Betting on the bowl season can be tricky. There are always a long layoff, the games are neutral sites often far away from the home campuses of the competing schools. So actually knowing which team to bet and the teams will react in the environment is very tricky.
The key is to bet on the team that is excitied about being in the game and bet against the team that figures not to want to be there. Take last night’s Boise State-Louisana Tech game for example. TCU has played in the Poinsetta bowl 3 out of the last 6 seasons. Many thought that TCU was the likely choice for the Sugar Bowl, but Virginia Tech was taken instead. TCU has also played in BCS bowls two consecutive years, so going back to San Diego for the Poinsetta bowl had to be a downer.
Lousiana Tech on the other hand won their first WAC title since 1998. They were pumped and excited about representing their conference in the Poinsetta Bowl. They played like it too. Leading for much of the game and falling short late 31-24, though covering as +11 dogs.
There are other factors to tell if a team is excited to be at a particular bowl game. Always monitor tickets sales within the fan base. If ticket sales are very slow for a school then it is likely that the players involved aren’t too excited about playing in the game either. If they are high the team is likely jacked up and want to be put on a good showing.
So when betting on the bowls this holiday season check to see who actually wants to be there before placing your bet.
James
