We are posting three bowl previews this year; this is the third preview. We will give you the current odds for each game, the PiRate, Mean, and Bias spreads for each game, and the results of our 100 computer simulations for each game.
Today, we cover the bowls from January 3 through The BCS Championship Game.
Monday, January 3
Orange Bowl
Miami, FL
8:00 PM EST on ESPN
Stanford (11-1) vs. Virginia Tech (11-2)
Vegas: Stanford by 3 ½
Totals: 58
PiRate: Stanford by 7.6
Mean: Stanford by 5.3
Bias: Stanford by 13.7
100 Sims: Stanford 77 Virginia Tech 23
Avg. Sim Score: Stanford 30.4 Virginia Tech 20.9
Outlier A: Stanford 45 Virginia Tech 19
Outlier B: Virginia Tech 33 Stanford 21
Tuesday, January 4
Sugar Bowl
New Orleans, LA
8:00 PM EST on ESPN
Ohio State (11-1) vs. Arkansas (10-2)
Vegas: Ohio State by 3 ½
Totals: 56 ½
PiRate: Ohio State by 3.6
Mean: Ohio State by 2.8
Bias: Arkansas by 4.1
100 Sims: Arkansas 54 Ohio State 46
Avg. Sim Score: Arkansas 26.3 Ohio State 23.7
Outlier A: Arkansas 34 Ohio State 14
Outlier B: Ohio State 27 Arkansas 16
Thursday, January 6
GoDaddy.com Bowl
Mobile, AL
8:00 PM EST on ESPN
Miami (Ohio) (9-4) vs. Middle Tennessee (6-6)
Vegas: Pick’em
Totals: 48 ½
PiRate: Miami (O) by 7.8
Mean: Miami (O) by 6.2
Bias: Miami (O) by 9.7
100 Sims: Miami (O) 64 Middle Tennessee 36
Avg. Sim Score: Miami (O) 35.1 Middle Tennessee 26.5
Outlier A: Miami (O) 41 Middle Tennessee 20
Outlier B: Middle Tennessee 34 Miami (O) 20
Friday, January 7
Cotton Bowl
Arlington, TX
8:00 PM EST on Fox Network
L S U (10-2) vs. Texas A&M (9-3)
Vegas: Pick’em
Totals: 49
PiRate: Texas A&M by 1.8
Mean: L S U by 1.0
Bias: Texas A&M by 6.6
100 Sims: L S U 53 Texas A&M 47
Avg. Sim Score: L S U 25.5 Texas A&M 25.1
Outlier A: L S U 30 Texas A&M 13
Outlier B: Texas A&M 28 LSU 17
Saturday, January 8
BBVA Compass Bowl
Birmingham, AL
12 Noon EST on ESPN
Pittsburgh (7-5) vs. Kentucky (6-6)
Vegas: Pittsburgh by 3 ½
Totals: 52 ½
PiRate: Pittsburgh by 4.8
Mean: Pittsburgh by 4.7
Bias: Kentucky by 5.6
100 Sims: Pittsburgh 62 Kentucky 38
Avg. Sim Score: Pittsburgh 19.8 Kentucky 16.9
Outlier A: Pittsburgh 27 Kentucky 7
Outlier B: Kentucky 23 Pittsburgh 10
Sunday, January 9
Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl
San Francisco, CA
9:00 PM EST on ESPN
Nevada (12-1) vs. Boston College (7-5)
Vegas: Nevada by 7 ½
Totals: 55
PiRate: Nevada by 12.9
Mean: Nevada by 12.4
Bias: Nevada by 5.3
100 Sims: Nevada 70 Boston College 30
Avg. Sim Score: Nevada 31.8 Boston College 23.6
Outlier A: Nevada 48 Boston College 25
Outlier B: Boston College 31 Nevada 24 (two times)
Monday, January 10
B C S Championship Game
Glendale, AZ
8:00 PM EST on ESPN
Oregon (12-0) vs. Auburn (13-0)
Vegas: Auburn by 2 ½
Totals: 74 ½
PiRate: Oregon by 7.8
Mean: Oregon by 2.4
Bias: Oregon by 9.6
100 Sims: Oregon 64 Auburn 36
Avg. Sim Score: Oregon 43.6 Auburn 36.9
Outlier A: Oregon 51 Auburn 32
Outlier B: Auburn 44 Oregon 38 (three others by 6)
8 simulations went to overtime, with Oregon winning seven of those games
The Pi-Rate Ratings 