The last football game of the 2018 calendar year, college or pro, is the Gator Bowl from Jacksonville on New Year’s Eve as North Carolina State of the ACC faces off against No. 19 Texas A&M of the SEC – the Aggies are led by long-time Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher so he knows NC State well. The Aggies have risen to 7-point NCAAF odds favorites.

How to Bet NC State vs Texas A&M 2018 Gator Bowl Odds & Game Preview

“It’s very up-tempo right now…it’s going well so far. Everyone’s coming out ready to work.”

🗣 @tdots25 on @taxslayerbowl practices.#TaxSlayerGatorBowl #GigEm pic.twitter.com/PvyOm32unw— Texas A&M Football (@AggieFootball) 27 de diciembre de 2018

 

• When: Monday, 7:30 PM ET
• Where: TIAA Bank Field, Jacksonville
• TV: ESPN
• Live Stream: WatchESPN
• Radio: TuneIn
• 2018 Gator Bowl Odds: A&M -7 (total 57)

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Weather Forecast

• Clear: 21°C/69°F
• Humidity: 82%
• Precipitation: 3%
• Cloud Cover: 25%
• Wind: 5 mph SSW
• Stadium Type: Open

Series History

First meeting. This is NC State’s 32nd bowl appearance (17-13-1) and its fourth in the Gator Bowl. The Wolfpack played its first bowl game at the storied bowl in 1947 and also played there in 1992 and 2002.

Texas A&M’s 40 bowl game appearances rank as the 18th-most among college football programs. Texas A&M’s 17 bowl victories rank as the 21st-most among FBS programs. It is the 10th straight season with a bowl game appearance for the Aggies, which is a school record. The Aggies’ 10-year streak of bowl appearances is the 10th-longest among FBS programs. It will be Texas A&M’s second appearance in the Gator Bowl. Paul “Bear” Bryant’s final game as the Aggies’ head coach was a 3-0 loss to Tennessee in the 1957 Gator Bowl on Dec. 28, 1957.

Why Bet on NC State?

The Wolfpack finished the season with nine regular-season wins for only the sixth time in school history and the second since the turn of the century. The invitation marks the fifth consecutive bowl appearance for the Wolfpack and the seventh in head coach Dave Doeren’s eight-year stint as a head coach. It is the second-longest bowl streak in NC State history.

NC State’s explosive offense has rewritten the record books this year as one of just two Power 5 teams to boast a 3,000-yard passer (Ryan Finley), a 1,000-yard rusher (Reggie Gallaspy, Jr.) and two 1,000-yard receivers (Kelvin Harmon and Jakobi Meyers). Oklahoma is the only other team Power 5 school to post those numbers and that feat has been accomplished just one other time in ACC history (FSU in 2012).

Finley ranks fifth nationally in passing yards (315.8), and 10th in completion percentage (.679) – leading the ACC in both categories. Harmon finished with over 1,000 yards receiving for the second straight season, and he leads the ACC and ranks 12th nationally with 98.8 yards per game. Meyers was the second Pack wide receiver to go over 1,000 yards this season, only the fourth time in ACC history a school had two in the same season. Meyers is second in the conference averaging 93.5 yards per game, a mark that is 17th nationally.

NC State was so good on offense that OC Eliah Drinkwitz was named the new head coach at Appalachian State shortly after the regular season ended. Des Kitchings and George McDonald will serve as co-offensive coordinators. Kitchings has been on the Wolfpack staff since 2012, while McDonald is finishing his fourth season with the program.

Why Bet on Texas A&M?

While at Florida State, Coach Jimbo Fisher posted a 5-2 record in bowl games.

Texas A&M finished the 2018 regular season with an 8-4 overall record and as runner-up in the SEC West with a 5-3 conference record. It was the Aggies’ highest conference finish since joining the elite league in 2012. Texas A&M enters the bowl game with a three-game winning streak. It faced nine bowl-eligible teams in 2018 and posted a 5-4 record in those matchups.

The Aggies have perhaps the nation’s top tight end in Jace Sternberger, who leads the country in receiving yards (804) and touchdowns (10) by a tight end and is the Aggies’ leading receiver with 47 receptions. He set the school record for most touchdowns by a tight end in a single season and currently ranks tied for sixth all-time on the Aggies’ single-season list. Sternberger was named first-team All-American.

Trayeon Williams leads the SEC in rushing (1,524), all-purpose yards (1,802) and touchdowns (16). The junior has posted eight games with 100-or-more yards including two games with at least 200 yards. Williams became the fifth Aggie to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark twice in his career and his 1,524 rushing yards ranks third all-time in Texas A&M school history. He ended the regular season averaging 175.0 yards per game with 7 touchdowns in the final four games.

The Aggie defense is holding opposing offenses to 92.0 rushing yards per game, which is the best in the SEC and second in FBS behind Michigan State (81.3). The mark would also be the second-best in school history behind 1975’s school-record total of 80.3.

The Aggies will wear tribute helmet decals to honor the memory of George H.W. Bush, the 41st President of the United States and a great friend to Texas A&M’s Department of Athletics.

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NC State vs Texas A&M 2018 Gator Bowl Betting Trends

• Texas A&M is 9-4 ATS in its last 13 games
• Texas A&M is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games
• Texas A&M is 7-0 ATS in its last 7 non-conference games
• North Carolina State is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
• North Carolina State is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 non-conference games
• North Carolina State is 8-2-1 ATS in its last 11 games in December

Expert NCAAF Betting Prediction for NC State vs Texas A&M

Buy it down to -6.5 and take A&M.