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Along with the holiday season comes NCAA bowl season, which kicks off this week and runs through to January 7th, when the BCS Championship game will crown a champion for the 2009 season.

The New Mexico Bowl gets the first taste of the Bowl spotlight with its date this Saturday night.

It features a matchup of the Fresno State Bulldogs taking on the Wyoming Cowboys. Online sportsbook have installed the Bulldogs as 12.5-point favorites, with an Over/Under of 55.

Bowl Game Trends:

- Fresno State has not thrived when favored by more than 8-points, going 3-8-1 ATS in their last 12 games with that situation.

- Wyoming has been solid in their last eight games when listed as an underdog in general – the Cowboys are 6-2 ATS in such situations.

SPORTSBETTING.com is reporting 70% of all the betting action on this bowl game so far has come in on the favored Bulldogs.

St. Petersburg Bowl

Also on Saturday, a bowl game that harkens back to the Middle Ages with the University of Central Florida Knights and the Rutgers Scarlet Knights meeting in the St. Petersburg Bowl.

The line in this one is much tighter with Rutgers favored by 2.5-points and the Total at 44.5.

The Scarlet Knights are -140 on the moneyline and in their last 20 games overall are 15-5 straight up.

The UCF Knights (+120 on the ML) are a decent 7-4 SU in their last 11 games overall but have been a very profitable 9-2 ATS in their last 11 starts.

Meanwhile, Rutgers has been atrocious when favored by 4-points or less, going 2-7 ATS in their last nine in that situation.

Central Florida is 8-4 ATS in their last 12 when an underdog of 4-points or less.

Online sportsbook are reporting a lean to the Scarlet Knights in betting action to this point, with Rutgers getting 57% of the volume.

Maaco Bowl Las Vegas

The 3.5-point favorite Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles will take on the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders on Sunday in the New Orleans Bowl but a more intriguing bowl takes place the following Tuesday when the No. 18 Oregon State battle the No. 14 Brigham Young Cougars in the Maaco Bowl Las Vegas.

The Beavers are favored by 2.5-points with the Total set at 61.

While Oregon State wanted a spot in a January bowl game (the Rose Bowl) it had to settle for one in December and bettors might want to look at their December numbers, as they are quite impressive.

OSU is 7-1 SU and ATS in their last eight December games and in their last 12 in that month are 9-3 ATS.

The Cougars, on the other hand, are 3-9 ATS in 12 December games dating back to 1996.

In the Beavers’ last 20 games when favored by 4-points or less, they are 15-5 SU.

The appetizers are being served and that should only whet the appetites of bettors leading up to the big January 1st and all the BCS bowl games.

Enjoy the NCAA college football betting Bowl season kick-off.