Any big time school in search of a head coach should give Bill Clark a call if they haven’t already. Since the UAB Blazers were resurrected in 2017 following a two-year hiatus, they’ve posted five straight winning seasons with Clark overseeing all of them. They went 6-6 in 2014, Clark’s first season at the helm and the last before the program was dropped. I guess there’s only one way to justify bringing football back and that’s by winning. UAB can match its second-highest win total as a major college program by beating the BYU Cougars in the Independence Bowl.
The 2021 Independence Bowl is slated for Saturday, December 18, at 3:30 p.m. ET from Independence Stadium in Shreveport, LA. The game will air on ABC.
College Football Betting at BookMaker.eu
UAB Blazers +7
BYU Cougars -7
Total 55.5
Odds Analysis
BYU opened as an 8-point favorite and it’s easy to see why. The Cougars had a special season winning 10 games while flirting with the CFP. Playing as an independent gives you freedom to make a schedule, but it also hurts at playoff time. Their only losses were to Baylor and Boise State in the middle of the season sandwiched around five-game winning streaks. The Cougars went just 2-5 ATS over their last seven games and were 5-7 ATS overall. This looks like it could be another lack-of-respect game. The Blazers are a decent club and they have a stingy defense that could give BYU problems. As a result the line came down a point to BYU -7. UAB closed the season with three wins in four games with the only loss by three points to C-USA champ UTSA. They were 5-1-1 ATS over their last seven games finished the season 8-3-1 ATS.
UAB Blazers
The Blazers had an experienced team returning with sights set on another C-USA title. Things didn’t quite work out the way they wanted, but 8-4 and a fourth bowl game in five seasons isn’t too shabby. And it’s a huge plus considering they appeared in just one bowl game as a major college program prior to their current run. The experience brings balance and the Blazers are strong on both sides of the ball. They had the best defense in C-USA and ranked 11th nationally against the run and 16th in total defense. They will have to stop BYU’s attack and play strong in the secondary to think about an upset.
The Blazers are hoping to have DeWayne McBride back at full health after the leading rusher exited the finale with an apparent ankle injury. McBride rushed for nearly 1,200 yards doing a bulk of the damage for a team that averaged 176.7 rushing yards. And BYU can be had on the ground. Baylor churned out over 300 yards while USC and Virginia each had over 200 rushing yards. If the Blazers can run the football and be disciplined – nobody had more penalty yards during the season – they should make things interesting.
BYU Cougars
BYU certainly has the more impressive resume and a better record as well. Hell, if they played in the Pac-12 they’d be champs with five wins in as many games against conference squads, including a victory over Utah early in the season and USC in the finale. They also beat Virginia and eventual Mountain West champion Utah State, impressive indeed. Trying to run the football could be a chore against a stout UAB front, but that won’t prevent BYU from trying. They averaged nearly 190 yards on the ground with Tyler Allgeier going for 1,414 yards and 20 touchdowns.
There is more balance on offense and the Cougars were able to manhandle most teams in the trenches on both sides of the football. If the run game falters Jaren Hill will make up for it through the air. He had 2,583 yards passing with 20 TDs and only five interceptions. And if BYU plays like it did against the Power Five opponents it faced, I don’t see a problem with them covering the spread.
UAB vs. BYU Prediction
There’s no reason why UAB can’t cover or even win the game. They are a solid team with experience on both sides. They did play a weaker schedule and were blasted by Georgia, 56-7, in their only game against a P5 foe. Still, they could catch BYU napping since this probably isn’t the bowl game the Cougars wanted to play. The Blazers likely have to play a near perfect game and they’ve been far from perfect this season, which is why I’m leaning toward BYU.
BookMaker Pick: BYU Cougars -7 / OVER 55
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