The Gator Bowl on New Year’s Day has Mississippi State favored against Michigan in a game that will be shown on ESPN 2.
It should be an exciting contest with a lot of scoring which is why the total in college football betting is listed at 59.5 at Sbg global.com.
Denard Robinson
The Gator Bowl is worth watching simply because of Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson. He is a dynamic player who can do it all. He was in the Heisman Trophy discussion earlier this season before faltering. Michigan didn’t have a great year under Rich Rodriguez but at least they had Robinson. He led an offense that averaged 500 yards per game this season. He set an NCAA record for most rushing yards by a quarterback this season. He will also be playing in front of his home state fans in Florida. Robinson was actually the fourth leading rusher in the country at 136.9 yards per game.
Mississippi State Can Run and Stop the Run
The Mississippi State defense was pretty good against the run this season allowing 121.7 yards per game. The Bulldogs faced Cam Newton this season and held him relatively in check. Not only can Mississippi State stop they run they can run the ball as well. They had the second-best rushing attack in the SEC at 215.8 yards per game. Vick Ballard had 892 yards and 16 rushing TDs while quarterback Chris Relf added 683 yards and four rushing touchdowns. Michigan didn’t stop the run at all this season so they could have big trouble in the Gator Bowl.
Game Facts
This will be the first-eve meeting between Mississippi State and Michigan. The Bulldogs have not even played a Big 10 team since 1980. As we look at the NCAA online betting numbers we find that the Wolverines are 6-0 ATS in their last 6 non-conference games. Michigan doesn’t play well against winning teams though as they are 5-16 ATS vs. a team with a winning record. The Wolverines are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games as an underdog.
The Bulldogs are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games as a favorite. This could be a high scoring game as the Over is 4-0 in the Wolverines last 4 Bowl games.