Famous Idaho Potato Bowl Betting Odds: Eastern Michigan vs San Jose St.

The Famous Idaho Potato Bowl isn’t going to get a lot of hype, but it looks to be one of the better bowl games of the season. The San Jose State Spartans look like they have an edge on defense, while the two offenses look pretty evenly matched. The Famous Idaho Potato Bowl betting odds call for a close game and it’s hard to argue against that.

Game Information

Spartans Favored as Line Drops

The Famous Idaho Potato Bowl betting odds saw the Spartans open as 4.5-point favorites. The line is down to 3.5, with the Eagles getting a little bit of early money. Eastern Michigan enters the game in better form, going 4-0-1 ATS over its last five games. The Spartans have failed to cover the number in six straight. So it’s not a complete surprise to see the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl betting odds drop slightly.

The total on the game opened at 53 and has been bet up to 54.5. The Spartans were just 4-7 in totals this season, while EMU was 6-6. That makes it a bit of a surprise to see the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl betting odds move the total higher. But the Eagles played against an average total of 56.92 points this season. The Spartans played to an average total of 47.5 points.

There hasn’t been much movement on the moneyline, where the Spartans are -175. San Jose State is 7-2 straight-up when favored but only 3-6 against the spread as favorites. Eastern Michigan has gone 4-2 straight-up as an underdog this season and 5-1 ATS.

Eastern Michigan Eagles

The Eagles posted an 8-4 record this season after winning their last three games. EMU finished 5-3 in conference play, which tied them for the West Division lead in the college football standings 2022, but the Eagles lost the tiebreaker to Toledo. Due to the teams Eastern Michigan faced, the Eagles probably look a little better offensively than they really are, while the defense may not be as bad as it looks at first glance.

The Eagles averaged 28.8 points per game but their foes allowed an average of 30.2 points, which puts EMU slightly below average. Eastern Michigan wasn’t a strong rushing team, although it ran 38 times per game and threw 30 times. The Eagles averaged just 3.8 yards per rushing attempt, which is below the 4.2 yards per carry their opponents allowed. Samson Evans does the bulk of the work on the ground, gaining 1,084 yards and scoring 13 of the team’s 22 rushing TDs.

EMU was a little better throwing the ball, completing 62.7% of its passes and gaining 7.2 yards per attempt. The Eagles did allow 30 sacks during the season and need to protect the quarterback against a San Jose State defense that recorded 37 sacks during the season.

Eastern Michigan allowed 28.6 points over the season against teams who averaged 26.5, so again, slightly below average. The Eagles allowed just 56.3% completions but allowed 7.2 yards per pass attempt, so they gave up a few big plays, something that can’t happen here if they want a chance to win.

San José State Spartans

The Spartans are going to air it out offensively, first and foremost. It’s what San Jose State does best. The Spartans throw the ball 35 times per game and run the ball 29 times. San Jose State averaged just 3.2 yards per carry this season, so it’s little wonder why the team prefers to throw the ball.

No Famous Idaho Potato Bowl preview is complete without talking about San Jose State quarterback Chevan Cordeiro. He threw for 2,884 yards and 20 TDs this season and was picked off just four times. Cordeiro doesn’t force the ball, which is why he only had four interceptions, but at times he’s a little too cautious, which is why he was sacked 40 times during the year. Elijah Cooks was his favorite target this season, leading the Spartans with 64 receptions for 983 and 10 touchdowns.

San Jose State’s Kairee Robinson led the team with 696 yards and 10 touchdowns, while Cordeiro added eight touchdowns on the ground. His rushing numbers take a hit due to the number of times he’s sacked, but he has decent mobility and can run the ball for positive yardage.

San Jose State wasn’t quite as strong defending the pass and that looks to be Eastern Michigan’s best chance at pulling off the small upset.

Defensively, the Spartans allowed just 20.3 points per game, although their opponents scored just 20.9 points. The Spartans were especially strong against the run, allowing just 3.3 yards per carry. San Jose State wasn’t quite as strong defending the pass and that looks to be Eastern Michigan’s best chance at pulling off the small upset. The Spartans also had a few games where they gave up too many big plays through the air.

Will the Eagles Soar in Boise?

The key to this game is going to be Eastern Michigan’s ability to move the ball through the air. The Spartans are good enough up front to keep the Eagles’ ground game in check. But San Jose State can be vulnerable through the air.

The Spartans are going to score some points. The question is if Eastern Michigan is going to be able to keep pace. The Famous Idaho Potato Bowl betting odds of Spartans -3.5 still seems a shade high. The Sagarin college football rankings have the Spartans 1.5 points better, so there is probably a little bit of value on the underdog.

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