QB Moore, Boise State worthy of better bowl

Over the years, Las Vegas has hosted headliners such as Elvis and Frank Sinatra for extended stays. It almost seems Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore should be added to the VIP guest list.

If the Broncos are not here to beat up UNLV, they must be playing in that little stadium in the desert somewhere between the Strip and Hoover Dam in a bowl game attached to a sponsor's name.

The MAACO Bowl Las Vegas is a nice made-for-ESPN event, usually played on a cold and windy night, serving as a fitting Christmas present for two teams that achieved mediocrity.

Boise State's situation is different. The Broncos are bowling here for the second year in a row, and they deserve better. Moore deserves something more, too. He's 49-3 in his career. His left arm produced 74 percent completions and 41 touchdowns this season. He also picked apart Georgia in the season opener.

But Moore was not an invited finalist to the Heisman Trophy ceremony in New York, and instead of getting a glamour bowl, Boise State is in a lounge-act game against a .500 team led by a lame-duck coach. The Broncos are 14-point favorites over Arizona State, which lost five of its last six games.

"I think Boise routs them, and not just because they got snubbed by the BCS and Moore got snubbed," said Cal Neva sports book director Nick Bogdanovich, who called the teams "polar opposites" and the Sun Devils "unorganized and undisciplined."

Arizona State has its own impressive quarterback in 6-foot-8-inch Brock Osweiler. But coach Dennis Erickson oversees a dysfunctional team, and that's why Thursday's game will be Erickson's last.

I'm attempting to pick the point-spread winners in all 35 bowls -- hopefully as a guide to help with your office-pool contest -- and for a time I flirted with the idea of taking the points with the Sun Devils. But I'll play the favorite.

The Arizona State defense ranks 107th in the nation against the pass. Moore is the better quarterback, Chris Petersen is the sharper coach, and Boise State's seniors are at least mildly motivated to shoot for the 50th win of their careers.

The Broncos are 11-1, with only a 36-35 loss to Texas Christian. They have come up short against the spread, dropping six straight decisions for their bettors, and that's a concern. But there are concerns in every game we bet.

So here's a day-by-day roll through the other 34 bowls:

Wyoming has covered 13 of 16 as a road underdog for coach Dave Christensen, so ride the Cowboys (+7) over Temple in the New Mexico Bowl. Utah State, in its first bowl appearance in 14 years, gets to stay close to home in the Idaho Potato Bowl, where the Aggies (-2) should dot Ohio with a loss. San Diego State (-5) might lack inspiration, but expect running back Ronnie Hillman to carry the Aztecs past Louisiana-Lafayette in the New Orleans Bowl.

Florida International (-4) can follow quarterback Wesley Carroll and star wideout T.Y. Hilton past Marshall and its weak defense in the St. Petersburg Bowl.

Texas Christian coach Gary Patterson reinforced how good he is this season, but the Horned Frogs are laying too many points in the Poinsettia Bowl, so I'll take Louisiana Tech (+10½).

Larry Fedora ditched Southern Mississippi to coach North Carolina, so Chris Ault and UNR (+6) get the nod in the Hawaii Bowl.

When in doubt, I take the 'dog, and that's the Tar Heels (+4½) over Missouri in the Independence Bowl.

Alex Carder should pass Western Michigan (+2½) to a minor upset of Purdue in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl. North Carolina State is hot, going 5-2 down the stretch, so play the Wolfpack (-2½) over Louisville in the Belk Bowl.

With little confidence, I'll pick Air Force (+3) over Toledo in the Military Bowl and Texas (-3) over California in the Holiday Bowl.

Maybe I like coach Brian Kelly too much, but I'll go with Notre Dame (+3) over Florida State in the Champs Sports Bowl. I typically bet against the Heisman winner in his bowl, so Washington (+9) is the play against Robert Griffin III and Baylor in the Alamo Bowl.

Brigham Young (-2½) has the quarterback, Riley Nelson, and the defense to sneak by Tulsa in the Armed Forces Bowl. I'll lean to Rutgers (-2) over Iowa State in the Pinstripe Bowl and Wake Forest (+6½) over Mississippi State in the Music City Bowl. Kirk Ferentz should coach Iowa (+14) to a cover against Oklahoma in the Insight Bowl.

"It's the betting angle of the more interested team getting two touchdowns," Bogdanovich said.

It's time for New Year's Eve. Kevin Sumlin left Houston for the Texas A&M coaching job, but it's not Sumlin's team yet. Northwestern (+10) has an offense good enough to cover for its terrible defense, so take the points in the Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas. I'll go with Utah (+3) over Georgia Tech in the Sun Bowl, although I might regret it. Jordan Rodgers, the kid brother of Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, can lead Vanderbilt (-2½) to a cover against Cincinnati in the Liberty Bowl. A gut feeling leads me to the Virginia (+1½) side instead of Auburn in the Chick-fil-A Bowl. In the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl, I hate to pick UCLA (+2½), but I have to pick something. The Bruins (6-7) were outscored by 68 points in their last two games. Illinois is 6-6 after starting 6-0.

"It's an absolute disgrace that's a bowl game," said Bogdanovich, who added, "There are all sorts of great matchups."

That's a wrap for all the pre-New Year's Day bowls. The best matchups begin Jan. 2 with the glamour bowls.

I'll explain why in a later column, but here are my remaining picks: Penn State (+6), Michigan State (+3½), South Carolina (-2), Florida (-2), Wisconsin (+6½), Stanford (+3½), Michigan (-2), Clemson (-3½), Kansas State (+8), Southern Methodist (+3½), Arkansas State (-1) and Alabama (+1).

In August, I picked Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide to roll to the national title. Saban hit a bump in the road, with a sloppy home loss to Louisiana State, but I'll stick with him in his lucky second chance.

Contact sports betting columnist Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907. He co-hosts the "Las Vegas Sportsline" weeknights at midnight on KDWN-AM (720) and thelasvegassportsline.com.