Southern Mississippi had a hell of a season going undefeated in their conference and wrestling the title away from TCU. All three of Southern Mississippi's losses came out of conference against teams from BCS conferences. Two of the losses were on the road. This is a very underrated football team and it continues as they are underdogs in this game. You have to love the brand of defense that Southern Mississippi plays. It's hard nosed and it's a tough nut to crack. What I like about the Golden Eagles is the way their offense started to come together towards the end of the year. They are clicking now and you like to see that going into the bowl game. Over their last six games, S. Miss. averaged 35 points per game including busting up a 40 spot on the Horned Frogs. Southern Miss. is going to be jacked up for this game and they have some senior leadership. The Eagles have been in bowls in three of the last four years so the experience will help. So will their great offensive balance, strong defense and solid special teams. This is a good football team and a valuable one when you can get them as underdogs.
Utah also had a very successful season amassing nine wins like Southern Mississippi did. However, the troubling thing was their defense as they headed down the stretch. I know they shut out the Cougars in their final game but Air Force and New Mexico both hit them up for greater than 40 points and that's bad news for a favorite. Southern Miss has studied the films of those games and will attack what they saw. Utah may have gotten a little full of themselves after wins over California and Oregon. Their wide open offensive attack can break the big play but it's also vulnerable to a team that can blitz well like Southern Miss can. I see Utah struggling to stay ahead in this contest. They will break a few big plays and this should be an exciting game but I think Southern Miss. should be the favorite. Fade Utah on this one.
Southern Mississippi 27 Utah 23
Utah also had a very successful season amassing nine wins like Southern Mississippi did. However, the troubling thing was their defense as they headed down the stretch. I know they shut out the Cougars in their final game but Air Force and New Mexico both hit them up for greater than 40 points and that's bad news for a favorite. Southern Miss has studied the films of those games and will attack what they saw. Utah may have gotten a little full of themselves after wins over California and Oregon. Their wide open offensive attack can break the big play but it's also vulnerable to a team that can blitz well like Southern Miss can. I see Utah struggling to stay ahead in this contest. They will break a few big plays and this should be an exciting game but I think Southern Miss. should be the favorite. Fade Utah on this one.
Southern Mississippi 27 Utah 23
Sorry so late, but...
4* Utah -2.5
Utah has been either under-valued or overachieving all season long as they have been a sparkling 9-2 ATS. The Utes have some quality wins under their belts vs. Cal, Colorado State and Oregon, and while QB Alex Smith has been outstanding this year, it has been their excellent offensive line that keyed their offense. The OL averages 6'4, 307 lbs and yielded only 13 sacks this year while paving the way for 168 rushing yards per game. The Utes show great balance on "O", completing 63% of their passes in their spread attack. This team has won the turnover battle all season long, ranking 15th in the country in TO margin. Southern Miss thrives on causing turnovers, and despite having a solid "D", they won't have much success driving the length of the field (92nd ranked "O" in the country) without turnovers.
4* Utah -2.5
Utah has been either under-valued or overachieving all season long as they have been a sparkling 9-2 ATS. The Utes have some quality wins under their belts vs. Cal, Colorado State and Oregon, and while QB Alex Smith has been outstanding this year, it has been their excellent offensive line that keyed their offense. The OL averages 6'4, 307 lbs and yielded only 13 sacks this year while paving the way for 168 rushing yards per game. The Utes show great balance on "O", completing 63% of their passes in their spread attack. This team has won the turnover battle all season long, ranking 15th in the country in TO margin. Southern Miss thrives on causing turnovers, and despite having a solid "D", they won't have much success driving the length of the field (92nd ranked "O" in the country) without turnovers.
