The 2009 Bowl Season continues tonight, and the pros at FiveStarPick.com have been working overtime to analyze tonight’s Champs Sports Bowl between the Miami Hurricanes and the Wisconsin Badgers.  Las Vegas Sportsbooks list Miami as 3-point favorites with a total of 58.

Wisconsin (9-3 SU, 5-6 Against The Spread) finished up the regular season winning four of its last five games.  Last year after a 7-6 record, the Badgers came to the Champs Sports Bowl to take on Florida State. They got crushed 42-13.

This year the Badgers have improved, but they still are somewhat one dimensional, relying heavily on the running game. Wisconsin is ranked 14th in the country with 31 rushing touchdowns and 206.7 rushing YPG.  In addition, they have the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year in John Clay. As the starting RB, Clay has amassed 1,396 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns in 2009.

Miami (9-3 SU, 6-5 Against The Spread) will try to counter the Badger running game with a rush defense that is giving up just 118.3 YPG on the ground, good enough for a 28th rank nationally. And these numbers are against teams with solid running games like Georgia Tech and Oklahoma.

Wisconsin was a lot better this year against the pass, giving up just 219.9 passing YPG, but Miami and Jacory Harris are 27th in the nation throwing the ball with 268.1 YPG. Harris has completed 60.4 percent of his passes for 3,164 yards and 23 touchdowns. Miami also has a solid ground game behind a pair of running backs in Craig Cooper and Javarris James.  The duo has combined for 1,157 yards and nine touchdowns.

Now let’s talk trends…In their last ten bowl appearances, Wisconsin is 4-6 Against The Spread, while Miami, is 7-3 Against The Spread in as many. The Badgers are 1-3 Against The Spread versus the ACC. Miami is 2-2 Against The Spread against the Big Ten since 1999.

If you are wondering who will cover the spread in the Champs Sports Bowl, try FiveStarPick.com tonight and eliminate the guesswork. For only $19.99 you can test us out and see if our talent for picking college and pro football winners exceeds your expectations.  We are the only sports handicapping service in the business who documents wins and losses and displays them on our homepage for all to witness.  It’s because we have nothing to hide…we just win games against the spread.  Join our family today and start your winning streak tonight.

Rick Riley – FiveStarPick.com

The pros at FiveStarPick.com are starting on another hot streak and there has never been a better time to become a member of our family.  Today we are handicapping the Champs Sports Bowl which features the Wisconsin Badgers and the Florida State Seminoles.  Las Vegas sports books have listed the Seminoles as 6-point favorites with the total settling in around 52.  

Wisconsin thought they were on their way back to Big 10 glory after defeating the Volunteers in last season’s Outback Bowl 21-17.  After all, they would be returning 15 starters from a squad that went 9-4 in 2007.  The Badger strategy has always been to run the ball and with RB P.J. Hill in the backfield and a starting offensive line averaging 316.2 pounds, Wisconsin believes they can do it.  

Wisconsin currently ranks 14th in the nation on the ground with 212.0 yards per game.  And their 2nd string rusher, redshirt freshman John Clay, ran for 845 yards and 9 touchdowns this year.  But the Badgers can’t run it on every play and that seems to be their biggest problem.  Allan Evridge was benched after the Kansas Statae game because of production problems, so the Badgers enlisted Dustin Sherer under center.  Sherer hasn’t been that much better completing only 54.3 percent of his passes for 1,257 yards and a TD/INT ratio of 5:5. 

The Seminoles are one of the best defensive programs in the country.  The defensive unit at FSU has only allowed 291.8 YPG this season, which ranks them 14th in the nation in total defense. And the ‘Noles have the 33rd ranked rush defense in the country, allowing only 126.8 YPG on the ground.  In addition, FSU is 2nd in the nation with an average of 8.6 tackles for loss per game in 2008.

FSU’s offense, however, isn’t the best.  The Seminoles are averaging 368.7 YPG on the attack this year, 55th in the country. While the running (182.8) and passing (185.8) games are about equal, the ‘Noles rely more on the ground game to help them win games.  And that means a lot of Antone Smith. The senior from Pahokee, Florida leads the program with 753 yards and 14 touchdowns on 161 carries this season.  QB Christian Ponder will get the start today for the Noles.  Ponder has thrown more interceptions (13) than touchdowns (12) this year, but he still was named the team’s offensive MVP this year.

Favorites in the Champs Sports Bowl have gone 10-7 straight up and 8-9 against the spread since the bowl was known as the Blockbuster Bowl in 1990.  The Seminoles are 11-5 SU as favorites this year, but 8-8 ATS.

It is time to step up your game and become a member of our family?  Why not try our service out for 2-days and see if our talent for picking winners exceeds your expectations?  With over 2300 active members, you owe it to yourself to find out why FiveStarPick.com is the most accurate sports handicapping service on the net.  Our dime bettors are up nearly $100K in 2008.

Jimmy the Geek – FiveStarPick.com