Miami Beach Bowl Betting: Central Michigan vs. Tulsa Odds, Analysis and Pick

Tulsa finished the regular season on a 6-1 run against the spread; at the other end of the stick, Central Michigan finished on a 1-4 ATS slide. A hot Golden Hurricane outfit will play as a double-digit favorite against a chilly Chippewas team in the Miami Beach Bowl on December 19.

Miami Beach Bowl point spread: The Golden Hurricane opened as 11-point favorites, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark (line updates and matchup report).

College football pick, via OddsShark computer: 46.0-23.4 Golden Hurricane (college football picks on every game)

Why the Central Michigan Chippewas can cover the spread

CMU lost four of its last five games but made a bowl for the third straight season. And the Chips had chances in some of those losses. As 10-point underdogs, they trailed Toledo by only a touchdown into the fourth quarter before fading. They then blew a two-touchdown lead in a loss to Kent State. And later, following a victory over MAC East champion Ohio, Central Michigan lost at Eastern Michigan 26-21 on an Eagles score with just 20 seconds left on the clock.

The Chippewas can also claim one of the more improbable victories of this college football season: a 30-27 upset of Oklahoma State in Stillwater back in Week 2.

Why the Tulsa Golden Hurricane can cover the spread

Tulsa finished with five wins in its last six games, including a 40-37 come-from-behind overtime victory over Cincinnati in the season finale. The Hurricane fell down to the Bearcats 14-0 in the first quarter and later trailed 24-7 and 34-24 with six minutes to go. But they rallied to force overtime on a field goal at the buzzer and then won on James Flanders' second touchdown run of the day in the bottom of the extra period.

On the day, Tulsa racked up 611 yards on offense, including 306 on the ground, 197 by Flanders, who has now hit the 100-yard mark seven times in the last nine games.

The Hurricane have now outgained each of their last six opponents and outrushed four of their last five foes. Tulsa is also 3-0 ATS this year when favored by two touchdowns or less.

Smart pick

Tulsa ranks sixth in the country in total offense (523 yards per game) and eighth in rushing (262 YPG). Central Michigan, meanwhile, might be without its leading rusher, Devon Spalding, who is iffy with a bad shoulder. So the Chips might be even more one-dimensional on offense than usual. And let's face it: CMU shouldn't even be in a bowl. Take Tulsa, minus the points, at online betting sites.

Betting trends

Tulsa is 5-1-1 ATS in its last seven games.

The total has gone over in eight of Tulsa's last 10 games.

Central Michigan is 1-4 ATS in its last five games after a loss.

All college football lines and betting trends courtesy of Bleacher Report’s official odds partner, OddsShark. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line-movement updates and the OddsShark YouTube page for picks and analysis, or download the free odds tracker app.