New Mexico Bowl Total Prediction
Can San Diego State put up another strong defensive showing when the Aztecs face off with Central Michigan on Saturday at 2PM ET in the New Mexico Bowl?
Game Snapshot & Odds
New Mexico Bowl
207 Central Michigan vs. 208 San Diego State
Saturday, December 21, 2019
2PM ET – Dreamstyle Stadium
TV: ESPN
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Public Betting Trends
According to the latest oddsmakers, San Diego State comes into this game as the favorite, getting odds of -3.5 points against Central Michigan. The over/under total is listed at 40.5 points. The public betting currently has 67 percent going on San Diego State as the favorite. This information is subject to change, however, so be sure to check out our NCAAF Public Betting Page for updated figures on the game.
Chips fall in MAC Championship
Central Michigan has had quite a turnaround, going from 1-11 in 2018 to reaching the MAC Championship in 2019. The Chippewas fell to Miami (Ohio), 26-21, in the conference title game to end a three-game win streak. CMU is 8-5 on the season, 9-4 against the spread and 9-4 with the over.
The Chippewas were a mess offensively last season, but have improved a lot this year. They average 31.9 points and 445.6 yards per game through a balanced attack. Defensively, CMU is giving up 26.8 points and 351.5 yards per game. Quinten Dormady has thrown or 2,148 yards and 14 touchdowns to lead the offense while Jonathan Ward has 1,082 rushing yards and 15 scores. Kobe Lewis has added 977 yards and 11 touchdowns rushing. Kalil Pimpleton is the leading receiver with 79 catches for 823 yards and six touchdowns.
Aztecs all about defense
San Diego State is coming off a 13-3 win over BYU in its regular season finale. The Aztecs have had their last four games see neither team score more than 17 points. They went 9-3 this season while posting a 7-5 mark against the spread and an 11-1 record with the under.
The Aztecs have one of the best defensive units in the country. They allowed just 12.8 points and 288.7 yards per game this year, including just 72.3 rushing yards per contest. Luq Barcoo is leading the SDSU defense with 51 tackles and eight interceptions. Offensively, SDSU doesn’t have a lot to offer. It puts up just 19 points and 329.3 yards per game. Ryan Agnew has thrown for 2,175 yards and 11 touchdowns to lead the offense, while Juwan Washington is the leading rusher with 500 yards and two scores. However, he is questionable for this game with an ankle injury. Kobe Smith is the team’s top receiver with 57 catches for 673 yards and four scores.
College Football Betting Trends
Central Michigan
The Chippewas have hit the over in six of their last eight games overall and in four of their last five non-conference games.
San Diego State
San Diego State has hit the under in four of its last five bowl games and in 12 of its last 14 games following a win.
Prediction:
San Diego State has been an under machine, so it’s hard to ignore that going into this game. The total is low, but the Aztecs haven’t had a 40-point total since mid-October. Central Michigan is a team that has been built on defense over recent years and just finally had its offense catch up this season. However, we saw the CMU offense really struggle in the MAC Championship when it couldn’t establish the run with its backs. I think that will be a problem in this game as well. It should be another defensive grind for San Diego State, keeping the points quite low.
New Mexico Bowl Prediction: Central Michigan/San Diego State Under 40.5