2024 Holiday Bowl Lines - Washington State vs. Syracuse

Holiday Bowl Lines - Syracuse vs. Washington State Odds

After finishing the regular season with a record of 8-4, the Washington State Cougars will face the #21 Syracuse Orange in the 2024 DIRECTV Holiday Bowl. This contest will mark Washington State's first matchup with Syracuse since 1979. Syracuse won that game in Buffalo, NY, by a score of 52-25. Washington State has already won inside Snapdragon Stadium once this year, a 29-26 win over San Diego State on October 26. The Cougs have made four previous appearances in the Holiday Bowl: 2017, 2016, 2003, and 1981. They're 1-3 in those contests, with their only win coming against Texas in 2003. Washington State's last bowl win came in the 2018 Alamo Bowl under the late Mike Leach.

2024 Holiday Bowl at a Glance

Date: Friday, December 27, 2024

Time (ET) / TV: 8:00 PM / FOX

Venue: Snapdragon Stadium, San Diego, CA

Matchup: Washington State Cougars vs. Syracuse Orange

College Football Betting Lines

Syracuse Orange -8.5

Washington State Cougars +8.5

Over/Under: 62

Holiday Bowl Preview

Last game, the Washington State Cougars lost 15-14 against the Wyoming Cowboys as 18-point home favorites. The game went under the total of 55.5. Wash State has a record of 8-4 straight up, 6-6 against the spread, and 6-6 over/under the total. Wazzu ranks 22nd for total offense, 23rd for passing, 56th for rushing, and 11th for scoring. Defensively they rank 116th overall, 118th against the pass, 98th against the rush, and 90th for points allowed. Also, Washington State ranks 22nd for fewest turnovers lost and 20th for takeaways.

Last game, the Syracuse Orange won 42-38 against the Miami Hurricanes as 12-point home dogs. The game went over the total of 67.5. Syracuse has a record of 9-3 straight up, 6-6 against the spread, and 6-5-1 over/under the total. Syracuse ranks 10th for total offense, 1st for passing, 127th for rushing, and 33rd for scoring. Defensively they rank 68th overall, 65th against the pass, 74th against the rush, and 94th for points allowed. Also, Syracuse ranks 44th for fewest turnovers lost and 79th for takeaways.

Holiday Bowl Prediction

In this situation, Syracuse is a talented and well-coached team that continues to be underestimated.

Holiday Bowl Format

The Holiday Bowl began in 1978, and the matchup currently features schools from the Pac-12 and ACC. Petco Park, home of the San Diego Padres, has been the host of this game since 2022. The payout is $6.5 million in the Holiday Bowl. The Holiday Bowl was long renowned as the best of the non-New Year’s Day Bowl games and for its thrilling finishes. The bowl has lost its shine since the expansion of additional bowl games and the current playoff format that will expand to 12 teams in 2024.

Holiday Bowl Past Results

BYU dominated the WAC when the Holiday Bowl was inception, and the Cougars appeared in the first seven games. Thanks to BYU, the Holiday Bowl got a reputation for miraculous finishes. BYU erased a 20-point deficit to SMU in the last two minutes of the 1980 game, getting a game-tying touchdown pass from Jim McMahon on the final play. The extra point gave BYU a 46-45 win.

Following two years of COVID cancelations, the Holiday Bowl returned in 2022. Oregon beat North Carolina 28-27, scoring the winning TD on a 6-yard TD pass from Bo Nix to Chase Cota with six seconds remaining in the game. Bucky Irving was the MVP with 149 yards rushing and two TDs for Oregon.

In 2023, the Cardinals capped off their first season under head coach Jeff Brohm with a showdown against USC in the Holiday Bowl. However, the Louisville Cardinals could not take advantage of a short-handed and vulnerable Trojans squad, falling 42-28 at Petco Park.

No. 15 Louisville concluded their 2023 campaign on a three-game losing streak, also dropping their regular season finale vs. Kentucky and the ACC Championship Game against Florida State. Conversely, USC snapped a four-game losing streak to end year two under head coach Lincoln Riley.

As is the case with most bowls in college football today, it was a matchup in which both teams were shorthanded in various capacities due to opt-outs. At kickoff, there were a combined 32 transfer portal entries and NFL Draft declarations between Louisville and USC, including 21 from the Trojans.

Even with the majority of the opt-outs and transfer portal entries coming from USC, Louisville did nothing but take advantage of it. Facing a Trojans defense that had averaged 34.9 points and 438.8 yards allowed per game during the regular season, the Cardinals could only muster 361 total yards of offense.

2024-25 College Football Bowl Games

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