Independence Bowl 2022 Betting Guide

The first-ever Independence Bowl was played in 1976 to commemorate the United States bicentennial and has been a college football bowl game tradition ever since. 

This year, the game features the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns and the Houston Cougars. 

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Independence Bowl 2022 Teams and News

Below, we’ll look back at past winners of this college football bowl game and examine the best bets for the moneyline, spread, and total in this Independence Bowl 2022 betting guide.

We'll look at some of the best sports betting sites to use when wagering on this game.
 

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Playing in Shreveport, the Ragin’ Cajuns will be the pseudo-home team for this college football bowl game. The team started the year with Chandler Fields at quarterback but turned to Ben Wooldridge as the full-time starter in Week 7. He suffered a season-ending injury in November, resulting in the Cajuns returning to Fields. 

Over the past two weeks, Fields hasn’t exactly played great, passing for less than 200 yards in each, throwing an interception in Week 13, and sporting a 4.4 yards per attempt in Week 12. 

That said, the Cajuns' offense put up 41 on the road in Week 13 against Texas State. Fields’ weapons aren’t all that spectacular, but he does have wide receiver Michael Jefferson to depend on. He’s had 15 targets, 12 catches, 141 yards, and one touchdown over the last two games.

Defensively, the Cajuns are competent, allowing 219.3 passing and 142.2 rushing yards per game. They have solid players across the defensive line, including Andre Jones and Zi’Yon Hill Green. Together, they’ve combined for 75 pressures and 14 sacks. 

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Heading into the season, there was a bit of hype for the Cougars and this Dana Holgorsen-led defense. However, in his fourth season as coach, the Cougars went just 7-5 and ranked 58th and 126th in rushing yards and passing yards allowed per game, respectively. 

That said, the Cougars have two great defensive linemen in edge rusher D’Anthony Jones (49 pressures, seven sacks) and defensive lineman Latrell Bankston (21 pressures, and four sacks). 

Looking at the offense, the Cougars do have a great player in quarterback Clayton Tune. 

This season he’s completing 67.2% of his passes on 469 attempts. He has thrown for over 3,800 yards and has 37 passing touchdowns. 

He did struggle to close out the regular season, completing just 55.3% of his passes against Tulsa in a 37-30 home loss. 

His go-to guy is slot receiver Nathaniel Dell who has 102 receptions for 1,355 yards and an astonishing 15 touchdowns. He declared for the NFL Draft but still plans to play in this college football bowl game. 

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Who won the Independence Bowl in the Past

The Independence Bowl has happened every year since 1976 with the only exception being 2020 because of the pandemic. 

Below is a list of all the winners dating to 2011.
 

It’s always tempting to log onto your most familiar sportsbook to bet on college football bowl games. Before you do so, you should review the best U.S. mobile sports betting apps to ensure you’re getting the best odds and pricing.

Here, we have a list of the top sportsbooks available in most states across the country, with the odds for the moneyline, point spread, and total at each. 

Independence Bowl Betting Line Tips

Before betting on this college football bowl game or any other, the best tip we can offer you is to always look into the best sports betting bonus codes. 

This will provide you more value and profit potential whether it’s an odds boost, deposit bonus, or risk-free bet. 

Independence Bowl Predictions: Moneyline Betting Pick 

The combination of Tune/Dell is potent, but it’s hard to trust this Houston defense. It has been getting beat up all season, allowing 37 or more points in three of its last four games, including allowing 77 to SMU. 

The Cajuns don’t have the top quarterback play that Tune can offer, but he’ll need to continue carrying the Cougars, which could stop this week.  

Pick: Louisiana +205 at Caesars

Independence Bowl Projections: Point Spread Betting Pick 

Getting a touchdown here, we’ll take that pseudo-home team against a highly beatable Cougars defense. 

Tune is fantastic, and if this Cougar defense was at least average against the pass, we’d feel better, but the Cajuns offense, despite Daniels not putting up Tune-like numbers, has been doing well. Look for Daniels to capitalize on this plus matchup. 

Pick: Louisiana +7 at BetRivers

Independence Bowl Over/Under Betting Pick 

As mentioned, the Cougars' offense is fantastic. While the Cajuns' defense is better than Houston, it’s not a top unit by any stretch, so Tune’s ability should still shine through. 

As for the Cajuns, the Cougars are one of the worst pass defenses in the league, and Daniels has a great opportunity to show up big here. 

Pick: Over 58 at DraftKings