GMAC Bowl Betting - Central Michigan Chippewas vs. Troy Trojans

Central Michigan (11-2 SU, 9-3 ATS) vs. Troy (9-3 SU, 8-4 ATS)

Wednesday, January 6: 7:00 p.m.

BetUS.com Betting Odds: Central Michigan -3, Total Points 63

Here are some college football betting trends which may impact this game:

• Central Michigan: 6-2 ATS in the last 8 games
• Central Michigan: 11-1 SU in their last 12 games
• Central Michigan: The total has gone UNDER in 5 of their last 7 games
• Troy: 8-2 ATS in their last 10 game
• Troy: 9-1 SU in their last 10 games
• Troy: The total has gone OVER in 6 of their last 7 games

To get ready for the BCS National Championship game the following night, tune into the GMAC Bowl featuring two high-scoring, underrated mid-major teams.

First, for Central Michigan, they finished 11-2 behind the strong arm of quarterback Dan LaFevour. LaFevour was about as good as any quarterback this year, as he threw for 3,043, and 27 touchdowns, while only tossing six interceptions. LaFevour was also the Chippewas leading rusher this year as well, with over 700 yards on the ground. Junior wide receiver Antonio Brown was one of college football’s top wide receivers, as he caught 97 passes on the year, for 1020 yards.

But as hard as it is to believe, despite LaFevour getting as much love as he did all year, Troy actually had the better overall offense. The Trojans finished third in college football, averaging a staggering 478 yards per game, most of which came through the air. Quarterback Levi Brown led Troy, throwing for an impressive 3,868 yards on the season. He also tossed 22 touchdowns and nine interceptions. The Trojans have several dangerous receivers including Jerrel Jernigan (62 catches), Tebiarus Gill (44 catches) and Josh Jarobe, a former commitment at the University of Oklahoma. Shawn Southward scored 10 touchdowns on the ground for Troy.

With two phenomenal offenses, the question has to be asked, who’s got the better defense? The early returns favor Central Michigan. Despite giving up 326 yards of offense per game, they actually only allowed 17 total points a contest which ranked 14th in college football. As for Troy, they had an absolutely abysmal passing defense, ranked 117th in the game. Expect a big day for LaFevour against this young secondary.

While Central Michigan would seem to be the safe pick, remember, they are reeling as coach Butch Jones has left to coach at Cincinnati. But even still, take the Chippewas.

LeFevour is one of the toughest and smartest quarterbacks in college football, and will not let his team go out with a loss. Even without Jones on the sidelines, expect him to put up big enough numbers to get Central Michigan a win, and send the many seniors on this team out with a win.

Aaron’s Pick: Central Michigan -3