How and what to watch in the Music City Bowl between Mississippi State and Louisville

Betting split update: The betting public at DraftKings Sportsbook is backing underdog Louisville to both cover and win outright in the Music City Bowl. 58 percent of the handle is on Louisville (+4.5) and 63 percent of the handle is on Louisville (+155) on the money line. 66 percent of the handle is on the point total going over 64.

The Louisville Cardinals are looking to cap off their comeback season with a win over the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the Music City Bowl.

Louisville is a fun watch, especially considering this is a team that went 1-11 against the spread in 2018, which is so hard to do. Bobby Petrino wore out his welcome as he does, and it very much looked like the team quit on him before the season even started last year. In came Scott Satterfield from Appalachian State, who is known as a good culture creator, something the Cardinals desperately needed after Petrino.

Mississippi State is in this game in part because an Ole Miss player received a penalty after acting as if he was peeing like a dog for a touchdown celebration. That led to a Bulldogs victory, making them bowl eligible in the last game of the season. What a way to make the postseason.

Game Time/TV Channel/Streaming

The Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl will begin at 4:00 p.m. ET in Nashville, Tennessee on Monday, Dec. 30 and can be seen on ESPN and WatchESPN.

Point Spread, Totals, Odds, Trends

Spread: Mississippi State (-4.5) vs. Louisville
Point Total: 63 O/U (-110)
Money line: Bulldogs (-195), Cardinals (+155)

- The total has gone under in five of Mississippi State’s last seven games.

- The total went over in four of Louisville’s last five games.

The Best Bet

Mississippi State running back Kylin Hill will be headed to the NFL Draft after this game, while Louisville’s 6-foot-7, 369-pound left tackle Mekhi Becton will be skipping the Music City Bowl. Motivation factor is probably on the side of Louisville, but the Cardinals defense struggled all season long and closed out the season by giving up 45 points to Kentucky. I like the Bulldogs to win this one by a touchdown.

Pick: Mississippi State -4.5

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