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NCAA Football Betting – UCF Defense May Be Key Player in Bitcoin St. Pete Bowl vs. N.C. State

  • Updated: December 26, 2014
    • NCAA Football Betting UCF Defense May Be Key Player in Bitcoin St. Pete Bowl vs. N.C. State

    By Charles Jay

    The Central Florida Knights had a major challenge this season as they had to replace their outstanding quarterback, Blake Bortles, who became a first-round draft pick and eventually the starting quarterback for the Jacksonville Jaguars. This was going to understandably be a rebuilding season for UCF, which won the Fiesta Bowl last season by defeating high-powered Baylor. Well, they have done well enough to make it to a bowl game, and so they will square off against the North Carolina State Wolfpack in the Bitcoin St. Petersburg Bowl, slated to get underway at 8:30 PM ET at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL.

    NCAA Football Betting UCF Defense May Be Key Player in Bitcoin St. Pete Bowl vs. N.C. State

    One of the characteristics of a well-coached team is their ability to get better as the season progresses. That has certainly been the case with Central Florida, coached by the estimable George O’Leary, as they have scored victories in eight of their last nine games. And sophomore quarterback Justin Holman has filled the void behind center very nicely. Overall, UCF is 9-3 straight-up and 8-4 against the football pointspread. North Carolina State has a capable quarterback of its own in the Jacoby Briossett, a transfer from the University of Florida. They take some momentum into this game, as they routed archrival North Carolina in the season finale (35-7). The Wolfpack is 7-5, both straight-up and ATS.

    In the NCAA football betting odds that a been posted on this game by the people at BetAnySports, Central Florida, which should have more of a fan base on hand, is favored:

    Central Florida Knights -2.5 (-115)
    North Carolina State Wolfpack +2.5 (-105)

    Over 48.5 points -110
    Under 48.5 points -110

    N.C. State last met up with Central Florida back in 2010, as Russell Wilson was at the controls. They defeated the Knights 28-21. The season’s edition is a little different; it can be argued that if the Wolfpack had not scheduled some very low-profile opponents, including small college Presbyterian, they would have not been in this position. And they have been inconsistent, to say the least. After battling Florida State in the process of a 56-41 defeat in which they covered against the football odds, they were blown out 41-0 by Clemson. They also suffered a 33-point loss at home at the hands of Georgia Tech two weeks before scoring the straight-up victory as an underdog over North Carolina.

    Brissett is athletic and talented; he completed 60% of his passes this season with 22 touchdowns, and also gained nearly 500 yards on the ground. This is a team that has a lot of balance, racking up nearly identical yardage figures through the air and on the ground. In every game but that season finale against the Tar Heels, the pattern has been simple with the stop unit of N.C. State – they have done a good job against the weaker teams, and have collapsed against major foes.

    Holman is not a quarterback who is going to burn teams with his ability to run, and we must admit to acknowledging his inconsistencies, as he has been intercepted twice or more in five different games. But BetAnySports customers must also realize that he has been a big part of UCF covering eight out of its last 10 games against the NCAA football betting odds.

    If there is going to be a decided edge in this game, it has to go to the Central Florida defense, and that much is to be expected by any team coached by O’Leary, who may be best known to casual football bettors and fans as the man who had a gaffe on his resume that caused him to be fired from the head-coaching job at Notre Dame only days after being brought aboard, but was also a successful coach at Georgia Tech as well as a defensive coordinator with the Minnesota Vikings in the NFL. O’Leary does not fool around when it comes to preparing for bowl games; his Knights have won three straight post-season tilts, and those include not only last year’s victory over Baylor, but also at straight-up triumph over Georgia in the 2010 Liberty Bowl.

    Bitcoin is the sponsor of this game, and it is also accepted as a payment method at BetAnySports, where you can achieve something really special with reduced juice wagering on all of your college football bowl action. Remember also that you can bet to games while they are happening through the magic of Live Betting Extra!

    Summary
    NCAA Football Betting UCF Defense May Be Key Player in Bitcoin St. Pete Bowl vs. N.C. State
    Article Name
    NCAA Football Betting - UCF D Key vs. N.C. State
    Description
    A preview of the Bitcoin St. Petersburg Bowl for Friday night between the North Carolina State Wolfpack and the Central Florida Knights.
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