Washington Huskies vs Baylor Bears 2011 Alamo Bowl Picks

After shocking Andrew Luck and the rest of the collegiate world by running away with the 2011 Heisman Trophy, Robert Griffin III is ready to end his dream season with a bang. The Alamodome in San Antonio, TX, will be the site for the 2011 Alamo Bowl between two teams trying to end their season on a six-game win streak as the (7-5) Washington Huskies take on the 16^th ranked (9-3) Baylor Bears.

The 2011 Alamo Bowl has a scheduled opening kickoff slated for tonight at 9 PM ET live on ESPN. 2011-12 Bowl Series Odds makers have listed RG3 and Baylor as the clear favorites to win this game by a minimum of 9 points over Steve Sarkisian’s Huskies. In addition, College Football point-total experts believe that this game will turn into a shootout due to the lack of defensive power on either side, as the projected OVER/UNDER line is set at a combined total of 78½ points.

For Washington, the biggest challenge in this game will be to contain the Bears’ high-powered offense and try and keep up on the scoreboard. With a defense that has struggled all year long, it will be interesting to see what type of strategy coach Sarkisian employs in order to slow down “Superman”.

Coming into the Alamo Bowl, UW defense ranks 94^th in total yards per game (426.3), 116^th against the pass (283.8), 55^th versus the run (142.6) and a whopping 101^st in point per game allowed (33.3).

“It’s a huge challenge,” said Washington defensive coordinator Nick Holt. “They are one of the top offenses in the country. We can’t do anything about our opponent, just make sure we are ready to go and play really, really hard and enjoy the opportunity and see how it goes.”

But despite all those defensive deficiencies, this team has done fairly well against the spread, in many facets, this season. In fact, Washington is undefeated in its last 4 bowl games when listed as an underdog and 5-1 in its last 6 bowl games overall. Furthermore, the Huskies are 6-1 in their last 7 after allowing more than 280 yards passing in their previous game, 4-1 in their last 5 non-conference games, 8-2 in the 10 most recent December matchups, and 7-2 in their last nine games after a straight up win or ATS victory.

For Baylor, there’s no doubt that Griffin III will forgo his final year of eligibility and enter next year’s NFL Draft. After receiving 405 first-place votes and 1,687 points, RG3 is likely to close out his Heisman winning season with one final curtain call. The 21-year-old junior would love nothing more than to close out a brilliant collegiate career by bringing Baylor its first bowl victory in two decades.

“If anybody is going to play us right now, it’s going to be a tough matchup,” he said. “If we go out and be us, then no one can beat us.”

How spectacular will RG3’s farewell be? Check out these interesting against the spread Baylor trends right after you get your Free 2011 Alamo Bowl Pick for this game!

Bears are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games as a favorite.

Bears are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games overall.

Bears are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games as a favorite of 3.5-10.0.

Bears are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games after accumulating more than 280 yards passing in their previous game.

Bears are 18-37 ATS in their last 55 games following a ATS win.

Bears are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games on grass.