2024 New Mexico Bowl Lines - Louisiana vs. TCU

New Mexico Bowl Lines - Louisiana vs. TCU Odds

Despite being in neighboring states, TCU hasn't faced Louisiana on the gridiron before. Don't call them "ULL" or "Louisiana-Lafayette"—that moniker was dumped very publicly a few years back. This season, Louisiana went 10-3 and finished as Sun Belt Conference runners-up. Despite a lame-duck head coach, Marshall upended them, 31-3, in the title game played in Lafayette. This year marks the seventh straight bowl game from a program that recently has been excellent. Head coach Michael Desormeaux took over the program after Billy Napier left for Florida and accrued a 23-17 record over three years. This year may have saved Desormeaux from finding a new position, as he led Louisiana to consecutive 6-7 seasons. He was named Sun Belt Coach of the Year.

2024 New Mexico Bowl at a Glance

Date: Saturday, December 28, 2024

Time (ET) / TV: 2:15 PM / ESPN

Venue: University Stadium, Albuquerque, New Mexico

Matchup: Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns vs. TCU Horned Frogs

College Football Betting Lines

Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns +13

TCU Horned Frogs -13

Over/Under: 57.5

New Mexico Bowl Preview

Last game, the TCU Horned Frogs won 20-13 against the Cincinnati Bearcats as 2.5-point road favorites. The game went under the total of 58. TCU has a record of 8-4 straight up, 5-7 against the spread, and 7-5 over/under the total. TCU ranks 30th for total offense, 7th for passing, 114th for rushing, and 28th for scoring. Defensively they rank 56th overall, 32nd against the pass, 90th against the rush, and 81st for points allowed. Also, TCU ranks 113th for fewest turnovers lost and 103rd for takeaways.

Last game, the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns lost 31-3 against the Marshall Thundering Herd as 5-point home favorites. The game went under the total of 58. Louisiana has a record of 10-3 straight up, 7-5 against the spread, and 6-6 over/under the total. Louisiana ranks 31st for total offense, 35th for passing, 57th for rushing, and 31st for scoring. Defensively they rank 47th overall, 29th against the pass, 82nd against the rush, and 55th for points allowed. Also, Louisiana ranks 14th for fewest turnovers lost and 17th for takeaways.

New Mexico Bowl Prediction

In this situation, TCU finished strong and has a better roster with more depth and playmakers.

New Mexico Bowl Format

Founded in 2006, the New Mexico Bowl is played at the University Stadium in Albuquerque, New Mexico, home of the New Mexico Lobos. The conference tie-ins are now the Mountain West Conference and CUSA.

New Mexico Bowl Past Results

Six different programs have won the New Mexico Bowl in the past six years. In recent editions of this bowl game, the winning team usually scores a high number of points. Since 2008, the winning team has scored at least 31 points or more. In 2022, BYU beat SMU 24-23, holding off a Mustang 2-point conversion attempt at game’s end to claim victory.

In 2023, The Fresno State Bulldogs marched to their third consecutive bowl victory. This time, it was under the direction of interim head coach Tim Skipper. Fresno State dispatched the New Mexico State Aggies 37-10 in Albuquerque. Quarterback Mikey Keene was named the player of the game with 31 completions on 39 attempts for 380 passing yards. Keene also threw three touchdowns with one interception.

Fresno State head coach Jeff Tedford opted not to coach in the bowl game to tend to his health. In his stead, Tim Skipper had his team playing one of their better games in weeks. Fresno State hadn't won a game since November 5. That last win was also the last time they had put up more than 18 points.

Evidenced by Keene's numbers, the Fresno State offense had little issue moving the ball on. Keene had five different receivers, averaging more than ten yards per catch. Adding to the success in the passing game as well as the run game was junior running back Malik Sherrod. Sherrod finished with 20 carries for 90 rushing yards, as well as eight catches for 81 yards.

As a team, Fresno State totaled 491 offensive yards, more than doubling New Mexico State's production. The Bulldogs had 22 first downs compared to 13 by NMSU.

2024-25 College Football Bowl Games

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