5* Compass Bowl *BEST BET*

Southern Methodist vs. Pittsburgh, 01/07/2012 13:00 EDT, Score: 28 - 6

Point Spread: +4/-115 Southern Methodist

Sportsbook: Bovada

Result: Win

5* Compass Bowl *BEST BET* (ESPN) on SMU +4
This is a difficult situation for Pittsburgh, which will be playing without coach Todd Graham, who accepted a position at ASU. The players enter this contest feeling cheated by Graham, who informed the team by text message that he was leaving.

On his Twitter account, Panthers wide receiver Devin Street posted: "If y'all say we can't get mad. Y'all are crazy you grown men out there how would you feel if you been lied to and used."

On top of the unrest, Pittsburgh, which had hopes of a Big East title, can't be excited to be back in the Compass Bowl for a second straight season.

I expect SMU to be the more organized and hungry team, and the chance to get June Jones his 100th collegiate victory adds extra incentive.

Both teams are solid defensively, but SMU has the edge on offense. The Mustangs rank 50th nationally with 396 ypg. They rank 23rd in passing offense with 277.8 ypg. The Panthers rank just 83rd in total offense with 362.2 ypg and should struggle against SMU's passing attack with a defense that ranks 72nd in the nation against the pass with 233.2 ypg allowed. We'll take the points.