College Football Odds - Music City Bowl

What: Music City Bowl
Who: Purdue (7-5) vs. Central Michigan (8-5)
Where: Ford Field, Detroit
When: Wednesday, 7:30 p.m.
WagerWeb.com line: Purdue -7.5 (71.5)

The Boilermakers, who finished seventh in the Big Ten, have a rematch with the Mid-American Conference champion Chippewas.

These two teams met in September and put up plenty of offense, with Purdue winning 45-22 - Purdue led 38-0 at one point. The teams combined for 1,048 yards, including 724 in the air. Purdue QB Curtis Painter and CMU QB Dan LeFevour combined to complete 64 of 95 passes, with five touchdowns and one interception.

The teams average a combined 871.2 yards and give up a combined 835.6. Central Michigan is particularly soft on defense, ranking 106th in the nation in total defense and 107th in scoring defense at 35.9 points a game.

However, the Chippewas enter this game as the hotter team, having won four of their last five games.

LeFevour was the MAC Player of the Year with 3,360 passing yards and 1,008 rushing, with the sophomore joining Vince Young as the only quarterbacks to ever throw for 3,000 yards and rush for 1,000 in the same season. LeFevour ranks fifth nationally in total offense, averaging 336 yards per game. He ranked 14th nationally with his yardage total and completed 66.4% of his passes with 23 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.

LeFevour's favorite receivers are Antonio Brown and Bryan Anderson. Brown has 98 receptions for 909 yards and Anderson has 83 catches for 1,003 yards.

"He's a very good player and very athletic," Purdue defensive coordinator Brock Spack said of LeFevour."You've got to slow him down, because he's going to run the ball, throw it and make all kinds of plays. The guy is their whole offense."

Purdue's Painter threw for 3,300 yards with 26 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He completed 29 of 39 passes for 360 yards with three TDs and one interception in the first meeting with Central.

Painter will count on the tailback tandem of Kory Sheets and Jaycen Taylor, who have combined to rush for 1,389 yards. Purdue's leading receivers are Dorien Bryant, with 82 catches for 871 yards, and tight end Dustin Keller (62-745).

However, note that Purdue lost its last three games (to Penn State, Michigan State and Indiana, while allowing 101 total points) and five of its past seven.

The Boilermakers have also lost their past three bowl games.

Purdue hasn't played an opponent twice in a season since 1898, and it hasn't happened to CMU since World War II. This is Central's second straight trip to the Motor City Bowl and first under coach Butch Jones, who is a candidate for the West Virginia job.

"We know from firsthand experience that this game is going to feature two dynamic offenses," Jones said.

"It might come down to whichever defense can make a play."

Prediction: CMU covers but loses a close one - 38-35.