Two teams with injury concerns at quarterback will meet on December 29 when the Oklahoma Sooners face the Clemson Tigers in the Russell Athletic Bowl in Orlando.
The Sooners head to bowl season hoping for good news on quarterback Trevor Knight. The Oklahoma QB remains questionable for the bowl game due to a neck injury that has sidelined him since November. Clemson has their own injury concern at QB with DeShaun Watson already listed as out for the bowl game due to a knee injury that requires surgery.
For updated lines and totals on all of this year's bowl games head over to the college football betting boards at Sportsbook and Sportsbook today.
Russell Athletic Bowl
Monday, December 29 @ 5:30pm ET
Florida Citrus Bowl, Orlando, Florida
Team: Oklahoma Sooners
Conference: Big 12
Records: 8-4 SU, 5-7 ATS, 9-3 OU
Team: Clemson Tigers
Conference: ACC
Records: 9-3 SU, 5-7 ATS, 4-8 OU
Sportsbook Spread / Total (from Sportsbook)
Oklahoma -3 / OFF
[ Russell Athletic Bowl Matchup Stats | Oklahoma vs Clemson Betting Preview ]
Russell Athletic Bowl Betting Trends: Eight of the past nine Russell Athletic Bowls played UNDER the total . . . Sooners are 7-2 SU past nine bowl games as favorites . . . Clemson won their past two bowl games as underdogs . . . Clemson is 3-11 SU past 14 games as underdog since 2009.
Oklahoma shocked the world in the Sugar Bowl last season when they upset big favorites Alabama. Their regular season ended on a sour note, though, as they were handed a major upset loss of their own after falling to Oklahoma State 38-35 as a 19.5-point favorite. In their last eight games the Sooners were 2-6 ATS, which includes SU losses to Baylor and Kansas State as the favorite.
Clemson ended the regular season with a pair of wins, but they were also a disappointment for bettors late in the season. In their last nine games the Tigers were 8-1 SU but only 3-6 ATS. They have been a solid play for UNDER bettors, having gone UNDER the total in seven of their last eight contests.
| Year | Bowl | Team | Score | Team | Score | Spread | ATS Sportsbook | SU Sportsbook |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Carquest Bowl | Arkansas | 10 | North Carolina | 20 | -1 | UNC | UNC |
| 1996 | Carquest Bowl | Miami | 31 | Virginia | 21 | +3 | MIAMI | MIAMI |
| 1997 | Carquest Bowl | Georgia Tech | 35 | West Virginia | 30 | +1.5 | GATECH | GATECH |
| 1998 | MicronPC.com Bowl | North Carolina State | 23 | Miami | 46 | -5.5 | MIAMI | MIAMI |
| 1999 | MicronPC.com Bowl | Illinois | 63 | Virginia | 21 | -2 | ILLINO | ILLINO |
| 2000 | MicronPC.com Bowl | Minnesota | 30 | North Carolina State | 38 | +3.5 | N.C.ST | N.C.ST |
| 2001 | Tangerine Bowl | North Carolina State | 19 | Pittsburgh | 34 | -1 | PITT | PITT |
| 2002 | Tangerine Bowl | Texas Tech | 55 | Clemson | 15 | +4.5 | TXTECH | TXTECH |
| 2003 | Tangerine Bowl | North Carolina State | 56 | Kansas | 26 | +12 | N.C.ST | N.C.ST |
| 2004 | Champs Sports Bowl | Syracuse | 14 | Georgia Tech | 51 | -6 | GATECH | GATECH |
| 2005 | Champs Sports Bowl | Colorado | 10 | Clemson | 19 | -10 | COLO | CLEM |
| 2006 | Champs Sports Bowl | Purdue | 7 | Maryland | 24 | +1.5 | MARYL | MARYL |
| 2007 | Champs Sports Bowl | Michigan State | 21 | Boston College | 24 | -5 | MICHST | BOST.C |
| 2008 | Champs Sports Bowl | Wisconsin | 13 | Florida State | 42 | -7 | FLAST | FLAST |
| 2009 | Champs Sports Bowl | Wisconsin | 20 | Miami | 14 | -3.5 | WISCSN | WISCSN |
| 2010 | Champs Sports Bowl | North Carolina State | 23 | West Virginia | 7 | -3 | N.C.ST | N.C.ST |
| 2011 | Champs Sports Bowl | Notre Dame | 14 | Florida State | 18 | -3 | FLAST | FLAST |
| 2012 | Russell Athletic Bowl | Virginia Tech | 13 | Rutgers | 10 | +1.5 | VATECH | VATECH |
| 2013 | Russell Athletic Bowl | Miami | 9 | Louisville | 36 | -5.5 | LOUISV | LOUISV |
| 2014 | Russell Athletic Bowl | Clemson | 40 | Oklahoma | 6 | -6.5 | Clemson | Clemson |
------ ARCHIVED ARTICLES | BOWL GAME PREVIEWS FROM PREVIOUS YEARS ------
The Louisville Cardinals will travel to Orlando for the Russell Athletic Bowl to take on the Miami Hurricanes.
The Cardinals earned their berth in the game after falling just short of an American Athletic title, while the Hurricanes are looking to finish their season with 10 wins for the first time since 2003.
For updated lines and totals on all of this year's bowl games head over to the college football betting boards at Sportsbook and Sportsbook today.
Russell Athletic Bowl
Saturday, December 28 @ 6:45pm ET
Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium, Orlando, Florida
Team: Miami Hurricanes
Conference: Atlantic Coast
Records: 9-3 SU, 5-7 ATS, 7-5 OU
Team: Louisville Cardinals
Conference: American Athletic
Records: 11-1 SU, 5-7 ATS, 3-9 OU
Sportsbook Spread / Total (from custom:Sportsbook-link])
Louisville Cardinals -3 / 55.5 Points
[Russell Athletic Bowl Matchup Stats | Miami vs. Louisville Betting Preview]
Russell Athletic Bowl Betting Trends: Formerly known as the Champs Sports Bowl . . . The UNDER is 7-1 in the last eight Champs Sports Bowls, and ACC schools are 9-1 SU in the last 10 Champs Sports Bowls . . . Miami is 1-4 ATS in bowl games since 2007 . . . The OVER is 6-1 in Louisville’s last seven bowl game appearances.
This year’s Russell Athletic Bowl pits a strong offense against one of the nation’s stingiest defenses. The Miami Hurricanes are currently riding a two-game winning streak and sport a 9-3 SU record. The Canes are just 5-7 ATS, 1-6 in their last seven, and have been outgained in their last five games, giving up over 500 total yards in four of those five. However, the Hurricanes are averaging 35.92 points per game this season, and have scored over 40 points five times, including a 77-7 thrashing of Savannah State in September; a game in which they were favored by 58 points. The Cardinals own a solid 11-1 record SU, but like Miami, the Cardinals have struggled to cover, posting a 5-7 record ATS. In fact, the Cards have only covered twice since September including a seven-point overtime victory over Cincinnati in their last game. However, Louisville owns the No. 4 defense in the country and has allowed only 12.42 points per game this season.
-------------------------------
The Virginia Tech Hokies had a hard time paying off on the college football betting lines this season at just 3-9 ATS; they're the favorites against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights for the Russell Athletic Bowl on December 28 in Orlando.
For updated lines and totals on all of this year's bowl games head over to the college football betting boards at Sportsbook, Sportsbook, and Sportsbook today.
Russell Athletic Bowl
Friday, December 28 @ 5:30pm ET
Florida Citrus Bowl, Orlando, Florida
Team: Virginia Tech Hokies
Conference: Atlantic Coast
Records: 6-6 SU, 3-9 ATS, 6-5 OU
Team: Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Conference: Big East
Records: 9-3 SU, 7-5 ATS, 3-8 OU
Sportsbook Spread / Total (from Sportsbook)
Virginia Tech -1.5 / 43 Points
[Russell Athletic Bowl Matchup Stats]
Russell Athletic Bowl Betting Trends: UNDER is 6-1 in past five bowls . . . ACC schools are 8-1 SU in past nine Russell Athletic Bowls (formerly Champs Sports Bowl).
-------------------------------
Two storied programs enter the Champs Sports Bowl hoping to extend bowl winning streaks as Florida State has won each of its last three bowl games and Notre Dame has won its last two bowl games after losing its previous nine.
For lines and totals on all of this year's bowl games head over to the college football betting board at Sportsbook today and pay attention to the UNDER trend which has seen 6 of the past 7 Champs Sports Bowls play UNDER the total.
Champs Sports Bowl
Thursday, December 29 @ 5:30pm ET
Citrus Bowl Stadium, Orlando, Florida
Team: Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Conference: Independent
Records: 8-4 SU, 5-7 ATS, 4-7-1 OU
Team: Florida State Seminoles
Conference: Atlantic Coast
Records: 8-4 SU, 6-6 ATS, 4-8 OU
Spread / Total (from Sportsbook)
Florida State -3.0 / 47 Points
[Champs Sports Bowl Matchup Stats]
In similar positions trying to rebuild their storied programs back up to national prominence, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Florida State Seminoles collide in this year’s Champs Sports Bowl. Florida State defeated Wisconsin 42-13 in the 2008 Champs Sports Bowl.
Early rough starts doomed both of these teams’ hopes for bigger seasons, but both finished strong. Notre Dame finished the season 8-2 SU and 5-5 ATS after starting the year 0-2 SU and ATS, and Florida State finished 6-1 SU and 5-2 ATS after starting off 2-3 SU and 1-4 ATS. Both teams’ totals betting tilted towards the UNDER, with each of Florida State’s last five games going UNDER the total.
E.J. Manual wasn’t able to live up to the National Championship expectations that were laid out in the preseason for Florida State, but he still had a respectable season in his first year as the starter. Manual finished the regular season with 2,417 passing yards and 16 touchdowns with eight interceptions.
-------------------------------
The Champs Sports Bowl features the defense-conscious West Virginia Mountaineers as slight 2.5-point favorites in college football betting against the offensively-explosive North Carolina State Wolfpack.
Champs Sports Bowl
Tuesday, December 28 @ 6:30pm ET
Citrus Bowl Stadium, Orlando, Florida
Team: West Virginia Mountaineers
Conference: Big East Conference
Records: 9-3 SU, 8-3 ATS, 4-7 OU
Team: North Carolina State Wolfpack
Conference: Atlantic Coast Conference
Records: 8-4 SU, 8-3 ATS, 5-6 OU
Spread / Total (from Sportsbook)
West Virginia -2.5 / 48.5 Points
[Champs Sports Bowl Matchup Stats]
West Virginia finished the season on a four-game winning streak, but just missed out on a BCS bowl game when Connecticut beat South Florida in the season finale. This team has a huge amount of experience having competed in seven straight bowl games, and they know how to focus on the task.
The Mountaineers rank second in the FBS in scoring defense at 12.8 points per game and second in rush defense at over 85 yards a contest. West Virginia also has four players named to the All-Big East first team and it should make them a solid wager on the Champs Sports Bowl odds.
West Virginia also has a capable hand at quarterback as Geno Smith was second in the Big East with 2,567 passing yards and 23 touchdowns. They have also captured four of their previous five bowl games and that could be enough for college football betting enthusiasts to lay the smart money on the Mountaineers.
ADVERTISEMENT: Get a FREE $25 bowl wager and the best college football underdog odds - check out Sportsbook today.
The NCAAF odds may be against North Carolina State, but they have a potent offense that was second in the conference with 32.6 points per game. Russell Wilson takes charge at quarterback and rightfully so, as he was the conference leader with 3,288 passing yards and 26 touchdowns.
The Wolfpack’s fate was similar to West Virginia’s in that they dropped their regular-season finale and missed out on a BCS bowl game as well.
Totals bettors should note the strong defense of West Virginia, but the Wolfpack score over 32 points a game and this could swing the NCAAF odds in favor of OVER bettors.
