The Illinois Fighting Illini began College Football betting the season 7-1. However, they dropped three consecutive games in November to end at 8-4. Since 2007, the Illini has not had a winning regular season. They are in their first bowl game appearance since 2019, a loss to Cal in the Redbox Bowl. Illinois is in its 20th postseason berth in program history. Meanwhile, the Mississippi State Bulldogs will play their 26th bowl game in program history. They have made the postseason in all three seasons in the Mike Leach era.
2022 ReliaQuest Bowl Mississippi State Bulldogs vs. Illinois Fighting Illini
| Date and Time: | Monday, January 2, 2023, Noon ET |
|---|---|
| Location: | Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida |
| TV Coverage: | ESPN2 |
| Team | Spread | Total | ML | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi St | +2 (-110) | 46 (-110) | +110 |  |
| Illinois | -2 (-110) | 46 (-110) | -130 | |
| ||||
2022 ReliaQuest Bowl Overview
At the beginning the ReliaQuest Bowl was founded as the Hall of Fame Bowl in 1986. The Outback Bowl took over as title sponsor in 1996. And Outback was in that role until this year when ReliaQuest took over. Concurrently, the ReliaQuest bowl has conference tie-ins with the Big Ten and SEC, with a sports betting payout of $6.4 million.
The 2021 Outback Bowl was not one of the best matchups. At the time, it had an Ole Miss team with a losing record facing Indiana. The Hoosiers entered the game as an 8-point favorite. But Ole Miss proved they belonged in a bowl game and dominated Indiana. To show, Lane Kiffin’s offense proved too much for Indiana. Hence the Rebels got a 26-20 win. Mississippi quarterback Matt Corral was named the Outback Bowl MVP. He was 30-of-44 for 342 yards and two touchdowns.
The South Carolina Gamecocks have the most Outback Bowl wins with four. Accordingly, their most unforgettable win was in 2013 when they defeated the Michigan Wolverines 33-28 in the final seconds. Of course, the big moment was Jadeveon Clowney’s devastating hit on Michigan’s Vincent Smith. In turn, the obliteration caused a fumble as Smith’s helmet flew 5 yards backward. It’s one of the most famous tackles in college football history.
2022 ReliaQuest Bowl Matchup
Last game, the Illinois Fighting Illini won 41-3 against the Northwestern Wildcats as 14.5-point road favorites. The game went over the sports betting total of 38.5. Illinois has a record of 8-4 straight up, 8-4 against the spread, and 4-7-1 over/under the total.
To summarize, Illinois has national metrics of 71st for total offense, 98th for passing, 48th for rushing, and 84th for scoring. Defensively they rank 2nd overall, 5th against the pass, 9th against the rush, and 1st for points allowed. Also, Illinois ranks 103rd for fewest turnovers lost and 1st for takeaways.
Last game, the Mississippi State Bulldogs won 24-22 against the Ole Miss Rebels as 2.5-point road dogs. The game went under the total of 63. Mississippi State has a record of 8-4 straight up, 6-5-1 against the spread, and 6-5-1 over/under the total.
Overall, Mississippi State has national metrics of 64th for total offense, 11th for passing, 130th for rushing, and 36th for scoring. Defensively they rank 39th overall, 36th against the pass, 58th against the rush, and 51st for points allowed. Also, Mississippi State ranks 111th for fewest turnovers lost and 19th for takeaways.
To summarize, the Bulldogs threw the ball at a higher percentage of their offensive snaps than any other team this season.
2022 ReliaQuest Bowl Best Bet: Illinois Fighting Illini.