College Football: TaxSlayer Gator Bowl Odds And Prediction

Nov 26, 2016; Louisville, KY, USA; The Louisville Cardinals celebrate with the Governor /

TaxSlayer Gator Bowl Odds And Prediction

We have made it to the New Year’s bowls, with the first one taking place Friday night. New Year’s Eve features four games, including the two semifinal games. It promises to be a wild night! But first, there are still two morning bowls! The Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl and the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl.

More from College Football Odds

You will still get my picks against the spread and point wagers just like I did all season long. I didn’t have a great regular season, but I can make it look a whole lot better with a strong bowl season! It was a decent start on Saturday, but just in case you missed any:
Gildan New Mexico Bowl
Geico Las Vegas Bowl
Raycom Camellia Bowl
AutoNation Cure Bowl
R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
Miami Beach Bowl
Boca Raton Bowl
San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Popeyes Bahamas Bowl
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl
Dollar General Bowl
Hawaii Bowl
St. Petersburg Bowl
Quick Lane Bowl
Camping World Independence Bowl
Zaxby’s Heart Of Dallas Bowl
Northrup Grumman Military Bowl
National Funding Holiday Bowl
Motel 6 Cactus Bowl
New Era Pinstripe Bowl
Russell Athletic Bowl
Foster Farms Bowl
AdvoCare V100 Bowl
Birmingham Bowl
Belk Bowl
Valero Alamo Bowl
AutoZone Liberty Bowl
Hyundai Sun Bowl
Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl
Nova Home Loans Arizona Bowl
Capital One Orange Bowl
Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl

Oct 8, 2016; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets running back Marcus Marshall (34) carries the ball past Pittsburgh Panthers defensive back Ryan Lewis (38) during the first quarter Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /

Kentucky vs. Georgia Tech(-3.5) at Jacksonville, FL(3):

Kentucky(7-5, 4-4 SEC):

Wins: vs. New Mexico State(62-42), vs. South Carolina(17-10), vs. Vanderbilt(20-13), vs. Mississippi State(40-38), at Missouri(35-21), vs. Austin Peay(49-13), at Louisville(41-38)

Losses: vs. Southern Mississippi(35-44), at Florida(7-45), at Alabama(6-34), vs. Georgia(24-27), at Tennessee(36-49)

Record vs. bowl teams: 4-5

A slow start nearly doomed Mark Stoops early in the year, but strong showings against a few mid-level SEC teams saved him. Then there is the little thing about beating Louisville, which this year seemed a little bigger due to the hype surrounding the Cardinals and their electric quarterback. Stephen Johnson proved to be a solid leader of the offense, but Kentucky’s true strength was running the ball with their pair of thousand yard rushers, Boom Williams and Benny Snell. Lost in the slow start was the strides that the defense made this year. Now the real question: can they stop an option?

Georgia Tech(8-4, 4-4 ACC):

Wins: vs. Boston College(17-14), vs. Mercer(35-10), vs. Vanderbilt(38-7), vs. Georgia Southern(35-24), vs. Duke(38-35), at Virginia Tech(30-20), vs. Virginia(31-17), at Georgia(28-27)

Losses: vs. Clemson(7-26), vs. Miami(FL)(21-35), at Pittsburgh(34-37), at North Carolina(20-48)

Record vs. bowl teams: 4-4

Georgia Tech struggled with high powered offenses. A lot of that had to do with the team not being built to participate in a high scoring game. They run the ball – very well – and play defense. The Yellow Jackets have been a college football throwback for several years now, but they have yet to really make a dent in the hierarchy. Justin Thomas is a capable passer, so it’s not like the Bees are lame ducks if they get behind. They just better not get far behind.

Prediction:

This looks to be a game with a whole lot of running going on. Neither team has a prolific passing attack. They would prefer to pound you into submission. The ability of Kentucky to harness Justin Thomas will make all the difference here. The Wildcats did a good job with Lamar Jackson, but Louisville’s lack of a consistent run game helped them out. Tech can run with the best of them.

Pick: Georgia Tech

Next: 2016 Capital One Bowl Mania Picks

Stay tuned for the rest of the bowl picks against the spread, and our DFS picks for the NBA, NFL, and even some NHL action! We have something for everyone.