2017 Zaxby's Heart Of Dallas Bowl Odds And Prediction

DALLAS, TX – DECEMBER 26: A general view of play between the Southern Miss Golden Eagles and the Washington Huskies during the Zaxby’s Heart of Dallas Bowl at Cotton Bowl on December 26, 2015 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

2017 Zaxby’s Heart Of Dallas Bowl Odds And Prediction

I hope you all have had a happy holiday so far. College Football Bowl season picks up in earnest tomorrow with three games. There are at least three games every day this week as we head towards the College Football Playoff. The first game today is the Zaxby’s Heart Of Dallas Bowl.

More from College Football Odds

For the rest of the bowl season, you will get my picks against the spread and point wagers just like I did all season long. I had a solid regular season, but I can make it look a whole lot better with a strong bowl season!

Just in case you missed any:
R+L Carriers New Mexico Bowl
Autonation Cure Bowl
Las Vegas Bowl
Gildan New Mexico Bowl
Raycom Camellia Bowl
Cheribundi Tart Cherry Boca Raton Bowl
DXL Frisco Bowl
Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl
Bahamas Bowl
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Birmingham Bowl
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl
Dollar General Bowl
Hawaii Bowl

MORGANTOWN, WV – SEPTEMBER 10: Justin Crawford #25 of the West Virginia Mountaineers carries the ball in front of the defense of Jameel Smith #26 of the Youngstown State Penguins during the first quarter at Mountaineer Field on September 10, 2016 in Morgantown, West Virginia. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images) /

Utah(-6.5) vs. West Virginia at Dallas, TX(1):

Utah 6-6, 3-6(9th Pac 12):

Wins: vs.North Dakota(37-16), at BYU(19-13), vs. San Jose State(54-16), at Arizona(30-24), vs. UCLA(48-17), vs. Colorado(34-13)

Losses: vs. Stanford(20-23), at (13)USC(27-28), vs. Arizona State(10-30), at Oregon(20-41), vs. (19)Washington State(25-33), at Washington(30-33)

Record vs. bowl teams: 2-6

The inability of Tyler Huntley to stay healthy hampered what could have been a pretty good season for Utah. However, they did beat Colorado to become bowl eligible without Huntley. Oregon transfer Darren Carrington gives them a legitimate big play threat, and RB Zack Moss quietly had a 1000 yard season. It’s pretty simple: if Utah gives up 28 points, they are going to lose. The Utes are 0-5 when giving up than many points.

West Virginia 7-5, 5-4(t-4th Big 12(10):

Wins: vs. East Carolina(56-20), vs. Delaware State(59-16), at Kansas(56-34), vs. (24)Texas Tech(46-35), at Baylor(38-36), vs. (15)Iowa State(20-16), at Kansas State(28-23)

Losses: vs. (21)Virginia Tech(24-31), at (8)TCU(24-31), vs. (11)Oklahoma State(39-50), vs. Texas(14-28), at Oklahoma(31-59)

Record vs. bowl teams: 3-5

This team scored a ton of points when Will Grier and Jordan Crawford were healthy. They struggled with Grier going out against Texas, and now Crawford is out for the bowl game to look towards his pro career. That is most of the West Virginia offense that will find itself out of the game. The Mountaineers have had a few weeks of practice to try and work the kinks out, but this is still a tall order.

Prediction:

I just don’t know how West Virginia will respond with that much of their offense missing. They were awful against Texas, but better against Oklahoma. That gives me some hope that they can hang around. With Grier, West Virginia is easily the better team. Without, this defense might eat them alive. The loss of Crawford is the real kicker though, and the one that turns this for me.

Pick: Utah

Next: 2017 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 NHL action! We have something for everyone