BYU vs. Tulsa – Iowa State vs. Rutgers Bowl Game Free Picks

With today’s NCAA 2011 Bowl Game action, we hit the halfway point of the Bowl Championship Season. Bowl Games #15 and #16 feature the Cougars vs. Golden Hurricane in the Armed Forces Bowl and the Cyclones vs. Scarlet Knights in the Pinstripe Bowl.

BYU vs. Tulsa gets us started on Friday, December 30, 2011, at 12:00 PM ET from Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas, Texas, followed by the Iowa State vs. Rutgers from Yankee Stadium, Bronx, New York at 3:20 PM.

Cougars vs. Golden Hurricane Armed Forces Bowl Preview

BYU (9-3) is one of four schools that play as a Division IA Independent team. The Cougars hit the ground running as they opened the season with a 6-2 record. The losses came in Weeks 2 & 3 and included a heartbreaking 17-16 loss to #24 Texas – the only NCAA Top 25 team that BYU would face. BYU owned the #23 ranked scoring defense as the Cougars allowed just 20.3 points per game.

Tulsa (8-4 OA 7-1 C-USA) ripped through their Conference-USA schedule – until they ran into the Conference Champion Houston Cougars. In that contest the Cougars scored 35 second half points as they ran away with 48-16 rout of the Golden Hurricane. Tulsa had a brutal schedule as they faced four AP Top 25 teams including #1 Oklahoma to open the season – which was a 47-14 loss.

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl Free Pick: Tulsa Golden Hurricane +3 (-115) – OVER 55.5 PTS

New Era Pinstripe Bowl Preview Cyclones vs. Scarlet Knights

Rutgers (8-4 OA 4-3 Big East) had what is best described as a disappointing 2011 NCAA season. The Scarlet Knights faced just one AP Top 25 team. That was a 41-31 home loss during Week 8 to then #25 ranked West Virginia. Rutgers closed out their season with a 40-22 loss to Connecticut as they committed six turnovers- missing out on a chance for a share of the Big East Title.

Iowa State (6-6 OA 3-6 Big 12) played one of the toughest schedules in the Nation as they faced a whopping seven AP Top 25 teams. The Cyclones went 2-5 in those contests. That said, they did beat #17 Texas A&M, and #2 Oklahoma State 37-31 in OT back in Week 10, to shatter the Cowboys National Championship dreams. We like the big game tested Cyclones over the Scarlet Knights here!

New Era Pinstripe Bowl Free Pick: Iowa State Cyclones +1.5 (-110) Point Spread

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