South Alabama finished off the best season in program history. Also, they have a five-game winning streak heading into bowl season. South Alabama has a balanced passing attack. Namely, wide receivers Jalen Wayne, Caullin Lacy, and Devin Voisin all finished with more than 700 receiving yards. The Jaguars’ biggest strength came on the defensive side of the ball. They ranked 20th in yards per play against FBS opponents. Western Kentucky has the nation’s second-ranked passing offense against FBS opponents. In sum, WKU is making its 10th College Football betting bowl appearance in school history.
2022 New Orleans Bowl WKU Hilltoppers vs. South Alabama Jaguars
| Date and Time: | Wednesday, December 21, 2022, 9 p.m. ET |
|---|---|
| Location: | Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana |
| TV Coverage: | ESPN |
| Team | Spread | Total | ML | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Alabama | -7½ (-110) | 54 (-110) | -300 |  |
| Western Kentucky | +7½ (-110) | 54 (-110) | +250 | |
| ||||
2022 New Orleans Bowl Overview
Founded in 2001, the New Orleans Bowl is a perfect event for Group of Five programs wanting a post-season reward. And with conference tie-ins to the Sun Belt and CUSA, most fan bases are nearby and eager to come to New Orleans. To illuminate, fans get a great time and a bowl game with their favorite team. The New Orleans Bowl is played at the Caesars Superdome, home of the NFL New Orleans Saints. The offshore betting payout is $825,000.
Following a limited pandemic attendance in 2020, the New Orleans Bowl got a larger crowd for 2021. Especially due to the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns being good for a well-traveling fan base. In like manner to other bowl games, the New Orleans Bowl is known for exciting games with a lot of offense.
Appalachian State took care of business in the 2018 and 2019 bowls to extend the Sun Belt’s winning streak to three straight victories. However, the Mountaineers failed to cash in as hefty 17-point favorites in a 31-17 comeback triumph against UAB in 2019. Georgia Southern was favored by a touchdown in 2020 and easily posted a victory over Louisiana Tech of Conference USA. In turn, the Sun Belt Conference picked up a fourth consecutive victory in this bowl game. Favorites also improved to 5-1 ATS across the past six installments.
2022 New Orleans Bowl Matchup
Last game, the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers won 32-31 against the Florida Atlantic Owls as 7.5-point road favorites. The game went over the College Football Betting total of 63. Now, WKU has a record of 8-5 straight up, 8-5 against the spread, and 4-8-1 over/under the total.
WKU national metrics of 10th for total offense, 2nd for passing, 73rd for rushing, and 18th for scoring. Defensively they rank 70th overall, 67th against the pass, 75th against the rush, and 43rd for points allowed. Also, WKU ranks 90th for the fewest turnovers lost and 4th for takeaways.
Last game, the South Alabama Jaguars won 27-20 against Old Dominion Monarchs as 17-point home favorites. The game was a push to the total of 47. South Alabama has a record of 10-2 straight up, 7-4-1 against the spread, and 7-4-1 over/under the total.
Overall, South Alabama has national metrics of 40th for total offense, 41st for passing, 57th for rushing, and 42nd for scoring. Defensively they rank 11th overall, 52nd against the pass, 5th against the rush, and 14th for points allowed. Also, South Alabama ranks 15th for fewest turnovers lost and 30th for takeaways.
2022 New Orleans Bowl Best Bet: Western Kentucky Hilltoppers.