Fansided

Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl Odds & Prediction

By Mike Marteny

Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh during the game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports
Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh during the game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Now, the against the spread pick for the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl!

We have finally made it to the New Year’s Six Bowls! Unfortunately, that means that bowl season is nearing an end. Have your Bowl Mania picks been destroyed by upsets? Luckily you can still find places to play against the spread! I will continue with my picks until the very end. I am doing well in the points system, but I think I am struggling against the spread during bowl time. I am about six games behind, so maybe it gets better!

More from College Football Odds

In case you missed how the point scale works, here is a brief rundown:

5. A lock. I am comfortable making a sizable wager on this game.

4. Very confident. Not quite a lock, but I am comfortable making a decent sized wager on it.

3. Middle of the road. Good enough that I would make a small wager on it.

2. Could go either way. So much so that I wouldn’t bet on it.

1. Stay away from these.

Just in case you missed any:

Now for the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl! What goes better than hot wings and citrus?

Michigan(-4.5) vs. Florida at Orlando, FL(2):

Michigan(9-3, 6-2):

Wins: vs. Oregon State(35-7), vs. UNLV(28-7), vs. BYU(31-0), at Maryland(28-0), vs. Northwestern(38-0), at Minnesota(29-26), vs. Rutgers(49-16), at Indiana(48-41), at Penn State(28-16)

Losses: at Utah(17-24), vs. Michigan State(23-27), vs. Ohio State(13-42)

Record vs. bowl teams: 5-3

Florida(10-3, 7-2):

Wins: vs. New Mexico State(61-13), vs. East Carolina(31-24), at Kentucky(14-9), vs. Tennessee(28-27), vs. Mississippi(38-10), at Missouri(21-3), vs. Georgia(27-3), vs. Vanderbilt(9-7), at South Carolina(20-14)

Losses: at LSU(28-35), vs. Florida State(2-27), vs. Alabama(15-29)

Record vs. bowl teams: 3-3

Michigan made almost a complete 180 in Jim Harbaugh’s first season. the defense pitched three straight shutouts at one point this season, but also gave up 41 points to Indiana and 42 in a blowout loss to arch rival Ohio State……at home! Consistency was an issue for Michigan this year, especially at the end of the year. They morphed into a passing team, but that blew up in their face against Ohio State. They work much better as a run team that keeps their defense fresh by controlling the ball.

You can say the same for Florida. They have a NFL caliber defense, but the offense was a wreck after the suspension of Will Grier. Treon Harris was marginally better towards the end of the year, but the offense was brutal against Florida State. Michigan’s defense is similar to Florida State, but doesn’t quite have the speed. Luckily for Florida, that is what gave them the most problems.

If Florida makes Jake Rudock win the game, I’m not sure he can do it against this type of defense. The question I have is whether Michigan’s defense can outscore Florida’s because the offenses might not score. Rudock is a better game manager than Harris, but Florida has the slight edge at running back. I like Michigan’s receivers a lot more, and that should be the difference here.

My pick: Michigan

Next: The Picks For Every Bowl Game!

Stay tuned for the picks of every bowl game against the spread!