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