MERRY CHRISTMAS ALL.....Here's YOUR PRESENT FOR TONIGHT !

[StarDust Bum]

Thursday, December 24Game Score Status Pick Amount

Southern Methodist - 8:00 PM ET Southern Methodist +12.5 500
Nevada - Over 72 500

[StarDust Bum]

Hawaii Bowl

As the college football bowl season motors along, we’ve started to see some profitable trends. The most noticeable advantage for bettors to take is playing on the pups. Through four games, the underdogs have gone 4-1 straight up and against the spread. We’ve also seen the scores just fly off the charts in the early going as the ‘over’ has hit in the first five matches on the schedule.

The gambling public is certainly expecting to see more offensive fireworks on Christmas Eve as Nevada (8-4 SU, 7-5 ATS) gets set to butt heads with Southern Methodist (7-5 ATS, 6-4-1 ATS) at the Hawaii Bowl from Honolulu on ESPN at 8:00 p.m. EST.

Bettors have so far sided with the Mustangs to make a game of it on Thursday night. Meanwhile, the public is a tad apprehensive on backing the Wolf Pack as they’re not playing at full strength. That’s an odd turn of events for a team that finished up the year with a hard fought loss to Boise State after running over several opponents in the process.

Most sportsbooks have Nevada currently listed as a 12 ½-point “chalk” with the total tap-dancing around 72 and 72 ½. SMU can be played for the outright win for a plus-375 return (risk $100 to win $375).

Sportsbook.com is currently showing that 68 percent of the money that have taken in has gone towards the ‘over.’

It’s easy to see why the public is hitting the ‘over’ on a regular basis as we inch closer to kickoff. Nevada is averaging an astounding 40.6 points per game this season to rank fifth in the nation. The Wolf Pack have no doubt skewed the number in later part of their season, with totals coming in no less than 60.

The Wolf Pack have been able to light up the scoreboard thanks to a solid running attack out of the pistol offense. Sixth-year senior quarterback Colin Kaepernick (who actually knew you could be a six-year senior?) has mastered the system in 2009 by running for 1,160 yards and 16 touchdowns. He’s also had two of the nation’s better running backs to hand the ball off to as well in Luke Lippincott and Vai Taua. Lippincott came up with 1,034 yards on the ground, with Taua leading the team with 1,345 yards. The duo accounted for 19 touchdowns for the season as well.

To say this trio has been unstoppable would be an understatement. They have helped Nevada lead the country in rushing with an average of 362.3 yards per game. If you’re wondering how good that is, consider that the second place team in rushing Georgia Tech is picking up 307.2 YPG this season.

Ault’s offense knew it was going into this contest without the services of Lippincott, who is laid up with a toe injury. VegasInsider.com expert handicapper James Manos isn’t too worried about the loss. “Nevada's running game is 95% about the system and about the QB's ability to sell the option reads and make the correct decisions. Lippincott's loss is not that big a deal as far as rushing yards are concerned. The real issue is if his replacements are able to avoid turning the ball over while running the option. I wouldn't place too much value on the loss of just Lippincott.“

The only problem is that Nevada will also be without Taua, who decided that he was too good to actually do any of his own work in the classroom. That shiftlessness has transformed into Taua being academically ineligible to play in the Hawaii Bowl. That means the Pack has to go into this game with a platoon of runners that have combined for just 851 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Southern Methodist comes out of the catacombs here as it make its first trip to a bowl game since suffering the “Death Penalty” in 1987, but don’t think they got this spot just for the hell of it.

The Mustangs come into this contest after winning four of their last five matches, and would have played for the Conference USA title if it weren’t for a 34-31 setback on Nov. 21 at Marshall.

SMU takes a different approach to moving the ball than what the Wolf Pack do; they take to the skies. The Mustangs have the 28th best passing attack in the country, racking up 267.2 passing YPG. What’s impressive about that is they are running the run-and-shoot behind true freshman QB Kyle Padron. He has completed 64 percent of his passes for 1,462 yards with eight touchdowns to just four picks. Padron, however, has connected on just 58 percent of his throws for 489 yards and two scores and a pick. Emmanuel Sanders has been a viable target by catching 91 passes for 1,215 yards and six scores.

What makes this matchup advantageous is the fact that Nevada is giving up 284.3 YPG through the air. That firmly places the Wolf Pack as the 119th best pass defense in the nation. Things have gotten worse defensively for Ault here as he has dismisses safety Duke Williams for the game and kicked linebacker Andre Davis from the program altogether.

What Padron’s starting has also done is jumpstart the Mustangs’ running game. They have rushed for at least 96 yards in each of their last four games to end the regular season. Former Miami Hurricane Shawnbrey McNeal has been a great asset for the offense this year by running for 1,125 yards and nine touchdowns…six of those scores have came in the last four fixtures.

Nevada has had a rough run when in the postseason as they’re just 1-3 SU and ATS over its last four bowl appearances. June Jones, on the other hand, is 4-2 SU and 3-3 ATS in six career bowl appearances – all with Hawaii, of course.

Jones’ Mustangs have not fared well in terms of outright wins as underdogs, as evidenced by them going 3-4 SU this season. Yet the gamblers out there are ready, willing and able to back them as they’ve gone 6-1 ATS.

The Wolf Pack has gone 8-1 SU and 6-3 ATS in 2009 as favorites. They’ve been posted as double-digit faves five times this season, going 5-0 SU and 4-1 ATS.

What could be problematic for Nevada backers is the fact that they have gone 1-2 SU and 0-3 ATS versus Conference USA foes since 1997. SMU is 3-5 SU and 4-4 ATS in its last eight meetings with teams from the WAC.

[StarDust Bum]

Nevada down 2 more players for SMU

RENO, Nevada (AP) -Nevada coach Chris Ault says he has disciplined two of his players and they will not play in the Hawaii Bowl in Honolulu.

The school's announcment comes one day before Nevada's bowl game against Southern Methodist.

In a statement, Ault said Wednesday that he had suspended saftey Duke Williams for the game and linebacker Andre Davis was dismissed from the program.

The school says Williams and Davis violated team and athletic department policy, but the violations were not disclosed in the school's statement.

The Wolf Pack will also be without star running backs Vai Taua and Luke Lippincott. Taua, who led Nevada with 1,345 yards rushing, has been ruled academically ineligible. Lippincott, who ran for 1,034 yards, is sidelined with a toe injury.

[LeRoy]

GL on the action Bum

[bryce]

Gl bum have a good one

[StarDust Bum]

Thanks LeRoy........lets.......... on christmas night.......

[10DimeBry]

GL and merry christmas bum