Is UTSA Overrated Heading Into The Frisco Bowl?

Frisco Bowl Betting 2023 Odds Have UTSA Favored By More Than a Touchdown

The Frisco Bowl kicks off on Tuesday, December 19th . We’ve got the latest updates on lines, injuries, departures and weather right here:

The Marshall Thundering Herd won’t have starting quarterback Cam Fancher for the Frisco Bowl. He’s joined the transfer portal. Therefore, QB Cole Pennington is set to get the start for Marshall against UTSA in the Frisco Bowl.

The offense will be challenged on Tuesday after losing a handful of key players to the portal. Along with Fancher, OL Trent Holler, WR Caleb Coombs, and TE Sean Sallis are all no longer with the team.

However, RB Rasheen Ali was questionable for this game. Some reporters believed he could opt out and prepare for the NFL Draft.

While nothing is official, Rasheen Ali has made the trip with Marshall for this game. It doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll play. But it certainly is something to keep an eye on. There’s a higher chance that Ali plays now. Ali added over 1,000 yards on the ground with 14 touchdowns.

On the other hand, UTSA watched AAC Defensive Player of the Year Trey Moore enter the transfer portal. But he’s only one of two significant players who left UTSA before the Bowl game.

Meanwhile, head coach Jeff Traylor interviewed for multiple head coaching positions but is staying put with UTSA for another year. That will at least limit the distractions inside the program for the Frisco Bowl.

Therefore, UTSA went from an 8.5-point favorite to an 11.5-point favorite. However, the line movement in the middle of the week pushed UTSA all the way to +13 at one point. Bettors took that +13 and got the line back down to 11.5.

Meanwhile, the money line for UTSA is currently at a -550 price on the money line, with the total at 52.5. But that total dropped from 56.5 at open to 52.5 now. However, once the public learns about Marshall’s Ali potentially suiting up, Marshall could get the line back to where it originally was.

Now, check out the rest of the Frisco Bowl preview, originally published on December 4.

Uncover Exclusive Picks & Predictions From Our Experts.

This year’s Frisco Bowl will feature the UTSA Roadrunners against the Marshall Thundering Herd.

The Roadrunners went on a seven-game winning streak before losing to Tulane to finish out the regular season. That winning streak helped UTSA finish the season 8-4 to get into this bowl game.

Meanwhile, Marshall snuck into the bowl picture with a win over Arkansas State last time out. The Thundering Herd finished the season 6-6 and lost three of their previous five games. However, the 25-21 win over Arkansas State pushed Marshall into a bowl game.

Marshall was very inconsistent this year. That’s why they’ll be nine-point underdogs against UTSA in Tuesday’s Dec 19 standalone game. (They opened as 8.5-point dogs.) Meanwhile, the total opened at 56.5 and has since sunk to 54.

While UTSA’s offense has outshined Marshall’s, the Thundering Herd certainly has the better defense. What gives?

Let’s take a look at the Frisco Bowl betting 2023 odds for this game between UTSA and Marshall.

Roadrunners logo UTSA vs Marshall Thundering Herd logo

Day/Time:
Records: UTSA (8-4)/Marshall (6-6)
Location: Toyota Stadium
Streaming: ESPN

UTSA’s Distractions Are Behind Them

UTSA’s head coach, Jeff Traylor, was involved in many potential coaching searches over the last month. He was said to be connected with the Houston Cougars to be their next head coach.

However, Traylor didn’t get the job at Houston. Instead, it was Willie Fritz from Tulane.

Traylor was also connected to Texas A&M before former Duke head coach Mike Elko took the job.

Now, the only other Power-5 job open is Duke’s. Traylor is currently not on Duke’s radar. Therefore, all of the distractions are now behind UTSA’s program. They’ve got Traylor for this college bowl game and another year.

That’s big news for the Roadrunners. With distractions behind them, UTSA will more than likely be prepared for this NCAA football matchup against Marshall.

UTSA Departures & Injuries

The UTSA Roadrunners don’t have any significant injuries. Willie McCoy is questionable with a neck injury, but he’s only added 17 catches for 159 yards this season. Five other players are on the UTSA roster with at least 17 catches this year.

The Surprise Captain Has Helped Marshall Stay Relevant

It was Senior Day against Arkansas State for the Marshall Thundering Herd. In a must-win game to be bowl eligible, the sophomore quarterback, Cam Fancher, heard his name called. They told him to get his helmet on because he would be the captain of this game.

The other captains and seniors wanted to run out of the tunnel for one last time. So those guys weren’t available to do the coin toss. It was up to Fancher.

Fancher represented Marshall despite missing the previous two games due to an injury.

After the coin toss, he was game-ready. He threw for 200 yards and added another 100 yards on the ground in a 35-point explosion. He accounted for all five touchdowns in the two-touchdown win, 35-21.

Fancher hasn’t always been terrific. His QBR is just 44.6, and he’s got 11 touchdowns with 11 interceptions. However, he added 72.7% completions and threw no interceptions against Arkansas State. It was easily the best game of his career.

Marshall Departures & Injuries

Marshall’s Caleb Coombs is questionable with an unknown ailment. He led Marshall with 39 catches and was second on the college football team with 310 receiving yards this year.

The No. 1 tight end, Cade Conley, is also questionable with an unknown ailment. He added 23 catches for 215 yards this season.

Coombs and Conley combined for three receiving touchdowns this season.

Don’t Count Out Marshall!

The Marshall Thundering Herd have only won six games this season. But they’re confident heading into this college bowl game against UTSA.

Marshall has allowed 28.2 points per game this year. However, the defense has much more talent than the box score might show. The secondary has a ton of talent, and the run defense is much better than the 5.51 yards per rush this season.

They’re good at getting off on third downs and have only allowed 71.74% of red zone NCAAF scores on defense this year.

On the other hand, Marshall’s looking to run the ball more. Rasheen Ali, Ethan Payne, and Fancher have combined for over 1,500 yards on the ground this season. Meanwhile, if Fancher starts to limit turnovers and keep his completion percentage up, the Marshall offense will improve drastically.

Meanwhile, Frank Harris, the senior quarterback for UTSA, is one of the best quarterbacks in the nation. He’s been in the league since 2019 and has much experience. He’s also added nearly 12,000 NCAAF player stats in yards passing throughout his career.

However, as mentioned earlier, we like Marshall’s secondary. The pass rush is also very good for the Thundering Herd.

While UTSA has been elite at running the football, Marshall should be just as good against UTSA’s defense on the ground.

UTSA is led by a more prominent quarterback. However, Marshall’s got much more defensive talent and just got an outstanding offensive performance from their starting quarterback, who is healthy again.

The college football bowl schedule gave us a very entertaining game.

With all of the college bowl odds on the board, looking at the Frisco Bowl betting 2023 odds, we like Marshall at +9.5 (-110).

For NCAAF betting news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.


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