At first glance, the Armed Forces Bowl looks to be another one that fits the mold of a non-wager game. California has lost six of its last seven games and most gamblers are taking heed of that fact and siding with Air Force. Cal opened as a 5.5-point favorite, but a lot of folks have been packing onto the Falcons bandwagon of late, which has dropped the line two full points.
Who would have thought at the beginning of the season that the Golden Bears would face Air Force in a bowl game and be favored by a shade over a field goal? If this game took place in early September at a neutral site, Jeff Tedford's club would have been giving over two touchdowns. Oh how the mighty have fallen.
Air Force is looking for its fourth consecutive victory, something the team from Colorado Springs hasn't seen since 2003. First year head coach Troy Calhoun also has his club in its first bowl game in five years.
Those wagering on the Falcons are doing so with the feeling that California has no interest in this game. Why would the Bears care about the Armed Forces Bowl when they had their sights on the Rose Bowl or the BCS Championship game after defeating Oregon back on September 29?
After all, Air Force has all the momentum, but if one closely inspects the Falcons schedule, they'll spot an interesting little nugget. Despite a 6-1 record in the last seven games, the combined record of the six teams Air Force has defeated is 16-52.
The Falcons do have wins over Utah and TCU from back in September. However, the Utes played without their starting quarterback and running back, while the Horned Frogs missed two field goals, turned the ball over twice in the red zone, and still led by 14 early in the fourth quarter.
There's no getting around how dreadful California has played since beating the Ducks at the end of September. No one could have expected the Golden Bears to lose six of their last seven, but at least the losses came to teams with a combined regular season mark of 40-31. The Bears would also like to finish above the .500 mark, and a win over Air Force would give them a 7-6 record.
Go with California minus the points.
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