Saturday is a very busy day of bowl action around college football and the first game features Central Michigan of the Mid-American Conference against San Diego State of the Mountain West in the New Mexico Bowl. The Aztecs are short favorites on the Mybookie NCAAF odds.

How to Bet Central Michigan vs San Diego State New Mexico Bowl Spread & Game Info

• When: Saturday, 2 PM ET
• Where: Dreamstyle Stadium, Albuquerque, New Mexico
• TV: ESPN
• Live Stream: WatchESPN
• Radio: SiriusXM
• New Mexico Bowl Spread: San Diego State -3.5 (Total 41)

Why Bet on Central Michigan?

First-year coach Chips coach Jim McElwain won Coach of the Year in the MAC. McElwain has taken part in this bowl before, leading his Colorado State squad to a 48-45 victory over Washington State in 2013.

CMU, which won just one game in 2018, was the most-improved team in college football in ’19, winning six of its final seven regular-season games to capture its first outright MAC West Division title and earn its first bid to the league championship game since 2009. The Chips lost in the title game 26-21 to Miami of Ohio.

CMU led 14-10 at halftime but was outscored 16-7 in the final two quarters. Miami’s Sam Sloman kicked three field goals in the fourth quarter to keep the Chippewas at bay. The Chippewas were penalized 11 times for 75 yards, and several of the penalties came at critical points, including a holding penalty that wiped out a first down on what was unfolding a promising second-half drive, and a fourth-quarter targeting penalty on linebacker Troy Brown that resulted in the sophomore’s ejection.

Some Numbers

Tommy Lazzaro led the Chippewas with 48 yards rushing and two touchdowns, and quarterback Quinten Dormady completed 26 of 41 passes for 232 yards and a touchdown. His one interception was a back-breaker as it came on first down with CMU threatening at the Miami 27-yard line, trailing 20-14 with more than 10 minutes remaining. Dormady transferred to CMU from Tennessee and has thrown for 1,916 yards with 13 touchdowns this season.

Jonathan Ward is the 27th player in CMU history to rush for at least 1,000 yards in a season. He produced the 38th 1,000-yard season in program history when he rushed for 88 against Toledo. He has 1,082 yards for the season. Ward, who rushed for 1,019 yards in 2017, is the ninth player in program history to have put together multiple 1,000-yard rushing seasons.

With 977 rushing yards, sophomore Kobe Lewis needs 23 to reach 1,000, giving the Chippewas two 1,000-yard rushers in the same season for the first time in program history. Ward also ranks on both CMU’s single-season and career rushing touchdown lists. The senior ranks eighth on the career list with 28 and needs three TDs to move into a tie for seventh with Brian Pruitt (1992-94).

This is the first meeting between Central Michigan and San Diego State.

Why Bet on San Diego State?

The Aztecs (9-3) closed the season with a 13-3 win over BYU – they are a great defensive team. SDSU has gone 26 straight quarters without allowing more than one score. The last time San Diego State allowed multiple scores in a quarter was the second quarter vs. Wyoming on Oct. 12.

The Aztecs have allowed just 83 points over the last 26 quarters (3.2 points per quarter). SDSU’s defense ranks among the national leaders in nearly every statistical category. Among its highest rankings are: 2nd in rushing defense (72.3), 2nd in rushing yards allowed per carry (2.6), T-2nd in TD allowed (18), 4th in scoring defense (12.8), T-4th in rushing touchdowns allowed (7), T-4th in passing touchdowns allowed (10), 5th fewest plays of 20+ yards allowed (36), 5th in first downs allowed (190), 5th in total defense (288.6), 16th in passing efficiency rating (113.4) and 17th in passing yards per attempt (6.21).

Freshman Carson Baker threw for the go-ahead score in his first career start and Tariq Thompson had a strip-sack fumble recovery and an interception for San Diego State. The Cougars had beaten the Aztecs six straight times, including their final regular-season matchup in 2010 before leaving the MWC and going independent.

Baker Time

Baker had never taken a college snap before getting the start in place of senior Ryan Agnew, who sat out with an injured left calf. He completed 19 of 24 passes for 172 yards and a 25-yard scoring pass to tight end Daniel Bellinger. Baker became the first SDSU quarterback to start in a game having never previously thrown a pass since Ryan Lindley started on Aug. 30, 2008 vs. Cal Poly.

Baker became the fourth straight San Diego State quarterback to win in his starting debut, joining Maxwell Smith (Aug. 30, 2015 vs. San Diego), Christian Chapman (Dec. 5, 2015 vs. Air Force in the Mountain West Championship game) and Ryan Agnew (Sept. 15, 2018 vs. No. 23/25 Arizona State). Aztec quarterbacks were 1-13 in the previous 14 debuts prior to this stretch. SDSU improved to 32-2 over its last 34 games when owning a turnover advantage. San Diego State ranks third in turnover margin this season (+1.25) and leads the nation in the category since the start of the 2014 campaign (+0.75).

The Aztecs have clinched a 10th consecutive winning season, which is the second-longest streak in program history and the longest since a 17-year stretch from 1961-77. Since the start of the 2010 season, SDSU’s winning percentage (.679) is 15th nationally and is second in the state of California, trailing only Stanford (.737).

SDSU is looking to join elite company. With a win, the Aztecs would post their fourth double-digit victory season in the last five years. Currently, nine schools have a spot on that list with San Diego State and Michigan looking to join the group with a bowl victory.

Central Michigan vs San Diego State New Mexico Bowl Betting Trends

• Aztecs are 9-3 SU in their last 12 games
• Aztecs are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games when playing as the favorite
• The total has gone UNDER in 4 of San Diego State’s last 5 games played in December
• Chippewas are 6-2 SU in their last 8 games
• Chippewas are 8-2-1 ATS in their last 11 games this season
• The total has gone OVER in 6 of Central Michigan’s last 7 games played on a Saturday

Expert Final Score Prediction for Central Michigan vs San Diego State

Central Michigan 10 – San Diego State 17