Finally found someone who thinks UConn will win
Published: 12/20/2010 10:06 AM
Last Modified: 12/20/2010 10:06 AM
To be fair, Vito J. Leo of Hometown Today News Publications also lists 12 reasons why Oklahoma will beat Connecticut in the Fiesta Bowl. But he follows those with 12 reasons the Huskies can shock the world, making him the first guy that I know of to step out on that twig.
Give Leo this much – he did his research. Among his reasons "why UConn will win":
** "Because (Randy) Edsall is 3-1 in bowl games and (Bob) Stoops is 5-6, including a 2-5 mark in BCS bowls."
(Of course, while Stoops has lost to Florida, USC and LSU, Edsall has beaten Toledo in the Motor City Bowl, Buffalo in the International Bowl and South Carolina in the Papajohns.com Bowl.)
** "Because since BCS bowls began being played, the underdog in games with double-digit point spreads are 28-12 against the spread and have actually won 10 of those games."
(No, this didn't come into play at OU's last two Fiesta Bowls. West Virginia was an 8-point underdog in 2008. Boise State was a 7½-point dog the year before. Still good info, though, and more proof that the month-long layoff turns many bowls into coin flips.)
** "Because the Huskies are ranked 31st in the nation in rushing offense and Oklahoma is ranked 62nd in rushing defense."
(I'd give the Huskies a better shot if they were ranked closer to the top 10 in rushing. Nonetheless, it is their more hopeful statistical advantage going in.)
** "Because this Connecticut football team has endured and overcome more adversity over the past two years than is commonly experienced by collegiate athletes."
(Huskies starting cornerback Jasper Howard was stabbed to death on campus hours after a win over Louisville in October of '09. And you thought the Sooners had a lot to overcome last season.)
-- Guerin Emig
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Guerin Emig
Sports Writer
