College Football: St. Petersburg Bowl Odds And Prediction

Nov 26, 2016; Oxford, MS, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs quarterback Nick Fitzgerald (7) loses his helmet as he is tackled by Mississippi Rebels defensive back Zedrick Woods (36) and defensive end Victor Evans (14) during the second quarter at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mississippi State won 55-20 Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports /

St. Petersburg Bowl Odds And Prediction

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The NBA and NFL take center stage on Christmas Day, but on Monday, we are back to our bowl games! The first game up on Monday is the St. Petersburg Bowl!

You will still get my picks against the spread and point wagers just like I did all season long. I didn’t have a great regular season, but I can make it look a whole lot better with a strong bowl season! It was a decent start on Saturday, but just in case you missed any:
Gildan New Mexico Bowl
Geico Las Vegas Bowl
Raycom Camellia Bowl
AutoNation Cure Bowl
R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
Miami Beach Bowl
Boca Raton Bowl
San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Popeyes Bahamas Bowl
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl
Dollar General Bowl
Hawaii Bowl

Nov 4, 2016; Oxford, OH, USA; Miami (Oh) Redhawks quarterback Gus Ragland (14) carries the ball against the Central Michigan Chippewas in the first half at Fred Yager Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports /

Miami(OH) vs. Mississippi State(-14.5) at St. Petersburg, FL(3):

Miami(OH)(6-6, 6-2 MAC):

Wins: vs. Kent State(18-14), at Bowling Green(40-26), at Eastern Michigan(28-15), vs. Central Michigan(37-17), at Buffalo(35-24), vs. Ball State(21-20)

Losses: at Iowa(21-45), vs. Eastern Illinois(17-21), vs. Western Kentucky(24-31), at Cincinnati(20-27), vs. Ohio(7-17), at Akron(13-35)

Record vs. bowl teams: 2-4

It was a tale of two seasons for the Redhawks. They lost the first six games of the season, including one to FCS Eastern Illinois. You could really tell this team was turning around when they beat Eastern Michigan in mid-October. That said, The Redhawks played one of the weakest schedules in the nation, so how much do we really know about them?

Mississippi State(5-7, 3-5 SEC):

Wins: vs. South Carolina(27-14), at Massachusetts(47-35), vs. Samford(56-41), vs. Texas A&M(35-28), at Mississippi(55-20)

Losses: vs. South Alabama(20-21), at LSU(20-23), vs. Auburn(14-38), at BYU(21-28), at Kentucky(38-40), at Alabama(3-51), vs. Arkansas(42-58)

Record vs. bowl teams: 3-7

Does getting whipped by good teams mean you are better than a team that didn’t play anyone? That is what we face here. Nick Fitzgerald gave this team new life later in the season, but he still makes some freshman mistakes. Fred Ross is an unsung receiver who is going to be a nightmare for Miami to try and cover.

Prediction:

The only thing that I know for sure is that Mississippi State will win. By how much is another story. Do the Bulldogs really care that they are in this game? They thought their bowl game was the Egg Bowl when they thrashed Ole Miss. Their season is a success because of that. Do they really have anything to prove here? Miami was toast after a rough early season, but they rebounded nicely. They knew they had to win out to get here, which was their goal. Now that they have reached it, will they step up? The little teams usually do in bowl games.

Pick: Miami(OH)

Next: 2016 Capital One Bowl Mania Picks

Stay tuned for the rest of the bowl picks against the spread, and our DFS picks for the NBA, NFL, and even some NHLThey action! We have something for everyone.