The 2012 Sheraton Hawaii Bowl will take place in Honolulu, Hawaii and we will see the SMU Mustangs take on the Fresno State Bulldogs. The game is scheduled for an 8:00 PM (Eastern) start time and it will be televised live on ESPN. Currently the odds for the game have Fresno State favored by 12 points, while the total sits at 60. Check out Sportsbook Spy to find out what side the Public is taking on all today's games.

Free Analysis: The SMU Mustangs (6-6) are thrilled to be making a school-record fourth consecutive bowl appearance after opening the season 2-4. SMU became bowl eligible Nov. 24 in its last game, a 35-27 victory over Conference USA West champion Tulsa. "Having been affiliated with this bowl since its inception, I know that it is one of the best bowl experiences in college football," said coach June Jones, who arrived at SMU in 2008 after nine seasons with Hawaii. "I'm very excited for our players, staff and fans. This is a special experience." The Mustangs will make their third postseason appearance in Honolulu and first since beating Nevada 45-10 in the 2009 Hawaii Bowl, their first bowl game in 25 years. SMU quarterback Garrett Gilbert, a Texas transfer, will make his first bowl appearance since the 2010 BCS national title game. He was a freshman coming off the bench in the first quarter for an injured Colt McCoy, finishing with two TDs and four INTs in a 37-21 loss to Alabama. Gilbert completed just 53.1 percent of his passes this season for 2,720 yards and 14 TDs, but he hasn't been picked off in the last five games. Gilbert, though, is also a big running threat, as he's reached the end zone seven times and ran for a career-high 111 yards in the regular-season finale. Senior tailback Zach Line had three rushing TDs in that game to move within one of Eric Dickerson's SMU career record of 47. Line is the fourth player in Conference USA history with three straight 1,000-yard seasons after rushing for 1,207 this year. Randall Joyner led the team in total tackles (89), collected three interceptions as well as two forced fumbles and a couple of recoveries. However, stealing the headlines on defense was Margus Hunt as he was named First-Team All-C-USA after he placed first on the team with six sacks and three blocked kicks. Hunt is now the NCAA's all-time leader in blocked field goals with 10, and he is also second in career blocked kicks overall with a staggering 17. The Mustangs are vulnerable in the secondary, where they've lost two starters to injuries.

After going 4-9 in their final season in the WAC in 2011, the Bulldogs replaced coach Pat Hill with DeRuyter as they prepared for the move to the Mountain West. Fresno State (9-3) made quite a splash in its new league, posting a 7-1 record to earn a share of the title - its first conference championship since 1999. The Bulldogs have been dominant in five games since a 20-10 loss at then-No. 24 Boise State on Oct. 13, winning by an average of 25.8 points and scoring at least 42 in each victory. They'll be trying to snap a three-game bowl skid after notching the program's fifth nine-win season over the past decade. Fresno State hasn't reached double digits in wins since going 11-3 in 2001. Perhaps even more important is that the Christmas Eve game in Honolulu won't be the last in a Bulldogs uniform for junior quarterback Derek Carr. The Mountain West offensive player of the year announced following the team's regular-season finale - a 48-15 win over Air Force on Nov. 24 - that he would return for his senior year. "Hard work pays off and I'm a firm believer in that," said Carr, who has completed 68.1 percent of his passes for 3,742 yards with 36 touchdowns and just five interceptions. Led by Carr, the brother of New York Giants backup quarterback David Carr, the Bulldogs have done plenty right on offense, ranking 14th in the FBS with 488.5 yards per game and tied for 12th in scoring (40.3 ppg). Carr's favorite target is league freshman of the year Davante Adams, who has 13 TDs among his 89 receptions and is 14th in the nation with 97.3 yards per game. Senior running back Robbie Rouse also keyed the passing game with 58 catches and 406 yards - both surpassing his previous three seasons combined. The first-team all-conference selection is the Bulldogs' all-time leading rusher after a third straight 1,000-yard season. He's 81 yards and one rushing TD shy of his career highs of 1,549 and 13, set last year. Senior defensive back Philip Thomas leads the Bulldogs’ defense, which ranked 19th in the nation while allowing an average of 335.3 yards. Thomas was named the Mountain West’s top defensive player after recording a career-high 82 tackles and eight interceptions. After recording only nine takeaways last year, Fresno State tied for third nationally with SMU and Boise State with 33 turnovers gained this season. 

Free Pick: I will look to the Under in this one. Both teams have high scoring offenses, yet the OU line is still at just 60 and has come down from it's opening number of 60.5. That's because these teams can play some defense. The Fresno State Bulldogs come in ranked 19th in total defense and 4th vs the pass, while allowing just 22.8 ppg (28th). They can be run on some, allowing 172.3 ppg (76th) and I feel that the Mustangs will use their run game a bit more to keep that high powered Fresno offense on the sidelines. Overall SMU gains just 5.2 yards per play, while the Bulldogs allow just 4.7 ypp. Should be a  total ball control game by SMU in this one, which should eat clock. The Fresno offense is very good and they are a pass happy bunch going up against a weak SMU pass defense, but the Mustangs also know how to create turnovers 3rd Nationally), which could slow down an FSU drive or two. Back in 2009 SMU has similar defensive numbers as they allowed just 3 yards per game more this year than that year and they were facing a Nevada squad that was averaging 38 pgg, yet they held the Wolf Pack to just 10 points in that game. Give June Jones extra prep time and he will come up with a good defensive plan to slow any offense down. He will do so here as well. I look for this game to be played in the low 50's at best.  

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College Football Free Picks: SMU vs Fresno State Betting
What college football bettors need to know about SMU Mustangs vs Fresno State Bulldogs on Monday (12/24/12) - a free pick from Pregame.com's Chris Andrews, with Steve Fezzik and Chuck Edel.