It is time to start thinking about your Bowl Game handicapping. Rule #1. Throw out all of your handicapping rules. These games are decided on emotion more than anything else. Who want the game more. Need proof? Just ask Alabama or Utah. Ask them who wanted that game the most. Who prepared for that game and who did not? You can look at the seasons records both S/U and ATS. You can look at past bowl history. You can try to match up player personnel. What you probably can not do is figure out who cares about the game. Sure the N.C. game should not fall into that catagory, but what about the other 33 games?
Unless you are a very good handicapper, you may not find a great line, and even if you do and decide to wager early, you do not know who is going to get arrested, who is going to be suspended because of grades, or, again, who really wants to win. Then there is the problem of a team who will really want to win simply being outclasses. Florida State vs West Virginia could be a good example. You know tha the players for FSU are going to want to send the old man out in style, but can they physically beat West Virginia? What about all the other ACC teams who now must go to a leser Bwl game because of the Gator Bowl's greed. How will they react?
Intangables are the most important thing that go into a Bowl Game. Intangables are what you have to understand and figure out to make any type of wager. All the other information helps, but the intangables will make the difference more often than not.