The Famous Idaho Potato Bowl takes place Tuesday afternoon in lovely Boise Idaho. We will see Eastern Michigan taking on San Jose State in a matchup that pits the MAC against the Mountain West. Mountain West teams are 2-0 so far in the bowl games, while MAC Teams are 0-1. Eastern Michigan has won three straight, while the San Jose Spartans have won three out of their last five. The line has San Jose State as a 4-point favorite with the over/under set at 54. With that being said, here is my betting preview for the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.
Eastern Michigan Eagles
Eastern Michigan continues their winning ways as they have now made it to a bowl game in four out of the last five seasons. This Eastern Michigan offense is led by quarterback Taylor Powell. Powell started in seven games this season and put together 1,813 passing yards to go along with 14 passing touchdowns and 7 interceptions. The Eagles average 28.8 points per game and put up around 378.6 yards of total offense per game. They don’t have a dominant passing game or running game, but they have good players that help them win games. One of those players is running back Samson Evans who rushed for 1,084 rushing yards on 4.8 yards per carry and 13 touchdowns. Eastern Michigan will need their running game in this one if they want to beat San Jose State.
Defensively, the Eagles have been good this season. They rank 89th in the country in passing yards allowed per game (208.8) and give up about 28.6 points per game. One thing that we have seen from Eastern Michigan is that they have been very successful away from home this year. In six road games, they give up 26.8 points per game and they play a whole lot better than they do at home. With this being a neutral site game, I like the Eagles’ chances here in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.
San Jose State Spartans
San Jose State has put together its second winning season since joining the Mountain West conference back in 2013. On offense, the Spartans are led by former Hawaii quarterback Chevan Cordeiro. Cordeiro started in 11 games for the Spartans and put together a solid season. He threw for 2,884 passing yards to go along with a 20:4 touchdown to interception ratio and added 8 rushing touchdowns as well this season. The Spartans average 27.5 points per game to go along with the 59th best passing offense in terms of passing yards per game. One thing that hurts the Spartan offense is how bad their running game is. They rank t-243rd in the country in rushing yards per game (92.5). Cordeiro will need the passing game to be electric in this one to have a chance against Eastern Michigan.
Defensively, the Spartans have put up good numbers all year long. They give up 20.3 points per game to go along with 351.8 total yards of offense allowed per game (70th). One thing that the Spartans are good at is stopping the run. They allow 122.6 rushing yards per game (50th in the nation). One thing that has been a struggle for San Jose State though has been their play away from home. They give up 7 more points per game (27) and have a 1-4 road record this season. If the Spartans want to win their first bowl game since 2015, they are going to have to shake off the road woes.
Betting Trends
-Eastern Michigan is 4-0 ATS when being an underdog of 6.5 or less.
-Eastern Michigan is 5-1 ATS in last 6 games in December.
-San Jose State is 0-6 ATS in their last 6 games overall.
-San Jose State has hit the under in their last 5 games in December.
The Don’s Idaho Famous Potato Bowl Best Bet
My official play is Eastern Michigan +4. The Spartans have struggled to cover the spread as favorites and have struggled overall since the end of October. San Jose State has had big spreads to cover so I can’t take that away from them. I just really like the Eastern Michigan Eagles in this spot. Also my lean for this game is the over. A ton of points will be scored in my opinion, but the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl will finish with Eastern Michigan covering the spread as the underdog.