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College Football Bowl Pick for Wednesday: Cajuns and Blue Hens to Fly Over Total
We are 30-20 across All Sports with our write-ups after winning our first bowl pick Saturday with Washington. That makes us 16-10 in College Football, and we now return with a play in UL-Lafayette vs. Delaware in the 68 Ventures Bowl on Wednesday night.
UL-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns vs. Delaware Blue Hens
Wednesday, December 16th – 8:30pm ET
We expect both offenses to have their way in the 68 Ventures Bowl on Wednesday night. Therefore, we are backing the Over when Louisiana takes in Delaware on ESPN.
Minicucci Should Continue to Shine
Although Delaware stumbled a bit down the stretch going 2-3 in their last five games, their first season ever at the FBS level must be considered a success. That is because they pounded UTEP by a 61-31 count in the season finale to become bowl-eligible at 6-6. Moreover, that score was a prototype of their season, filled with great offense and suspect defense.
And the catalyst for the offense is quarterback Nick Minicucci, who passed for an amazing 3,505 yards in his first season in the FBS with 22 touchdowns vs. seven interceptions. He guided the Blue Hens to the fourth ranked passing offense in the nation at 302.2 yards per game.
We expect Minicucci to star in this game against a UL-Lafayette team that is not as good metrically as its already mediocre 58th ranking in raw passing defense. You see, the Ragin’ Cajuns did not face this caliber of passer in the Sun Belt Conference, and they ranked a poor 90th in Coverage and a worse 109th in Pressure per PFF.
Good Offense by Different Means
While neither of these teams have opt-out issues, the biggest injury scare was when Louisiana quarterback Lunch Winfield left the season finale. But the injury turned out minor and he re-entered the contest late, so he is good to go. Regardless, the Cajuns’ success is keyed by their running game, which the dual threat Winfield was a part of with 627 rushing yards and nine touchdowns on the ground.
UL-Lafayette reached this bowl by winning their last four games following a 2-6 start, averaging 34.3 points over those four wins while topping 30 points in all of them. They averaged 189.5 rushing yards per game overall and should dominate on the ground against the 94th ranked Delaware rushing defense that allowed 164.3 yards per game.
So, in the end, although these teams have opposite offensive philosophies, each team’s offensive strength matches up nicely with each opponent’s defensive weakness. We see the end-result of that being a shootout that has us betting on the Over in Mobile Wednesday night.
Note that we bet on this Over at 59.5 -108 very early when that line was available last week and posted that line on BookmakersReview Forum. For write-up purposes though, grading will be based on the line below.
THE PICK
Over 61.5 -108 at Heritage
Remember that we already have more bowl plays than this posted and will almost certainly be adding more, so make sure to keep checking the NCAAF Picks thread for additions.
We are 30-20 across All Sports with our write-ups after winning our first bowl pick Saturday with Washington. That makes us 16-10 in College Football, and we now return with a play in UL-Lafayette vs. Delaware in the 68 Ventures Bowl on Wednesday night.
UL-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns vs. Delaware Blue Hens
Wednesday, December 16th – 8:30pm ET
We expect both offenses to have their way in the 68 Ventures Bowl on Wednesday night. Therefore, we are backing the Over when Louisiana takes in Delaware on ESPN.
Minicucci Should Continue to Shine
Although Delaware stumbled a bit down the stretch going 2-3 in their last five games, their first season ever at the FBS level must be considered a success. That is because they pounded UTEP by a 61-31 count in the season finale to become bowl-eligible at 6-6. Moreover, that score was a prototype of their season, filled with great offense and suspect defense.
And the catalyst for the offense is quarterback Nick Minicucci, who passed for an amazing 3,505 yards in his first season in the FBS with 22 touchdowns vs. seven interceptions. He guided the Blue Hens to the fourth ranked passing offense in the nation at 302.2 yards per game.
We expect Minicucci to star in this game against a UL-Lafayette team that is not as good metrically as its already mediocre 58th ranking in raw passing defense. You see, the Ragin’ Cajuns did not face this caliber of passer in the Sun Belt Conference, and they ranked a poor 90th in Coverage and a worse 109th in Pressure per PFF.
Good Offense by Different Means
While neither of these teams have opt-out issues, the biggest injury scare was when Louisiana quarterback Lunch Winfield left the season finale. But the injury turned out minor and he re-entered the contest late, so he is good to go. Regardless, the Cajuns’ success is keyed by their running game, which the dual threat Winfield was a part of with 627 rushing yards and nine touchdowns on the ground.
UL-Lafayette reached this bowl by winning their last four games following a 2-6 start, averaging 34.3 points over those four wins while topping 30 points in all of them. They averaged 189.5 rushing yards per game overall and should dominate on the ground against the 94th ranked Delaware rushing defense that allowed 164.3 yards per game.
So, in the end, although these teams have opposite offensive philosophies, each team’s offensive strength matches up nicely with each opponent’s defensive weakness. We see the end-result of that being a shootout that has us betting on the Over in Mobile Wednesday night.
Note that we bet on this Over at 59.5 -108 very early when that line was available last week and posted that line on BookmakersReview Forum. For write-up purposes though, grading will be based on the line below.
THE PICK
Over 61.5 -108 at Heritage
Remember that we already have more bowl plays than this posted and will almost certainly be adding more, so make sure to keep checking the NCAAF Picks thread for additions.
