ATS Bowl Predictions for 12/18: Will BYU Crush UTEP In New Mexico?

89-83 is how the Lady ended the college football season. The goal was to get above .500—mission accomplished. Now, it's time to go bowling and the record starts anew.

The first week of bowl season starts on Saturday afternoon as BYU takes on the The University of Texas-El Paso (UTEP) in New Mexico at high noon.

Admittedly, UTEP hasn't been seen very much—aside from an epic walloping they sustained at the hand of Houston—so there is little to be said about how good or bad they truly are this season.

That said, bowl games, particularly those played after several weeks of rest and against an unknown conference, tend to be full of drama. So, UTEP has just as much of an opportunity to win this game as BYU does. Even still, the late season turnaround by the Cougars gives them the edge here.

Jake Heaps began to gain confidence towards the end of his freshman season and seemed more comfortable in the Cougar's offense. He will be their biggest asset this weekend as the game will be won or lost on his play.

That said, let's jump right in with my spread picks for the following games—of which there are three. All lines appear courtesy of VegasInsider.com:

December 18th 

1. BYU vs. UTEP, New Mexico Bowl: BYU (-11.5)

The  Cougars woke up mid-season and showed signs that 2011 would be a much better campaign than 2010.  The Miners have suffered their most crushing losses at the hands of teams with good passing quarterbacks—their secondary cannot keep up. BYU should cruise in this one.

The Lady's Pick: BYU to cover

2. Northern Illinois at Fresno State, Humanitarian Bowl: Northern Illinois (-1.5)

Honestly, if nothing else, the weather will play a huge role in this game. There is plenty of reason to doubt the effectiveness of the Bulldogs in a game where the possibility of snow looms large, against a team with a better than average defense.

The Lady's Pick: Northern Illinois to cover

3. Ohio at Troy, New Orleans Bowl: Troy (-1.5)

You may as well toss a coin to pick this game but, since that's too lame a thing to do, lets just go on history—the MAC plays well against the Sun Belt (4-1). Troy might be favored in  what is likely to be a close game, but go with Ohio.

The Lady's Pick: Ohio to cover

The Utah Utes Battle Back to Win The "Holy War" Against BYU

The Utah Utes were favored by better than nine coming into the annual 'Holy War' contest versus the BYU Cougars—in Salt Lake City. However, someone forgot to deliver the memo to the Cougars who, in their last five games, have resembled something very different than the team that was demolished by TCU, 31-3, just six-weeks ago, and they didn't seem willing to get on their knees for the Utes today.

Jake Heaps, the biggest catch of BYU's 2010 recruiting class, has become the leader that Bronco Mendenhall wanted him to be as the true frosh has grown into a pretty good quarterback—one whose future looks bright if his positive trajectory continues as it has thus far.

Despite BYU's inability to do anything offensively for better than three quarters, the Cougar's defense played above average today—holding the Utes to zero points through three and forcing three interceptions. 

Unfortunately for the Cougars, four quarters of football is needed to seal a win and the Utes came alive late in the game, scoring 17-points and assuming a 1-point lead with less than 5:00 left in the game.

BYU was able to drive the ball down the field, getting into field goal range but, with time expiring, the would be winning kick was blocked—Utes win.

It was another "Holy War" for the ages and now, with BYU leaving the Mountain West and Utah headed to the Pac-10, one has to wonder if this annual rite of passage for these two proud universities will remain as passionate as it is now.