Bitcoin St. Petersburg Bowl: Wolfpack vs Knights Picks
Friday College Bowl action sees the North Carolina State Wolfpack taking on the Central Florida Knights in St. Petersburg, Florida. Cappers Picks provides free NCAA football handicapping tips all season long.
Tropicana field transforms from a baseball diamond into a football field when the Bitcoin St. Petersburg Bowl takes place Friday night.
College Football Odds
North Carolina State (7-5) vs. Central Florida Knights (9-3)
Friday, Dec. 26
8:00 PM ET
Tropicana Field (St. Petersburg, Florida)
ESPN
College Football Betting Lines: UCF -2
College Football O/U: 49.5
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North Carolina State and Central Florida will meet for the first time since the 2010 season.
North Carolina State
After an abysmal 2013 campaign, North Carolina State could not be more excited to be participating in the Bitcoin St. Petersburg bowl.
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Going just 3-9 in 2013, the Wolfpack finished the season with a 7-5 mark, including a route over rival North Carolina in their final game. North Carolina State will look to get a bowl victory for the first time since 2011 when they defeated Louisville in the Belk Bowl 31-24.
While their stats won’t impress many, North Carolina State simply won the games they were supposed to. Starting off the season against 4 weak opponents, North Carolina State posted 4 victories. After dropping the next 4 to quality ACC opponents, the Wolfpack defeated Syracuse, Wake Forest, and upset North Carolina to become bowl eligible. Sandwiched in between their final 3 wins was a loss against Georgia Tech.
The offense is led by Junior QB Jacoby Brissett. Brissett led the Wolfpack to 196.0 pass yards a game (97th). While they struggled to find much consistency in the pass game, the run game with Junior Shadrach Thornton was the 37th best in the nation with 206.0 yards a game.
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North Carolina State averaged 29.8 points per contest (61st) and allowed just 27.0 against (69th).
Central Florida
While the Knights 2014 post season bowl is a bit different from their 2013 bowl, Central Florida brings an impressive 9-3 mark into Friday’s matchup. The last time the nation saw Central Florida play, their players were sprinting toward the end zone celebrating a last second Hail Mary play to clinch a share of the top spot in the AAC standings.
QB Justin Holman led the Knights to 4 straight wins to end the season and an impressive 7-1 mark in the AAC. Holman threw for 2,661 yards and 20 touchdowns this season. Averaging 230.7 pass yards a game (64th), the Knights offense scored just over 4 touchdowns a game with 28.2 points per contest.
While Holman and the offense showed signs of brilliance throughout the season, the defense was the backbone of this team. The Knights defense allowed just 17.9 points a game (9th) and held opponents to just 282.2 yards.
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They held the opposition to 7 or less points 4 times.
NCAA Football Handicapping Trends:
- Wolfpack are 4-1-1 ATS in their last 6 Bowl games.
- Wolfpack are 2-7 ATS in their last 9 games on fieldturf.
- Under is 5-1 in Knights last 6 games on fieldturf.
- Knights are 4-0 ATS vs. a team with a winning record.
Free 4* NCAA Football Pick: Under 49.5
Expect both teams to slow this game down and try to control the time of possession.
Central Florida 20, North Carolina State 13
Mix that with a lockdown Knights defense and we’ll be in for a low scoring affair here.
Check out our Updated College Football Bowl Game Odds.
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