2018 Walk On's Independence Bowl Odds And Prediction

SHREVEPORT, LA – DECEMBER 27: Head coach Steve Spurrier of the South Carolina Gamecocks raises the trophy with Jonathan Walton #28 following a victory over the Miami Hurricanes at the Duck Commander Independence Bowl at Independence Stadium on December 27, 2014 in Shreveport, Louisiana. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /

2018 Walk On’s Independence Bowl Odds And Prediction

Bowl season is finally upon us! We are right in the middle of this. After the Christmas break, we have at least three games per day through Saturday. The first one for Thursday is the Walk On’s Independence Bowl.

More from College Football Odds

I finally lost a couple of picks over the week, but overall, I’m still doing pretty well.

For the rest of the bowls, 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:
Autonation Cure Bowl
Progressive New Mexico Bowl
Mitsubishi Motors Las Vegas Bowl
Raycom Media Camellia Bowl
R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
Cheribundi Boca Raton Bowl
DXL Frisco Bowl
Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl
Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Jared Birmingham Bowl
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl
Dollar General Bowl
So-Fi Hawaii Bowl
ServPro First Responder Bowl
Quick Lane Bowl
Cheez-It Bowl

MIAMI, FL – NOVEMBER 03: Daniel Jones #17 of the Duke Blue Devils warms up before the game against the Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium on November 3, 2018 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) /

Temple(-3.5) vs. Duke at Shreveport, LA(4):

Temple 8-4, 7-1(2nd AAC East):

Wins: at Maryland(35-14), vs. Tulsa(31-17), vs. East Carolina(49-6), at Navy(24-17), vs. Cincinnati(24-17), at Houston(59-49), vs. South Florida(27-17), at Connecticut(57-7)

Losses: vs. Villanova(17-19), vs. Buffalo(29-36), at Boston College(35-45), at Central Florida(40-52)

Record vs. bowl teams: 3-3

You can almost pinpoint the exact time that Anthony Russo took over at QB for the futile Frank Nutile. This offense took off almost immediately. Defenses could no longer just key on Ryquell Armstead. Russo isn’t a really prolific passer, but he has had his moments like a 444 yard outburst against Central Florida.

The Temple defense wasn’t as tough as we are usually accustomed to. They surrendered more than 48 points twice and more than 35 twice more.

Duke 7-5, 3-5(6th ACC Coastal):

Wins: vs. Army(34-14), at Northwestern(21-7), at Baylor(40-27), vs. North Carolina Central(55-13), at Georgia Tech(28-14), at Miami(FL)(20-12), vs. North Carolina(42-35)

Losses: vs. Virginia Tech(14-31), vs. Virginia(14-28), at Pittsburgh(45-54), at Clemson(6-35), vs. Wake Forest(7-59)

Record vs. bowl teams: 4-5

The lack of a consistent running game and nagging injuries to starting QB Daniel Jones limited the offense this year. Some would argue that Jones probably hasn’t been completely healthy since week 2.

What really stands out to me is how poorly Duke finished the season after beating rival North Carolina and beating Miami in Miami for the first time in a generation. Losing at home by 52 to another rival is pretty much inexcusable.

Prediction:

Duke’s big wins, Army and Northwestern, were the first two games of the year before Daniel Jones was knocked around. Jones will have time to get healthy, so I think Duke shows up more than they did against Wake at the end of the year. if they thought Wake’s offense was explosive, wait until they see Temple.

The Duke run defense is probably good enough to hold Armstead to around 100 yards, but I doubt they stop the passing game. Temple can rack up points in a hurry, and I think this game is higher scoring than most think it will be.

Pick: Temple

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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!