Bowl Season continues tonight and the pros at FiveStarPick.com have been working overtime to analyze tonight’s Poinsettia Bowl between the Utah Utes and the California Golden Bears.  Las Vegas Sportsbooks list Cal as 3-point favorites with a total of 52. The weather will not be a factor tonight as the Poinsettia Bowl is in San Diego (44 degrees and no wind).

California (8-4 straight up, 5-6 against the spread) has the playmakers, while Utah (9-3 SU, 5-7 ATS) has the big men.  History says that you can’t argue a play on Utah tonight, afterall this is a program that stunned the Crimson last season in the Sugar Bowl and they are also 8-0 SU and 6-2 against the spread in their last eight postseason games.  But you could have made that same argument last night as Oregon State was 5-0 SU and against the spread in their last 5 bowl appearances, then got stomped by BYU (another FiveStar Bowl win).  In other words…don’t pull the trigger just yet. In Vegas, handicappers don’t put much value on a team’s bowl history when formulating a line. That’s for the betting public to do. 

Vegas’s line opened at 3.5 for one reason only, Utah’s offense is struggling. They’re going into their fifth straight game with true freshman Jordan Wynn under center and they rank 45th running the ball (169.4 yards per game) and 55th throwing it (220.2 YPG).  Wynn has completed 55 percent of his passes for 991 yards and five touchdowns, but the offense seems to sputter late in games against quality opponents.

What Utah does have is a stud at running back.  Eddie Wide has lead the Mountain West in rushing with 1,032 yards and 12 touchdowns.  The Golden Bears are going to have to focus on limiting Wide’s yards if they want to control this game.

The Golden Bears have some great playmakers on the field, but they got embarrassed by both Oregon and USC.  QB Kevin Riley has completed 55 percent of his passes for 219.7 YPG, 17 scores and just six picks. But in his last four games, Riley has thrown 4 TDs and 4 INTs.

The big story for Cal tonight is that they are going to be without Jahvid Best. Best suffered a concussion against Oregon State on November 7th and is done for the year.  So in steps Shane Vereen in his place and without missing a beat, he is averaging 148.0 rushing YPG with four touchdowns.

Riley might have to depend on Vereen a lot tonight if Utah keeps up their pass defense stats. The Utes are giving up just 172.8 YPG through the air, which ranks them 14th nationally. They’ve also intercepted 15 passes this season, so Riley will need to be confident with his throws.

Now let’s talk trends…These two teams have split their last two meetings both SU and against the spread. In their last meeting back in 2003, the Utes won 31-24 as one-point home favorites. Utah is 5-5 SU and 6-4 against the spread as an underdog against teams from the Pac-10 since 1996, but just 1-3 SU and against the spread in the last four games as dogs against the Pac-10. The Golden Bears are 5-3 SU and 3-5 against the spread against Mountain West opponents since 1996, but are on a 5-0 SU and 3-2 against the spread in their last 5.

So who covers the spread in the Poinsettia Bowl?  It’s very easy to find out.  Try FiveStarPick.com tonight for just ($19.99) 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

FiveStarPick.com started off its 2009 betting season with 3 wins for our members yesterday and today, we plan to give them 3 more.  The focus of this preview is the BCS Sugar Bowl which pairs the former #1 Alabama Crimson Tide against the undefeated Utes of Utah.  Las Vegas sports books list the Tide as 9.5-point favorites with the total set at 45.

Utah (12-0 SU, 7-3-1 ATS) will have difficulty with Alabama’s rushing attack.  Alabama (11-1 SU, 9-4 ATS) has several outstanding backs, including junior Glen Coffee with 1,347 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns.  Coffee is averaging 6.1 yards per carry.   Tide RB Mark Ingram will also be a threat with 702 rushing yards and 12 TDs.  Alabama QB John Parker Wilson has completed 57.7 percent of his passes and has a 9/6 touchdown-interception ratio. Wilson’s favorite target is Julio Jones with 51 receptions for 847 yards and four TDs.

Kyle Whittingham replaced Urban Meyer in 2005. He has the Utes in a BCS game in just his fourth season, posting a 36-14 record.  His undefeated team has beaten five teams that have gone to bowl games this season.  Senior QB Brian Johnson is the heart and soul of this Utah team. Johnson has completed 68.2 percent of his passes for 2,636 yards with a 24/9 touchdown-interception ratio. 

So who covers the spread in the Sugar Bowl?  It’s time to step up your game, become a member of our family and find out.  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 won nearly $100K in 2008.

Jimmy the Geek – FiveStarPick.com

FiveStarPick.com has won 7 of its last 9 and looks to continue its hot-streak when we give our members the winner of tonight’s TCU/Utah clash.  Las Vegas sportsbooks have listed the Horned Frogs as 2-point favorites with the total set at 42.  It should be a nice night in Utah tonight with light winds and a gametime temperature of 40 degrees.  This game will not dissapoint the betting public and could give one of these teams a possible BCS birth.

The Utes (9-0 Straight Up, 4-4 Against The Spread) will look to continue its perfect record under QB Brian Johnson (1,480 yards, 66% competion percentage), but it must be said…the school hasn’t faced a team comparable to TCU. 

TCU (9-1 SU, 7-2 ATS) enters this battle with the best scoring offense (36.6 PPG) and the best defense (10.8 PPGA) in the conference. The Horned Frogs defense has 34 sacks and a turnover margin of +15.  On offense, Sophomore QB Andy Dalton (1,473 yards) has a very solid group of receivers and has only thrown 2 INTs all year.

Now let’s talk trends…Utah has won two straight against TCU, including a 27-20 victory last year in Fort Worth.  The Under has cashed in 4 of the last 5 head-to-head meetings. Having said that, Utah has seen the Over go 7-1 this year.  Utah is 4-0 ATS in its last four games as a home dog.

So who covers the spread in today’s game?  Why not let FiveStarPick.com help you with the answer?  Aren’t you tired of getting cold called by services that tell you about their 750,000 star play that’s a guaranteed winner?  Here is a bit of advice…NOTHING is guaranteed when you are betting on sports!  These so called “handicappers” call 500 people on a Saturday morning and give them all a free play; 250 people will get Utah +2 and 250 will get TCU -2.  After the game ends, they call back the 250 people who won and pitch them on charging thousands of dollars to their credit cards for more guaranteed winners.   We are not your typical sports handicapping service.  We care about our members and we live and die on every play. Why?  Because we are moving thousands of dollars of our own money on the same plays we give you. Gambling on sports is how we make our living.  Do we win every play?  Absolutely not and we will never pretend to.  Our plays are always posted for all to see, including our losing streaks. But by the end of the year we always seem to have a few hundred thousand dollars of the sportsbook’s money in our casino account.  Let us try and do the same for you.  Join our family of winners today and start your winning streak tonight.

Jimmy the Geek – FiveStarPick.com