{"id":2008,"date":"2021-12-28T08:35:43","date_gmt":"2021-12-28T13:35:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/news\/?p=2008"},"modified":"2021-12-28T09:36:55","modified_gmt":"2021-12-28T14:36:55","slug":"first-responder-bowl-picks-and-odds-louisville-vs-air-force","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/news\/college-football\/first-responder-bowl-picks-and-odds-louisville-vs-air-force\/","title":{"rendered":"First Responder Bowl Picks and Odds | Louisville vs Air Force"},"content":{"rendered":"

First Responder Bowl Betting Preview<\/h2>\n

GoldSheet offers their First Responder Bowl betting preview between Louisville and Air Force on Tuesday, December 28. At the time of posting, this game is lined as a pick’em, with the total at 54.5 points.<\/p>\n

Stay on top of the latest College Football<\/a> updates direct from Las Vegas!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
First Responder Bowl<\/th>\nBetting Notes<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
Point Spread:<\/td>\nAir Force Falcons pick’em vs Louisville Cardinals<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Total:<\/td>\n54.5 Points<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Game Time:<\/td>\n3:15pm ET \/ 12:15pm PT on Tuesday, December 28<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Stadium:<\/td>\nFord Stadium in Dallas, Texas<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
TV:<\/td>\nESPN<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

First Responder Bowl Predictions<\/h2>\n

Though occasionally outclassed in past bowl appearances, whenever a Troy Calhoun-coached Air Force team hasn\u2019t been at a fundamental disadvantage in the postseason, the Falcons have been a handful. Air Force has covered six of their last eight bowl trips since 2009 and as this looks like one of Calhoun\u2019s best editions.<\/p>\n

Louisville is probably cursing its bad fortune to have been drawn against Air Force in Dallas. Certainly, there would be other foes that Cardinals would have faced other than the nation\u2019s top rushing team (340 ypg, more than 50 ypg ahead of second-place Army!), especially after watching a more-conventional Kentucky infantry batter the \u2018Ville mercilessly in the regular-season finale, pounding out 362 yards on the ground and scoring seven (seven!) rush TDs in a 52-21 wipeout.<\/p>\n

A bit over two weeks of prep time won\u2019t likely be enough for the Cards, forced to deal with clever QB Haaziq Daniels, who has matured into a quintessential Calhoun option pilot, not only able to scamper to the edge (705 YR and 9 TDs) but also sneak the occasional long ball down the field, with his 45 well-spaced completions gaining 21 yards per pop.<\/p>\n

The usual stable of Falc north-south runners is paced by quick-hitting Brad Roberts (1279 YR), whose style remains of former Force great Brian Bream from the Ben Martin era.<\/p>\n

\"First<\/a><\/p>\n

Louisville might think it can trade points with daring QB Malik Cunningham, who does almost everything for the Cards short of bringing the ball up the court for Chris Mack\u2019s hoopsters, and like predecessor Lamar Jackson leading the team in rushing (968 YR and 19 rush TDs!) while finding the time to pass for 2734 more yards and another 16 TDs.<\/p>\n

But this year\u2019s Falcon stop unit was one of Calhoun\u2019s best, and ranked 7th nationally in rush D, suggesting Jackson\u2019s act might not play as well in the bowl, and the Force didn\u2019t often beat itself, its mere nine giveaways ranking sixth-best in the nation. The best Air Force teams usually win their bowls, and we have suspected that this might be the best Falc edition since Fisher DeBerry\u2019s 12-win side of 1985 that beat Fred Akers’ Texas in the old Bluebonnet Bowl.<\/p>\n

Interested in placing a bet on this afternoon’s First Responder Bowl? BetMGM is offering a $1,000 Risk-Free Bet<\/a> for first-time bettors in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Indiana, Colorado, Tennessee, Iowa, Michigan, Virginia, Washington DC, Wyoming, Mississippi, Arizona and Louisiana.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

\ud83d\udc40\ud83e\udd11 @thegoldsheet<\/a> is feeling the Holiday Spirit! From today until January 2nd, you can have FREE ACCESS to the Gold Sheet.
\n1\u20e3 Head over to https:\/\/t.co\/AXasP2W2lw<\/a>.
\n2\u20e3 Sign in with Username: Free@GoldSheet.com
\nPassword: FREE
\n3\u20e3Enjoy NFL, CFB, NBA, and CBB! pic.twitter.com\/V3irjZNsEl<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 WagerTalk (@WagerTalk) December 24, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n