Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III and the Baylor Bears are set to take on the Washington Huskies tonight in the Alamo Bowl. The game is scheduled for a 9 p.m. kickoff and will be televised nationally on ESPN. Currently the odds have Baylor favored to win anywhere from 9.5 to 10 points depending on the book with the total being set at 79.5 points. According to Pregame CEO RJ Bell, tonight's bowl game is the highest over/under total EVER posted by Las Vegas.
Free Analysis: Robert Griffin III has a year of eligibility left, but it's quite possible the Alamo Bowl will be the final contest of his career. Baylor hopes he doesn't leave and is also looking for the school's first bowl win in almost 20 years. Griffin had one of the sickest statistical records ever for a quarterback with a 192.3 passer rating, throwing 36 touchdowns and just six interceptions — and adding 644 rushing yards and nine more TDs on the ground. However, the defense for Baylor is downright awful. Like, really bad. The Bears' defense ranks 114th nationally in yards allowed and 109th in the country in points allowed. Special teams also weren't very good either ranking 114th in net punting yardage and 105th in kickoff returns. That's downright bad, but the ability of Griffin and the Baylor offense more than makes up for that. I have liked Washington this season as an explosive offense with Keith Price at QB and Chris Polk in the backfield. Let's face it, Washington can score points, averaging 31 points per game. Baylor averaged nearly 44 (43.5) points per game this season, so we know both clubs will probably put up points. It's the defenses that are going to be the problem in this game. Washington's defense doesn't appear equipped to slow down anybody. The Huskies rank 116th out of 120 FBS schools against the pass, allowing 283.8 yards per game. They also give up 33 points per game while Baylor gave up 35 points per game. As you can see, the total is high for a a reason.
Free Pick: I think it's probably safe to play the over in this game, even thought it's nearly at 80 points for the game. That's a crazy amount of points for any game, especially in college football. But as we look at both defenses, we can easily see that the number if probably close to what the actual score is going to be. I could see this number falling right on 79 (41-38 final) but with only one point away from the actual total, I think it's safe to think each team will come close to scoring 40. We know both offenses can score points and hopefully there is enough time in the game to warrant this type of point total. I don't like that Baylor is sitting at nearly 10 points because with two really bad defenses, who knows if they can hold a lead long enough to stay double digit points ahead. So I'm going with the over route, which looks pretty good.
Free Picks: Washington vs Baylor - Best Bet from Bryan Leonard
Heisman Trophy jinx and the time off is detrimental to Baylor plus other factors college football bettors need to know about Washington vs Baylor (Thursday, December 29, 2011) from Pregame.com - Including a free best bet from Bryan Leonard and analysis from host Marco D'Angelo.