Valero Alamo Bowl Prediction
The final game of Friday’s college football bowl triple-header will take place between Iowa State and Washington State in the Valero Alamo Bowl at 9:00 p.m. ET. Laying less than a field goal, are the Cougars a solid play at the betting window?
Game Snapshot
247 Iowa State Cyclones vs. 248 Washington State Cougars
9:00 p.m. ET, Friday, December 28, 2018
Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas
Public Betting Trends
According to oddsmakers from online sports book BetNow.eu, the Cougars are 2.5-point favorites to beat the Cyclones. The total, meanwhile, sits at 57.5 points. As of this writing, 60% of the public betting tickets wagered on this matchup are on the Cougars.
Iowa State Cyclones
Iowa State has extended HC Matt Campbell through the 2024 season. CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora reported that Campbell was a “potential head-coaching candidate” for the NFL, so this is very good day for the Cyclones. Campbell not only gets a new contract for himself, but Iowa State has agreed to give the assistant coaching staff an additional $1 million. In 2018, the Cyclones are 8-4 with Washington State up next in the Alamo Bowl. A win over the Cougars would give Campbell his first nine-win season at Iowa State.
Washington State Cougars
Washington State senior QB Gardner Minshew was named the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year. Minshew and crew fell just shy of making the Pac-12 title game and potentially giving the Playoff committee a little extra fat to chew on, but regardless of the came-up-just-short ending to WSU’s regular season, the senior signal-caller has already started to rake in some postseason award goodies. He was earlier this week named the winner of the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. Now, Pac-12 honors for his offensive brilliance. Minshew finished the pre-bowl campaign having thrown for 4,477 yards (70.6% completions) with a 36/9 TD/INT ratio. He will have one more chance to shine in the Alamo Bowl, against Iowa State on Dec. 28, and then it will be onward to try to make a sleeper draft run in the spring.
Betting Trends
Iowa State
The under is 5-0-1 in the Cyclones’ last six bowl games.
Washington State
The under is 7-0-1 in the Cougars’ last eight games coming off a double-digit loss at home.
Prediction
There’s some risk backing the Cougars given how they were aiming to play in the college football playoff but were crushed by Washington in the Apple Cup, keeping them out of the Pac-12 championship. That said, if Mike Leach’s squad is motivated then I like them to prevail tonight. The snowy conditions in Pullman the night the Cougars lost to the Huskies was a primary cause of Washington State’s outstanding offense being grounded. Weather won’t be a factor tonight in the Alamodome and while ISU had the best defense in the Big 12 this year, I don’t see the Cyclones keeping pace offensively. Plus, as much attention as Washington State’s offense draws, the Cougars held opponents to just 23.1 points per game this season, which ranked 41st in the nation. They won’t be pushed around on that side of the ball.
Valero Alamo Bowl Prediction: Washington State Cougars -2.5