Pinstripe Bowl Betting – Yankees Stadium Hosts Orange, Wildcats In New Era Pinstripe Bowl
Yankee Stadium will host its first-ever bowl game when the Syracuse Orange battle the Kansas State Wildcats in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl this Thursday. Two programs that have met in bowl games three times since 1997 will clash in the first postseason college football betting game to be hosted by the city since the 1962 Gotham Bowl.
- New Era Pinstripe Bowl
- Kansas State Wildcats vs. Syracuse Orange
- Thursday December 30, 2010 – 3:20 PM ET
- Online Sports Betting Odds: Syracuse – 1
The Wildcats and Orange opened their seasons a combined 11-3 but after rough finishes to the year find their selves with the consolation prize of playing in such a sentimental game. Syracuse has 24 players that are from the state, including head coach Doug Marrone, who grew up watching baseball in the old Yankee Stadium.
NCAA Football Betting Preview: Kansas State
This will be the Wildcats’ first bowl game since losing to Rutgers in the 2006 Texas Bowl, and they limp in to it on the heels of four losses in their past six games. Kansas State will rely heavily on its 20th-ranked rushing attack, which averaged 206 yards per game during the season with much of the burden falling on the shoulders of senior Daniel Thomas. Thomas finished second in the Big 12 with 1,495 yards and tied for the conference lead with 16 touchdowns, and the Wildcats’ are hoping he has at least one more big performance left in him after a long season. The fact that Kansas State is 1-7 in games when he rushes for less than 90 yards, and 12-4 when he surpasses that mark over the past two seasons is testament to just how much they rely on his effort.
NCAA Football Betting Preview: Syracuse
The Orange beat the Wildcats when these teams met in the 2001 Insight bowl, but much has changed since then, and it won’t be nearly as easy for them to do it again if they can’t stop Thomas. Syracuse gave up an averaged of 172.5 yards rushing during the final third of the season, and will need to be much stronger up front as a unit. Quarterback Ryan Nassib leads a balanced offense that can beat opponents with both the run and pass, although Syracuse wasn’t particularly exceptional in either category this season. The good news for the Orange is that leading rusher Delone Carter will be healthy and ready to go after suffering an injury in the season finale. The bad news is that they will be without defensive tackle Andrew Lewis and linebacker Brice Hawkes, who were suspended for violating team rules.
The Match Up: Kansas State vs. Syracuse
The loss of Lewis up front really hurt the Orange, particularly since their line has already struggled against the run all season. With Thomas, the Wildcats’ boast a game-changing threat that Syracuse doesn’t have, and he should be the deciding factor in a close football betting game.
Pinstripe Bowl Betting Pick: Wildcats
