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A pair of Group of Five schools are set to clash on Tuesday in the Hawai’i Bowl, the lone college football action scheduled for Christmas Eve. And it has the potential to be a tight, competitive matchup.
San Jose State (7-5, 3-4 in Mountain West) and South Florida (6-6, 4-4 in AAC) will face off at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex on the University of Hawai’i at Manoa campus. The game will air live at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.
It will be only the second meeting between the Spartans and the Bulls. The previous matchup occurred on Aug. 26, 2017, when USF went on the road and notched a 42-22 victory.
Here’s everything you need to know about the 2024 Hawai’i Bowl, starting with the betting information for the contest.
Hawai’i Bowl Betting Information
Spread: San Jose State (-3)
Over/Under: 63.5 total points
Moneyline: South Florida (+136; bet $100 to win $136); San Jose State (-162; bet $162 to win $100)
Preview, Prediction
San Jose State had a solid first season under head coach Ken Niumatalolo, who led the program to its third consecutive winning campaign. Now, the Spartans have an opportunity to secure their first bowl victory since 2015.
After losing back-to-back games to Boise State and UNLV last month, San Jose State closed out the regular season strong, recording a 34-31 win over Stanford. The Spartans will look to carry that momentum into their final game of the season, one in which they’ll be favorited to win.
South Florida ended the regular season in a different manner. The Bulls had won four of five games before falling 35-28 at Rice on Nov. 30.
Now, USF will look to win its second bowl game in three years under head coach Alex Golesh.
Many non-Playoff bowl games are impacted by transfers and/or opt-outs. But a lot of the key players for both San Jose State and South Florida will be in action on Tuesday.
However, the Spartans will be without senior Nick Nash, their leading wide receiver this season (104 catches for 1,382 yards and 16 touchdowns). He opted out of the game.
There will also be some notable players missing from both defenses. San Jose State won’t have cornerbacks Michael Dansby (Arizona transfer) and DJ Harvey (USC transfer), while South Florida will be without defensive tackle Doug Blue-Eli (Rutgers transfer) and safety Tawfiq Byard (transfer portal).
So the Hawai’i Bowl could have plenty of offense on both sides. The Bulls scored at least 35 points in each of their six wins this season. The Spartans recorded more than 30 points five times, including in their regular-season finale.
San Jose State will need other wide receivers to step up in Nash’s absence. But it should help that junior quarterback Walker Eget is coming off of a 385-yard, four-touchdown performance vs. Stanford that showed what he is capable of.
Although this year’s Hawai’i Bowl could go either way, the prediction is that San Jose State will be victorious, and it will cover the spread by winning by at least four points. But South Florida will put up enough points to keep things interesting for much of the game.
Predictions: San Jose State (-3); Over 63.5 total points
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