Gasparilla Bowl Betting 2023 Odds, Predictions, Preview

The Wake Forest Demon Deacons defeated the Missouri Tigers 27-17 in the 2022 Gasparilla Bowl.

Check out last year's coverage here below and tune back in with us soon for the 2023 Gasparilla Bowl Odds, Picks and Predictions.

The Wake Forest Demon Deacons started their season on a high note by winning six of their first seven games. They rose to as high as No. 10 in the AP Poll before the defense collapsed over the second half of the season.

Wake Forest conceded at least 30 points in each of its last five games and lost four of those tilts. Despite that ignominious end, the Demon Deacons are favored to beat the Missouri Tigers in the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl.

The Gasparilla Bowl will be played on Friday, December 23, 2022, at 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPN from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.

Wake Forest Demon Deacons vs. Missouri Tigers Betting Prediction

This has the potential to be a high-scoring game. While most of the country is currently dealing with freezing temperatures, it will be a temperate climate in Tampa on Friday night.

Wake Forest has the 8th ranked offense and the 104th ranked defense per SP+, and Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz is known as an offensive guru from his time under Gus Malzahn. Both teams could end up scoring in the 30s, sending this one over the number.

Score Prediction: Wake Forest 37, Missouri 34
Best Bet: Over 58.5 (-110)

Wake Forest Demon Deacons vs. Missouri Tigers Betting Odds

Gasparilla Bowl Betting Resources

• Date: Friday, December 23, 2022
• TV-Time: ESPN, 6:30 p.m. ET
• Venue: Raymond James Stadium
• Location: Tampa, Florida
• Expert Picks

Updated on 11/15/2023

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Wake Forest Demon Deacons Betting Analysis

There has been a lot of speculation surrounding the future of Sam Hartman. Wake Forest’s star quarterback has taken his game to another level over the last two seasons.

Hartman completed 63% of his passes for 3,421 yards (8.7 YPA) with 35 touchdowns and 11 interceptions while running the mesh for Dave Clawson. He can lower his shoulder and get tough yards too, and he knows how to neutralize aggressive defensive ends.

Backup running back Christian Turner and third-leading receiver Jahmal Banks will miss this game. However, star wide receiver A.T. Perry will suit up after a season in which he caught 70 passes for 980 yards and 11 touchdowns. Wake Forest has three other players that finished with more than 500 receiving yards, and Justice Ellison is averaging 4.3 YPC on the ground.

Wake Forest is allowing 31.0 PPG and 428.0 YPG. The run defense was above average this season, but the pass defense had a lot of trouble against decent quarterbacks. The Demon Deacons surrendered 8.2 YPA and 285.0 YPG through the air, ranking near the bottom of the nation in those categories.

To make matters worse, Gavin Holmes and J.J. Roberts were two of Wake Forest’s top three corners and won’t play in this game as they are entering the transfer portal. Defensive tackle Kobie Turner was an All-ACC selection, and Jasheen Davis led the Demon Deacons with eight sacks.

Missouri Tigers Betting Analysis

Brady Cook was solid in his first full season as a starter under center for Missouri. Cook completed 65.3% of his passes for 2,509 yards (7.5 YPA) with 13 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

However, he won’t have some of his top targets in the passing game on Friday night in Tampa. Leading receiver Dominic Lovett entered the transfer portal, and No. 2 receiver Barrett Banister was injured in last month’s victory over New Mexico State.

The good news is that Cook is a solid runner and picked up 547 yards and ran for six touchdowns while averaging 4.4 YPC. Cody Schrader led the Tigers in rushing with 691 yards (4.4 YPC) and eight touchdowns, and he helped Missouri convert third and fourth downs at an above average rate.

Mizzou ranked 25th in Defensive SP+. Isaiah McGuire was a Second Team All-SEC selection and led the team with seven sacks, but McGuire and a whopping nine other Tigers’ defenders will not take part in this game.

McGuire, D.J. Coleman, and Martez Manuel are all sitting out to focus on the NFL Draft. Defensive linemen Ky Montgomery and Tyrone Hopper and linebacker Xavier Simmons are injured, and four players in the back seven entered the transfer portal. That will make the Tigers significantly less intimidating on defense.

Gasparilla Bowl Best Bets

Gasparilla Bowl History

The Gasparilla Bowl began in 2008 and the matchup currently features schools from the American Athletic Conference (AAC), Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) or Conference USA. The game takes place at Tropicana Field from St. Petersburg, Florida. This game was previously called the magicJack St. Petersburg Bowl, Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl and Bitcoin St. Petersburg Bowl. 

Favorites have gone 10-2 straight up and 9-3 against the spread in the first 12 years. The 'under' has produced a 7-4 mark during this span. Central Florida and Marshall are tied for the most appearances in this bowl with four apiece. 

Marshall kept the 'chalk' streak rolling in the 2018 installment with a 38-20 over South Florida, who was playing in its home venue.

UCF made the short trip from Orlando in 2019 and rolled past Marshall, 48-25 to easily cash as 15-point favorites. The Thundering Herd suffered its first loss in this bowl in four tries.

The 2020 installment was wiped out due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, but the game returned Dec. 23, 2021 with a sold-out Raymond James Stadium for UCF against Florida. UCF is starting to enjoy themselves in the home of rival USF, too, as they won their second straight Gasparilla Bowl in front of 63,669 fans with a 29-17 victory over the Gators. UCF is the first underdog to win this bowl game outright since NC State topped UCF in the 2014 game in St. Petersburg.