Sun Bowl Betting 2023 Predictions, Odds, Preview

The Pittsburgh Panthers defeated the UCLA Bruins 37-35 in the 2022 Sun Bowl.

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

Few people know that the Sun Bowl is tied for the second-oldest college football bowl game alongside the Orange Bowl and the Sugar Bowl.

This game doesn’t have the same prestige as the other two games largely because of its location, but we have seen some great Sun Bowl battles over the decades.

The Pittsburgh Panthers and UCLA Bruins will look to add to that history when they meet on Friday, December 30, 2022, at 2 p.m. ET on CBS in El Paso, Texas.

Pittsburgh Panthers vs. UCLA Bruins Betting Prediction

The Pittsburgh Panthers have not done much on offense during their last two trips to the Sun Bowl. They lost 14-13 to Stanford four years ago as Kenny Pickett had an awful outing, and they played in the lowest scoring bowl game in the modern era back on New Year’s Eve in 2008.

Oregon State defeated Pitt 3-0 in a game where the Panthers threw the ball 27 times for just 89 yards. They will be without their top quarterback once again for this year’s bowl game, and that doesn’t bode well for their chances against the UCLA Bruins.

Score Prediction: UCLA 34, Pittsburgh 16
Best Bet: UCLA -7.5 (-110)

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Pittsburgh Panthers vs. UCLA Bruins Betting Odds

Sun Bowl Betting Resources

• Date: Friday, December 30, 2022
• TV-Time: CBS, 2:00 p.m. ET
• Venue: Sun Bowl
• Location: El Paso, Texas
• Expert Picks

Pittsburgh Panthers Betting Analysis

Four-year backup Nick Patti will receive just his second start with the Pittsburgh Panthers on Friday at the Sun Bowl. Patti was the backup to Kenny Pickett for three years, and he was the secondary signal caller behind USC transfer Kedon Slovis this season.

Slovis re-entered the transfer portal and joined BYU earlier this month, so Patti will be called upon once more. In his four-year career at Pitt, he has completed 51 of 87 passes for 558 yards with four touchdowns and an interception.

Unfortunately for Patti, most of Pittsburgh’s best players on offense are not taking part in this bowl game. Standout running back Israel Abanikanda was a First Team All-ACC selection and ran for 1,431 yards and 20 touchdowns, so he is opting out to focus on the NFL Draft.

Offensive tackles Gabe Houy and Carter Warren are both opting out too, but the good news is that First Team All-ACC guard Marcus Minor did confirm he will play in this game.

Leading receiver Jared Wayne will also take part in the Sun Bowl after catching 55 passes for 1,012 yards with five touchdowns.

Standout defensive tackle Calijah Kancey was an All-American that drew comparisons to alum Aaron Donald, so Kancey is opting out in anticipation of being a first round pick. This defense is going to be without a lot more than just Kancey too as leading tackler SirVocea Dennis and second-leading tackler Brandon Hill are opting out.

Defensive lineman Habakkuk Baldonado is questionable to play due to injury, while edge rusher Deslin Alexandre also opted out in order to focus on the NFL Draft. Pittsburgh’s defense ranked 52nd in SP+, but this defense is a shadow of that one.

UCLA Bruins Betting Analysis

Meanwhile, UCLA will have almost its full complement of players for the Sun Bowl. For a while, we didn’t know the status of Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Zach Charbonnet, and Jake Bobo, but all three players seem set to start on Friday.

Super senior DTR had the best season of his career in 2022. He completed 69.8% of his passes for 2,883 yards (8.1 YPA) with 25 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

DTR was only sacked 15 times, and he was the second-leading rusher on the Bruins behind Charbonnet. He ran for 631 yards (5.6 YPC) and 11 touchdowns.

Charbonnet ran for 1,359 yards and 14 touchdowns while averaging 7.0 YPC this season. He was the third-leading receiver behind Bobo and Kazmeir Allen as well.

Bobo led the Bruins with 54 catches for 789 yards and seven touchdowns, while Allen had 49 receptions for 403 yards and two TDs.

This UCLA defense doesn’t need to do much considering how good the offense has been under Chip Kelly the last two years. The Bruins ranked 84th in Defensive SP+, but they did a very good job stopping the run (3.9 YPC).

Linebacker Laiatu Latu was superb with 9.5 sacks and three forced fumbles on his way to First Team All-PAC 12 honors.

Sun Bowl History

The Sun Bowl began in 1935 and the matchup currently features schools from the ACC and Pac-12 conferences. The game takes place at Sun Bowl Stadium from El Paso, Texas. This bowl, along with the Sugar and Orange bowls, are the second-oldest bowl games in the country, behind the Rose Bowl game. 

The Pac-12 has won seven of the last nine Sun Bowls, which includes Arizona State's 20-14 win over Florida State in the 2019 installment.

Texas Tech holds the record for the most appearances in this game with nine and also has the most losses (1-8). 

The 2020 installment of the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl was wiped out due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. The game returned Friday, Dec. 31, 2021, and there was a late shift. Washington State of the Pac-12 was to face Miami (Fla.) of the ACC. COVID issues within the Hurricanes' program caused them to pull out. Central Michigan was to face Boise State in the Arizona Bowl, but when the Broncos pulled out due to their own COVID outbreak, CMU moved to fill the vacancy in the Sun Bowl.