College Football Insider: Who's Going To Win the Champs Sports Bowl?

The College Football bowl season has finally arrived and we are starting to see these games get played and some of them have been pretty exciting as we open things up.

While the Champs Sports Bowl may not be a bowl that many people watch, you can be assured that fans of both the West Virginia Mountaineers and the N.C. State Wolfpack will be watching that game cheering for their favorite team.

Let’s take an analytical look at which team should end up winning the Champs Sports Bowl and why.

When the Mountaineers have the Ball

West Virginia’s offense is lead by quarterback Geno Smith and running back Noel Divine.  Smith has been doing pretty well through the air this season, completing 219 passes out of 333 attempts for 2567 yards and 23 touchdowns. 

Smith has also thrown just six interceptions so he’s not that adept at making the kinds of mistakes that other quarterbacks at his level make.  

Noel Devine has rushed 201 times for 886 yards and six touchdowns this season. He has shown that he possesses some good moves and is a threat to break a long one each time he gets his hands on the ball. 

There is also running back Ryan Clarke who has rushed for 291 yards on 80 attempts and eight touchdowns.

When it comes to catching the ball, the Mountaineers have a couple of good receivers, both with over 600 yards of receiving. They are Tavon Austin (with 53 catches for 575 yards and eight touchdowns) and Jock Sanders (64 catches fro 670 yards and four touchdowns). 

It’s true that West Virginia may not have the most explosive passing offense but they at least have targets that they can get the ball too and make a difference.

The Mountaineers are averaging around 376 yards per game while the Wolfpack defense is allowing 340 yards per game. West Virginia is getting 162 rushing yards per game (the Wolfpack is allowing 113 yards per game) and averaging 214 yards per game through the air (the Wolfpack is allowing teams to gain 227 yards).

On offense, West Virginia is getting about 26 points per game while the Wolfpack defense is allowing teams to score 22 points per game on offense. So this makes the match between the Mountaineers offense and Wolfpack defense a pretty even affair.

The question is, can the Mountaineers overcome whatever it is NC State will throw at them on defense? 

West Virginia’s offense has been known to be a little hot and cold at times, but if they fall behind would the Mountaineers have enough to come back? 

They could find out in this game.

When the Wolfpack has the Ball

NC State’s offense is led by quarterback Russell Wilson. Wilson has attempted a whopping 482 passes, completing 280 of them for 3288 yards, 26 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. 

He’s been hot at times but has struggled at other times.  

Their rushing attack is led by both Mustafa Green (131 attempts for 584 yards with four touchdowns and an average of 4.5 yards per carry) along with Russell Wilson (129 attempts for 394 yards with nine touchdowns and an average of 3.1 yards per carry). 

The Wolfpack’s rushing attack isn’t that strong but they have used it to effectively control the ball at times.  

The Wolfpack’s receiving corps consist of Owen Spencer who has caught 57 passes for 868 yards and four touchdowns, and two other players with four touchdown catches a piece (Jarvis Williams and T.J. Graham). 

The Wolfpack like to spread the ball around and this makes it hard for the opposing defense to concentrate on any one receiver. The Mountaineers secondary will have their hands full in this game.

N.C. State is averaging 406 yards per game while the Mountaineers defense is giving up just 251 yards per game. The Wolfpack is gaining around 125 yards on the ground per game while West Virginia’s defense is allowing just 85 yards per game on the ground.

West Virginia’s defense has been limiting teams to 166 yards of passing per game while NC State is getting an average of 281 yards per game through the air.  

If the Mountaineers want to stop the Wolfpack they have to stop their passing attack.

NC State is averaging 32 points per game while West Virginia’s defense is giving up just 12.

Analysis

It looks like this is going to be a pretty nice matchup between two teams that are even in some aspects. 

The Mountaineers have the stronger defense and a much better rushing attack than NC State has and if West Virginia can control the ball, and keep it out of Wilson’s hands, then they have a great shot at winning this game.

NC State needs to get an early lead and keep the Mountaineers guessing on defense to have a shot at winning this game. 

As mentioned, the Wolfpack like to spread the ball around to several different receivers so West Virginia’s secondary is going to have their hands full. But if they can successfully cover those wide receivers and not allow them to make too many catches then this game should be winnable.

In order for the Wolfpack to win this game, they have to stop Devine and Smith. 

Teams that have beaten the Mountaineers this season have found that to be the best way to stop West Virginia. The question is, can this happen? 

When their offense is on target and playing well, West Virginia is hard to stop so look for NC State to try to throw them off balance and make things difficult for the Mountaineers two playmakers.

Special teams could also play a pivotal role in this game. Field position will be important and if one of these two teams is lucky enough to get a return for a touchdown that could end up being the difference in this game.

Prediction

Right now, the oddsmakers have this game pretty even but the fan consensus thinks that the Mountaineers will win this game. 

With their ability to be explosive at times on offense as well as play strong defense it is getting difficult to imagine that they will lose this game.  

West Virginia 28 NC State 17