The college football season continues back up again on Monday beginning with the TicketCity Bowl in Dallas. This matchup between Penn State and Houston has a start time of noon eastern and the game will be televised nationally on ESPNU. Currently the odds have Houston favored by 7.5 points with the total being set at 56 points. Penn State has been marred by a wealth of scandals this season but is choosing to play in a bowl game for the sake of the program while Houston earns a consolation prize on a national stage.
Free Analysis: Houston was all but assured of a BCS bowl game before getting punked by Southern Miss in the Conference USA title game at the beginning of December. Now, they get a chance to play in a bowl game with some national exposure, but not nearly what they were hoping for at the beginning of the season. Penn State enters this game with nine wins, normally a pretty good measuring stick for a quality program. However, this season has really been unlike any other with the Jerry Sandusky scandal and the firing of Joe Paterno. Adding to the problems for the Nittany Lions is the unavailability of QB Matt McGloin, who is being ruled out of playing in the contest. Penn State will have to start Rob Bolden, who is more mobile. Amid looking for a new coach to guide a lost program and the pressure of the nasty scandal, it's hard to believe the PSU program elected to play in a bowl game. Yet, none of the players on Penn State's current roster really should be punished for what has happened at the school. Tom Bradley was given the keys to the program after Paterno was let go, but the school's lack of faith in him surprised me. I thought the best move for Penn State was to name Bradley the official leader of Penn State football, giving itself an identity heading into the bowl game. Yet, the school, and more importantly the players, have no idea who will lead them past this contest. In a similar situation was Houston, which saw head coach Kevin Sumerlin bolt for Texas A&M the first chance he got. Enter Tony Levine, an assistant under Sumerlin, to lead the Cougars program. He'll have QB stud Case Keenum calling the plays for one final game in a Houston uniform. This season alone Keenum threw for over 5,000 yards, 45 TDs and only five picks. Struggling in the Conference USA title game against Southern Miss' 70th-ranked pass defense doesn't bode well for Keenum today. Penn State is fifth in the nation against the pass (162.2 yards allowed per game), and the nine TDs it gave up through the air are tied for the fifth-fewest in the country. The Lions will probably look to get Silas Redd going early against the Cougars, as he averaged just 11.7 carries in his last three game — 15 fewer than he averaged in October alone — but should see a heavier load against a Houston defense that ranks 78th in the nation against the run (171.8 ypg). Plus Penn State hasn't lost back to back bowl games in nearly 40 years, so establishing a ground game will be key. Keenum will be looking to rebound from three bad bowl games. He has three TD passes and seven interceptions — six of which came in the school's most recent, a 47-20 loss to Air Force in the 2009 Armed Forces Bowl. A 2008 win over the Falcons in that same bowl is Houston's lone postseason victory since 1980. Stranger to success indeed.
Free Pick: I like Penn State getting the points in this contest. The Lions are a big, physical team that also has speed on the ends to make Houston pay for costly mistakes and bad tackling. I'm not entirely sure where the motivation is going to come from with the Cougars. Sure, they have a new coach who was on ex-coach Sumlin's staff, but what is left in the tank after falling in the conference title game? Here's all we need to know about this football game: Houston has the best offense in the country, scores the most points in the country and puts up more yards than anybody else in the country. Yet, they're only sitting at a little over a touchdown on the board? Seems a little fishy to me. Penn State needs to capitalize on putting a positive end to a very tumultuous season and with their secondary and ability to run the football, I think they will hang around. Let me scoop up the points here and take a team from a power conference.
Free Picks: Penn State vs Houston Betting
Penn State a possible correlated parlay and Questionable motivation for both teams plus other factors college football bettors need to know about Penn State vs Houston (Monday, January 2, 2012) from Pregame.com - Including predictions from Bryan Leonard and analysis from host Marco D'Angelo.