The total opened high at 76 points for the Holiday Bowl at Qualcomm Stadium on December 27, but the Baylor Bears and UCLA Bruins might be up to that challenge at a combined 17-7 on the OVER/UNDER this season.
For updated lines and totals on all of this year's bowl games head over to the college football betting boards at 5Dimes, , and BetOnline today.
Holiday Bowl
Thursday, December 27 @ 9:45pm ET
Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California
Team: Baylor Bears
Conference: Big 12
Records: 7-5 SU, 8-4 ATS, 8-3 OU
Team: UCLA Bruins
Conference: Pacific-12
Records: 9-4 SU, 8-5 ATS, 9-4 OU
Opening Spread / Total (from BetOnline)
Pick'em / 76 Points
Holiday Bowl Betting Trends: Favorites are 11-3 ATS in past 14 Holiday Bowls . . . Past four Holiday Bowls played UNDER total.
Holiday Bowl History
Data includes original name of bowl, current name, teams, point spread of the second listed team, SU winner and ATS winner.
| 1995 | Holiday Bowl | Colorado State | 21 | Kansas State | 54 | -8 | KAN.ST | KAN.ST |
| 1996 | Holiday Bowl | Colorado | 33 | Washington | 21 | 6 | COLO | COLO |
| 1997 | Holiday Bowl | Colorado State | 35 | Missouri | 24 | 3 | COLOST | COLOST |
| 1998 | Holiday Bowl | Nebraska | 20 | Arizona | 23 | 3.5 | ARIZON | ARIZON |
| 1999 | Holiday Bowl | Washington | 20 | Kansas State | 24 | 11 | KAN.ST | KAN.ST |
| 2000 | Holiday Bowl | Texas | 30 | Oregon | 35 | 7 | OREG | OREG |
| 2001 | Holiday Bowl | Washington | 43 | Texas | 47 | -13.5 | WASH | TEXAS |
| 2002 | Holiday Bowl | Kansas State | 34 | Arizona State | 27 | 17.5 | ARIZST | KAN.ST |
| 2003 | Holiday Bowl | Texas | 28 | Washington State | 20 | 9 | WSHST | TEXAS |
| 2004 | Holiday Bowl | Texas Tech | 45 | California | 31 | -10.5 | TXTECH | TXTECH |
| 2005 | Holiday Bowl | Oklahoma | 17 | Oregon | 14 | -3 | OKLA | OKLA |
| 2006 | Holiday Bowl | Texas A&M | 10 | California | 45 | -3.5 | CAL | CAL |
| 2007 | Holiday Bowl | Texas | 52 | Arizona State | 34 | 1 | TEXAS | TEXAS |
| 2008 | Holiday Bowl | Oregon | 42 | Oklahoma State | 31 | 1 | OREG | OREG |
| 2009 | Holiday Bowl | Nebraska | 33 | Arizona | 0 | 2 | NEBR | NEBR |
| 2010 | Holiday Bowl | Washington | 19 | Nebraska | 7 | -13.5 | WASH | WASH |
| 2011 | Holiday Bowl | California | 10 | Texas | 21 | -3 | TEXAS | TEXAS |
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California is 8-3 SU in its last 11 bowl games and Texas is 7-2 SU in its last nine; after missing out on bowling last season, both programs will want to keep their winning traditions alive in this year’s Holiday Bowl.
For lines and totals on all of this year's bowl games head over to the college football betting board at 5Dimes today.
Holiday Bowl
Wednesday, December 28 @ 8:00pm ET
Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California
Team: California Golden Bears
Conference: Pacific 12
Records: 7-5 SU, 7-5 ATS, 5-7 OU
Team: Texas Longhorns
Conference: Big 12
Records: 7-5 SU, 6-6 ATS, 6-5-1 OU
Spread / Total (from 5Dimes)
Texas -3.0 / 47.5 Points
After failing to earn bowl eligibility last year, both the California Bears and Texas Longhorns return to bowl season in 2011 to face each other in the Holiday Bowl. Cal had gone bowling in seven straight years before their streak ended in 2010; for Texas, it was 12 straight years.
While both teams finished with an identical straight up record of 7-5 and comparable records ATS (Cal was 7-5 ATS, Texas was 6-6), Cal enters bowl season in sharper recent form. The Bears were 3-1 SU and 4-0 ATS over their last four games, while Texas finished the season 1-3 SU and ATS.
Texas was just 3-5 SU and ATS overall in their final eight games after starting the season 4-0 SU.
Texas’ collective rushing attack finished 19th in the nation in rushing with 210.4 yards per game. The unit was led by freshman Malcolm Brown, who rushed for 707 yards and five touchdowns on 159 carries.
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Nebraska was a contender for a BCS game but they will have to settle for a shot at winning the Holiday Bowl when they face familiar foes Washington, who will be big 14-point underdogs in college football betting against the Cornhuskers.
Holiday Bowl
Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California
Thursday, December 30 @ 10:00pm ET
Team: Nebraska Cornhuskers
Conference: Big 12 Conference
Records: 10-3 SU, 5-7 ATS, 7-5 OU
Team: Washington Huskies
Conference: Pac-10 Conference
Records: 6-6 SU, 4-7-1 ATS, 7-5 OU
Spread / Total (from )
Nebraska -14 / 52.5 Points
Nebraska tore apart the Washington Huskies early in the season 56-21 and most bettors will be heavily favoring the Cornhuskers in the Holiday Bowl odds. Quarterback Taylor Martinez is nursing an ankle injury, but will get the start for the Cornhuskers.
It was Martinez who guided an offense that scored 32.7 points per game and was 10th in the FBS with an average of 259.6 yards rushing per game. Martinez had 942 rushing yards with 12 touchdowns, while leading running back Roy Helu ran for 1,211 yards for 11 TDs.
The biggest loss for the Cornhuskers in this game will be starting tackle Baker Steinkuhler (suspended) who had 46 tackles and 3.5 sacks in helping the Cornhuskers allow the 10th-fewest yards in the FBS at 304.2 per game.
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Jake Locker will need to be at his best if the Huskies want to stay with Nebraska and have any chance of upsetting the Cornhuskers. Chris Polk ran for 1,238 yards this season while getting into the end zone on eight occasions.
Polk set records with a 284-yard performance with two scores in a win over Washington State. He was held to just 55 yards in the loss to Nebraska, and with Steinkuhler gone it could give Polk the opening he needs. NCAAF odds may be heavily in favor of the Cornhuskers, but don’t tell that to the 6-6 Huskies.
Nebraska holds the head-to-head lead by a margin of 4-3-1, and has taken the past three meetings.
