James Franklin was not able to lead the Penn State Lions to a spot in the College Football Playoff, but he has a chance of netting the program its third-straight 10-win season when it duels the Kentucky Wildcats in Orlando. The Wildcats are having one of the best seasons in school history, and could cap their campaign with a big win against a storied program. Going into the VRBO Citrus Bowl the sportsbook favors Penn State by just over a touchdown.
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Betting Preview for the Kentucky Wildcats vs Penn State Nittany Lions College Football Citrus Bowl Game on January 1 2019
Where: Camping World Stadium, Orlando, Florida
When: Tuesday, January 1, 2019, 12:00 PM ET
Line: Kentucky Wildcats (+6.5) vs Penn State Nittany Lions (-6.5) – view all 2018 NCAAF lines
TV Broadcast: ABC
Betting on the Kentucky Wildcats (9-3 Overall / 5-3 Conference)
The Wildcats are coming off a 56-10 road win against rivals Louisville Cardinals on Nov. 24. In that game, Wildcats quarterback Terry Wilson put up an impressive performance, passing for 261 yards and three touchdowns with an interception on 17-of-23 completions. But the real MVP for the Wildcats that day was their backfield that destroyed almost everything in its path. Kentucky finished the game with 340 rushing yards and five touchdowns. Kentucky likes to run the ball – a lot – so expect it to test the run defense of Penn State early and often throughout the meeting. Kentucky is 34th in the nation with 198.2 rushing yards per game, while Penn State allows 168.4 rushing yards per contest.
The over is 2-0 in the Wildcats’ last two games, after a 5-7 against the spread (ATS) record for the season.
Betting on the Penn State Nittany Lions (9-3 Overall / 6-3 Conference)
This is the last game of quarterback Trace McSorley in his college career, so expect the senior to go all out. McSorely was fantastic in the Nittany Lions’ most previous game, as he finished with 230 passing yards and a touchdown with zero interceptions on 12-of-22 completions to go with 64 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the ground on 11 carries in a 38-3 home win over the Maryland Terrapins on Nov. 24. McSorely drives most of his team’s offense, but he’ll definitely get help from running back Miles Sanders, who finished the regular season second in the Big Ten with 1,223 rushing yards with nine touchdowns to go along with his yards total. Kentucky has a sturdy defense that allows just 147.8 rushing yards per game, but McSorely’s ability to throw and run will put Kentucky on its toes all game long. Speaking of defense, the Nittany Lions are seventh in the nation with only 16.8 points allowed per game.
The Nittany Lions are 2-1 ATS in their last three games overall, after having gone 7-5 ATS for the regular season.
Writer’s Prediction
Penn State wins, 29-24.
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