While both Kansas State and Arkansas certainly would have preferred to play
in a BCS bowl, the Cotton Bowl at Cowboys Stadium outside Dallas is ecstatic to
have two Top-10 teams in No. 8 Kansas State (10-2) and No. 6 Arkansas (10-2) –
this matchup appears better on paper than both the Orange and Sugar Bowls. The
Hogs are 8.5-point favorites on Bovada’s NCAA football betting odds for Friday
night's game.
Get all your college football odds at Bovada’s online
sportsbook.
Kansas State was one of the nation’s big
surprises this year in finishing second in the Big 12. The Wildcats’ only losses
came on back-to-back weekend to Top-10 teams Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, and
KSU gave the Cowboys all they could handle. The win total is the school's
highest since 2003 and one shy of the school record. The star of the offense is
dual-threat QB Collin Klein, who led his team in rushing (1,099
yards, school-record 26 TDs) and passing (1,745 yards, 12 TDs). KSU is near the
bottom of the nation in passing, so look for the Hogs to stack the
box.
Arkansas’ only two losses this season came to the two teams playing
in the national championship: No. 1 LSU and No. 2 Alabama. The Razorbacks led
the SEC in total offense and passing behind junior QB Tyler Wilson
(285.2 passing yards per game, 22 TDs), who has arguably the nation’s
top group of receivers. The Hogs have had some upheaval since their
regular-season-ending loss to LSU as the offensive, defensive and special teams
coordinators all have left.
Arkansas and KSU had a common opponent this
year: Texas A&M. On Oct. 1, in this same Cowboys Stadium, the Hogs beat the
Aggies 42-38 despite trailing 35-17 at halftime. On Nov. 12 at home, Kansas
State beat A&M 53-50 in four overtimes in one of the games of the year. The
Aggies blew a 31-21 fourth-quarter lead in that one.
Arkansas is 12-23-3
in its bowl appearances, losing 31-26 to Ohio State in last January's Sugar Bowl
(Hogs are 0-4 ATS in past four bowls). Kansas State has lost three straight bowl
games (hasn’t covered in past five) and is 6-8 all-time. The SEC has won seven
of the last eight Cotton Bowls against Big 12 schools, and the lone Big 12
school to win (Missouri) is leaving for the SEC.
THE STAGE IS SET: Bet the bowls now at
Bovada!
| Kyle Hunter | |
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