The first bowl game of college football’s postseason is also the only one played outside the United States. Buffalo of the Mid-American Conference takes on Charlotte of Conference USA in the Bahamas Bowl on Friday afternoon. The Bulls are favored on the Mybookie NCAAF odds.
How to Bet Buffalo vs Charlotte Bahamas Bowl Odds & Game Info
- When: Friday, 2 PM ET
- Where: Thomas Robinson Stadium, Nassau, Bahamas
- TV: ESPN
- Live Stream: WatchESPN
- Radio: SiriusXM
- Bahamas Bowl Odds: Buffalo -6.5 (Total 55.5)
Why Bet on Buffalo?
Buffalo is 7-5 and closed the regular season with a 49-7 rout of Bowling Green. Jaret Patterson rushed for a school-best 298 yards and scored a Mid-American Conference-record six touchdowns. Patterson led a rushing attack that rolled up 455 yards on the ground, the most ever in a game in UB’s FBS era. Patterson scored his MAC-record sixth touchdown on a one-yard run early in the fourth quarter. He finished the game with 298 yards on 26 carries to break the single-game school record of 282 yards previously held by Jordan Johnson.Kevin Marks tallied UB’s final rushing touchdown on a three-yard run midway through the fourth quarter. He broke off a 70-yard run a play earlier to set up the score. Marks finished with 107 yards in the game to go over 1,000 on the season, joining Patterson as the first duo in school history to each rush for 1,000 yards in the same season. It also marks the first time since 2012 a MAC team has had two 1,000-yard rushers in the same season (Kent State).
Patterson set single-season team records for both rushing yards (1,626) and rushing touchdowns. After earning MAC freshman of the year honors in 2018, Patterson eclipsed 140 rush yards in each of his final five games.
Numbers Up
Buffalo has shattered its single-season rushing total with 3,241 yards. Its previous high was 2,648 yards set last season over 14 games. Buffalo scored 43 or more points in four of their last five games of the regular season. The Bulls are extremely balanced, leading the MAC in both average yards rushing (254.2) and average total allowed (293.1).The Bulls are making consecutive bowl appearances for the first time and have reached the postseason four times since 2008, but they’re still searching for their first win. This will be the third different country in which Buffalo will play a bowl game. The Bulls also played in the 2009 International Bowl in Toronto, Canada.
It’s the first time Buffalo has ever faced Charlotte. The Bulls are 5-8 all-time against schools from Conference USA.
Team Stats
Offense- Points per Game: 31.50
- Passing Yards: 143.17
- Rushing Yards: 254.25
- Yards per Play: 5.46
Defense
- Points per Game: 22.33
- Passing Yards: 197.75
- Rushing Yards: 95.33
- Yards per Play: 4.85
Why Bet on Charlotte?
Charlotte close the season with a 38-22 win over Old Dominion to also finish at 7-5. Senior defensive end Alex Highsmith finished the day with a team-high 12 tackles, a school-record 4.5 sacks, a school-record 5.0 tackles for loss along with a forced fumble, QB hurry and a pass break-up. Highsmith sack king, ranks second in the nation in sacks and fourth in TFL while leading C-USA in both categories. He set school records for sacks in a game (4.5), season (14.0) and career (20.0) and tackles for loss (TFL) in a game (5.0) and season (21.5) during the 2019 campaign. He finished the year with 68 tackles, a team-high 8 quarterback hurries and a forced fumble.With his seventh 100-yard rushing game of the year, Sr. RB Benny LeMay eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards for the second straight year. He is the first 49ers running back to notch two 1,000-yard seasons in his career. He leads C-USA with 127.9 all-purpose yards and ranks second in rushing (103.7).
Quarterback Chris Reynolds threw for 166 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another 96 yards. Reynolds tied Matt Johnson for the single-season record with 21 touchdown throws. He has rushed for 90+ yards in each of the past five games. Sophomore Victor Tucker had 118 receiving yards to give him 848 on the season, a new FBS record for a 49ers receiver.
Some Numbers
The win was the 49ers’ fifth straight and gave the 49ers school records for wins in a season and C-USA wins in a season. It guaranteed Charlotte’s first winning season. Charlotte will play in a 13th game for the first time in school history. After going a perfect 4-0 in November, the 49ers will play in December for the first time in school history.Charlotte leads C-USA in rushing and time of possession and ranks in the top four in scoring and passing efficiency. The 49ers rushed for 200+ eight times and scored 40+ points three times. 49ers are on pace to shatter existing FBS records for rushing (176.2, 2016) and scoring (25.2; 2016) in a season.
Team Stats
Offense- Points per Game: 31.58
- Passing Yards: 212.58
- Rushing Yards: 210.42
- Yards per Play: 6.40
Defense
- Points per Game: 32.50
- Passing Yards: 196.50
- Rushing Yards: 192.67
- Yards per Play: 6.14
Buffalo vs Charlotte Bahamas Bowl Betting Trends
- 49ers are 5-0 SU in their last 5 games
- 49ers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games
- The total has gone OVER in 8 of Charlotte’s last 12 games this season
- Bulls are 5-1 SU in their last 6 games
- Bulls are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games played on a Friday
- The total has gone OVER in 5 of Buffalo’s last 6 games this season
