Holiday Bowl Picks, Predictions and Odds | NC State vs UCLA
Holiday Bowl Betting Preview
GoldSheet offers their Holiday Bowl betting preview between UCLA and NC State on Tuesday, December 28. At the time of posting, the Wolfpack from the ACC are holding steady as a 2-point favorite over the Bruins from the Pac-12, with the total at 60 points.
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| Holiday Bowl | Betting Notes |
|---|---|
| Point Spread: | NC State Wolfpack -2 vs UCLA Bruins |
| Total: | 60 Points |
| Game Time: | 8:00pm ET / 5:00pm PT on Tuesday, December 28 |
| Stadium: | Petco Park in San Diego |
| TV: | FOX |
Holiday Bowl Predictions
Out of the way-back machine for this bowl issue, we note the last time UCLA and NC State met on the gridiron, it was 1960 at the L.A. Coliseum, and the featured QBs were Roman Gabriel (Wolfpack) and Bill Kilmer (Bruins) in a 7-0 win for the Westwood side. Though, for any oldtimers, mention of NC State and UCLA instead conjures memories of basketball in the 1973-74 season, and a supposed “Game of the Century” in St. Louis that fizzled before a Final Four classic in Greensboro that didn’t (David Thompson and NCS ending John Wooden’s streak of seven straight NCAA titles in an 80-77 double-OT heartstopper).
Bowls and the Bruins haven’t happened since the pre-Chip Kelly days of 2017, which is apparently why UCLA is uncommonly excited for the bid to the Holiday Bowl, played this year at the MLB Padres’ Petco Park (which, by the way, has also hosted a basketball game before), and the first postseason experience for almost the entirety of the roster.
How excited? No Bruins have opted opt in prep for the NFL draft; the only expected absence is DT Otito Ogbonnia, nursing injury. It might also have some meaning for Kelly, in line for a contract extension that will be an easier sell with another high-profile win (earlier successes vs. lesser LSU and USC editions this season might not qualify).
UCLA will have to deal with the unreal efficiency of Pack QB Devin Leary (35 TDP vs. just 5 picks!) and big-play RB Bam Knight, who doubles as a return specialist and brought back kickoffs for TDs in back-to-back games this year. NC State, however, did most of its business within a lesser ACC, and its one challenge outside the loop resulted in a 24-10 beatdown administered by Mike Leach’s Mississippi State.
Meanwhile, the Bruins hit overdrive at the end of the season, specifically from the second half of the Colorado game onward when outscoring the Buffs, Trojans, and Cal Bears 138-47 across the last ten quarters of the campaign. A real running game led by Michigan transfer Zac Charbonnet (1137 YR) has a homerun dimension, and playmaker QB DTR accounted for 30 TDs via pass and run this season.
The senior-laden Bruins defense was also the best of the Kelly era, and if UCLA really is as excited as it claims, and plays like it did down the stretch, Leary is going to have to pitch a near-perfect game at the Padres’ park for NC State to overcome the regional edge the Bruins will enjoy playing not too far from home.
Interested in placing a bet on tonight’s Holiday 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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Holiday Bowl Stats
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 Holiday Bowl before diving into this FREE download.
College Football Daily
Join Joe Raineri, Dave Cokin, Tony Mejia and Bryan Leonard for College Football Daily as we preview this week’s bowl slate. In this episode, we’ll break down Purdue vs Tennessee (Music City Bowl); Pittsburgh vs Michigan State (Peach Bowl); Arizona St vs Wisconsin (Las Vegas Bowl); Rutgers vs Wake Forest (Gator Bowl).
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 Holiday Bowl showdown between UCLA and NC State, from your desktop or phone.
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