The 2010 Bowl Season continues today and the pros at FiveStarPick.com have been working overtime to analyze tonight’s Alamo Bowl between the Michigan State Spartans and the Texas Tech Red Raiders.  Las Vegas Sportsbooks list Texas Tech as 7-point favorites with a total of 59.5.

In their season finale, Michigan State (6-6 straight up, 4-6-1 against the spread) got their but handed to them by Penn State, 42-14.  Later that night a group of Spartan players got into a brawl with some frat boys at a local nightclub. The following evening, several players decided that they were going to bring the hood to the frat house and bust a cap. So far 11 players have been disciplined for their actions including running back Glenn Winston and safety Roderick Jenrette who were ousted from the program.

The Spartans biggest losses from the incident were their top two wide receivers, B.J. Cunningham and Mark Dell. This duo accounted for 1,090 yards and five scores; which could pose a big problem for QB Kirk Cousins and his #1 ranked Big Ten passing game (271.2 YPG). In addition, they Red Raider defense is second only to Pittsburgh nationally with 39.0 sacks on the season.

If the Spartans can’t pass the ball tonight, they will have to look to their defense to stop the Red Raider attack.  But over the last three games, MSU has given up 1,541 total yards in their last 3 games including 251.6 passing YPG ranking 103rd in the nation.  Not so good.

Texas Tech (8-4 SU, 7-4 Against The Spread) has had it’s own distractions recently.  Head coach Mike Leach was fired by the school for insubordination stemming from allegations of mistreating a player that was diagnosed with a concussion. The question is whether or not the team can rally behind the adversity.

Texas Tech was second only to Houston in passing offense with 380.7 YPG under QB Taylor Potts.  In his last two starts, Potts completed 65 percent of his passes for 657 yards and four touchdowns to collect wins against Oklahoma and Baylor.  In addition, Junior running back Baron Batch has 784 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2009 which is the most yards a running back has had at Texas Tech in many years.

Defensively, Texas Tech is giving up only 21.8 points per game as been getting great pressure on the quarterback.

Now let’s talk trends…The Red Raiders are 3-2 SU in their last five bowl games, but just 1-4 Against The Spread.  The Over has gone 4-1 in those matchups.  Michigan State hasn’t been a dominant force either boasting a 2-6 SU and 3-5 Against The Spread record in their past eight postseason tilts.  The Over is 14-8 in the last five years for the Spartans when posted as underdogs. MSU is 4-18 SU and 9-13 Against The Spread during the same stretch. Texas Tech is an impressive 33-9 SU as a favorite over the past five seasons, but just 20-22 Against The Spread.  The Red Raiders are 1-3 SU and 0-4 Against The Spread in their last four meetings against the Big Ten.

If you are wondering who will cover the spread in the Alamo 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