Poinsettia Bowl Odds
SAN DIEGO, CA (The Spread) – The bowl season resumes on Thursday when San Diego State meets BYU in the Poinsettia Bowl at 8PM ET on ESPN, live from Qualcomm Stadium.
View Current College Football Odds
San Diego State is 9-3 entering this game and 8-4 against the spread. BYU is 7-5 overall and 6-6 against the spread. Both teams have hit the under 6 times in their 11 lined games. BYU has won five-straight meetings against San Diego State.
Trends show that BYU has covered the spread in 10 of its last 14 meetings with San Diego State and these two teams have hit the over in 4 of their last 5 meetings in San Diego. BYU is 7-0 against the spread in its last 7 games against Mountain West Conference opponents and 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games at a neutral site.
According to oddsmakers from Bovada.lv, BYU is the slight favorite in this game, as the Cougars have odds of -3.5 points against San Diego State. The over/under total has been set at 48 points. (View Matchup) The opening odds for this bowl game had BYU favored by 3 points. The spread hit a low of 2.5 points during the week before closing at its peak of BYU -3.5. The over/under total opened at 50 points. The odds were never higher than that and currently sit at its low of 48 points.
BYU is coming off a 50-14 win over New Mexico State to wrap up the regular season. The Cougars won three of their last four games to end the season. BYU comes into the bowl game fifth in the nation in scoring defense, as the Cougars have allowed just 14.7 points per game. The offense hasn’t been real strong, as they are scoring just 29.2 points per contest. This season’s team has been led by quarterback Riley Nelson, who threw for 2,011 yards and 13 touchdowns.
San Diego State finished the regular season with a 42-28 win over Wyoming to go 7-1 in Mountain West Conference play and earn a share of the conference title. The Aztecs finished the season on a seven-game winning streak, including a 21-19 win over Boise State back on Nov. 3. San Diego State is averaging 35.1 points per game on offense while the defense is allowing just 24.5 points per game. The team has been led by a strong rushing attack, which ranks 15th in the nation at 229.2 yards per game. Adam Muema has rushed for 1,355 yards and 16 touchdowns on the season to lead the team.
In terms of Injuries, San Diego State running back Walter Kazee is out with a knee injury while safety Eric Pinkins is probable despite a leg injury. BYU defensive back Joe Sampson has been suspended for the game while running back Adam Hine is doubtful with an undisclosed injury.
The Public Bets for this bowl game are backing San Diego State. The Aztecs are getting 52% of the wagers with odds of +3.5 points against BYU on Thursday night.
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