{"id":2020,"date":"2021-12-28T09:07:47","date_gmt":"2021-12-28T14:07:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/news\/?p=2020"},"modified":"2021-12-28T09:34:24","modified_gmt":"2021-12-28T14:34:24","slug":"holiday-bowl-picks-predictions-and-odds-nc-state-vs-ucla","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/news\/college-football\/holiday-bowl-picks-predictions-and-odds-nc-state-vs-ucla\/","title":{"rendered":"Holiday Bowl Picks, Predictions and Odds | NC State vs UCLA"},"content":{"rendered":"

Holiday Bowl Betting Preview<\/h2>\n

GoldSheet offers their Holiday Bowl betting preview between UCLA and NC State on Tuesday, December 28. At the time of posting, the Wolfpack from the ACC are holding steady as a 2-point favorite over the Bruins from the Pac-12, with the total at 60 points.<\/p>\n

Stay on top of the latest College Football<\/a> updates direct from Las Vegas!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Holiday Bowl<\/th>\nBetting Notes<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
Point Spread:<\/td>\nNC State Wolfpack -2 vs UCLA Bruins<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Total:<\/td>\n60 Points<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Game Time:<\/td>\n8:00pm ET \/ 5:00pm PT on Tuesday, December 28<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Stadium:<\/td>\nPetco Park in San Diego<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
TV:<\/td>\nFOX<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Holiday Bowl Predictions<\/h2>\n

Out of the way-back machine for this bowl issue, we note the last time UCLA and NC State met on the gridiron, it was 1960 at the L.A. Coliseum, and the featured QBs were Roman Gabriel (Wolfpack) and Bill Kilmer (Bruins) in a 7-0 win for the Westwood side. Though, for any oldtimers, mention of NC State and UCLA instead conjures memories of basketball in the 1973-74 season, and a supposed \u201cGame of the Century\u201d in St. Louis that fizzled before a Final Four classic in Greensboro that didn\u2019t (David Thompson and NCS ending John Wooden\u2019s streak of seven straight NCAA titles in an 80-77 double-OT heartstopper).<\/p>\n

Bowls and the Bruins haven\u2019t happened since the pre-Chip Kelly days of 2017, which is apparently why UCLA is uncommonly excited for the bid to the Holiday Bowl, played this year at the MLB Padres\u2019 Petco Park (which, by the way, has also hosted a basketball game before), and the first postseason experience for almost the entirety of the roster.<\/p>\n

How excited? No Bruins have opted opt in prep for the NFL draft; the only expected absence is DT Otito Ogbonnia, nursing injury. It might also have some meaning for Kelly, in line for a contract extension that will be an easier sell with another high-profile win (earlier successes vs. lesser LSU and USC editions this season might not qualify).<\/p>\n

\"Holiday<\/a><\/p>\n

UCLA will have to deal with the unreal efficiency of Pack QB Devin Leary (35 TDP vs. just 5 picks!) and big-play RB Bam Knight, who doubles as a return specialist and brought back kickoffs for TDs in back-to-back games this year. NC State, however, did most of its business within a lesser ACC, and its one challenge outside the loop resulted in a 24-10 beatdown administered by Mike Leach\u2019s Mississippi State.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the Bruins hit overdrive at the end of the season, specifically from the second half of the Colorado game onward when outscoring the Buffs, Trojans, and Cal Bears 138-47 across the last ten quarters of the campaign. A real running game led by Michigan transfer Zac Charbonnet (1137 YR) has a homerun dimension, and playmaker QB DTR accounted for 30 TDs via pass and run this season.<\/p>\n

The senior-laden Bruins defense was also the best of the Kelly era, and if UCLA really is as excited as it claims, and plays like it did down the stretch, Leary is going to have to pitch a near-perfect game at the Padres’ park for NC State to overcome the regional edge the Bruins will enjoy playing not too far from home.<\/p>\n

Interested in placing a bet on tonight’s Holiday Bowl? BetMGM is offering a $1,000 Risk-Free Bet<\/a> for first-time bettors in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Indiana, Colorado, Tennessee, Iowa, Michigan, Virginia, Washington DC, Wyoming, Mississippi, Arizona and Louisiana.<\/em><\/p>\n

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\u2014 WagerTalk (@WagerTalk) December 24, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n