NCAA
football - NCAA Football Betting - The Bowden
effect
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It
cost over 500 large, but it was probably worth
it.
Florida State offensive coordinator
Jeff Bowden tendered his resignation Tuesday,
taking the fall for a disappointing campaign that
has the Seminoles far out of ACC contention at
5-5 overall, 3-5 in conference action and 4-6
against the spread. Reports from Wednesday revealed
that FSU boosters chipped in $537,000 to give
Bowden a little extra incentive to step down.
Bowden, the youngest son
of head coach Bobby Bowden, has been the target
of criticism almost from the beginning of his
reign in 2001. The season before he took over,
FSU had the best offense in college, racking up
549 yards and 42.4 points per game. That was good
enough for the club to finish the season at No.
5 in the AP rankings, the 14th consecutive year
in the Top 5 for the ‘Noles. They haven’t
come close since.
FSU supporters may hold their
team to a much higher standard than most, but
they were justifiably ready to revolt after last
week’s debacle in Tallahassee, where the
Wake Forest Demon Deacons blanked the Seminoles
30-0 as 9.5-point puppies. Florida State managed
just 139 yards of total offense in that sad affair;
it was the first time the ‘Noles had been
shut out in the 31 years of Bobby Bowden’s
tenure.
The younger Bowden’s
resignation isn’t official until Nov. 26,
the end of Florida State’s regular season,
but the effect the news will have on the club
should be evident when the ‘Noles host the
Western Michigan Broncos (7-3 straight up, 5-5
ATS) of the MAC. Florida State is a 17-point favorite
in this matchup. Bobby Bowden is distraught –
he risked running afoul of the NCAA’s anti-nepotism
rules to hire his son – but his players
should be relieved that there is a light at the
end of the tunnel.
Last year’s ACC title
masked a team with several flaws, including a
makeshift offensive line and a lack of experience
at quarterback and wide receiver. More importantly,
the Seminoles failed to exploit their embarrassment
of riches in the backfield. Lorenzo Booker and
Antone Smith have stardom written all over them,
but FSU was last in the conference in 2005 with
just 94 rushing yards per game, and they’re
not much better this year at 103.1 yards. That’s
98th among the 119 teams in Division I-A.
Fortunately for the Bowdens
and the ‘Noles, they can continue to throw
the ball for at least one more week. Western Michigan’s
run defense (80.3 yards allowed per game, ranking
eighth in the nation) has been strong enough to
keep the Broncos in the win column, but just barely.
Their secondary, on the other hand, is simply
no match for FSU’s receivers. The ‘Noles
should also be very motivated in this matchup;
they need to win this game to become bowl eligible,
otherwise they’ll have to beat Florida.
Good luck with that.
Kick-off is at 2:00 p.m.
Eastern Time.
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contributions and the best NCAA betting info in
the industry!
Shawn Sillinger is a freelance
columnist and regular contributor to the BetUS.com
Locker room.
Posted on 11/16/2006 2:05:37
PM
NCAA Football Betting - The Bowden effect
by Shawn Sillinger
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