Petco Park in San Diego will host the 2022 San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl on December 28th. The two teams chosen to compete in this warm-weather event will be the Oregon Ducks, representing the Pac-12 conference, and the North Carolina Tar Heels, representing the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Oregon enters the Holiday Bowl with a 9-3 record, while North Carolina comes into this one at 9-4. This should be a very entertaining matchup between two high-scoring teams.
Let’s now preview each of the teams, and then we’ll give you our NCAA Football Bowl Betting prediction for the 2022 Holiday Bowl.
Who is Playing in the Holiday Bowl? | Oregon Ducks vs UNC Tar Heels Betting Preview
North Carolina Tar Heels
After losing many players from last year’s squad, including quarterback Sam Howell, many felt that this would be a rebuilding season for North Carolina. Mack Brown and his squad had other ideas, and the UNC Tar Heels made it all the way to the ACC Championship game.
North Carolina averages just over 35 points per game. Their passing offense is one of the best in the nation, as they throw for nearly 320 yards per game. Quarterback Drake Maye has thrown for over 4100 yards with 35 touchdown passes. Maye is also the team’s leading rusher, as he has run for 635 yards on the season.
The Tar Heels defense can be scored upon, as they’re giving up 31 points per game. Oregon will be able to run or throw, as the Carolina defense is susceptible to both. We will see if a very good Oregon Ducks offense will be able to put some points on the board against the defense of UNC.
Oregon Ducks
This is Oregon’s sixth-straight bowl appearance. Oregon’s offense averaged just under 40 points per game. Transfer quarterback Bo Nix has been a great addition to the Ducks offense. Nix passed for over 3300 yards with 27 touchdowns and just six interceptions. With Nix running the show, Oregon’s passing game has flourished.
However, the Oregon Ducks offense is powered by their strong running attack. Oregon ranks 14th in the country in yards on the ground, as the Ducks average 216 yards per game on the ground.
The defense has been better than expected, as the Ducks give up just over 27 points per game. They have an excellent rushing defense, as they’re giving up just over 125 yards per game. Oregon’s top secondary player, Christian Gonzalez, has opted out of this game, so that should be a huge advantage for the Tar Heels passing attack.
Prediction
The Ducks have been made a big favorite in this one, as they are favored to win by 13.5 points. Unfortunately, both teams have had quite a few players opt out of this game. The opt-outs will hurt North Carolina more than Oregon, as UNC has had numerous players decide not to play in the Holiday Bowl.
Oregon has a good defense, along with a good offense. With North Carolina missing so many players, we give the advantage to Oregon. The Ducks will win a high-scoring affair by the score of 45-38. Oregon wins the game but won’t cover the spread.
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NC State Wolfpack Vs UCLA Bruins Betting Analysis – San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl Odds
Traditionally, the Holiday Bowl has been one of the most exciting of college football’s postseason spectacles and the 2021 version on December 28th shouldn’t disappoint, pitting the 18th ranked 9-3 N.C. State Wolfpack against the 8-4 UCLA Bruins, a program that returns to a bowl game for the first time since 2017 in head coach Chip Kelly’s fourth year at the helm. Both teams can score points, although N.C. State has a distinct advantage over the Bruins on the defensive side of the ball. Let’s take a closer look at the upcoming match between NC State and UCLA so you can bet against the College Football Bowl odds.
Betting Lines and Odds at MyBookie Online Sportsbook
Spread: N.C. State – 1.5 (-110), UCLA +1.5 (-110)
Moneyline: N.C. State -125, UCLA +105
Total: 60 (-110 o/u)
N.C. State Wolfpack Betting Preview
After a 27-21 win over ninth-ranked Clemson early in the season, it appeared that N.C. State had finally cleared the hurdle to enable them to break the Tigers’ hold on the ACC Atlantic division, only to suffer losses to Miami and Wake Forest by a total of four total points that eventually left them in second place in the division. The Wolfpack still had a successful season and are a Holiday win away from their first double-digit win season since 2002 and their second on in the history of their football program.
The NC State offense is led by quarterback Devin Leary, who threw for 35 touchdowns while tossing just five interceptions and completing 65% of his passes. Defensively, the Wolfpack are allowing just under 20 points a game and held half of their conference opponents to 17 points or less after opening the season with a 45-0 beat down of South Florida.
UCLA Bruins Betting Preview
The Bruins have an exciting player in Dorian Thompson-Robinson (DTR), a dual-threat quarterback who threw for 21 touchdowns while running for another nine scores and leads a balanced attack that generates almost as many yards on the ground as they do through the air. They average almost 37 points a game, which is 16th in the FBS and impressive for a team that controls the ball so well with an elite rushing game.
UCLA was able to shrug off a 34-31 loss to Oregon and a 44-24 defeat at Utah to reel off three wins in a row, including a 62-33 beat down at cross-town rival USC. The vulnerability for the Bruins is on the defensive side of the ball, giving up 33 points in five games and over 40 in three contests in their 2021 campaign, putting pressure on DTR and the offense to keep pace, which they were unable to do in their four losses.
Holiday Bowl Betting Pick and Prediction
The West Coast teams generally have a significant advantage, especially with the teams from the east showing up in the sunshine and great weather of Southern California, with that travel issue possibly factoring into the outcome of the Holiday Bowl. This matchup really comes down to the fact that two teams with comparable offenses are playing each other but one of them, N.C. State, has a demonstrably better defense, especially against the pass.
Prediction: N.C. State 38 UCLA 34
Pick: NC State -1.5, Over 60
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