Miami Beach Bowl: NCAAF Betting Lines & Game Preview

Marlins Park in Miami hosts the Miami Beach Bowl on Monday at 2:30 Eastern time, as the Bulls of South Florida (8-4) and the Hilltoppers of Western Kentucky square off. The Hilltoppers are favored by 2.5, and the over/under total is a whopping 66.5 points. View full TV schedule here.

Pretty nice digs at Marlins Park @MiamiBeachBowl pic.twitter.com/DOo8WcToXj

— USF Football (@USFFootball) December 20, 2015

Should you pick Western Kentucky (-2.5)?

Western Kentucky has had an explosion in football since Willie Taggart took over. The program went to its first FBS bowl game in 2012 and then won a bowl game last year. This year, they won Conference USA and entered the AP Top 25 rankings, thanks to the play of quarterback Brandon Doughty. His play has earned a comparison to Tom Brady from his head coach, and given the fact that WKU has scored 41 or more points in nine different games this year, that’s not a bad comparison. The only losses the 10-2 Hilltoppers have suffered were at #5 LSU and Indiana.

Should you pick South Florida (+2.5)?

Bulls quarterback Quinton Flowers has completed 61 percent of his passes and only thrown eight picks against 21 touchdowns. However, he also is a gifted runner, galloping for 883 yards this year and scoring ten rushing touchdowns. Sophomore Marlon Mack is a talented tailback, averaging 6.6 yards per attempt as he has rolled up 1,273 yards this season.

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

South Florida has shown a strong defense this year, particularly in their win over Temple. However, Doughty is a quarterback above and beyond what they have seen this year. If WKU can get out to an early lead, the Bulls will not be able to rely on their rushing game as heavily as they would like. I like WKU to win this one, 28-20.