Published Dec 24, 9:58am ET by
Gabriel Kozlow - Betting Preview Analyst and Sports Writer
Last updated Dec 24, 9:58am ET
EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville hosts the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl, with the Virginia Cavaliers battling the Missouri Tigers. These teams have only met once before, back in 1973, when Missouri won 31–7.
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| MISSOURI TIGERS | -185 |
| VIRGINIA CAVALIERS | +154 |
Virginia has the chance to end the season on a high note by earning not only a bowl win, but also the most wins in program history with 11. They had a chance to achieve this feat two weeks ago but lost to Duke in overtime. They’ll have a chance to redeem themselves here; however, they come in as underdogs at +4 for this game.
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The Cavaliers were led by their QB, Chandler Morris, who posted 2,802 passing yards, 16 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions. Their ground game was even better, powered by Jmari Taylor, who racked up 1,062 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns.
Missouri heads into this game with an 8–4 record, led largely by its star player, Ahmad Hardy, who leads the nation in rushing at around 130 yards per game. Their defense has also been a major talking point, as they are a top-10 defensive unit, allowing under 20 points per game.
Hardy will need to play inspired football and hope the Cavaliers don’t have the defensive game plan to stop him. He led the nation with 1,560 rushing yards on 241 carries and scored 16 touchdowns. He is a Doak Walker finalist, hoping to take home the award by the end of the year.
This will be an interesting game, as both teams will want to take this trophy home. The opening line had Missouri -7, but it has moved down to -4 on the spread. The over/under is 44.5, so we can expect a defensively focused matchup.
We feel Virginia will try to make amends for their last game and chase a record 11th win this season. We recommend taking the Virginia Cavaliers +4 for this game.
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Pick
Virginia +4
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