.  This year’s edition of the International bowl features the South Florida Bulls and the Northern Illinois Huskies, the Huskies hope to be the first MAC team to win a game in Toronto.

Sportsbooks know the MAC’s history in the International Bowl and has the Huskies as +7 point underdogs to the Bulls. The posted game total is set at 49 points. A straight up wager on the favorite USF will pay bettors -275 on the moneyline.

South Florida started the season strong, winning their first five games, which earned them a top 25 ranking. However, as they have in previous seasons, the Bulls stumbled over the final seven games to finish the season with a 7-5 record.  They were even less kind to bettors, going 5-6 against the spread.

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At least this season the Bulls could point to injuries as the cause of their late season losses. By their final game of the regular season, the Bulls had four first time starters in their lineup.

On offense, South Florida lost four-year starter Matt Grothe to a season ending injury and had to turn to freshman B.J. Daniels to lead the team. The Bulls were respectable early but over their final seven games only scored 18.8 points per contest and had 21 turnovers.

The defense followed the same trend, starting strong but the injuries took their toll, they finished the season allowing 21.2 a game good for 30th overall but during their final 7 gave up over 30 points a game.  The best part of their defense is their ability to slow down opposing quarterbacks, limiting opponents to 191 passing yards a game. 

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Northern Illinois’s offense was better than average scoring 30.8 a game on the strength of their 17th ranked rushing. Huskies tailback Chad Span has a nose for the end zone, scoring 19 rushing TDs and catching one more for 20 on the season.  The 109th ranked passing attack of the Huskies leaves them with a one-dimensional offense based around the run. The limited pass game also limits their turnovers; they only gave the ball away 14 times all season.

Defensively, Northern Illinois is equally good against the run and the pass. The defense forced opponents to turn the ball over 22 times. With the offense’s ability to protect the ball and their defense’s knack for forcing turnovers, the Huskies had a +8-turnover ratio, good for 15th in the nation.

Since the International Bowl betting line opened, it has moved from Bulls -6½ to Bulls -7½. I like the move through the key number 7 and it’s enough to convince me to put my money behind the underdog, Northern Illinois Huskies.

International Bowl Betting Prediction: Northern Illinois Huskies +7½

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