DXL Frisco Bowl Prediction
The San Diego State Aztecs finished the season on a three-game losing streak and find themselves as underdogs versus the Ohio Bobcats in the DXL Frisco Bowl on Wednesday night. Will the Aztecs rally and finish the season on a high note or will their slump continue into the postseason?
Game Snapshot
214 San Diego State Aztecs vs. 213 Ohio Bobcats
8:00 p.m. ET, Wednesday, December 19, 2018
Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas
Public Betting Trends
According to oddsmakers from online sports book BetNow.eu, the Bobcats is a 2.5-point favorite to beat the Aztecs. The total, meanwhile, sits at 53.5 points. As of this writing, 53% of the public betting tickets wagered on this matchup are on the Aztecs.
San Diego State Aztecs
San Diego State redshirt senior QB Christian Chapman completed 9-of-19 passes for 149 yards and one touchdown in Saturday’s 31-30 overtime loss to Hawaii. Chapman didn’t play the entire game with backup quarterback Ryan Agnew popping in for 29 yards and one touchdown on four attempts, but he was under center for most of the game. Per usual, Chapman wasn’t asked to do too much with the Aztecs offense built to run the ball, and that approach was magnified with starting running back Juwan Washington not limited by his collarbone injury. Chapman will play in his final collegiate game when San Diego State (7-5) trots out for their bowl game.
Ohio Bobcats
Ohio junior QB Nathan Rourke completed just 5-of-14 passes for 87 yards with an interception, but ran for 86 yards and four touchdowns in a 49-28 victory over Akron on Friday. The win gives the Bobcats eight wins on the season, but they come up just short of winning the division. They’re still going bowling, and a big reason for that will be the play of Rourke. While he was unable to get nothing going with the pass game, his legs worked just fine — again — and the Zips had no answer for the Bobcats’ running game; giving up 381 yards on the ground. We’ll see the impressive rushing attack again this December.
Betting Trends
San Diego State
The under is 4-0 in the Aztecs’ last four games after allowing more than 280 yards passing in their previous game.
Ohio
The over is 8-2-2 in the Bobcats’ last 12 games after accumulating more than 200 yards rushing in their previous game.
Prediction
This won’t be a popular play but I’m siding with the Aztecs. As previously mentioned, they’ve dropped three in a row and their offense is mostly to play. They’re ranked 109th in the nation in total yards, 99th in passing yards per game, 75th in rushing yards and 113th in scoring. But their defense is also third in the country in rushing yards allowed, is 21st in total yards and 29th in points allowed. A lot of the times, bowl games come down to travel and motivation. Defense travels and if San Diego State is motivated to finish the year on a high note, then I like them to cover tonight.
DXL Frisco Bowl Prediction: San Diego State Aztecs +2.5