2021 Bahamas Bowl Bet Preview, Odds, Prediction

College football bowl season begins this week, and one team from the state of Ohio has earned a trip to the Bahamas for the Bahamas Bowl. The Toledo Rockets will play their final game of the season on Friday against the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders. 

MTSU comes into this game with an overall record of 6-6, and they had to win their final game of the season to even qualify for bowl eligibility. The Blue Raiders are a member of Conference USA, and that league does have plenty of talented teams.  

Toledo has won three straight games entering Friday, and they have to feel like they should be playing in a better bowl game. The Rockets finished the year with a 7-5 record, but much of that work was done later in the year. 

The Rockets of Toledo are 10.0-point betting favorites over the Raiders of MTSU on Friday. 

MTSU Playing Slow

MTSU is scoring right at 30 points per game this season while giving up 26 points on the defensive end. These are pretty low numbers compared to other teams in college football and MTSU has achieved this by playing at a slow pace. 

Quarterback Chase Cunningham is the best player for the Blue Raiders as he has thrown 16 touchdowns to just three interceptions this season. MTSU doesn’t always run the ball effectively, and that will allow Toledo to blitz and drop safeties in coverage. 

Defense is going to be a key for MTSU, especially upfront. The Blue Raiders have given up some big games to opposing running backs and that could spell trouble. 

Toledo Tough On the Ground

Toledo is going to run the ball early and often against MTSU, and that attack has helped them average over 34 points per game. The Rockets are also holding teams to just 21 points per night, and that defense could put up a low number. 

Running back Bryant Koback leads the way with 1,274 yards and 15 touchdowns this season on the ground. Toledo will also take some shots through the air, but it has been Koback setting the tone this season. 

Toledo has been especially solid against the pass this year, giving up less than 200 yards per game. If the Rockets can make MTSU throw the football then it could be a great defensive game. 

Rockets Roll Over Blue Raiders

The records between these two teams are pretty similar, but Toledo has clearly had a much better overall season. The Blue Raiders usually do a great job of controlling the tempo, but that isn’t going to work in this one. 

Toledo won for of its last five games against MAC opponents, and they beat some pretty solid teams along the way. The Rockets have a rushing attack that few teams can stop and MTSU isn’t going to be able to slow it down either. 

This game will get out of hand in the second half as the Toledo Rockets win big and cover the 10-point spread.