On Tuesday the Zaxby's Heart of Dallas Bowl pits the Utah Utes from the Pacific 12 Conference against
the West Virginia Mountaineers from the Big 12 Conference. So here is
my
analysis of the Zaxby's Heart of Dallas
Bowl based on the Complex Invasion College Football Production Model. The model uses data provided at www.cfbstats.com.
Prediction
Given the overall productivity of the two programs, the Complex Invasion College Football Production Model gives the edge to the Utah Utes. Below is a look at each of these two football programs during the 2017 regular season.
Utah Utes
The Utes finished the regular season at 7-5, playing against
an "average" strength
of schedule (SOS) as compared to the "league" average SOS, meaning
that Utah's SOS was between plus or minus one standard deviation of the
"league's" average SOS. This season the Utes' best victory was
over
#39 ranked Washington State by a score of (33-25) and their worst loss was to
#78 ranked Arizona State by a
score of
(10-30). Utah has the #41 ranked
team in total production with the #62
ranked offense and the #27 ranked defense from the Complex Invasion College Football Production Model.
West Virginia Mountaineers
The Mountaineers finished the regular season at 7-5, while playing against
a "tougher" strength
of schedule (SOS) as compared to the "league" average SOS, meaning that West Virginia's SOS was between one and two standard deviations lower than the "league" average SOS. For this season the Mountaineers' best victory was
over #35
ranked Iowa State by a score of (20-16). The Mountaineers' worst loss was
to #54
ranked Texas by a score of
(14-28). West Virginia has the #72 ranked
team in total production with the #18
ranked offense and the #110 ranked defense from the Complex Invasion College Football Production Model.
2017 Bowl Games
R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
Cure Bowl
Las Vegas Bowl
Gildan New Mexico Bowl
Raycom Media Camellia Bowl
Cheribundi Tart Cherry Roca Baton Bowl
DXL Frisco Bowl
Bad Boy Mower Gasparilla Bowl
Bahamas Bowl
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Birmingham Bowl
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl
Dollar General Bowl
Hawaii Bowl