Orange Bowl Odds and 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 this bowl game?

As soon as game info is available (Orange Bowl odds, matchup info), we’ll update this page to give you everything you need to make your picks.

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 college football extravaganza. The “Fiesta of the American Tropics” accompanied the first iteration of the Orange Bowl but it only lasted one year. Fast-forward to 1932 and 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. Finally, in 1935, the Orange Bowl as we know it was born.

When tiny Bucknell raced against the odds and 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. In 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. Nowadays, we take it for granted that these matchups will be televised. But back in the day, it was a big deal for people to be able to see someone like Bryant beamed into their living rooms.

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 – probably named as such because it rocks hard. The venue is also home to the Dolphins – the NFL team, not the ocean mammal. In 1995 the hometown Hurricanes had the chance to win the national championship but they fell 24-17 to Nebraska.

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 20 and a record of 12-8.

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. Thanks, Oklahoma defense! Georgia Tech overcame a 6-point spread to blast Mississippi State 48-34 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 Canes came into the game with spread-covering anemia – not a real disease – by going 5-8-0. 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.

Last year, on December 29, the No. 1-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide (13-0) faced off against the No. 4-ranked Sooners (12-1) in a playoff semifinal. The 2018 Orange Bowl saw coach Nick Saban’s squad hold Oklahoma scoreless until the second quarter. Bama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa recorded four touchdowns and 318 yards. Eventual Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray managed three TDs – one of which was accomplished via rushing – but it wasn’t enough and they lost by 11 points. They did cover the 14.5-point spread so that’s cool. UNDER bettors had huge smiles on their faces as the combined score of 78 was half a point lower than the oddsmaker’s set number of 80.5.

2019 Orange Bowl Odds

This year, we’ll see the Florida Gators take on the Virginia Cavaliers. This matchup is expected to be a lopsided affair, with oddsmakers predicting the Gators to outscore the Cavaliers by at least 14 points.

How to Bet on the Orange Bowl

This game offers bettors ample opportunities to place interesting wagers. Betting on this 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 number 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

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 iteration took more than four hours to play and featured the final meeting of Joe Paterno and Bobby Bowden.

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