Free Pick: Liberty Bowl
Memphis, Tennessee is the site of the 2009 Liberty Bowl as the 9-4 East Carolina Pirates take on the 6-6 Kentucky Wildcats.
Our team of writers and handicappers break down the matchup and hand out a Liberty Bowl Free Pick, which takes place Friday January 2 at 5:00PM ET.
Oddsmakers from online sports book Sportsbook.com have made East Carolina -3 point spread favorite. The over/under for this game has been set 41.5 total points.
Top Public Betting Trend: East Carolina is 6-1 straight up in its last seven games, while the under has covered in six of the Pirates’ last seven contests.
Key Stat: East Carolina has averaged 23.5 points per game this season while only allowing 20.5 PPG defensively. They’ve also averaged 213.4 passing yards per game, while Kentucky has allowed a whopping 142.4 yards per game on the ground.
Game Outlook: Both of these teams have struggled against the number recently, with East Carolina going just 3-8 ATS in its last 11 games and Kentucky 1-6 ATS in its last seven. But the Pirates are more consistent and came up with some huge upsets earlier in the year, including a win over Virginia Tech in the opener. East Carolina has also covered its last two games, including an impressive straight up win over Tulsa when they were 12.5-point dogs. Kentucky meanwhile, has failed to cover in four of its last five games, including two in a row. Their last cover was an impressive one against Georgia and they almost won the game outright. But that was the only time they really sniffed a cover over the last month and East Carolina should find loads of success running the ball against the Wildcats’ weak front seven. While it’s true that many bettors will point to the fact that Kentucky played in a stronger conference, the Wildcats have just been too inconsistent this season and will struggle to beat an East Carolina team that won four of its final five regular season games. For the rest of our College Football Bowl Free Pick, see below.
Check out the 2008 Liberty Bowl Preview
Our Free College Football Bowl Pick for the Liberty Bowl matchup between the East Carolina Pirates and Kentucky Wildcats game is
EAST CAROLINA PIRATES -3
TheSpread.com Projected Final Score
East Carolina Pirates 27
Kentucky Wildcats 17
We also predict that this game will GO OVER THE TOTAL (41.5 Sports Interaction.com) SET BY ODDSMAKERS
Posted: 1/2/08 11:00AM ET