2021 Gator Bowl Betting

Running since 1946, the Gator Bowl is the sixth-oldest college football bowl game. It takes place at TIAA Bank Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida and happens in late December or early January.

The 2022 Gator Bowl originally included the Texas A&M Aggies and Wake Forest Demon Deacons. Following Texas A&M’s COVID outbreak, though, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights will now face Wake Forest on Dec. 31, 2021. Rutgers (5–7) hasn’t had quite the same success as the Aggies (8–4) this year. However, it could still prove a tough opponent for the ACC runner-up Deacons (10–3).

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Wake Forest University has never been much of a football school. Under head coach Dave Clawson, however, it has become a fearsome foe in the ACC. Case in point, it finished 7–2 in the conference and 10–3 overall in the regular season. Wake Forest won the Atlantic Division and made the conference championship game, where it lost to Pittsburgh (11–3).

Despite missing out on the Peach Bowl, the Deacons landed in another high-profile bowl game. Its strong season began with an eight-game winning streak. This streak got snapped by a 58–55 loss to North Carolina. Wake came back, though, with a victory over then-No. 16 NC State and eventually worked its way into the ACC Championship.

The Deacons bring an explosive scoring offense into this meeting. They score 41.3 points per game (4th nationally) and average 469.1 yards (10th) per contest. Quarterback Sam Hartman provides most of this offense, having passed for 3,924 yards, 36 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. A.T. Perry and Jaquarii Robinson form a devastating receiving duo, having racked up 1,166 and 1,078 yards, respectively.

Defensively, Wake could use some work. It gives up 30.3 points (96th nationally) and 432.8 yards per game. It’s particularly bad at stopping the run, allowing 202.0 rushing yards per outing.

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Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano is no stranger to bowl games. He took the Scarlet Knights to six bowl games during his first 11-year tenure with the team. Now in his second year back with Rutgers, Schiano again has this school participating in another bowl season.

Of course, with a 5–7 regular season record, Rutgers was far from the Gator Bowl’s first choice. SEC member Texas A&M suffered the aforementioned COVID outbreak and chose to drop out of this game. With all other bowl-eligible teams having accepted invites, the Gator Bowl needed a five-win team to fill the gap. The Scarlet Knights got in on accountability of finishing first in Academic Progress Rate.

Rutgers doesn’t look like much of a match for Wake on paper. However, it played a tough schedule in the Big Ten East Division. Losses to Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State, and Wisconsin aren’t anything to be ashamed over. The Scarlet Knights only lost 20–13 to College Football Playoff participant Michigan.

In stark contrast to the Deacons, this team has one of the least-explosive offenses in college football. It only averages 18.3 points (118th nationally) and 297.3 yards per game (123rd). It’s better defensively, though, holding opponents to 25.3 points (50th).

Quarterback Noah Verdal paces the passing game with 1,726 yards, seven touchdowns, and six interceptions. Evan Simon and Cole Snyder have seen brief playing time at quarterback too. Isaih Pacheco leads the ground game with 647 rushing yards per contest and five touchdowns.

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Canada sports betting sites initially released odds on Wake Forest vs A&M. However, they’ve since had to re-calibrate and offer odds on Wake vs Rutgers. Not surprisingly, the Deacons open as a huge favourite over the Scarlet Knights. You might be able to find value in some bets, though, due to the large gap between both teams.

Gator Bowl Moneyline Odds

The moneyline indicates which team is the favourite (minus sign) to win and which is the underdog (plus sign). Here’s a look at one Wake and Rutgers moneyline:

• Wake Forest -630 (you’d bet $630 to win $100)
• Rutgers +450 (you’d wager $100 to win $450)

Both teams are just 2–3 straight up (SU) in their last five games. Rutgers has especially been bad in this category, going 2–7 SU in their last nine contests. You can find the above moneyline odds at 888sports.

Gator Bowl Point Spread Odds

Point spreads handicap the favourite and underdog to encourage bets on both sides. You can see a common point spread for the Deacons and Scarlet Knights below:

• Wake Forest -14 (-120)
• Rutgers +14 (+100)

The Deacons have gone 6–7 against the spread (ATS) this season, but they’re 5–4 ATS as a favourite. The Scarlet Knights are 6–6 ATS, but they’re only 2–4 ATS as an underdog. If you’d like to wager on this point spread, then you can do so at William Hill.

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Gator Bowl Over/Under Odds

The over/under (totals) is a bet on whether two teams will go over or under the line. So far, every Canadian online sportsbook is featuring the same totals line:

• Over 61.5 (-110)
• Under 61.5 (-110)

Wake has seen the under in seven of its 13 games. Rutgers has been part of the under in seven of its 12 contests. You can wager on this totals line via BetVictor and TonyBet.

Gator Bowl Prop Bets

Prop bets are wagers that have nothing to do with the final score or game winner. College Football Playoff games feature the most prop betting action. However, other major bowl games, including the Gator Bowl, also boast many prop wagers. You can see a few prop bets being offered below:

• Both teams to score 20+ points
• Winning margin in first half
• How will the first points be scored
• Will a defensive or special teams TD be scored

The biggest Canada online sportsbooks, such as 888 and STS Sports, offer numerous prop bets on bowl games. That said, you might want to begin your search at one of these sites.

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This bowl’s results have been spread out evenly in recent times. As seen below, no team has captured multiple Gator Bowls within the past 10 years:

Florida holds the record for most Gator Bowl titles with seven. Florida State (six) and North Carolina (five) have also captured plenty of Gator Bowls:

If you’re interested in wagering on this game, then you can check out some of the new sports betting sites in Canada and get in on the betting action. Or alternatively, if you're based in Ontario be sure to check out our Ontario sports betting page. These tips include bets that look particularly attractive.

Wake Forest +590

The prospect of betting $590 to win $100 doesn’t sound overly appealing. However, the Deacons seem like a lock to win this contest when looking at their offense and opponent.

Wake Forest -14

Opponents have outscored Rutgers by a 7-point margin this season. The Scarlet Knights have fared much worse against ranked teams, being outscored by 27.3 points against four ranked opponents. The Michigan game (20–13) was the only elite team that it hung close with. That said, we like the Deacons to roll in this one.

Under 61.5

Rutgers and Wake combine for 59.6 points per game. Although the Deacon’s defense isn’t terrific, we don’t see the Scarlet Knights putting up a lot of points. Rutgers will likely have trouble scoring 20.