Close
Help
Settings
Salute to Veterans Bowl & Celebration Bowl: Should you include them in your Bowls betting?

Salute to Veterans Bowl & Celebration Bowl: Should you include them in your Bowls betting?

Written by on December 13, 2024

NCAAF News and Betting Previews| Xbet.ag

Should you include them in your Bowls Betting? If you choose to, you’ll want to read our preview first.

When we think about college football bowl season today, we’re used to having teams most of us haven’t heard much about playing on ESPN at odd times from the middle of December all the way to Christmas Day.

Not counting the College Football Playoff first-round games, there are a total of 41 bowl games this year. That’s a big increase from, say, 1974, when there were only 11.

If you weren’t ranked and/or in a major conference, you weren’t going to a bowl game. The Big Ten only allowed one team to go to a bowl game back then, when they sent their champion to the Rose Bowl and kept everyone else at home.

Now we have 82 FBS teams (out of 134) playing, in addition to two FCS HBCU programs. Starting on December 14, bowl season gets underway – so let’s look at the first two games on the slate.

 

Bowls Betting Odds & Picks for Salute to Veterans Bowl & Celebration Bowl

 

Salute to Veterans Bowl: South Alabama Jaguars (-8.5) vs Western Michigan Broncos (O/U 57.5)

When: Saturday, December 14, 12:00 pm ET, ABC
Where: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
Bowls Betting Prediction: Jaguars to win and cover

South Alabama Jaguars

Did you know that South Alabama is the best 6-6 team among the Group of Five conferences? If they hadn’t finished 1-4 in one-score games, they would have been contenders in the Sun Belt Conference. They face a Western Michigan team that started their MAC slate with four wins, but then fell apart down the stretch.

This line has dropped by two points since it opened at South Alabama -10.5. The Jaguars (6-6, 5-3 Sun Belt) dropped their last game of the regular season to Texas State, 45-38, and finished fourth in the Sun Belt West. The major reason for this line shift, though, is that Jaguars quarterback Gio Lopez is questionable for the game.

Without Lopez (or with a limited Lopez), the South Alabama offense may be less productive in Atlanta. Their offense was their calling card, scoring 34.8 points per game. They allow 25.3 points per game, so they have to find the end zone four times if they plan to win. Their defense gives up 253.3 yards through the air, which ranks 117th among FBS programs, so they will have to find a way to limit the chunk plays on defense.

Lopez’s numbers were impressive, so if he can go, the Jaguars should benefit. He threw for 2,559 yards with an 18:5 TD:INT ratio. He only took 14 sacks in 12 games. The top rusher was Fluff Bothwell (832 yards, 13 TD), and the top receiver was Jamal Pritchett (1,127 yards, 9 TD). Blayne Myrick led the defense with 92 tackles, and Courtney McBride had the most sacks, with five. Jaden Voisin had five interceptions to pace the secondary.

^
 

Western Michigan Broncos

(6-6, 5-3 MAC) finished their regular season with a win, stopping Eastern Michigan, 26-18, to end a three-game skid. As a result, the Broncos finished fifth in the MAC.

The transfer portal has pulled five players off the Broncos’ bowl game roster, including a pair of defensive backs. Even with those defensive backs on the field, though, the Broncos weren’t that strong at stopping the opposition. They permitted 31.4 points and 404.3 yards per game, ranking 109th and 101st, respectively, among FBS programs. They did score 29.4 points (55th) and pick up 374.4 yards (82nd) per game, but if they don’t score, things get hard in a hurry.

Quarterback Hayden Wolff threw for 2,214 yards and 17 touchdowns with seven interceptions, taking 21 sacks in 12 games. His top receiver was Kenneth Womack (456 yards, 1 TD), while Jaden Nixon led all rushers with 874 yards and a dozen scores. Blake Bosma had 403 receiving yards and six touchdown catches, but he has already left via the transfer portal. The top tackler was linebacker Donald Willis, with 99, and Corey Walker led the team in sacks with 5 ½. Tate Hallock picked off four passes.

Even with Lopez out or limited, the fact that the Jaguars run for 194.3 yards per game, good for 27th among FBS schools, means that Western Michigan will have a hard time getting their defense off the field. The Broncos’ rushing defense ranked just 111th in the nation, giving up 186.3 yards per game. Expect both teams to put up plenty of points, but South Alabama should end up dominating the game’s rhythm.

^
 

Celebration Bowl: South Carolina State Bulldogs (+2.5) vs Jackson State Tigers (O/U 53.5)

When: Saturday, December 14, 9:00 pm ET, ESPN
Where: Cramton Bowl, Montgomery, Alabama
Bowls Betting Prediction: Bulldogs to cover

This is the bowl game featuring FCS teams, and both of these programs started poorly, getting out of the gate to a combined 3-4 start. Their records finished at a combined 20-4. Jackson State lost at Grambling in Week 4, 41-20, but since then they have reeled off nine wins in a row by an average of 40-16. They routed Southern by 28 to win the SWAC title. South Carolina State has an eight-game winning streak, with an average result of 42-18, since they fell to Georgia Southern in Week 3.

 

Jackson State Tigers

(11-2, 9-0 SWAC) ranked fifth among FCS teams in scoring offense behind quarterback Jacobian Morgan, who threw for 2,003 yards and 19 touchdowns with seven interceptions, completing 63% of his passes. He also ran for 297 yards and six touchdowns. However, he was injured in the SWAC Championship against Southern and is doubtful for Saturday’s game. Backup Zy Mcdonald is also on the shelf, so third-stringer Cam’Ron McCoy is next in line.

He has completed 18 of 38 passes on the year for 310 yards and four touchdowns with an interception. He’s also run for 163 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The team’s top receiver is Joanes Fortilien (584 yards, 9 TD), although Isiah Spencer (537 yards, 4 TD) and Ja’Naylon Durpee (325 yards, 5 TD) have also contributed. Tailback Irv Mulligan leads the team on the ground with 1,168 yards and 11 scores. Travis Terrell Jr is the other tailback in the tandem, with 459 yards and four touchdowns. On defense, Joshua Nobles is the playmaker, with nine sacks and two forced fumbles; he is third on the team in tackles. Robert McDaniels has three interceptions, two forced fumbles, and 3 ½ sacks.

^
 

South Carolina State Bulldogs

(9-2, 5-0 MEAC) has prospered behind quarterback Eric Phoenix, who has thrown for 2,469 yards and 20 touchdowns with seven interceptions. He has also run for 244 yards and a pair of touchdowns. However, he was injured for the MEAC finale against Morgan State and is doubtful for Saturday. Backup Ryan Stubblefield has thrown for 454 yards and five scores; on the ground, he has four touchdowns.

The top receiver is Caden High, with 892 yards and seven touchdowns. Justin Smith-Brown has 725 receiving yards and four touchdowns. On the ground, Kazarius Adams (499 yards, 5 TD) and Deondra Duehart (469 yards, 7 TD) have basically split the duties equally. On defense, Ashaad Hall has 11 sacks, three forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery. Jayden Broughton has seven sacks, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. Jarson Washington has ten passes defensed and two pick-sixes. Diego Addison has three interceptions, and he took one of them to the house for a score.

In a game with two backup quarterbacks, rushing defense will be a priority as both teams look to force the other to throw the ball from second- and third-and-long situations. South Carolina State’s defense is better than Jackson State’s, and I have them not only covering but getting the upset.

^
 
Xbet NCAA Football Odds for the Game

Bowls Betting Odds for Salute to Veterans Bowl & Celebration Bowl

Love betting Football? | Xbet Sportsbook offers up to date NCAAF Odds for 2024/25 Season

Help Center