Bet The Hawaii Bowl – Fresno State vs Rice
Welcome to the holidays on the beautiful island of Honolulu where the weather the beaches are white, the water is crystal blue and all the drinks have umbrellas. That’s where the Fresno State Bulldogs and the Rice Owls will over Christmas. However, this trip is anything but a holiday.
Don't feel bad for @AllenBestwick, @RodGilmore, & @sportsiren on Christmas Eve as they call @HawaiiBowl, 8 ET on ESPN pic.twitter.com/XrDdWUxQcw
— ESPN Events (@ESPNEvents) December 15, 2014
While the both teams didn’t get a whole lot of national attention this year, the matchup at Aloha Stadium in the 2014 Sheraton Hawaii Bowl should be wonderful way to pass the last few hours before Santa touches down.
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Analyze The Hawaii Bowl Betting Trends – Fresno State vs Rice
Hawaii Bowl
Fresno State Bulldogs vs Rice Owls
Date: Dec. 24, 2014
Start Time: 8 p.m. ET
Location: Honolulu, Hawaii
Stadium: Aloha Stadium
TV Info: ESPN
Stream Info: WatchESPN.com
Radio: Fresno State Vs Rice
Point Spread: Bulldogs -2
Game Total: 59
Why Fresno State Will Win the Hawaii Bowl
The Bulldogs will win this contest mostly because they’ll have plenty of motivation after getting their three-game winning streak snapped in its 28-14 loss to Boise State in the Mountain West Championship game. Fresno State has also won all six lifetime meetings against Rice, although these teams haven’t met since 2004.
DeRuyter making changes to Hawai'i Bowl preparation | Read more from @DBataller: http://t.co/5xT9F32crV
— ABC30 Fresno (@ABC30) December 16, 2014
Fresno State also has the slightly better offense, even if Rice averages percentage points more per game than the Dogs. After five straight bowl game losses, Fresno State has to be desperate to finally end up in the winner’s circle for the first time this decade.
Why Rice Will Win the Hawaii Bowl
The Owls will win this matchup for no other reason than the fact that they’re statistically better on both sides of the ball than Fresno State. Rice averages .6 points per game more than Fresno State while also allowing 2.3 fewer points per game defensively.
Can’t wait to play at Aloha Stadium, home of @HawaiiFootball! Get your tickets now: http://t.co/QYg3faIQPB #OWLoha pic.twitter.com/1HhUVMn146
— Rice Owls (@RiceOwlsdotcom) December 12, 2014
The Owls should should be sufficently motivated after getting bombarded in their stunning 76-31 season-ending loss to Louisiana Tech on Nov. 29. The Owls won more games and had fewer losses than the Bulldogs and will face a Fresno State team that is 0-5 SU and ATS in its L/5 bowl games.
Who Will Win the Hawaii Bowl?
Honestly…it would seem like all signs for this Hawaii Bowl matchup are pointing to a Rice Owls ATS cover at the very least – and 59 percent of the public like the Owls to do just that. However, for me…I just can’t get past the fact that Rice got pounded unmercifully in their last game while giving up an insane 76 points along the way.
Fresno State owns the slight edge in the kicking game and penalties. With the 2014 Hawaii Bowl looking like something of a classic field goal contest, I say the Fresno State Bulldogs get the ‘upset’ win in this one and narrowly cover the Bowl game betting line to improve on their solid 7-3 ATS mark over their last 10 games.
