MetroBet takes a glance at a pair of Saturday college football bowl games with betting info and advice on where to lay your money.
Tulane Green Wave (-3.5) vs. Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns
Moneyline: Green Wave -165, Ragin’ Cajuns +145
Betting Total: 59 points
Time (Eastern), TV: 1:30 p.m., CBSSN
Bowl season gets underway on Saturday afternoon with the Cure Bowl from Camping World Stadium in Orlando, FL. Two Louisiana-based programs, the Tulane Green Wave (6-6) and Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns (7-6), will do battle.
Tulane needed a dramatic comeback to beat Navy 29-28 on Nov. 24 and attain bowl eligibility. Less than a week later, they decided to make a change at offensive coordinator, which perhaps should have happened sooner as the Green Wave was 92nd in scoring this season. They were forced to make a mid-season switch at quarterback, handing the reins to Justin McMillan. And while he was a slight improvement over Jonathan Banks, Tulane lives and dies with their running back tandem, Darius Bradwell and Corey Dauphine (1,738 yards on 282 combined carries). They should have some measure of success against the Ragin’ Cajuns’ 107th-ranked run stoppers, but it may not be enough.
Louisiana-Lafayette’s ground game, led by Trey Ragas, is even stronger (30th in the country). Andre Nunez can be a bit reckless with the football (19 TDs and 12 INTs) but is more trustworthy than his opposite number should a last-minute comeback drive be required. ULL has covered in eight of their last 10 tilts, including their defeat to Appalachian State in the inaugural Sun Belt Conference championship game last time out.
Prediction: Ragin’ Cajuns win, 27-24
The play: Ragin’ Cajuns +3.5
Fresno State Bulldogs (-4) at Arizona State Sun Devils
Moneyline: Fresno State -190, Arizona State +165
Betting Total: 53.5 points
Time (Eastern), TV: 3:30 p.m., ABC
Fresno State, the only ranked team (21st) in action on the opening Saturday of bowls, should handle the Arizona State Sun Devils at Nevada’s Sam Boyd Stadium in the Las Vegas Bowl.
The Bulldogs snapped a three-game slide against the spread when they avenged an earlier loss to Boise State in the Mountain West championship game on Dec. 1. The key to their success all season was their stifling defense, which is second in the nation at just 13.7 points allowed per game. Marcus McMaryion was no slouch under center though, as he completed 69.8 percent and threw 25 TDs compared to just three picks.
The Sun Devils won four of their last five games to make it to the Las Vegas Bowl, but they were dealt a crushing blow as standout receiver N’Keal Harry, who tallied more yards than his next-highest two teammates combined, decided to skip the game and focus on his NFL Draft prospects. Eno Benjamin is a good enough tailback to keep his team in the game, but quarterback Manny Wilkins could suffer without Harry stretching the field against a suffocating Fresno State defense.
Prediction: Fresno State wins, 28-20
The play: Fresno State -4
