2009 International Bowl - Northern Illinois vs. South Florida

2009 International Bowl

Northern Illinois Huskies (7-5 SU, 5-6 ATS) vs. South Florida Bulls (7-5 SU, 4-6 ATS)

Saturday, January 2: 12:00 p.m.

College Bowl Betting Odds: South Florida -7, Total Points 49

Here are some betting trends which may impact this game:

South Florida: 2-5 SU in their last 7 games
South Florida: 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games
South Florida: The total has gone OVER in 6 of their last 8 games

Northern Illinois: 4-2 SU in their last 6 games
Northern Illinois: 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games
Northern Illinois: The total has gone OVER in 4 of their last 6 games

Two teams limping into bowl season, looking to salvage their 2009 campaign will square off on the first Saturday of the New Year, when South Florida and Northern Illinois do battle in Toronto.

For the South Florida Bulls, it has been an up-and-down season, similar to the last couple years. For the third year in a row they started out 5-0, but limped down the stretch, winning just two of their final seven games.

They are led by quarterback B.J. Daniels, a freshman quarterback who coach Jim Leavitt really didn’t let the leash off of all year. Daniels threw for 1766 yards and 12 touchdowns, but to truly see how he was used, look at the rushing stats. He ran the ball 164 times…as a quarterback…and was the Bulls leading rusher. Although you really can’t blame Daniels for the situation, there was really little he could do, as during games it seemed as though Leavitt and the offensive staff was afraid to let him throw the ball downfield. Carlton Mitchell was the top receiver on this team with 34 catches.

As for South Florida’s opponent, Northern Illinois likes to run the ball, and makes no secret about it. They ranked 17th in FBS football, and were successful because of the speedy Chad Spann. Spann, a junior, rushed for 945 yards on the season, and was most effective in the middle of the year, when he went for over 100 yards in three of four games. Sophomore quarterback Chandler Harnish was effective, but not dominant, throwing for 11 touchdowns on the season. Three of his five interceptions were thrown in Northern Illinois last two games.

Defensively, both teams are similar, considering that they each gave up exactly 21.16 points per game. South Florida has the better athletes on this side of the ball, but really neither team is playing well, as each has lost its last two games coming in.

When people say there are too many college football bowl bids handed out each year, this game might be Exhibit A. Neither team is playing well, and neither really deserves to be playing in the postseason, as each stumbled down the stretch.

I give the slight edge to the Huskies in these college football betting odds. With this game taking place in Toronto, it will actually be the MAC school which has the bigger group of fans in attendance, not the school from the Big East.

And seriously, how excited can South Florida really be to be playing in a third-tier bowl game, when they were ranked in the top 25 for a good part of the year?

Take the underdog Northern Illinois Huskies, in this year’s college football bowl spread.

Aaron’s Pick: Northern Illinois +7