2010 New Mexico Bowl: UTEP vs. BYU Picks & Predictions
By Anthony Rome
Two former WAC rivals will square off for the first time since 1998 when BYU takes on UTEP in the 2010 New Mexico Bowl on Saturday. Continue reading for odds, picks and more on the first college football bowl matchup of the year.
According to college football bowl odds and oddsmakers from online sports book SBGGLOBAL.com, BYU is an 11.5-point favorite over UTEP on Saturday. The over/under total for this game is 50 and according to latest college football public betting information, 60% of the public favors the Cougars in this game.
UTEP finished the season with a 6-6 overall record, which included a 5-1 mark at home a 1-5 record on the road. They covered in just five of their 12 games this season while six of their 12 games went over the total according to latest college football trends.
BYU also finished 6-6 and had identical splits home (5-1) and away (1-5) as UTEP. The Cougars did cover in seven of their 12 games this year, however, while the under hit in nine of their 12 contests.
New Mexico Bowl Free Pick:
BYU is 3-2 in its last five bowl appearances and this is the first season since ’05 that the Cougars are not going to post a 10-win season. UTEP is making its first bowl appearance since ’05 and is playing in only its fourth bowl game since 2000. They’ve also dropped four straight bowl games and are just 8-21 against the number in their last 29 games following an ATS win. On the flip side, the Cougars are 4-0 against the number in their last four games overall and 4-1 in their last five games at a neutral site. Jake Heaps will become the first freshman to start a bowl game for BUY, but he should hold his own after throwing for 228 yards with a touchdown in the regular season finale. He also averaged 248.8 yards per game in his last four contests while recording nine touchdowns to just one interception. One team is hot right now while the other is limping into this contest. Our pick is BYU –11.5.
2010 NEW MEXICO BOWL GAME FREE PICK: BYU –11.5