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THE MUSIC CITY BOWL:
Thur, 12/30/10, 6:40 PM EDT, ESPN
Point Spread: North Carolina -1
Total: 50
The Volunteers played their best football down the stretch. They beat Mississippi by 38 points and held a Kentucky team that averaged 33 points to two touchdowns in a 24-14 win. Their late-season surge was sparked by freshman quarterback Tyler Bray, who is surrounded by a talented group of receivers, including Denarius Moore and Gerald Jones. Also fueling the win streak, the defense didn’t allow more than 14 points in any of the last four games. Bray averaged 333 yards and three touchdowns per game in his four starts. Tennessee averaged nearly 250 yards passing a game (36th in the country) and that number likely would’ve been considerably higher had Bray started all year.
The Tar Heels, too, possess a potent passing attack led by T.J. Yates, yet their biggest edge may be their experience. This is nothing new for coach Butch Davis and the Heels, playing in their third straight bowl game. The 23-year old Yates is a battle-tested senior. North Carolina also has a slight edge in total defense, with some proven standouts at linebacker and in the secondary. North Carolina will be without running back Anthony Elzy, who was left behind after failing to meet the expectations of the program. Elzy rushed 296 yards and and two scores while catching 25 passes for 338 yards and two touchdowns this season.
A four-year starter, Yates has racked up more than 9,100 passing yards in his career, including 3,184 yards and 18 touchdowns this season for North Carolina. Yates threw for 439 yards and three touchdowns against Florida State and 412 against LSU, one of the top defenses in the country. The Heels averaged 266 passing yards (25th).
The Tar Heels are 4-0 ATS in their last four vs SEC. The Volunteers are 3-9 ATS in their last 12 non-conference games. The Under is 6-1 in Tar Heels' last seven games as a favorite and the Under is 5-1 in Volunteers' last six bowl games.
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THE PINSTRIPE BOWL:
Thur, 12/30/10, 3:40 PM EDT, ESPN
Point Spread: Syracuse -1
Total: 48
Kansas State and Syracuse both ended bowl droughts and will face off in the inaugural Pinstripe Bowl on Dec. 30 in Yankee Stadium. The Wildcats (7-5) are bowl eligible for the first time since 2006 while the Orange (7-5) are playing in their first bowl since 2004.
Kansas State has an experienced offensive line that was able to open holes for senior Daniel Thomas to run through most of the season. Thomas was the nation’s ninth-leading rusher with a 124.6-yard average per game and must be licking his chops watching tape of Syracuse allowing Boston College’s second-string rusher to
run for 206 yards. Thomas finished second in the Big 12 with 1,495 rushing yards and tied for the conference lead with 16 touchdowns. He ran for a career-high 269 yards and two touchdowns on 36 carries at North Texas on Nov. 27.
Syracuse owns the toughest pass defense in the Big East Conference, allowing 157.6 yards allowed per game. The Orange really buckled down against the pass in their final three games, allowing 106.3 in their final three games. Syracuse quarterback Ryan Nassib is coming off a rough performance in the Orange’s regular-season finale against Boston College. Syracuse managed just five first downs and 98 yards of total offense, while Nassib was 5-of-10 for 55 yards. Nassib started the season well but never really built on it, finishing with 2,095 yards, 16 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
Wildcats are 0-4 ATS in their last four bowl games. Orange are 6-2 ATS in their last eight non-conference games. The Over is 4-0 in Wildcats' last four games overall and the Under is 5-1 in Orange's last six games overall.
