Gator Bowl Picks and Predictions | Wake Forest vs Rutgers

Gator Bowl Betting Preview

Sportsmemo college football handicapper JM Sports offers his Wake Forest vs Rutgers Gator Bowl betting preview for Friday, December 31. At the time of posting, the Demon Deacons from the ACC have climbed to a 15-point favorite over the Scarlet Knights from the Big Ten, with the total sitting at 62 points.

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Gator Bowl	Betting Notes
Point Spread:	Wake Forest Demon Deacons -15 vs Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Total:	62 Points
Game Time:	11:00am ET / 8:00am PT on Friday, December 31
Stadium:	TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville
TV:	ESPN

Gator Bowl Analysis

This has to be one of the strangest bowl games that we have ever seen. After Texas A&M backed out of the game, Rutgers was the next team up, the Oversight Committee came to the decision that the team with the highest multiyear Academic Progress Rate was the final determining factor, which put Rutgers at the top of the list.

There was also a tentative ruling put on the game that could potentially back this game all the way up to January 10th if it is deemed necessary to have extra time for either team to compare. Rutgers has also been at the top of the list in COVID vaccinations so coach Schiano doesn’t think that will be an issue. Coach Schiano has also spoke out about the players that had the intention of entering the draft, anyone who signed with an agent and wants to play shouldn’t have an issue getting the necessary waiver in order to play in a game of this magnitude.

When you look at these two teams statistically, things look a little one sided, but Rutgers has been playing a tough schedule, just as many teams in the B10 teams have. Rutgers sits at #34 in SOS this season, and while their offense sits above the 100th marker in most statistical categories, the defense has outplayed Wake Forest in every aspect other then the pass game. Rutgers is allowing under 25 points per game, on 391 YPG, which stems from the opposition putting up 5.94 YPP.

The biggest difference between these two teams is the absolutely explosive offense that is the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. When you look at the defensive side of things they are allowing just over 5 PPG more then Rutgers, over 30 more YPG, on top of allowing 40 more yards rushing per game then Rutgers has allowed on average.

Yet, offensively, Wake Forest offense is hard to compete with, they are superior to a good majority of the FBS. Wake Forest is #5 in the nation putting up over 41 PPG, #10 in YPG behind almost 470 yards on average, which stems from over 300 yards per game through the air!

In less then a week, Wake Forest went from a 7 point underdog to a double digit favorite in the same game. That is massively in their benefits in terms of ATS record, Wake Forest had lost 3 straight games as a dog this season, but they have covered 4 consecutive games as a favorite (5-2 in the L7) and in those 4 games, Wake Forest has covered by over 15 points per game.

Sticking with the side that benefits Wake Forest, they are 8-4 SU & ATS in bowl games, but teams that are a double digit favorite off a L are 4-14 ATS (although, 3-1 in the L4). The massive difference in offense and defense can be shown in just the L3 games, teams that allowed over 40 points and lost, followed by a win where they put up 40+, followed by another loss where they allowed over 40 points are 13-6 ATS. A team has scored over 40 points in each of their L3 games, and one of the best offenses in the country only did that in 1 out of those 3 games.

Rutgers is excited for this game, they haven’t been in a bowl since 2014 and most of their players have no idea what it is like to be in a bowl game, so coming into bowl season, anticipating that you missed yet another bowl has to be a hard pill to swallow, especially for the graduating class.

Rutgers has covered all 3 games against non-conference opponents this season, on top of cashing in on both games that they had the rest advantage, and Wake Forest is sitting on a whole week less rest. Although, Rutgers is 2-4 ATS as a dog, 2-4 off a L, and 1-3 as a double digit dog. Rutgers is also 4-1-1 ATS in the L6 games against a non-conference opponent following B2B L’s, and 17-12-1 in their history. Rutgers is also 1-9-1 ATS vs. non-conference opponents off a L by 20+ points.

Interested in placing a bet on Friday’s Gator Bowl? BetMGM is offering a $1,000 Risk-Free Bet for first-time bettors in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Indiana, Colorado, Tennessee, Iowa, Michigan, Virginia, Washington DC, Wyoming, Mississippi, Arizona and Louisiana.

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Gator Bowl Preview from GoldSheet

Not easy, we hear, for Greg Schiano to round up his Rutgers squad that thought its season (and bowl hopes) ended in a heavy Nov. 27 loss to Maryland. By which point the Scarlet Knights’ season had completely unraveled, a 3-0 break from the gate a distant memory as the offense was held to 16 points or fewer in seven of the last nine games, wins only vs. non-bowl Illinois and Indiana.

Reflective of the late-season downturn, former Nebraska transfer QB Noah Vedral didn’t throw a TD passes in the last five games, yielding a handful snaps to frosh Evan Simon in the most-recent losses, as the offense fell to 118th in the country, and only ranked as high as 113 in scoring (20.5 ppg) because it piled up 106 across a pair of wins vs. Temple and Delaware; throw out those two scorelines and the Scarlet Knights scored only a paltry 14 ppg, also their Big Ten total.

Trading points with one of the nation’s most-lethal offenses looks a big ask; as the non-Rutgers, Wake ranked 10th nationally at 469 ypg and an even-better 5th in scoring at 41.2 ppg behind prolific QB Sam Hartman and his 36 TDP. Though ACC sources report the Deacs were keyed up to face an SEC foe, they also look forward to a payback vs. the Big Ten after losing bowl games to Michigan State and Wisconsin the past two years, not to mention a chance to erase the bitter taste of the ACC title loss to Pitt. As Rutgers’ last three losses have been by 49, 28, and 24 points, even a moderately-focused Wake should be able to extend the margin.

2021-22 College Football Bowl Guide

College football handicappers Ralph Michaels and JM Sports have put together a 66-page Bowl Betting Guide featuring everything from first quarter scoring to yards per point to plays per minute. Don’t place a bet on the New Years bowls before diving into this FREE download.

Gator Bowl Video Preview

WagerTalk college football handicappers Dave Cokin, Tony Mejia and Bryan Leonard offer their Gator Bowl betting preview on College Football Daily.

WagerTalk Live Odds Screen

WagerTalk’s live odds screen features up-to-the-minute lines from a variety of offshore and domestic sports books. Track the moneylines, point spreads, first half lines and betting percentages for all of the college football bowl games, including this Gator Bowl showdown between Wake Forest and Rutgers, from your desktop or phone.

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