2011 Champ Sports Bowl Florida State vs Notre Dame Odds, Free Picks and Predictions on ESPN 12/29/11

Free College Football Bowl Picks and Spreads: Florida St vs Notre Dame 2011 Champ Sports Bowl Vegas Odds, Free Picks, and Expert Predictions on ESPN 12/29/11: In the not too distant past, Florida State and Notre Dame were a part of college football royalty. While both programs have fallen on hard times in recent years, they will get a chance to relive the glory days of their rivalry when they meet in Thursday night’s Champ Sports Bowl. The Seminoles and Fighting Irish enter the matchup with identical 8-4 records, and while a nine-win season isn’t spectacular, it is a step in the right direction for two teams hoping for bigger and better things. Florida State is a 3 ½-point favorite.

Ironically, both teams started the year highly ranked and expected to compete for a spot in the BCS bowl. Heck, the Seminoles were on the short list of national title contenders. However, both teams stumbled out of the gate and never really had the look of a serious contender. Still, Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher and Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly have put together some strong recruiting classes, and there will be no shortage of talent on the field Thursday night.

For the Fighting Irish, a high-powered offense has been the strength of the team most of the season. The unit was balanced, with star receiver Michael Floyd topping 1,100 yards and running back Cierre Wood going over 1,000 yards as well. Notre Dame also got more than 700 receiving yards from tight end Tyler Eifert and 12 rushing scores from power back Jonas Gray.

The only question mark for the offense has been at the quarterback position. Tommy Rees got a majority of the starts, but his 12 interceptions highlighted a turnover-plagued unit that had a habit of making red zone mistakes. Rees was actually benched in the season finale, but he will be back under center for the bowl game, and he will have to perform well if the Fighting Irish are going to emerge victorious.

Unfortunately for Rees, he will be facing a fierce Florida State defense that ranked fourth in the country in scoring. The Seminoles are allowing less than 16 points per game and less than 2.5 yards per carry to opposing rushers. The unit puts plenty of pressure on quarterbacks as well, and if the Seminoles can rattle Rees, the mistakes that have burnt the Fighting Irish all year could doom their chances Thursday.

Of course, the Florida State defense will have to play well in order to make up for a lackluster offense. Quarterback E.J. Manuel took over a group that included 10 returning starters, but he and the offense never lived up to the hype. Injuries played a part in Manuel’s struggles, but even at full strength, the Seminoles weren’t exactly a scoring machine. If Thursday’s game becomes a shootout, Florida State’s chances of keeping up are slim. The Seminoles are definitely looking to turn the matchup into a slow-paced, low-scoring game.

In the end, Florida State’s physical defense should be able to force Rees into some critical mistakes. Having just been benched, Rees will likely be looking over his shoulder, which will only make him more likely to make mistakes. The Seminoles offense is far from a thing of beauty, but Manuel should have scoring chances against a Notre Dame secondary that has been suspect. The Fighting Irish need to score a lot of points to win, and points are going to be tough to come by against FSU’s defense.

Prediction: Florida State Seminoles (-3 ½) Cover the Spread

Free College Football Picks and NCAAF Predictions: Florida St -3.5 to cover the spread

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