GMAC BOWL PICKS AND ANALYSIS: CENTRAL MICHIGAN VS. TROY

This year’s GMAC Bowl is something of an ‘opening act’ for the main event of Thursday’s BCS Championship Game between Alabama and Texas.  The scheduling is curious, as it features a matchup between Mid American Conference champion Central Michigan and Sun Belt Conference Troy University that would more typically be played well before New Years’ Day and not in the week leading up to the National Title game.  Nevertheless, it should be an entertaining and competitive matchup.  The Central Michigan Chippewas have been installed as a -2 point college football betting favorite with the total set at 63.

Both teams boast potent passing attacks and talented quarterbacks with NFL potential.  Central Michigan is led by four year starter Dan LeFevour.  This past season, LeFevour threw for 27 touchdowns and run for 14 to bring his career total to 147 TDs passing, rushing and receiving—a major college football record.  He’s also got a group of talented receivers to throw to led by Bryan Anderson who had 57 receptions for 700 yards and six touchdowns this season.  Junior Antonio Brown led the team with 97 catches, 1,020 yards and nine TDs.

Troy will answer with senior quarterback Levi Brown. Brown 322.3 passing yards per game good for second in the country, and his 3,868 yards set records for both the school and Sun Belt Conference.  The Trojans may have a better balanced offense, as they have a solid two running back tandem in Shawn Southward and junior DuJuan Harris.
 
While the matchup is fairly even in terms of talent, there are a couple of intangible factors that favor Troy.  First, Central Michigan is currently without a head coach after Butch Jones accepted the vacant coaching job at Cincinnati which came about after Brian Kelly moved to Notre Dame.  Steve Stripling is in charge of the team on an interim basis, but that’s a very tough situation for any coach as he has to hedge his bets on his future plans while preparing the team to play a dangerous opponent.

Additionally, the venue and scheduling very much favor the underdog Trojans.  Central Michigan can’t expect too many supporters in the stadium for a midweek game after the holidays at a venue over a thousand miles away.  Troy’s campus, meanwhile, is a three hour drive from the stadium.  With the state of Alabama already in something of a ‘holiday’ mode over the BCS game, it’ll be very much a pro-Troy crowd.

Overall, with a pair of evenly matched teams we’ll take the situational advantages and back the underdog Troy Trojans.  While it is unseasonably cold along the Alabama Gulf Coast, there’s no rain in the forecast giving us a perfect setting for both teams to score a lot of points and send the game OVER the total.

Bet the GMAC Bowl Central Michigan vs. Troy at Sports-1.