The Texas Bowl, to be played at Reliant Stadium in Houston on Wednesday (6 pm ET), has put together a BIG TEN vs. BIG 12 matchup between upstarts Illinois Fighting Illini and the Baylor Bears. College Football oddsmakers at most offshore sportsbooks list the Illini as 1-chalk favorites versus the Bears with a 46 1/2 total. Be sure to get the latest College Football Point Spreads for all the 2010-11 bowl season.
Illinois went 6-6 overall in 2010, an improvement over last years 3-9 mark that had coach Ron Zook in trouble entering this season. At times this year, Illinois looked like a program that had turned the corner and ready to compete with the elite of the BIG TEN. On Oct. 2 Illinois had Ohio State on the ropes before losing in the fourth quarter. The game was closer than the 13-24 score indicated. Illinois improved on that performance the next week and whipped Penn State on the road 33-13. The Illini were 5-3 after eight weeks, then the season turned south as Illinois lost three of its last four games, that included embarassing losses to woeful Minnesota at home and Fresno State on the road. Heading into the Texas Bowl, due to the schools cold finish, Illinois does not have much momentum.
Baylor's season was similar to Illinois', in that they showed plenty of promise early, including the programs first victory over Texas since joining the BIG 12, but struggled down the stretch going zero-for-November (0-3) with losses to No. 19 Oklahoma State, 23 Texas A&M and 16 Oklahoma.
Illinois took care of its backers at the betting window by cashing in 7-of-11 lined games ATS. Baylor went 5-6 ATS on the season. The total has gone OVER in five of Illinois' last six games and gone OVER in seven of Baylor's last eight games. Baylor is 1-4 ATS in its last five games.
Reno Gold Picks: Today's game between Illinois and Baylor will be played in front of a partison Baylor crowd. The Bears Waco, Texas campus is an easy three hour drive away and the school has a strong alumni base in the Houston area. The home crowd should inspire the Bears to pull out a win versus the Fighting Illini. Other than the home flavor, this game is a pick. BEST BET – Baylor +1.
