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Wildcats are Favorites at the 2017 Cactus Bowl Lines vs. Bruins

Wildcats are Favorites at the 2017 Cactus Bowl Lines vs. Bruins

Written by on December 26, 2017

NCAA Football Betting News
The college football bowl season, including the playoffs, goes on for about a month, but you can put in a definite dividing point during this time. The early part of bowl season is devoted to games where we see smaller schools go head to head in lesser-known bowl games. Once we get beyond Christmas Day, we start to get the bowl games that feature some of the more prominent programs in college football, including those who were in the hunt for a playoff spot all the way up to the late stages of the regular season. We get things rolling on December 26, and while there are 3 games on the schedule, it is perhaps the late game between the Cactus Bowl lines favorite Kansas State Wildcats and the UCLA Bruins that promises to be the most entertaining. This is going to be particularly interesting for fans of the Bruins, as they will get their first chance to see how their players will react after the firing of coach Jim Mora. The bookies have Kansas State in as a 6 ½ point favorite for this one, with the point total set at 61 ½.

Kansas State vs. UCLA 2017 Cactus Bowl Lines & Game Preview

  • When: Tuesday, December 26 at 9 PM EST
  • Where: Chase Field, Phoenix
  • TV: ESPN
  • Radio: 1150 AM (Kansas State) / 570 AM (UCLA)
  • Live Stream: Watch ESPN
  • Cactus Bowl Lines: Kansas State Wildcats -6.5 (Over/Under at 61.5)

Weather Forecast

  • Partly Cloudy: 15°C/59°F
  • Humidity: 29%
  • Precipitation: 0%
  • Cloud Cover: 46%
  • Wind: 1 mph NNW
  • Stadium Type: Open

2017 Heart of Dallas Bowl Betting Preview: Utah vs. West Virginia

Recent Head to Head (Last 3 Games)

  • Record: UCLA Bruins lead 2-1
  • Score: Kansas State Wildcats 25.00 / UCLA Bruins 28.33
  • Rush Yards: Kansas State Wildcats 137.67 / UCLA Bruins 232.33
  • Pass Attempts: Kansas State Wildcats 33.67 / UCLA Bruins 24.67
  • Completion Percentage: Kansas State Wildcats 63.37 / UCLA Bruins 45.95
  • Passing Yards: Kansas State Wildcats 200.33 / UCLA Bruins 147.33
  • Total Yards: Kansas State Wildcats 338.00 / UCLA Bruins 379.66
  • Turnovers: Kansas State Wildcats 2.00 / UCLA Bruins 2.00

Why consider the Wildcats Cactus Bowl Lines?

The Kansas State Wildcats finished the season with a 7-5 record but left it until very late to become bowl eligible. It looked for a while as though a bowl game would elude them this season, but a strong finish where they won 4 of their last 5 games was enough to get them into the Cactus Bowl. This was a team that had no problem scoring, averaging 32 PPG during the regular season. They were a little inconsistent on the defensive side of the football and would follow up a solid performance with a horrible one, which led to them surrendering in the region of 25 PPG. Given this information, it is perhaps a little surprising that they were just 6-6 O/U this season, as there always seemed to be a lot of points scored in their games. The Wildcats ended their season going 5-7 ATS.

Team Statistics

Offense
  • Average Score For: 32.08
  • Total Yards: 368.34
  • Rush Yards: 186.67
  • Passing Yards: 181.67
Defense
  • Average Score Against: 25.83
  • Total Yards: 432.00
  • Rush Yards: 121.75
  • Passing Yards: 310.25

Why consider the Bruins Cactus Bowl Lines?

It’s always tough to predict how a team will perform in their first game after the head coach is fired, but at least in college, players get a little time to get used to the idea when the firing happens a couple of weeks prior to a bowl game, as it did with Jim Mora. The question now is whether this team will have a whole new playbook to draw from, or whether they will stick to the same formula that led them to a 6-6 record on the year. The 2017 Cactus Bowl Lines are not good for the Bruins. The offensive side of the football was where the Bruins shined this year, thanks in large part to the play of Josh Rosen at QB, who led this team to an average of 33 PPG. Things were not so good on the defensive side, though, as the Bruins gave up over 36 PPG. UCLA won all 6 of their home games and lost all 6 away from home, which does not bode well for this one. They went just 4-8 ATS while going 7-4-1 O/U.

Team Statistics

Offense
  • Average Score For: 33.75
  • Total Yards: 465.66
  • Rush Yards: 120.33
  • Passing Yards: 345.33
Defense
  • Average Score Against: 36.75
  • Total Yards: 488.75
  • Rush Yards: 282.67
  • Passing Yards: 206.08

Latest Betting Trends for 2017 Cactus Bowl

  • Kansas State is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games
  • Kansas State is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
  • The total has gone OVER in 6 of Kansas State’s last 9 games
  • California-Los Angeles is 4-10 ATS in its last 14 games
  • California-Los Angeles is 2-4 SU in its last 6
  • The total has gone OVER in 6 of California-Los Angeles’s last 9 games

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

This is a tough one to predict, as I’m just not sure how UCLA is going to feel coming into this one. This makes me feel as though the Wildcats have the edge, Straight Up, and Against the Spread. Score: Kansas State Wildcats 33 – UCLA Bruins 24
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