According to the best sportsbooks for US players, there could be another Bowling Green massacre. Only this one would take place on the gridiron. As opposed to the fevered imagination of Kellyanne Conway. The Bowling Green Falcons are 30-point road dogs against the Oregon Ducks. Like the media that voted BG to finish 5th in their division, bookies are probably going by last season. The Falcons finished 2-10, 2-6 in Mid American Conference play. But BG players believe this to be a faulty approach. “The voters don’t know what we have in our locker room — we’re not the same team as last year,” safety Marcus Milton said. “For them to base the vote off last year, I understand, but we believe that we’re better than the fifth-best team in the East Division.”
The Falcons have been a springboard for a couple of coaches. Dave Clawson used them as a stepping stone to a head coaching job in Wake Forest. And Dino Babers parlayed his two seasons in Bowling Green in a head coach position with the Syracuse Orange. However, both Clawson and Babers had winning records with the Falcons. Something which current head coach Mike ‘Hi’ Jinks has failed to do thus far. BG went 4-8 in Jinks’s first year in 2016. And they did even worse the following season, as mentioned above.
The problem is that the defense seems intent on undoing whatever progress the offense made. BG averaged 35 points per game over the final month of last season, once QB Jarret Doge returned to injury. However, the Falcons conceded 38 points to Buffalo, 66 to Toledo and 34 to Eastern Michigan in the last three games of the season. As a result, pretty much the entire defensive coaching staff was replaced. Additionally, lead tackler Fred Garth (58 solo, 37 assisted) is returning. As are Milton and cornerback Clint Stephens, each of whom had three interceptions last year.
Like the head coaching job in BG, being the offensive coordinator post in Oregon is a step in the right direction. The Ducks have had four different OCs in the last four year. The position, mind you, is a revolving door for the right reasons. Oregon’s defense is one of the most prolific and feared in college football. Chip Kelly, Scott Frost, Matt Lubick, and Willie Taggart all did a terrific job as offensive coordinators (and sometimes as head coaches). Then they moved on to bigger and better things. Now it’s Marcus Arroyo’s turn. Like new head coach Mario Cristobal, Arroyo actually debuted in the 2017 Las Vegas Bowl. It didn’t quite go as they would have wanted to. But with the benefit of an offseason to prepare, Oregon’s offense should be as dangerous as ever.
Bowling Green Falcons vs. Oregon Ducks Betting Information
- Date: September 1st.
- Time: 5:00 pm PT
- Venue: Autzen Stadium, Eugene, OR
Best online sportsbooks odds from MyBookie.ag:
- BOWLING GREEN +31 (-110) 71½ (-110) +6000
- OREGON -31 (-110) 71½ (-110) -15000
Best sportsbooks for US players trends
- The Falcons are 1-5 SU in their last six games.
- The Falcons are 2-4 ATS in their last six games.
- The total has gone over in the Falcons’ last seven games.
- The Ducks are 3-2 SU in their last five games.
- The Ducks are 3-2 ATS in their last five games.
- The total has gone under in five of the Ducks’ last eight games.
Our FREE Prediction: Bowling Green has a new defensive coordinator. Oregon has a new offensive coordinator. Say what you will, Marcus, but all we have to make an educated guess is last season. And by that standard, the Ducks should massacre the Falcons. Which, come to think of it, is a scene seldom seen in nature, but common in football.