Motivated UCF right at home

Before the bowl dominoes started falling and dismantling some teams' postseason plans, Rutgers coach Greg Schiano had created a schedule centered around a post-Christmas matchup against a team from a major conference.

Practice schedules were drawn up and recruiting trips mapped out based on the Scarlet Knights' expectations of playing sometime after Christmas.

As fate would have it, however, the chips fell in such a fashion that Rutgers was relegated to a bid in today's St. Petersburg Bowl against Conference USA entry Central Florida.

Not exactly what Schiano and his team had in mind.

Motivation can play a prominent role in the early bowls, and the Rutgers-Central Florida game appears to fall in that category -- one team perhaps wishing it was somewhere else and the other primed to play an opponent from a bigger conference.

The site of the game also puts a check mark in Central Florida's corner because St. Petersburg is approximately 100 miles from its campus.

Central Florida is coached by George O'Leary and led by running back Brynn Harvey, a sophomore who has rushed for 1,077 yards and 14 touchdowns.

In recent years, Big East bowl favorites of 61/2 points or fewer are just 2-6 against the spread (ATS). With motivational, site and technical edges all on their side, take the Golden Knights as 21/2-point underdogs.

More bowl plays over the next seven days:

NEW MEXICO BOWL, Today

• Wyoming (+11) over Fresno State -- If this game was played in September or even midseason, Fresno State might be the more attractive side. But the bowl season is a different animal.

While the Bulldogs have basked in the glow of challenging top-flight Bowl Championship Series competition during coach Pat Hill's tenure, they are cast here in their less desirable role of laying double-digit points.

Fresno State has failed to cover in its past five attempts as a bowl favorite, and one should expect Wyoming to be highly motivated in just its second bowl appearance in the past 16 years and only its 12th in program history.

MAACO BOWL LAS VEGAS, Tuesday

• Brigham Young-Oregon State (Over 581/2) -- Money has come in under the total since this game opened in Las Vegas, but I still believe these high-flying offenses will put up points. BYU averages 34.8 points per game, and Oregon State comes in at 32.4.

Neither squad does a great job of pressuring the passer, and quarterbacks Max Hall and Sean Canfield are likely selections in April's NFL Draft. Oregon State, led by Jacquizz and James Rodgers, averaged 35 points per game in Pac-10 play.

POINSETTIA BOWL, Wednesday

• Utah (+4) over California -- In this type of matchup, it is difficult to imagine the Pac-10 team bringing the same collective amount of energy to the table as its Mountain West opponent.

Although not on the same level as some of its recent editions, Utah has been a solid bowl performer in the past, recording a 9-3 ATS mark in its past 12 postseason appearances. It does not hurt that Cal's top offensive playmaker, Jahvid Best, is not expected to play because of injury.

HAWAII BOWL, Thursday

• Southern Methodist (+15) over UNR -- Former Hawaii coach June Jones wasted little time in raising SMU's program from the Division I scrap pile, getting the Mustangs a ticket into the postseason in his second year.

SMU is treating this minor bowl appearance as its Super Bowl and should get the royal treatment in Jones' return to the Islands.

Meanwhile, UNR faced Fresno State and Boise State in two of its final three regular-season games and probably will not bring the same intensity.

Last week: 4-3 against the spread

Season: 42-41-1

Texas-based handicapper Paul Stone of Vegassportsauthority.com is providing college football analysis for the Las Vegas Review-Journal this season.