Orange Bowl Betting History

The Capital One Orange Bowl is a yearly college football game that takes place at the end of December. So, what’s in your wallet and will you be betting on the Orange Bowl this year?

For a comprehensive betting breakdown of this year’s Orange Bowl, check out our expert betting preview and Orange Bowl Game Center.

Betting History of the Orange Bowl

In 1926, after witnessing the success of the Rose Bowl, big shots in the Miami community decided to create their own football game extravaganza. The “Fiesta of the American Tropics” accompanied the first iteration of the Orange Bowl but it only lasted one year. A few years later, in 1932, organizers tried again with the Palm Festival Game – this was before the Will Smith song and all Miami had at the time was palm trees and oranges. Finally, in 1935, the Orange Bowl as we know it was born.

When tiny Bucknell defeated hometown Miami in the inaugural Orange Bowl way back in 1935, few of the 5,134 fans in attendance could’ve predicted the game’s importance to college football in the years to come. By 1965, Bear Bryant led a 10-0 Alabama team against 9-2 Texas with millions of viewers across the country tuning in. The Longhorns tipped the Crimson Tide 21-17 in the first bowl game to be broadcast nationally on prime-time television.

Between 1938 and 1996, the game was held at the University of Miami’s Orange Bowl stadium, before shifting to what’s now known as Hard Rock Stadium because it probably rocks hard. The stadium is also home to the Dolphins – the NFL team, not the ocean mammal. In 1995 the hometown Hurricanes had a chance to win the national championship but they fell 24-17 to Nebraska. [Sad trombone noise!]

The Cornhuskers have long been associated with the Orange Bowl, appearing 17 times in total with an 8-9 record and their last appearance coming in 1998. That year, the undefeated Huskers won a share of the national title by beating Tennessee in a 42-17 blowout, covering the 7.5-point spread in the process. However, it is the Oklahoma Sooners who hold the most Orange Bowl appearances with 19 and a record of 12-7.

Underdogs won outright in the game four years in a row from 2013 to 2016. Florida State beat Michigan 33-32 as a 6.5-point underdog in 2016. The year before it was Clemson defeating Oklahoma 37-17 in the College Football Playoff semifinals as 3.5-point underdogs. Georgia Tech overcame a 6-point spread to blast Mississippi State 49-34 in 2014. In 2013, Clemson beat Ohio State 40-35 facing a 2.5-point edge.

The 2017 Orange Bowl saw the No. 10-ranked Miami Hurricanes lose to the No. 6-ranked Wisconsin Badgers 34-24. The Hurricanes came into the game with spread-covering anemia by only covering two spreads in their previous eight games. With the total set at 45.5, OVER bettors were able to clean up. Miami did not cover the spread because it was set at +6.5 and their 10-point scoring deficit didn’t do the trick.

2018 Orange Bowl

On December 29, 2018, the No. 1-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide (13-0) will face off against the No. 4-ranked Oklahoma Sooners (12-1). This year’s Orange Bowl is a playoff semifinal game, with the winner moving on to face the winner of the Cotton Bowl in the College Football Playoff National Championship.

Alabama by the Numbers

• Conference: SEC
• ATS: 8-5
• ATS Home: 5-3
• ATS Away: 3-2
• O/U: 9-4
• O/U Home: 6-2
• O/U Away: 3-2

Oklahoma by the Numbers

• Conference: Big 12
• ATS: 5-7-1
• ATS Home: 4-4
• ATS Away: 1-3-1
• O/U: 10-2-1
• O/U Home: 5-2-1
• O/U Away: 5-0

How to Bet on the Orange Bowl

Besides being something fun to watch, this college football bowl game offers bettors ample opportunities to place interesting wagers. In fact, betting on the Orange Bowl can be profitable if you make educated picks – which goes for any college football game whether it’s a regular old conference matchup or a fancy bowl game.

These are the types of bets we recommend making on the Orange Bowl:

• A moneyline bet means you simply pick a winner
• A totals bet or OVER/UNDER wager involves betting on the total combined score from both teams and deciding if it will be OVER or UNDER the amount set by the sportsbook
• A point spread bet allows you to wager on whether the favorite or the underdog will win or lose by a set number of points decided by the sportsbook
• A prop bet is made on individual players (how many rushing yards will a certain player have, how many sacks will another player have, etc.), and non-game factors like which team will win the coin toss

Where to Bet on the Orange Bowl

When you’re ready to place your bet on the Orange Bowl, check out our college football coverage for odds, free picks, betting news, trends and more. Next, take a look at our top sportsbooks for wagering on college football. We have vetted each online sportsbook, so you know you’re placing your bets in a safe environment.

Orange Bowl Bites

• When West Virginia beat Clemson in 2012, nine different Orange Bowl records were either broken or tied.
• William “Refrigerator” Perry, Joe Namath, Doug Flutie, Raghib “Rocket” Ismail and Donovan McNabb all played in Orange Bowls during their college football careers.
• The 2006 bowl took more than four hours to play and featured that final meeting of Joe Paterno and Bobby Bowden.

For updated lines and great Props for all Bowl games head over to Bovada today.