2007 Las Vegas Bowl: UCLA Bruins V BYU Cougars

Viva Las Vegas! Viva Las Vegas! (Or something like that...)

Yep, those college kids will be coming to Las Vegas while their moms probably hope their kids will go there to watch a football game between the UCLA Bruins and the BYU Cougars, staying away from all those blackjack tables and slot machines.

Oh yes, the UCLA Bruins will be playing the Brigham Young Cougars in the 2007 Las Vegas Bowl at the Sam Boyd Stadium. Of course, those college kids I mentioned will still be gambling. He he...

The Brigham Young Cougars look to extend a nine-game winning streak when they face the stumbling UCLA Bruins. Considered as one of the nation's most balanced teams, the Brigham Young Cougars posted 458 yards of total offense per game under new quarterback Max Hall, compared to the 465 it averaged during John Beck's final campaign.

Brigham Young Cougars running back Harvey Unga was another dominant new face in the Cougars attack, totaling 1,840 yards from scrimmage and 17 touchdowns in his red shirt freshman season.

Brigham Young sophomore defensive end Jan Jorgensen leads the BYU defense after pacing the Mountain West in both quarterback sacks and tackles for losses.

At the other side of the field, health problems and inconsistent quarterback play have been hurting the UCLA Bruins all season long. ''Certainly the issues of injuries came into play this year, but the concerns that have plagued us just in a general sense relate to inconsistent play,'' UCLA athletic director Dan Guerrero said.

The UCLA Bruins have been much more consistent in their ground game, rushing for 1,801 yards and 12 touchdowns. UCLA Bruins running backs Kahlil Bell and Chris Markey split time at the HB spot, combining for a total of 1,393 yards.

The UCLA Bruins is the first Pac-10 team to play in three Las Vegas Bowls, having defeated New Mexico 27-13 in 2002 and losing 24-21 to Wyoming two years later.

Who will win the 2007 Las Vegas Bowl Game between the Florida Atlantic Owls and the Memphis Tigers? AcesAce Sportsbook has the odds.

UCLA Bruins +5.5

BYU Cougars -5.5

Want more odds? Visit OddsHQ for more college football betting odds and the best betting lines on some of today's biggest sporting events.

UCLA Bruins BYU Cougars

2007 New Orleans Bowl: Memphis V Florida Atlantic

How about that, those guys are still milking the Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans thing...

On Friday, as the New Orleans Saints try to keep their playoff hopes alive, a championship will be decided as the Memphis Tigers take on the Florida Atlantic Owls at the Superdome for the 2007 New Orleans Bowl.

Led by Florida Atlantic Owls head coach Howard Schnellenberger, the Owls will try to help their coach improve to 5-0 since becoming a head coach in bowl games, though he has not appeared in one since leading Louisville to a Liberty Bowl win over Michigan State in 1993. Howard Schnellenberger's most notable postseason appearance was a 1983 Orange Bowl win over Nebraska that gave Miami a national championship.

The Florida Atlantic Owls won their final two games of the season on the road to finish with a 6-1-conference record. They now look to win three straight for the first time since the 2004 season when they go up against the Memphis Tigers.

Florida Atlantic Owls quarterback Rusty Smith was voted the Sun Belt player of the year. Smith led the conference with 3,352 passing yards and a school-record 27 touchdowns while throwing only eight interceptions.

Florida Atlantic Owls wide receiver Cortez Gent has been the beneficiary of course. Cortez Gent had a career-high 155 yards and a touchdown on eight catches in the conference-clinching win over Troy. Gent has 1,030 receiving yards and nine TDs in 11 games after totaling just 66 yards in nine games as a redshirt freshman last season.

Memphis Tigers (7-5) have been going the same way Florida Atlantic has, heading into its fourth bowl game in five seasons and second such appearance in New Orleans. The Memphis Tigers beat Sun Belt foe North Texas 27-17 in that 2003 game, and moved to 4-1 in bowls by beating Akron 38-31 to win the 2005 Motor City Bowl in their most recent postseason appearance.

Memphis Tigers appeared to miss out on a bowl berth for a second straight year after opening 2-4 this season following its 2-10 record in 2006. But, the Memphis Tigers bounced back to win five of their final six games, finishing tied for the second-best record in Conference USA at 6-2.

''What a great reward for this football team, for this team to come together the way it did this year and battle back from so many adversities; this bowl invitation is a tribute to what they have accomplished and overcome,'' Memphis Tigers coach Tommy West said.

The Memphis Tigers capped the regular season by winning the longest game in school history, 55-52 in triple overtime against Southern Methodist on Nov. 24. Let's see they use that momentum against Florida Atlantic at the New Orleans Bowl on Friday.

Who will win the 2007 New Orleans Bowl Game between the Florida Atlantic Owls and the Memphis Tigers? AcesAce Sportsbook has the odds.

Florida Atlantic Owls -2.5

Memphis Tigers +2.5

Want more odds? Visit OddsHQ for more college football betting odds and the best betting lines on some of today's biggest sporting events.

Florida Atlantic Owls Memphis Tigers