Cure Bowl Picks & Odds: Top 25 Teams Battle in Near-Pick’em Matchup

Two teams riding 10-game winning streaks will clash in Orlando on December 16 when the 25th-ranked UTSA Roadrunners (11-2 SU, 7-6 ATS) face the 24th-ranked Troy Trojans (11-2, 10-3) in the Duluth Trading Cure Bowl in a near pick’em matchup at sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark.

The Roadrunners won Conference USA for the second year in a row with a 48-27 rout of the North Texas Mean Green as 8.5-point favorites while the Trojans took home the Sun Belt title with an equally impressive 45-26 blowout win over the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers as 6.5-point chalk after going 5-7 in 2021.

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Cure Bowl Sportsbook Odds

In one of the best matchups during bowl season, Troy has gotten some early love from bettors who have flipped UTSA from a small favorite to a small underdog. The Trojans have obviously performed much better against the spread with an outstanding 10-3 mark compared to 7-6 for the Roadrunners, who have covered four of their last five.

The total is also up one point to 54.5, and it is worth noting that UTSA’s co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Will Stein has left to become Oregon’s offensive coordinator. That could be one reason the line has moved, as the Roadrunners ranked ninth in total offense with 486.1 yards per game and could be impacted by Stein’s departure.

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Latest Betting Notes: UTSA

Taking over for Stein will be tight ends/special teams coach Justin Burke, so the Roadrunners will at least have a familiar face helping out in that key role. Plus, senior quarterback Frank Harris has been in this system for four years now and could be one of the most underrated players in the country.

Harris ranked sixth nationally in passing with 3,865 yards and threw for 31 touchdowns. He completed 71.1 percent of his passes and only threw seven interceptions on a career-high 429 attempts. Another strong performance in this bowl could only help his cause as a sleeper in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Latest Betting Notes: Troy

The Trojans may not be as flashy offensively as their opponent, but they have found ways to win and consistently cover during their streak. Whether it be a 10-9 victory against the Army Black Knights in non-conference play or winning their last three league games by an average of more than three touchdowns (22 points), Troy has gotten the job done.

Three of the team’s last seven games have been decided by four points or less too, and that experience of winning close ones could definitely come into play here vs UTSA.

Keys To Victory: UTSA

The Roadrunners are awesome offensively, and they should try to turn this game into a shootout. Even though the Trojans have averaged 42.3 points per game in their last three, they do not have the same level of talent to keep up on the scoreboard. Pushing the pace would serve UTSA very well in this spot, as it would give the team its best shot to win.

Keys To Victory: Troy

It may sound crazy based on the team’s recent results, but doing the opposite and slowing the game down would probably be in the best interest of the Trojans. The Roadrunners scored less than 30 points only once all season and fell 41-20 to the Texas Longhorns in that game, also failing to cover as 13-point underdogs. There is a reason the total is not in the 60s or 70s for this bowl matchup, so Troy should be patient and more conservative.

Cure Bowl Computer Pick: OVER 54.5

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