The College Football bowl season kicks off with the inaugural Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl.
Motivation for both the SWAC Champion Alcorn State Braves and MEAC Champion North Carolina A&T Aggies, will be high. Both teams compete in conferences that receive very little national attention. This game will allow both teams to showcase their talents in the national spotlight with an afternoon kickoff at the Georgia Dome on ABC.
N.C A&T comes in ranked 5th in the FCS in scoring defense allowing only 15 points per game, and this includes a 53-14 loss to ACC runner-up North Carolina early in the season. The Aggies rushing defense ranks as well as any team in the FCS, allowing only 84 yards a game. On offense the Aggies are heavily led by their ground game and MEAC offensive player of the year, running back Tarik Cohen. Riding Cohen will be a key to success for the Aggies who rank only 112 of 123 FCS teams in passing offense.
The Alcorn State defense is solid, but the Braves come in as more of an offensive juggernaut, averaging 40 points per game. The Braves also primarily look to the ground first, averaging 309 rushing yards a game, which led the SWAC. Since rebounding from a 69-6 week one loss at Georgia Tech, the Braves have had very little trouble scoring this season.
This is the only bowl game featuring FCS teams and there is no point spread for this game. This game has no value from a gambling standpoint, but should still be entertaining nevertheless. I look forward to watching these two HBCUs square up on national television.
There is no money that can be wagered on this game in Vegas, but I will give a prediction. The Aggie defense is tough, but I see the advantage at quarterback giving the Braves the edge in this game.
(Alcorn State 24 North Carolina AT&T 20 )
Twitter @BetSportsstrong
E-mail: Betsportsstrong@gmail.com
Get Sports Strong 