Military Bowl
Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium - Annapolis, MD
Kickoff: Saturday, 1:00 p.m. ET
Line: Cincinnati -3, Total: 51

Cincinnati looks to add to its long winning streak when it takes on Virginia Tech at Saturday's Military Bowl in Annapolis, MD.

These schools are meeting for the second time in three seasons, as Cincinnati edged Virginia Tech 27-24 on a neutral field in 2012. Bearcats QB Gunner Kiel (3,010 pass yards, 30 TD, 11 INT) wasn’t around then, but he has led his team to seven straight wins (6-0-1 ATS) with 14 total touchdowns in that span. The Hokies have not gotten great production from QB Michael Brewer (17 TD, 14 INT), who has thrown for 300 yards just once all season. Although Virginia Tech is the superior defensive team (20.4 PPG allowed), Cincinnati gives up only 21.3 PPG away from home, where it is 4-2 (SU and ATS). The Bearcats are also 9-1 ATS in non-home games after playing two straight conference games over the past three seasons, outscoring teams by 16.1 PPG in this scenario. The Hokies are 12-3 ATS in non-home games off a close conference win by 7 points or less under Frank Beamer, who was cleared to coach after undergoing throat surgery earlier this month. Both teams were blown out in bowl games last season (VT lost 42-12 to UCLA and Cincy fell 39-17 to UNC), but both are relatively injury-free for Saturday's tilt.

Which school will capture a Military Bowl victory on Saturday? For the answer, connect to College Football Best Bets for all the StatFox Experts picks throughout the 2014-15 bowl season. StatFox Dave is heating up with a 67% ATS mark (8-4) in College Football Best Bets since Nov. 20, while StatFox Brian is 59% ATS (10-7) in Best Bets since Nov. 12. Brian is a stellar 7-3 ATS in all bowl picks through Thursday, and StatFox Forecaster is also 7-3 ATS in bowl picks.

Virginia Tech has been a poor offensive team all season with only 23.3 PPG (98th in nation) on 225.2 passing YPG (71st in FBS) and 142.8 rushing YPG (96th in nation). QB Michael Brewer (2,598 rec yards, 6.2 YPA, 17 TD, 14 INT) has not had a great season, but threw 10 of his 14 picks in the first five games of the season, and has just 3 INT in his past six contests combined. But his accuracy has been dismal over the past three games (50.0% completion rate) where his team has scored a combined 44 points (14.7 PPG). He spreads the offense around nicely though, as four different receivers have between 370 and 670 receiving yards. Freshman WR Isaiah Ford (53 rec, 665 yards, 6 TD) and freshman TE Bucky Hodges (42 rec, 517 yards, 7 TD) are Brewer's first two options when he drops back. With RBs Marshawn Williams (475 rush yards, 4 TD), Shai McKenzie (269 rush yards, 5.1 YPC, 3 TD) and Trey Edmunds (86 rush yards, 5.1 YPC) all out with injuries, junior RB J.C. Coleman (376 rush yards, 4.6 YPC, 2 TD) will be the main ball carrier on Saturday. Coleman has been outstanding in his past three games with 311 rushing yards (95+ yards in each contest) on 5.6 YPC. The Virginia Tech defense is excellent, allowing only 20.4 PPG (18th in nation), but stops the run (145 YPG on 3.9 YPC) more effectively than the pass (187 passing YPG on 6.5 YPA).

Cincinnati's offense is potent, scoring 35.4 PPG (26th in nation) with 300.2 passing YPG (13th in FBS) and a respectable 157.6 YPG on the ground (70th in nation). QB Gunner Kiel (3,010 pass yards, 8.3 YPA, 30 TD, 11 INT) has six games with no interceptions, and six games with at least three touchdown passes. Five different receivers have more than 400 yards for the Bearcats, with WRs Mekale McKay (42 rec, 690 yards, 8 TD) and Shaq Washington (61 rec, 661 yards, 4 TD) leading the way. On the ground, the combination of RBs Mike Boone (601 rush yards, 6.6 YPC, 9 TD) and Rodriguez Moore (596 rush yards, 4.4 YPC, 5 TD) account for the majority of yards on the ground. The Cincinnati defense is allowing 26.8 PPG (66th in FBS) and surrenders 266 passing YPG (7.4 YPA) and 181 rushing YPG (4.8 YPC). But Cincy has forced at least one turnover in 11 of 12 games this season, including six instances of 2+ takeaways.