Cotton Bowl Prediction
A big day of college football gets started today at Noon ET when No. 10 Penn State meets No. 17 Memphis in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic. Can the Tigers possibly upset the Nittany Lions?
Game Snapshot & Odds
Good Year Cotton Bowl Classic
239 Memphis vs. 240 Penn State
Saturday, December 28, 2019
Noon ET – AT&T Stadium
TV: ESPN
Compare odds and from multiple different online sportsbooks and shop for the best lines at our new NCAAF Odds & Betting Page.
Public Betting Trends
According to the latest oddsmakers, Penn State is favored in this game, as the Nittany Lions are getting odds of -7 points against Memphis. The over/under total for the contest is listed at 60.5 points. The public betting currently has 67 percent going on Penn State as the favorite. This information is subject to change, however, so be sure to check out our NCAAF Public Betting Page for updated figures on the game.
Nittany Lions the favorite
Penn State is coming off a 27-6 win over Rutgers to end the regular season, but the Nittany Lions have split their last four games. Penn State is 10-2 on the season, 6-6 against the spread and 7-5 with the under.
The Nittany Lions are solid on both sides of the ball. They are allowing just 14.1 points and 330.2 yards per game on defense, while averaging 34.3 points and 402.2 yards per game on offense. Sean Clifford leads PSU with 2,521 passing yards and 22 touchdowns, while also rushing for 374 yards and five touchdowns. KJ Hamler is his top receiver with 54 catches for 858 yards and eight touchdowns. Journey Brown is the leading rusher with 688 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Memphis not intimidated
The Memphis Tigers have won seven straight games coming into bowl seasons, including a 29-24 win over Cincinnati in the AAC Championship. The Tigers are 12-1 on the season, 8-5 against the spread and 8-5 with the over.
Memphis has been dynamite on offense this season, averaging 40.5 points and 480.7 yards per game. Defensively, the Tigers are giving up 24.4 points and 372.3 yards per contest. Brady White is leading the team with 3,560 passing yards and 33 touchdowns. Kenneth Gainwell is leading the ground attack with 1,425 yards and 12 touchdowns, while Damonte Coxie has caught 68 passes for 1,144 yards and nine scores.
College Football Betting Trends
Penn State
The Nittany Lions are 20-9-2 against the spread in their last 31 games against a winning team and 8-3-1 ATS in their last 12 non-conference games.
Memphis
The Tigers are 0-4 against the spread in their last four bowl games and 1-10 ATS in their last 11 games in December.
Prediction:
Memphis had a great season and has been a solid program over the years, but the Tigers haven’t been able to really land that marquee bowl win. That’s also been an issue for Penn State in recent years, losing to the likes of Kentucky, USC and Georgia. However, PSU does have a Fiesta Bowl victory and I think that will actually mean something today. This is a big stage for Memphis and many would expect them to play with a big chip on their shoulder. However, they lost their coach and could be overwhelmed by this PSU defense. The Nittany Lions will be able to challenge Memphis on both sides of the ball in ways they may not have seen this year. I think the oddsmakers know something here, and Penn State could be set to run all over the Tigers.
Cotton Bowl Prediction: Penn State -7
