Ohio State draws the most attention of college football programs in Ohio, but the Buckeyes aren’t the only FBS program in the state to have put together a solid season.
A few MAC schools, including conference champion Toledo, will play bowl games between now and Ohio State’s College Football Playoff semifinal on Dec. 31. The Rockets play Tuesday night against Liberty, with kickoff in the Boca Raton Bowl slated for 7:30 p.m. on ESPN.
Toledo, Bowling Green, Ohio all favorites
While legal sports betting platforms won’t launch in Ohio until Jan. 1, sportsbooks across the country offer odds on all of the college bowl games. Ohioans will have a chance to legally wager on the college football national championship, which could feature the Buckeyes. Ohio State is a 6.5-point underdog to Georgia at most mobile sportsbooks. An upset win could set up a rematch with Michigan.
While the Buckeyes are an underdog in their big game, three Ohio MAC schools are favored entering their bowl matchups. Toledo is a 3.5-point favorite over Liberty at most sportsbooks, including BetMGM, Caesars Sportsbook, FanDuel, and PointsBet.
In winning the MAC this season, the Rockets were the conference’s top scoring offense at 32.1 points per game. Quarterback Dequan Finn has been among the top quarterbacks in the league the past two season, throwing for 40 touchdowns compared to 14 interceptions. He’s also a running threat, averaging 5.4 yards per carry while eclipsing 600 yards this season.
Toledo QB Dequan Finn's seven TD game vs. Kent State pic.twitter.com/vIixblJstG
— Colton Denning (@Dubsco) October 16, 2022
Liberty can be a tough matchup, as the Flames beat Arkansas and BYU, but they also ended the season with a 49-14 home loss to New Mexico State.
Bowling Green faces that New Mexico State team on Dec. 26 in the Quick Lane Bowl in Detroit. The Falcons are 3.5-point favorites at most sportsbooks, although DraftKings favors them by 4.
Ohio is a 1-point favorite at Caesars Sportsbook and PointsBet for its Dec. 30 matchup with Wyoming in the Arizona Bowl. Interestingly, BetRivers actually lists the Bobcats as 1-point underdogs.
Miami Ohio loses
Elsewhere in the MAC, Miami University dropped its bowl game on Dec. 16, losing to UAB 24-20 in the Bahamas Bowl. Bettors who backed Miami were pleased, however, as the RedHawks easily covered the 11-point spread. UAB needed a rushing touchdown in the final two minutes to secure the victory.
Toledo’s contest will be the second bowl game this year involving MAC teams, who went 3-5 overall in bowl games last season.
Photo: Lon Horwedel/USA TODAY
