bowling 5 times
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Las Vegas - Gotta start with the Holiday Bowl out in San Diego even though it's a late night game. Syracuse will be playing Washington State and in my 40+ years on the sports betting beat, I have NEVER EVER seen a line move this dramatic. Syracuse opened up as a -6.5 point favorite and we LOVED the Orange at that price. Then the money started coming in on 'Cuse, a TSUNAMI, and did not stop until the line ZOOMED all the way to -17.5. And we have even seen a few 18s pop up. Again, have NEVER EVER seen an 11 point line move. Stunning! We understand that the Cougars from Pullman have lost their head coach, Jake Dickert, and starting QB, John Mateer (Oklahoma). They also had TWENTY FIVE players enter the transfer portal. YIKES! Put in a YUGE buy on Syracuse at -6.5 and normally would think about buying Washington State plus and creating a GINORMOUS 11 point middle. But NAH, we'll just stick with our original bet and not bother with the 18 point spread.
Back to the first game of the day, the Birmingham Bowl with Georgia Tech fighting Vanderbilt. Props to Vandy for bouncing back from a 2-10 record in 2023 to post a 6-6 record this season. But it ain't gonna be enough to handle Tech. The Yellow Jackets REALLY IMPRESSED me in their final game, a 44-42 loss to Georgia in OT. Tech QB Haynes King was exceptional, completing 26 of 36 for 303 yards with 2 TDs against a nasty Bulldog D. Oh yea, he also gobbled up 110 yards on the ground. STUD! The YELLOW JACKETS are my BEST BET on the entire bowl board. Enjoy!
In the Armed Forces Bowl, got a light lean to Navy over Oklahoma. NO ONE opts out of the Navy. EVER! Not the case on the Oklahoma sideline where starting QB Jackson Arnold has already announced his move to Auburn. That means the Sooners will turn to backup Michael Hawkins and his numbers ain't good (48/77 for 536 yards, with 1 TD and 2 INTs). We bought the Midshipmen early at +8 but the line has been sliced all the way down to +3. Recommend light.
Gonna take a pass on the Liberty Bowl and the Las Vegas Bowl.
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