I always think of three things on Christmas Day: Santa Claus, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and the Camellia Bowl!
Well, maybe that’s not entirely true. Still, when you need your college football betting fix, it’s good to have some action after you’re done opening presents and pretending to enjoy the fruitcake that Aunt Margaret made using the family recipe that no one has ever really enjoyed in the first place.
And thankfully, we have a pretty decent matchup of two teams who are coming off disappointing losses. Let’s pour some extra eggnog and check out our best college football free picks and predictions for Buffalo at Marshall. Kickoff is set for Friday, December 25 at 2:30 ET at the Cramton Bowl.
Camellia Bowl: Marshall Thundering Herd vs Buffalo Bulls Betting Preview
Weather
If you were hoping for a snowy, Christmas battle in Montgomery, you won’t find it here. Expect a high of 52 degrees with wind out of the west-southwest. No rain is expected. Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our NCAA football weather info.
Key Injuries
Marshall: Josh Ball OL (Out).
Buffalo: None to report.
Find our latest NCAA football injury reports.
Betting Trend to Know
The Thundering Herd are 7-1 ATS in their last eight bowl games. Find more NCAA betting trends for Marshall vs. Buffalo.
Against the Spread (ATS) Pick
That big “thud” you hear is the sound of two teams who are reeling a bit after each took a loss in their respective conference championship tilts. The Thundering Herd may have had the home-field advantage last week, but it wasn’t enough, with Marshall falling 22-13 to UAB and losing a chance to win the C-USA title for the first time since 2014.
Freshman quarterback Grant Wells led the conference with almost 220 passing yards per game this season, but the Thundering Herd just want him to be efficient. Marshall wins with defense and allows an average of only 12.6 points per contest.
Buffalo missed its chance to secure the 2020 MAC Championship when the Bulls were stunned 38-28 by Ball State last week in Detroit. Their high-powered offense racks up more than 47 points a game, but there are questions about the health of running back Jaret Patterson. He was injured in the third quarter against the Cardinals on what looked to be a dirty play and although Patterson did return in the fourth, it was only for a single rush.
That means quarterback Kyle Vantrease may have to carry more of the load in his game. He’s thrown for 1,186 yards with seven touchdowns and two interceptions this season.
Everything the Bulls do on offense revolves around Patterson. Now that he’s banged up, I just can’t trust Buffalo, which is 1-7 ATS in its last eight neutral site games.
PREDICTION: Marshall +3.0 (-110)
Over/Under Pick
Even if Patterson decides to tough it out on Friday, the Bulls will very likely have to throw the ball more than usual, which will eat up less clock.
Bettors favoring the Under will quickly point to Marshall’s stellar defense, but The Thundering Herd's stop unit has gotten worse over the past couple of games, plus the Over has come home in seven of their last 10 games.
I think it hits unless they have some of Aunt Margaret’s fruitcake before the game.
PREDICTION: Over 54 (-110)
Camellia Bowl: Marshall vs Buffalo Betting Card
- Marshall +3.0 (-110)
- Over 54 (-110)
Did you know that if you parlayed today’s Camellia Bowl: Marshall vs. Buffalo picks, you could win $26.45 on a $10 bet?
Use our NCAA parlay calculator to create your own parlays and see their potential payouts.
Where Can I Bet on College Football Bowl Games?
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