College Football Odds - GMAC Bowl

What: GMAC Bowl
Who: Bowling Green (8-4) vs. Tulsa (9-4)
Where: Ladd Peebles Stadium, Mobile, Ala.
When: Sunday, 8 p.m.
WagerWeb.com line: Tulsa -4.5 (76)

It should be an offensive shootout when the Tulsa Golden Hurricane of Conference USA play Bowling Green of the Mid-American Conference.

Tulsa has the nation's top-ranked offense at 542.5 yards per game. And other than games against Central Florida and Oklahoma, Tulsa didn't score fewer than 29 points or gain fewer than 438 yards in a contest.

Tulsa quarterback Paul Smith was second nationally in the regular season (to Texas Tech'sGraham Harrell) with 4,753 passing yards and 42 touchdowns. Smith threw for three or more touchdowns in 10 contests in Tulsa's hurry-up spread offensive attack and rushed for a team-leading 12 touchdowns.

However, he also was picked off 19 times, more than any other C-USA quarterback.

Smith often looks to WR Brennan Marion, who hauled in 39 receptions for 1,244 yards and 11 TDs. Marion is a big-play threat with eight of his 11 touchdowns going for 48 yards or more and averaged an obscene 31.9 yards per reception this season.

Tarrion Adams, a junior, has rushed for 1,113 yards and seven touchdowns for the Golden Hurricane. Fellow WR Trae Johnson has 67 catches for 1,039 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Tulsa can become the first team in NCAA history to boast of a 5,000-yard passer, a 1,000-yard rusher and three 1,000-yard receivers. The only other time a school has produced numbers close to these was Fresno State in 2001.

For Tulsa to reach those milestones, Smith needs to pass for 247 yards and fullback Charles Clay needs only 45 yards receiving.

Smith's counterpart, Tyler Sheehan, has thrown for 3,123 yards and 23 touchdowns for Bowling Green. He also averaged 342 yards passing against two Big Ten opponents in Minnesota and Michigan State.

The Falcons' offense is near the top of the MAC in nearly every category and has averaged 37.8 points and 448.0 yards during the team's current four-game winning streak.

Three Bowling Green starters will not play in the game: Defensive end Diyral Briggs has been suspendedxfor violating a team rule, offensive guard Shane Steffy has a broken leg and linebacker Glen Stanley has not been practicing.

Bowling Green will need to pressure Smith to win: 11 of the Tulsa QB's 19 interceptions came in losses and his three lowest passer ratings also came in defeat.

Likewise, 15 of the 27 sacks of Smith have come in Tulsa losses.

The Falcons' last bowl appearance was in the 2004 GMAC Bowl, but they have won four straight postseason games. This is the third straight bowl game and fourth in five years for Tulsa, which lost to Utah in the Armed Forces Bowl last year. Tulsa and Bowling Green have met once, with the Golden Hurricane winning 45-10 at home in 1989.

The MAC is 5-1 all-time vs. Conference USA in the GMAC Bowl.

Prediction: Even at 76, the over looks good here.
Tulsa 48, Bowling Green 35.

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