Offense gives edge to Baylor

It was a tough task to follow in the footsteps of Robert Griffin III, but senior quarterback Nick Florence filled in impressively this season for Baylor.

The Bears were outstanding down the stretch, winning four of their last five games while going 5-0 against the spread. A 42-34 loss at Oklahoma was the only blemish, but Baylor easily took the cash as a 21-point underdog, and coach Art Briles' team went on to defeat three bowl-bound opponents from the Big 12 Conference.

Of course, the Bears handed Kansas State its only loss in a 52-24 blowout before winning at Texas Tech and dropping Oklahoma State.

After spending most of his career in the shadows of a former Heisman Trophy winner, Florence enjoyed a banner season. He has completed 61.2 percent of his passes for 4,120 yards with a 31-to-13 touchdown-to-interception ratio. He also produced 531 rushing yards and nine touchdowns.

Florence has one of the nation's best wide receivers in Terrance Williams, who has 95 receptions for 1,764 yards and 12 touchdowns. The Bears are also dynamic on the ground with the trio of Lache Seastrunk, Jarred Salubi and Glasco Martin, which combined to rush for more than 2,000 yards and 21 TDs.

Baylor (7-5) will take its three-game winning streak to San Diego on Thursday to face UCLA (9-4) in the Holiday Bowl. The Bruins are 1-point favorites at most sports books.

Jim Mora did a terrific job in his first year at UCLA, coaching the team to the Pacific-12 Conference title game. However, the Bruins missed out on a trip to the Rose Bowl with a gut-wrenching loss to Stanford.

Behind strong performances from Florence and Williams, look for the Bears to finish with a win in what should be one of the most exciting bowl games.

Two more plays for upcoming bowls:

■ Las Vegas Bowl, today, Washington-Boise State (Over 44) - This is the lowest total each team has seen this season, and neither had a total lower than 47. The Broncos' last five games produced the following combined scores: 59, 40, 63, 56 and 48.

Huskies quarterback Keith Price played his best in the last three regular-season games, throwing for nine touchdowns compared to one interception. The same can be said for Boise State's Joe Southwick, who had seven touchdown passes without an interception in the last three games. With a low number and a pair of hot quarterbacks, look over the total.

■ Independence Bowl, Friday, Louisiana-Monroe (-7) over Ohio - In games started and finished by quarterback Kolton Browning, Monroe went 8-2 straight up and ATS. Browning has tortured opponents, throwing 27 touchdown passes compared to seven interceptions. He also led the Warhawks in rushing with 441 yards and seven scores.

But the main factor driving this play is Ohio's injury woes. The Bobcats have been crippled of depth and talent by the loss of 11 starters to season-ending injuries. The result was four losses in their last five games. Even worse, coach Frank Solich's team is mired in a miserable 1-7 ATS slump.

Last week: 3-0 against the spread

Season: 43-15-1

Brian Edwards of VegasInsider.com and BrianEdwardsSports.com is providing college football analysis for the Las Vegas Review-Journal.