College football betting: Chick-Fil A Bowl Preview

The Chick-Fil A Bowl Preview pits Virginia against Auburn, and SportsOptions.com offers up a brief look at the players, team stats and some unique trends.

(245) VIRGINIA vs. (246) AUBURN (-3, 49)  7:30 PM – Chick-Fil A Bowl – Georgia Dome – Atlanta, GA

Virginia (8-4 SU/6-6 ATS) will be making their first postseason appearance since losing to Texas Tech in the Gator Bowl after the 2007 season and the Cavaliers are playing in the Atlanta bowl for the first time since losing to Georgia, 35-33, after the 1998 season. Head coach Mike London has turned the program around in just his second year at the helm. Virginia went from 4-8 in 2010 to 8-4 this season and nearly reached the ACC title game before falling 38-0 to then-sixth-ranked Virginia Tech in their regular season finale. QB Michael Rocco will be looking for some redemption after struggling in the loss to the Hokies. The sophomore completed 16-of-27 passes for 211 yards but with two interceptions, matching his total from the previous seven games when he also tossed 10 touchdowns. Virginia will surely need a better performance from the offensive line, which allowed Rocco to be sacked a season-high four times against Virginia Tech while the running game was held to 30 yards. The front five, which includes senior All-American guard Austin Pasztor, is considered among the ACC’s best, having given up just 15 total sacks while the Cavaliers averaged 165.3 yards on the ground. Virginia ranked 50th overall in total offense with 396 ypg, but the Cavs weren’t a prolific scoring offense, averaging just 23.7 ppg (# 88). The defense carried the squad most of the year, allowing 343 ypg (# 30) and 22.2 ppg (# 32). 

Auburn (7-5 SU/4-8 ATS) won its second national championship last season, beating Oregon in the BCS title game – its fourth consecutive bowl victory – to cap a 14-0 season, but the Tigers lost a lot of talent from that team, including Heisman Trophy winning junior quarterback Cam Newton. The result was an inconsistent season, as Auburn finished 4-4 in SEC play and suffered lopsided losses to Georgia (45-7) and Alabama (42-14) in their final two SEC tilts; and they also suffered a 45-10 loss at LSU on October 22nd. Offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn is expected on the sidelines despite already having been introduced as Arkansas State’s next coach, but it is unclear at this point who will be calling the signals for the Tigers. Clint Moseley took over for Barrett Trotter as the starting quarterback down the stretch, but now freshman Kiehl Frazier is also emerging as an option. During his stint as the starter, Moseley completed 62.1 percent of his passes for 674 yards with five touchdowns and three interceptions, all returned for TDs. Frazier has been used in wildcat formations, completing 5-of-12 passes for 34 yards and two picks, and he rushed for 272 yards and a score on 60 carries. However, Frazier has seen more time with the starting offense recently, and this could be his chance to make a case for unseating Moseley as the Tigers’ starting quarterback for 2012. The running game has taken a hit with the suspension of Michael Dyer, who is out for the Chick-fil-A Bowl for violating team rules, leaving the Tigers without their first player to top 1,000 rushing yards in his first two seasons. The sophomore, who ran for 1,242 yards and 10 touchdowns this season, is likely to be replaced by Onterio McCalebb. McCalebb, a junior who is more than 30 pounds lighter than the 206-pound Dyer, ran for 532 yards with an average of 5.2 per carry and four scores. He also caught 30 passes for 291 yards and a TD. After ranking 7th in the nation in total offense (499 ypg) in 2010, Auburn finished the regular season ranked 104th in the land with 328 ypg. 

As mentioned, the Cavaliers’ last postseason appearance was a 31-28 loss to Texas Tech in the Gator Bowl on Jan. 1, 2008, when they blew a 14-point fourth quarter lead and allowed the decisive field goal with two seconds to play. Auburn is 8-1 ATS as a favorite of -3 points or less and if this game were played in the first week of the season, the Tigers would have been at least an -11 point favorite. However, the Tigers are 1-7-1 ATS against ACC teams and 4-10 ATS off a SU and ATS loss. That being noted, would favor Auburn here as we have an SEC school with a relatively cheap price against an average ACC team…..

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