Bill Clark has done an incredible job. The UAB Blazers shut down their football program after the 2014 season due to interference from outside forces. In one of the shadiest back room deals, the program was killed because it was deemed to be unprofitable, but upon further review, it was found to be very profitable. That led to a public outcry and the announcement that the school would bring back the football team in 2017. Clark was the coach during this chaotic period, and he not only made UAB respectable, he has led the Blazers to bowl games in back-to-back seasons. Now, they are out to win their first bowl game in school history when they face the Northern Illinois Huskies in the Boca Raton Bowl.
BookMaker is the only place to bet all 41 college football bowl games this season. BookMaker has the best lines for bettors, and your stocking might be a little bit fuller if you play here. The Boca Raton Bowl will take place on Tuesday, December 18, 2018 at 7 p.m. ET at FAU Stadium in Boca Raton, Florida.
NCAA Football Betting at BookMaker.eu
UAB -2.5
Northern Illinois +2.5
Total 42.5
Odds Analysis
Northern Illinois is a team not afraid to play difficult opponents. They scheduled three Power Five schools and BYU in non-conference play, and although they went just 1-3, that set the tone for them to be solid throughout their MAC campaign. The Huskies rattled off six straight conference wins to claim the MAC West, and that set up a date with Buffalo in the MAC Championship Game. Despite being underdogs in that game, Northern Illinois was able to pull off the upset after Marcus Childers led the Huskies to 20 unanswered points.
A loss to Coastal Carolina was an ominous start for UAB this year, but the Blazers bounced back beautifully. They won eight straight games after the defeat, claiming the Conference USA West division title in the process, before losing to Middle Tennessee State in the regular season finale. The Blazers got the last laugh the next weekend though when they knocked off the Blue Raiders 27-25 to claim the MAC Championship.
Matchup to Watch
These are two of the top defenses in the nation. Northern Illinois has continually been led by its defense during the Rod Carey era, and that has certainly been the case this year. The Huskies are ranked 15th in the nation in defense according to S&P+, and Buffalo was the only team to do any real damage on them in the MAC.
UAB is led by its defense too, so this could be one of the lowest scoring games of the bowl season. The Blazers are No. 27 in S&P+, and aside from Coastal Carolina and Texas A&M, no one had a lot of success against them.
Both of these offenses have been below average at best this year.
Player to Watch
The big question for Northern Illinois is whether or not Childers can do it again. The sophomore quarterback has been asked to do a lot and he has been largely underwhelming, but he led the comeback against Buffalo by throwing for 300 yards and four touchdowns. It was his best performance all year by a wide margin. Before that, he had thrown for just 11 touchdowns and nine picks through 11 games, so those numbers helped his season totals out significantly. He averaged just 5.4 yards per pass this season though, and Childers could be in for a long afternoon.
Live Betting Preview
Motivation is a big factor in bowl season, and UAB is likely to be one of the most motivated teams we see all postseason. The Blazers will be amped to win a bowl game for the first time ever, and I believe they will treat this like a business trip. Meanwhile, Carey is 0-5 in bowl games, and Northern Illinois has largely been blasted in late December under his watch. UAB is one of my favorite plays of bowl season.
NCAA Football Odds: UAB 27, Northern Illinois 17
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