Bowl Betting -- Fiest Bowl Odds

If you say you're looking forward to betting on the BCS Championship game the most out of the five BCS bowls, you're lying. Deep down, you know the Fiesta Bowl is the game to watch. It pits the country's top offense against the country's top defense. It doesn't get much better than that. Didn't I mention that both teams are undefeated? Let's make a pick.

2010 Fiesta Bowl

(6) Boise State vs (3) TCU

Monday, January 4, 8:00 p.m. ET

College football odds favorite: TCU -7.5

The TCU Horned Frogs are the favorite in this matchup for good reasons. They didn't just stumble into the country's No. 1 defense; they earned it by overcoming some tough matchups throughout the season. Among their standouts are defensive end Jerry Hughes, who rushes the passer as well as anyone in the nation, and linebackers Tank Carder and Daryl Washington.

Because TCU's "D" is so outstanding, the offense only has to be adequate. Junior quarterback Andrew Dalton went above and beyond what was asked of him this season, throwing 22 touchdown passes versus five picks and earning MWC Player of the Year honors. He makes few mistakes and moves his feet well; he joined three other TCU teammates as a 500-yard rusher this season.

Offensively, there's no comparing TCU to Boise State, however. The Broncos are thrilling to watch, having scored 40 or more points in seven straight games. Kellen Moore had a video-game like 39-3 touchdown-to-interception ratio and three different Boise State players scored at least 14 times this season.

In the end, I make my sports betting pick based on who wants or needs the win more. Boise State's season is already a resounding success and it has more national title dreams ahead. This was supposed to be TCU's year, however. The Horned Frogs arguably earned the spot currently occupied by Texas in the national title game and they're angry about it. Their defense should arrive at the Fiesta Bowl fired up and their offense will do enough to give them a lead. Boise State will still put points on the board but a 40-spot is out of the question. I like TCU to cover in a major statement game.

Free pick: TCU -7.5