Armed Forces Bowl
Armed Forces Bowl Thursday afternoon when the Houston Cougars take on the Air Force Falcons in the Armed Forces Bowl, it should prove to be a very interesting match-up.

The Cougars and their top-rated passing offense led by Davey O'Brien Award finalist Case Keenum look to overcome the Falcons' top-ranked passing defense in Fort Worth.

NCAA odds makers are calling the Cougars the favorite in this one. The line in Vegas is sitting at, Houston -5 with the total in the contest set at 63.

Last year, Houston ended an eight-game losing streak in bowl games with a 34-28 victory over Air Force. Keenum threw for one score and ran for two more as the Cougars avenged a 31-28 home loss to the Falcons in the regular season.

"We had a great experience last year and we played in a
great game against a formidable opponent," Houston coach Kevin Sumlin said. "We look forward to another great game this season, and we expect a great challenge from a very good Air Force team."

This season Keenum threw for over 5,400 yards and 43 touchdowns.

Air Force's offense offers a complete contrast to Houston, featuring the fourth-ranked rushing attack in the country at 273.6 yards per game. That's clearly a bad matchup for the Cougars, who rank 112th in allowing 213.1 yards per game on the ground.

Running backs Jared Tew and Asher Clark each gained more than 700 yards and combined for 12 touchdowns. Tew rushed for 149 yards and two scores in last year's bowl as Air Force held the ball for more than 38 minutes.

Things should be a little different this year.

Take the Cougars and give the 5 points.