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Wyoming vs Kent State Odds & Predictions for Famous Idaho Potato Bowl

Jack Magruder

by Jack Magruder in College Football

Updated Dec 20, 2021 · 5:57 AM PST

Dustin Crum throwing
Kent State quarterback Dustin Crum throws against Maryland in the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021, in College Park, Md. (AP Photo/Gail Burton)
  • Wyoming is a 3-point favorite over Kent State in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl on Tuesday
  • Kent State is 1-5 straight up and ATS as an underdog
  • Read below for analysis and a betting prediction

Wyoming (6-6) is a three-point favorite over Kent State in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl at 3:30 pm ET on Tuesday on the blue turf of Albertsons Stadium in Boise, Idaho. The game will be telecast by ESPN.

Kent State (7-6) was 0-3 against Power 5 opponents Texas A&M, Iowa and Maryland, all on the road. The Golden Flashes won the MAC Eastern Division before losing to Northern Illinois in the league title game.

Wyoming vs Kent State Odds

Team Moneyline Spread Total
Wyoming Cowboys -154 -3 (-115) Over 59 (-110)
Kent State Golden Flashes +126 +3 (-105) Under 59 (-110)

Odds from FanDuel on Dec. 20th

Competing trends are at play here.  According to an ESPN metric that attempts to define “lucky” and “unlucky” teams based on a deeper dive into the numbers, “lucky” teams are 41-15-1 ATS since 2009 (excluding the 2020 season) against “unlucky” teams in games where the spread is three points or fewer.

That makes “lucky” Kent State the play against “unlucky” Wyoming today. On the other side, Wyoming coach Craig Bohl in 10-3 ATS in the postseason, going 7-3 ATS with FCS North Dakota State and 3-0 with the Cowboys.

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Cowboy Up

Wyoming is playing its fourth bowl game in the last six seasons, all under coach Craig Bohl, the first coach in program history to take four teams to bowl games.

The Cowboys averaged 195 rushing yards per game behind a pair of strong running backs. Xazavian Zalladay is third in the Mountain West with 984 yards rushing, and his 5.2 average per carry was first among players with at least 125 attempts.

YouTube video

Titus Swen had 737 yards rushing with a 5.9 average, most among those with at least 105 carries. Each had at least 145 yards rushing in a 44-17 victory at league champion Utah State in the penultimate week of the regular season, when Swen had scoring runs of 43 and 98 yards.

The quarterback position has been unsettled. Sean Chambers started the season No. 1 but was benched for Levi Williams in the first half of a 14-3 loss at New Mexico, the seventh game of the season. Williams stated the last five games and is reported to be healthy for the bowl after playing through a bruised knee is a 38-14 loss to Hawaii in the final game of the regular season.

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Williams has completed 63-109 passes for 863 yards, with eight touchdowns and five interceptions.  Chambers is 90-177 for 1,125 yards with six touchdowns and  seven interceptions.

All-Mountain West linebacker Chad Muma, who has declared for he NFL draft, will play against Kent State. He has 129 tackles, three interceptions and one sack. Nickel back Keyon Blankenbaker entered the transfer portal and will not play.

MAC & Mountain West Bowl Trends

The Mid-American Conference is 0-3 straight up, 1-2 ATS. Middle Tennessee State beat Toledo 31-24 as a 10-point underdog, Coastal Carolina beat MAC champion Northern Illinois 47-41 but did not cover the 11-point number and Liberty beat Eastern Michigan 56-20 as a nine-point choice.

MAC Eastern Division winner Kent State lost to Northern Illinois 41-23 in the MAC championship game as a 3-point favorite. Wyoming beat Northern Illinois 50-43 on the road as a seven-point favorite in the second game of the season and beat MAC Ball State 45-12 as a 6.5-point favorite the next week.

The Mountain West is 2-0 straight up and 1-0 ATS after Fresno State beat 31-24 UTEP as a 10-point favorite and and Utah State  beat Oregon State 24-13 as a seven-point underdog.

Balanced Kent State

Kent State senior quarterback Dustin Crum was the most effective two-way threat in the MAC this season, finishing second in the league with an average of 273.5 yards per game total offense. He passed for 2,922 yards and 16 touchdowns with six interceptions and rushed for 633 yards and 11 more scores.

Running back was Marquez Cooper was fifth in the league with 1,080 yards rushing and had 11 touchdowns for an offense that is averaging  243 yards rushing and 237 yards passing per game. Sophomore wide receiver Dante Cephas had 78 receptions for 1,124 yards and eight touchdowns.

YouTube video

Crum, the MVP of the 51-41 victory over Utah State in 2019 Frisco Bowl, has four 300-yard passing games and one 400-yard game this season. He had 436 yards total offense in the Frisco Bowl, 289 passing.

Wyoming has given up 177 passing yards per game, tops in the Mountain West, and is giving up an average of 22 points per game. Kent State is giving up 35.1 points per game.

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl Best Bet

The teams have never met.  Wyoming has won its previous two bowl games, 37-14 over Central Michigan in Josh Allen’s final game in the 2017 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl and 38-17 over Georgia State 38-17 in the 2019 Arizona Bowl. Kent State is 1-3 in bowl games but won its last over Mountain West Utah State in the 2019 Frisco Bowl.

Kent State is giving up 466.4 yards per game, 122nd in total defense of the 130 NCAA Division teams. Wyoming is 36th at 344.6.

The Golden Flashes have the quarterback and the offense; the Cowboys play defense and run the ball. Wyoming played well against the MAC this season, and going with their defense – even facing Crum – is the play here.

The pick: Wyoming -3 (-115) 

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