One of the better bowl games each year is the Holiday Bowl. It usually involves a lot of points and close games. That tradition may continue this year as Arizona State and Texas do battle. The Longhorns finished 13th in the country in total offense and 19th in scoring offense. Arizona State can also put up points as they are led by quarterback Rudy Carpenter. SBG Global reports that early college football betting has the public taking Texas on the Road.

Texas was expected to be in a BCS bowl game this season but a loss in their final game of the regular season against Texas A&M ruined that plan. Texas head coach Mack Brown was not happy about the loss and has been telling his players all of the jobs on the team are open. Although Texas had a potent offense they turned it over way too many times. They finished 79th in the country in turnover margin and a big culprit was quarterback Colt McCoy who threw 18 interceptions. The defense was also a problem for Texas. They were pathetic against the pass, allowing 275 yards per game. That could be a big problem against Carpenter and the Sun Devils. Carpenter was third in the Pac-10 in passing, throwing for over 3,000 yards. The problem for ASU was protecting Carpenter. He was sacked 51 times this season, third worst in the country. The strength of ASU was the defense. They ranked 21st in the country overall and were 13th in the country against the run. Texas running back Jamaal Charles could have a tough time running against the ASU defense.