NCAA Football Picks: Air Force Falcons vs Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Independence Bowl

Air Force Falcons vs Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Monday, 12/27/10, 5:00 PM EDT, TV: ESPN2
Opening Point Spread: Air Force -2
Current Betting Line: Air Force -3
Opening Total: 56
Current Total: 56.5

The Air Force Falcons are a slight favorite over Georgia Tech in the Independence Bowl despite never beating them in three previous meetings

Air Force enters the Advocare V100 Independence Bowl with plenty of momentum by winning three in a row by a combined score of 125-65. The Falcons are extremely excited to get a chance to play in a bowl game, especially the one it was invited to in Shreveport, Louisiana. “If you can pinpoint one bowl where there’s a great lineage with the academy, it’s this one,” said head coach Troy Calhoun. “You feel like you fell in a bunch of four-leaf clovers.” The program will be making its third appearance in the Independence Bowl, winning both previous appearances in 1983 and 1984. The team is making its 21st bowl game appearance overall, posting a 9-10-1 all-time record, while snapping a three-game bowl losing streak with last year’s 47-20 win over No. 25 Houston. Air Force is 4-7 ATS on the season and currently a slight favorite on the college football lines page.

The Falcons will be meeting the Yellow Jackets for the fourth time overall and first time in a bowl games. Air Force has yet to pick up a victory in the series and the teams played for three straight years starting in 1977. The team is 9-12 against teams that are currently in the ACC and its last meeting against an opponent from that conference came in a 20-13 loss to Virginia Tech in the 2002 San Francisco Bowl. Air Force is second nationally in rushing with a 317.9 per-game average and led by running back Asher Clark, who ran for 1,001 yards and five touchdowns. Quarterback Tim Jefferson also plays an important part in the high-powered rushing attack, scoring 15 touchdowns on the ground and gaining 769 yards.

Georgia Tech will keep one of the nation’s longest active bowl streaks alive when taking the field on Monday by playing int its 14th consecutive bowl game. The Yellow Jackets will be very familiar with the offense of its opponent, as both teams predominately use the option game. “I don’t think there will be a lot of passes thrown in this game,” head coach Paul Johnson stated. “Maybe more than people think, but there won’t be a lot.” The two teams combined for 299 pass attempts and the Yellow Jackets ranked first in college football with 327 rushing yards per game. Georgia Tech is 7-1 ATS over the last three seasons when the line is +3 to -3.

The Yellow Jackets need a win in the bowl game to extend its streak of consecutive winning seasons to 14 and to snap their bowl-game losing streak of five. Georgia Tech is 6-2 all-time against teams currently in the Mountain West and was handed a 38-10 loss to Utah in the 2005 Emerald Bowl in San Francisco in its last game versus an opponent from the conference. The team may be playing without regular starting quarterback Joshua Nesbitt, who broke his arm against Virginia Tech on November 4 and will be a game-time decision.