The North Carolina A&T Aggies didn’t finish the season undefeated like they did last year, but they still have a chance to make history when they take on the Alcorn State Braves in this year’s Celebration Bowl. The Aggies have won two of the last three Celebration Bowls, and a victory here would give them three win in four years. The Celebration Bowl pits the winner of the MEAC against the winner of the SWAC and has determined which Division I school wins the HBCU national championship since its foundation in 2015.
BookMaker is the only place to bet all 41 college football bowl games this season. BookMaker has the best lines for bettors, and your stocking might be a little bit fuller if you play here. The Celebration Bowl will take place on Saturday, December 15, 2018 at 12 p.m. ET at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.
NCAA Football Betting at BookMaker.eu
North Carolina A&T -8
Alcorn State +8
Total 48
Odds Analysis
Alcorn State has been the best team on its side of the SWAC since 2014. The Braves have won five straight SWAC East division titles, but this is only their third SWAC title during that time and first since 2015. They were unable to get past Grambling in 2016 and 2017, but they received some catharsis by knocking off the Tigers on their way to going 6-1 in conference this year. Alcorn State nearly knocked off FBS New Mexico State before beating Southern 37-28 to punch its ticket to Atlanta.
It’s been a roller coaster of a season for North Carolina A&T. The Aggies were coming off of a perfect 12-0 campaign in 2017, and things started great with wins over Jacksonville State and FBS East Carolina in 2018. However, an injury to star quarterback Lamar Raynard threatened to submarine the season, and it led to the Aggies dropping home games against Morgan State and Florida A&M. They were able to rally and when Raynard came back, they pasted arch-rival North Carolina Central 45-0 to close out the year.
Player to Watch
Raynard was not nearly as productive as he was last season, but the offense will rely on him to make plays to get past Alcorn State. His completion percentage has dropped from 63.7 percent to 56.3 percent, and his passing average is two yards shorter than it was last season, but he posted his best numbers of the season against NC Central three weeks ago.
His elusiveness will come in handy too. Raynard is great at maneuvering around the pocket, and he has needed to be sharp with star left tackle Brandon Parker now in the NFL.
Matchup to Watch
Alcorn State will look to move the ball on the ground using a lot of read option. The Braves have had a lot of success with that this season, and they tore up Southern on the ground in the SWAC Championship Game using that attack. In that game, quarterback Noah Johnson carried the ball 16 times for 147 yards and two touchdowns, while De’Shawn Waller ran 16 times for 177 yards and three scores.
Moving the ball on North Carolina A&T will be tough though, considering how good this defense has been stopping the run over the last few years. They are physically imposing on the interior, and they have been fundamentally sound as well. The Aggies have had a lot of time to prepare for this attack, so if they stay in their lanes, they should be able to stop it. Johnson holds the ball than most quarterbacks do in the read option, and that’s something to watch here.
Live Betting Preview
This is a rematch of the very first Celebration Bowl. North Carolina A&T won a 41-34 thriller back in 2015, with Tarik Cohen being named the game’s offensive MVP for his efforts. I don’t expect this game to be nearly as high scoring, but I see the same result. North Carolina A&T is too good with Raynard back, and the Aggies will handle the Braves.
NCAA Football Odds: North Carolina A&T 27, Alcorn State 14
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