Gasparilla Bowl Odds: UCF Favored in Home State
Knights Face Georgia Tech in Battle of .500 Teams

The Gasparilla Bowl kicks off this upcoming Friday. We’ve got the latest updates on lines, injuries, departures and weather right here:
The point spread is now moving in the other direction in the Gasparilla Bowl. The UCF Knights opened as 6.5-point favorites over Georgia Tech and the line dropped down to 4.5. But it’s heading back up, and the current number is now Knights -6.
UCF has also climbed back on the moneyline. After opening UCF -215, the price dropped to Knights -195 when the spread dropped but has climbed back to UCF -210.
The biggest move on the game has been the total, which opened at 61.5 and quickly climbed to 64.5. But the total hasn’t stopped rising, with the number now all the way up to 68.
Neither team has reported any late entries into the transfer portal or player departures. For a lower-level bowl game, both the Knights and Yellow Jackets have fared well as it pertains to keeping their players. Georgia Tech’s biggest losses are EDGE Kyle Kennard, the team’s sack leader, and CB Kenan Johnson. The biggest loss for UCF is CB Corey Thornton, who led the team in passes defended.
The weather in Tampa is expected to be in the mid-60s at kick-off. Winds will be seven mph, and there is less than a 2% chance of rain during the game.
Now, check out the rest of the Gasparilla Bowl preview, originally published on December 6.
The Gasparilla Bowl is a decent college bowl matchup between teams that finished 6-6. Georgia Tech won three of its last five games to become bowl-eligible, while UCF had to win three of its previous four. Both teams should be excited to play in the game, which was first played in 2008.
The Knights should have the crowd advantage, as Orlando is just 84 miles away. Georgia Tech fans will have to travel 456 miles from Atlanta to reach the game. The Gasparilla Bowl odds have the Knights favored by 4.5 points, and the total is 64. UCF opened as 6.5-point favorites. The total first opened at 61.5, so Georgia Tech and the over have gotten some play.
Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl Information
Yellow Jackets vs Knights 
Day/Time:
Records: Georgia Tech (6-6) vs Central Florida (6-6)
Location: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida
Streaming: ESPN
Yellow Jackets Playing Best Football of Season
Georgia Tech was expected to be pretty much a .500 team, and that’s right where it finished. The Yellow Jackets played well down the stretch, winning three of their last five games and going 4-1 against the spread.
Georgia Tech finished 7-5 against the spread this year and went 9-3 in totals. The Yellow Jackets were 6-2 against the spread when they were underdogs. The team’s totals record was helped by the fact the Yellow Jackets scored a minimum of 21 points per game. The Gasparilla Bowl odds have Georgia Tech in its preferred role.
The Yellow Jackets are pretty balanced offensively, rushing for 197.2 yards per game and passing for 235.5. Georgia Tech gained 6.5 yards per play against teams, allowing 5.6 yards, so the Yellow Jackets could move the ball.
The team scored 31.2 points against teams allowing 25.1 points. Haynes King is a solid dual-threat quarterback, who passed for 2,755 yards and 26 touchdowns, while rushing for 648 yards and nine scores.
Georgia Tech’s defense wasn’t particularly good, allowing 30.5 points to teams averaging 27.5 points. The rushing defense was the weak spot, with the Yellow Jackets allowing 5.5 yards per carry.
Georgia Tech wasn’t too bad against the pass, allowing 7.6 yards per attempt to teams that averaged 7.6 yards. The Yellow Jackets were 5-1 straight-up when they held the opposition to 5.0 yards per carry or less.
Departures & Injuries
It’s still early in the college bowl opt-out process, but so far, the Yellow Jackets have lost a pair of starting defenders. Starting EDGE rusher Kyle Kennard, who led the team with six sacks, will miss the game. Cornerback Kenan Johnson will also sit the game out.
UCF Takes Some Lumps in Big 12 Conference
The Knights had a bit of a rough go in their first season in the Big 12. UCH was just 3-6 in conference play, but earned a bowl berth by winning its three non-conference games.
The Knights did win three of their last four conference games after dropping their first five. This isn’t one of the most prestigious of games on the NCAAF bowl schedule, but it’s not a bad one for the Knights.
UCF was 5-6-1 against the point spread this season, including a 2-5-1 ATS mark as a favorite. As a favorite of 3.5 to 10 points, the Knights were 0-3 ATS this season and are just 1-8 over the last three years. Despite scoring plenty of points, UCF went 6-6 in totals during the year. The Knights were just 1-4 in totals when the number was 60 or higher.
UCF averaged 32.5 points per game, but their opponents allowed 29.8 points. So, it was a case of a good offensive team taking advantage of some weak defenses. The Knights were strong at running the ball. UCF averaged 233.2 yards per game and 5.7 yards per carry on the season.
The Knights threw 27.8 times per game for 259.2 yards, an average of 9.3 yards per pass attempt. The passing game and rushing game work well together for the Knights.
UCF allowed 25.4 points per game to teams that averaged 27.9 points. The rushing defense was nothing special, as the Knights allowed 5.0 yards per carry to teams that averaged 4.5 yards per carry. The passing defense isn’t anything special, but it is a little better than average. But teams who beat UCF had some success through the air most of the time.
Departures & Injuries
So far, the Knights have fared exceptionally well here, losing just three players to the transfer portal. Center Drake Metcalf started earlier in the season, but was replaced. A couple of other NCAAF players leaving the team didn’t see much playing time.
Yet Another Eye-Catching, Creative Headline About The Actual Game
The Gasparilla Bowl odds have shown pretty good movement since they first opened. But now, the NCAA football bowl odds on this game seem pretty solid. Since the game is the only contest on the college bowl games schedule for Dec. 22, it should attract a fair amount of wagers.
Both college football teams should be able to move the ball on the ground. Georgia Tech’s strength offensively is the running game. But that’s where UCF struggles the most defensively. But the Yellow Jackets are no bargain trying to stop the run on defense, and the Knights are a strong running team.
This is a pretty decent matchup, and the lines are fairly solid now that they’ve been adjusted a bit. The winner of the game could very well be the defense that is able to stop the run the best. So expect lots of practice time devoted to stopping the rush leading to the game.
For NCAAF betting news, NCAAF bowl scores, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.