Guaranteed Rate Bowl Betting 2023 Odds, Predictions, Preview

The Wisconsin Badgers defeated the Oklahoma State Cowboys 24-17 in the 2022 Guaranteed Rate Bowl.

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

There will be a lot of new faces on the field for both the Wisconsin Badgers and the Oklahoma State Cowboys at the Guaranteed Rate Bowl. Both programs have seen more than a dozen players enter the transfer portal or opt out of this game, including starting quarterbacks Graham Mertz and Spencer Sanders.

That could lead to something unexpected as there are a lot of unknowns heading into this bowl game. The Guaranteed Rate Bowl is slated for Tuesday, December 27, 2022, at 10:15 p.m. ET on ESPN from Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona.

Oklahoma State Cowboys vs. Wisconsin Badgers Betting Prediction

Given the uncertainty coming into this game, it’s prudent to bet some exotics. These types of bowl games have a higher chance of being blowouts than other games, so it could be very beneficial to take some alternate spreads here at +odds.

Along those lines, I’m calling for Wisconsin to win in a rout as its ground game gets on track against an Oklahoma State defense that really struggled. The Badgers have won seven of their last eight bowl games, as they have a history of coming together at this point.

Score Prediction: Wisconsin 34 Oklahoma State 13
Best Bet: Wisconsin -3.5

Oklahoma State Cowboys vs. Wisconsin Badgers Betting Odds

Quick Lane Bowl Betting Resources

• Date: Tuesday, December 27, 2022
• TV-Time: ESPN, 10:15 p.m. ET
• Venue: Chase Field
• Location: Phoenix, Arizona
• Expert Picks

Oklahoma State Cowboys Betting Analysis

Mike Gundy was certainly shocked when Spencer Sanders decided to enter the transfer portal. Sanders was a four-year starter under center at Oklahoma State, and Gundy believed that Sanders would come back to Stillwater for one more season. However, Sanders decided to try his luck at another locale, and that means either Garret Rangel or Gunnar Gundy will get the start under center on Tuesday night. Neither Rangel nor Gundy has performed that well, struggling to complete passes while throwing more interceptions than touchdowns.

Leading rusher Dominic Richardson also made the decision to enter the transfer portal, putting the new quarterback at a disadvantage. Additionally, four receivers won’t be taking part in this game due to either injury or the transfer portal. Brennan Presley, Braydon Johnson, and John Paul Richardson are all experienced though.

Oklahoma State ranks 70th in Defensive SP+ after Ohio State stole away defensive coordinator Jim Knowles last offseason. It looked like the Cowboys were in good shape anyways on defense through the first half of the year, but they imploded on this side of the ball after a 5-0 start. The Cowboys are allowing 31.4 PPG and 460.0 YPG, and they will be missing a ton of talent along the defensive line in this game. That’s not a great position to be in prior to a game against Wisconsin.

Wisconsin Badgers Betting Analysis

Jim Leonhard closed out the season as the interim head coach for Wisconsin after Paul Chryst was fired in early October. Leonhard was given the first chance to be named the full-time head coach, but the Badgers continued to struggle, so Luke Fickell was brought in to help modernize this offense.

No one expected Graham Mertz to play as poorly as he did during his time at Wisconsin. Mertz was a highly rated four-star recruit out of Kansas, and he was the highest-rated quarterback the Badgers had ever landed. He was supposed to help make Wisconsin a true contender in the Big Ten, but he was never able to turn the corner after a fantastic debut against Illinois where he threw five touchdown passes in a rout of the Fighting Illini. During his four seasons with Wisconsin, Mertz completed just 59.5% of his passes for 5,405 yards with 38 touchdowns and 26 interceptions.

With Mertz heading to Florida to rejuvenate his career and Deacon Hill entering the transfer portal, Wisconsin has just two quarterbacks for this bowl game. This will be Chase Wolf’s last collegiate game, so he could get the nod, or the Badgers could go with talented freshman Myles Burkett. However, neither Wolf nor Burkett is expected to carry the ball much as Wisconsin asks its beefy offensive line to create big holes.

The Badgers averaged just 4.5 YPC and 168.9 YPG on the ground during the regular season. Braelon Allen had a solid season considering the passing game was nonexistent, running for 1,126 yards (5.4 YPC) and 10 touchdowns, and he has stated his belief that Wisconsin can carve out some big chunks of yardage against Oklahoma State.

Wisconsin is allowing 22.4 PPG and 311.1 YPG. The Badgers have a First Team All-Big Ten linebacker in Nick Herbig who recorded 11 sacks, but he opted out of this game to focus on the NFL Draft. John Torchio was also a First Team All-Big Ten selection with a team-high five interceptions, and he will be suiting up. That’s great news for the secondary as three cornerbacks and a safety are not taking part in the bowl game.

Guaranteed Rate Bowl Best Bets

Guaranteed Rate Bowl History

The Guaranteed Rate Bowl began in 1989 when it was known as the Copper Bowl. The matchup currently features schools from the Big 12 and Big Ten conferences. The game takes place at Chase Field from Phoenix, Arizona.

This bowl has also been known as the Cheez It Bowl, the Cactus Bowl, the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl, the Insight Bowl, and the Insight.com Bowl. Originally, the game was played in Tucson from 1989-99 before moving to Chase Field in Phoenix, then a few years at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe from 2006-15, and then finally back to Phoenix at Chase Field again.

The second Cactus Bowl was played on Saturday Jan. 2, 2016, and it was a wild one. West Virginia posted a 43-42 win over Arizona State, as QB Skyler Howard of the Mountaineers set school and bowl records in passing yardage. The Big 12 won once again in December 2016, as Baylor dominated Boise State, 31-12. And in the final installment, the Big 12 won again, as Kansas State outscored UCLA 28-0 in the second half en route to a 35-17 win.

The 2018 installment of the renamed Cheez It Bowl was memorable and forgettable at the same time, as TCU and California combined to throw nine interceptions. The Horned Frogs edged the Golden Bears in overtime, 10-7, as TCU grabbed the cover as a short favorite.

In 2019, it was a big contrast between the triple-option rushing attack of Air Force against the Air Raid offense of head coach Mike Leach and Washington State. The run game won out. The Falcons couldn't be stopped, and their defense came up with two huge stops in the red zone to turn the tide.

The 2020 installment was wiped out with an insufficient number of teams able to participate in the postseason due to the COVID-19 global pandemic.

The game returned on Dec. 28, 2021 at Chase Field in Phoenix, and Minnesota of the Big Ten pushed around West Virginia of the Big 12 in a lower-scoring affair, cashing as the favorite in an 18-6 victory. The favorite is actually 4-0 ATS in the previous four bowl games at this venue. The 'under' is also a perfect 5-for-5 in the previous five Cactus/Guaranteed Rate Bowls.

For more coverage of bowl season, check out our College Football Bowl Central!