Rose Bowl Betting – The TCU Horned Frogs Enter The New Year’s Day Spotlight When They Take On The Wisconsin Badgers
The TCU Horned Frogs won’t be playing for the national championship, but they will be playing for respect in the wider college football community when they contest the 2011 Rose Bowl.
NCAA football betting: TCU Horned Frogs vs. Wisconsin Badgers
Online Betting Odds: TCU -2.5
Why To Bet On TCU
The Horned Frogs, when at their best, are a genuinely dynamic team. TCU possesses legitimate playmaking speed on the edges with receiver and kick returner Jeremy Kerley being the kind of performer who can break open a game at any time and from any point on the field. TCU can run the ball between the tackles with Ed Wesley and other tailbacks, and the Frogs and also push the ball downfield within the framework of their vertical passing game. Quarterback Andy Dalton can distribute the pigskin to several different fleet-footed receivers in addition to Kerley. These weapons were all on display on Nov. 6, when TCU marched into Salt Lake City and throttled the Utah Utes by a 47-7 score; that emphatic display enabled TCU to gain enough poll votes to finish in the top four of the BCS standings. Because the Frogs hit the top four, they were automatically slotted to this Rose Bowl game when Boise State fell to Nevada on Nov. 26.
TCU has more team speed than Wisconsin does. If the boys from Fort Worth, Texas, play up to the full extent of their capabilities, they stand a very good chance of winning.
Why To Bet On Wisconsin
While TCU is tremendously talented, the Horned Frogs are also erratic and prone to big-game lapses. TCU has left a lot of points on the field in each of its past two bowl games, both against the Boise State Broncos. TCU won the 2008 Poinsettia Bowl but scored only 17 points in the process. In the 2010 Fiesta Bowl, the Frogs mustered only 10 points in yet another mistake-filled performance. Turnovers and dropped passes have dogged TCU in the postseason and on other occasions when the Frogs’ prestige has been at stake. TCU’s upside is considerable, but the Frogs aren’t consistent.
The Wisconsin Badgers, meanwhile, is precisely the kind of team that can give TCU fits. The Badgers are a reliable ball club, a steady squad that doesn’t beat itself. Quarterback Scott Tolzien takes care of the ball and allows his massive offensive line to establish control of a given game. Running back John Clay is a powerful and muscular downfield runner, and the Badgers can throw the ball when they need do… enough to ring up 83 points against Indiana and 70 against Northwestern. This is a loaded offense with the size and power that can overwhelm TCU’s fast and well-schooled but physically smaller front seven. A no-turnover game and a vintage performance from its offensive line should be enough to give Wisconsin a victory.
How The Game Will Play Out
This line is surprising. Wisconsin should be favored not only because it’s been playing better than TCU of late, but also because the Badgers are used to playing in big games on a regular basis. TCU will stumble, sweat and commit multiple turnovers. Wisconsin is a strong choice to win this game outright.
TCU Wisconsin Betting Pick: Wisconsin
