NCAAF Bowl Game News, Match-Ups and Trends For Monday 12/30/19

Monday's Bowl Tip Sheet
Joe Williams

First Responder Bowl (ESPN, 12:30 p.m. ET)

Western Kentucky vs. Western Michigan

-- The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (8-4 straight up, 8-4 against the spread) from Conference USA will tangle with the Western Michigan Broncos (7-5 straight up, 6-6 against the spread) from the Mid-American Conference in the ServPro First Responder Bowl in Dallas, Tex. at Gerald J. Ford Stadium.

-- The Hilltoppers of WKU finished up the season with three straight wins, including a road rout of Arkansas on Nov. 9, 45-19. They also won seven of their final nine outings, including victories over bowl teams Southern Miss, Charlotte and UAB, and the Hilltoppers ended up covering seven of their final nine outings, too.

-- Western Kentucky doesn't have an extensive bowl history. This will be their sixth-ever postseason showing, and they're looking for their fourth bowl victory. After losing the Little Caesars Bowl to Central Michigan in their bowl debut in 2012, they avenged that loss in a 49-48 shootout vs. CMU in the 2014 Bahamas Bowl. That kicked off a three-game bowl win streak which also included a 45-35 win over South Florida in the 2015 Miami Beach Bowl and a 51-31 win over Memphis in the 2016 Boca Raton Bowl. They were tripped up 27-17 by Georgia State in the Cure Bowl on Dec. 16, 2017 in their most recent bowl showing.

-- The Broncos have appeared in nine bowl games all-time, but they have just one win to show for their efforts. Their lone win was in the 2015 Bahamas Bowl over Middle Tennessee. They coughed up a 49-18 loss to BYU last season in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, and they suffered a 24-16 loss to Wisconsin on Jan. 2, 2017 in the Cotton Bowl, easily their most impressive season to date.

-- Western Michigan no longer rows the boat for P.J. Fleck, but they have continued to be relevant since his departure for Minnesota. They blew a chance at the MAC Championship Game last time out on Nov. 26, losing at Northern Illinois by a 17-14 score as a 10-point favorite. That snapped a season-high three-game win streak which included victory over Bowling Green, Ball State and Ohio. One interesting thing about Western Michigan this season is that they alternated covers and non-covers in each of their 12 games this season, failing to cover last time out.

-- The Broncos had a powerful offense, ranking 23rd in the nation with 457.3 total yards per game while ranking 56th in passing yards (244.6) and 24th in rushing yards (212.7). They were also 25th in the country with 34.2 points per contest. Defensively, WMU wasn't very good, ranking 82nd with 414.6 total yards per game allowed, while ranking 69th in passing yards allowed (228.1) and 94th in rushing yards allowed (186.5) per game. They also yielded 26.2 PPG to check in 57th.

-- The 'Toppers struggled on offense, ranking just 87th with 380.0 total yards per game, while posting 251.1 passing yards per game to finish 52nd in the land. They also posted a dismal 128.9 rushing yards to rank 109th in the nation, while managing 25.6 PPG to end up 90th. On defense, they yielded 337.8 total yards to rank 29th, they were 32nd in passing yards (200.2) and 40th in rushing yards (137.7) per game, while allowing 20.1 points per game to rank 21st in the country.

-- Western Kentucky is 7-2 ATS in the past nine games overall and 5-1 ATS in the past six against winning teams. However, they're 5-13 ATS as a favorite.

-- Western Michigan is 2-5 ATS in the previous seven neutral-site appearances, while going 2-8 ATS in the past 10 as an underdog, and 1-6 ATS in their past seven showings in the month of December.

-- The over is 4-1 in Western Kentucky's past five overall, and 5-1 in the past six neutral-site games. The over is also 7-2 in the past nine as a favorite, but the under is 5-2 in their past seven tries against winning sides.

-- The over is 4-1 in WMU's past five bowl games, and 6-1 in the past seven as an underdog. However, the under is 5-2-1 in their past eight games overall.

Music City Bowl (ESPN, 4:00 p.m.)

Mississippi State vs. Louisville

-- The Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl will pit the Mississippi State Bulldogs (6-6 straight up, 5-7 against the spread) against the Louisville Cardinals (7-5 straight up, 7-5 against the spread) at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn. in a rematch of the 2017 TaxSlayer Bowl, which went to Mississippi State 31-27.

-- The Bulldogs might have made the cut for a bowl by the slimmest of margins of any team in this season's postseason field. They won 21-20 at home against Mississippi in the Egg Bowl on Thanksgiving night thanks to a missed extra point. That missed PAT came after an unsportsmanlike penalty on that nonsense where the wide receiver who scored the touchdown imitated a dog urinating while celebrating in the end zone. Hey, however you get it done. Mississippi State did win three of their final four games, while covering in those three wins, and the 'under' cashed in the final three.

-- The Cardinals didn't need any late-game antics in the finale to get into the bowl field. They clinched bowl eligibility on Nov. 16 with a 34-20 win at N.C. State, and they followed it up with a 56-34 win over Syracuse the next week. However, the Cardinals might be champing at the bit after getting throttled 45-13 in their season finale against rival Kentucky of the SEC.

-- Mississippi State has a lengthy bowl history which dates back to an Orange Bowl loss in 1936, a 13-12 loss to Duquesne, by the way. They also beat Georgetown 14-7 in the 1941 Orange Bowl, so yeah, they've been around. In more recent times, they have won three of their past four bowl showings, but they lost in the Outback Bowl last season to Iowa in a 27-22 nailbiter. They have appeared in the Music City Bowl once before, topping Wake Forest 23-17 back on Dec. 30, 2011.

-- Louisville's bowl history dates back to 1958, a 34-20 win over Drake in the Sun Bowl. More recently, the Cardinals have dropped two straight bowl games, including that TaxSlayer Bowl in 2017 to the Bulldogs. They won the 2015 Music City Bowl over Texas A&M by a 27-21 score in their only other previous appearance at Nissan Stadium.

-- The Cardinals ranked 35th in the nation with 442.8 total yards per game, while ranking 70th in the pass with 227.7 yards per game. Rushing was a strong suit, ranking 23rd with 215.2 yards per game, as RB Javian Hawkins rumbled for 1,420 yards and eight touchdowns. They ended up with 32.7 points per game to check in 40th. Defensively, the Cardinals had a lot of issues, ranking 107th in total yards (446.3), 84th in passing yards (235.3), 115th in rushing yards (211.0) and 111th in points allowed (33.8) per game.

-- The Bulldogs were rather so-so in most facets of the game, which isn't surprising since they ended up 6-6. They were just 67th in total yards (402.9), 112th in passing yards (176.0) and 75th in points scored (27.6). However, they were 18th in rushing yards per game at 226.9, as Kylin Hill posted 1,347 yards and 10 touchdowns. Defensively, they were also rather marginal, ranking 68th in total yards (390.1), 92nd in passing yards (241.3) and 55th in rushing yards (148.8) allowed per game. They also yielded 28.1 PPG to rank 68th.

-- MSU is 10-4 ATS in the past 14 non-conference games, but they're 2-5 ATS in the past seven appearances on a grass surface and 0-4 ATS in the past four against winning teams.

-- Louisville has covered in just one of the past five neutral-site games, while going 0-4 ATS in the past four tries vs. SEC. They're also a dismal 4-12-1 ATS in the past 17 games out of conference.

-- The Bulldogs have hit the under in five of their past seven games overall, but the over is 4-1 in the past five non-conference games and 5-2 in the past seven neutral-site contests.

-- The over cashed in the final four for the Cards. However, the under is 5-0 in their past five bowl appearances, while going 6-2-1 in the past nine neutral-site affairs.

Redbox Bowl (FOX, 4:00 p.m.)

California vs. Illinois

-- The Redbox Bowl has the California Bears (7-5 straight up, 6-6 against the spread) from the Pac-12 Conference meeting the Illinois Fighting Illini (6-6 straight-up, 8-4 against the spread) from the Big Ten Conference at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.

-- Cal fired out of the gate at 4-0 SU/2-2 ATS in their first two games, including road wins at Washington and at Mississippi. Things were humming right along, but then injuries reared their ugly head, particularly to QB Chase Garbers, and the Bears took a big step back. They lost four in a row to Arizona State, Oregon, Oregon State and Utah, and suddenly bowl eligibility didn't look so certain. They posted perhaps a season-saving 33-20 win over Washington State as 8.5-point underdogs before finishing off the season with wins at Stanford and at UCLA, covering three of the final four.

-- Illinois was stumbling to a 2-4 SU start, although they did give Michigan a scare Oct. 12 in a 42-25 loss which was much closer than the score indicates. That gave them confidence heading into the next week, as they won outright as 28.5-point underdogs for one of the biggest upsets across college football in a 24-23 win over Wisconsin. They rattled off four straight wins to attain bowl eligibility, winning at Purdue, home to Rutgers and at Michigan State in a game with a monster comeback. They won that game in East Lansing 37-34 as 11-point underdogs, their third win of the season as a double-digit 'dog. They also finished up 6-1 ATS in the final seven. An inexplicable 29-10 loss at home to rival Northwestern won't splash cold water on their season. The Illini are going bowling.

-- The Illini are playing in a bowl for the first time since the Heart of Dallas Bowl on Dec. 26, 2014, a 35-18 setback to Louisiana Tech. Their last win in a bowl came ovr UCLA in the Fight Hunger Bowl on Dec. 31, 2011. They're 0-4 SU in their past four bowl games against the Pac-12 since topping Washington 17-7 in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1, 1964.

-- Cal is making a bowl appearance for the second straight season, and they hope to find a little more offense than they had in a 10-7 loss to TCU in the Cheez-It Bowl last season. The Golden Bears will be playing their 14th bowl appearance in school history in the state of California. They're 4-8-1 SU in their past previous 13 bowl appearances inside the confines of the Golden State.

-- The Illini managed just 319.7 total yards per game to rank 120th, and they were 110th with 177.0 passing yards per game, with WR Josh Imatorbhebhe leading the way with 634 receiving yards. They did manage to post 27.3 points per game to rank 78th. Defensively, they allowed 410.7 total yards per game to rank 79th, while allowing just 208.0 passing yards per game to finish 39th. On the ground, they struggled, giving up 202.7 yards per game to check in 110th, but they still allowed just 25.4 points per game to finish 53rd. Defensively, Oluwole Betiku Jr. cashed in with eight sacks.

-- Cal is 1-4 ATS in their past five games as a favorite, 1-4 ATS in the past five non-conference tilts and 1-4 ATS in the past five bowl games. They're also a dismal 1-6 ATS in the past seven neutral-site battles.

-- Illinois is 5-0 ATS in the past five as an underdog, while hitting in six of the past seven games overall. They're also 4-1 ATS in the past five against winning teams, and 6-2 ATS in the past eight neutral-site contests.

-- The under is 7-2 in Cal's past nine non-conference battles, while going 20-7 in the past 27 games overall. They have hit the over in seven of their past 10 bowls, and 6-1 in the past seven against the Big Ten conference.

-- The under is 5-1 in Illinois' past six non-conference tilts, 4-1 in the past five against the Pac-12 Conference and a perfect 6-0 in their past six neutral-site battles.

Monday, December 30

WESTERN MICHIGAN vs. WESTERN KENTUCKY (First Reponder Dallas Bowl)...WKU 7-2 vs. spread last nine TY for Tyson Helton, and Tops 10-4 vs. spread since late 2018. WMU only 7-14 last 21 vs. spread since early 2018 (5-7 TY), and 1-5 last six as dog. Broncos 1-5 vs. spread last six bowls since 2008.
Western Kentucky, based on team trends.

ILLINOIS vs. CAL (Redbox Bowl)...Cal 1-4 as chalk TY, 2-9-1 in role since LY for Wilcox. Dog team is 13-4-1 last 18 vs. spread in Golden Bears games. Lovie covered 6 of last 7 this season, and Illini is 7-1 last 8 as dog since late 2018.
Illinois, based on team trends.

VIRGINIA vs. FLORIDA (Orange Bowl)...Gators covered last 3 and 7 of last 9 this season, Dan Mullen now on 16-7 spread run since early 2018. Bronco Mendenhall 7-3 as dog since LY, though his BYU & UVa teams just 1-4 vs. spread last five bowls.
Slight to Florida, based on team trends.

MISSISSIPPI STATE vs. LOUISVILLE (Music City Bowl)...Joe Moorhead just 4-9 vs. spread last 13 on board, 2-6 last 8 TY. Satterfield now 20-8-1 vs. line since late 2017 at App and ‘Ville. Satterfield teams have covered their last nine non-conference games.
Louisville, based on team trends.

Dec 30 First Responder Bowl- Dallas
Western Kentucky won its last three games, scoring 34.7 ppg; Hilltoppers are 5-9 ATS in last 14 games as a favorite, 2-1 TY. WKU is -10 in turnovers in its losses, +5 in their wins. Four of their last five games went over the total. WKU won three of its last four bowls, with average total 69.6 in last five. Western Michigan won three of its last four home games after a 4-4 start; they’re they’re 7-1 when they score 31+ points, 0-4 when they don’t. Broncos lost four of last five bowls, scoring 16-18 points in losing last two. WMU is 4-8 ATS in last dozen games as an underdog, 1-3 TY. Under is 5-2-1 in their last eight games. Favorites covered this bowl four of last five times, with average total of 59.8- this bowl was cancelled LY (weather).

Music City Bowl, Nashville
Mississippi State won three of its last four games after a 3-5 start; they’re 9-7 ATS in last 16 games as a single digit favorite, 2-2 TY. State is 6-2 when it res ball for 200+ TY, 0-4 when they don’t. Five of their last seven games stayed under. Bulldogs won three of last four bowls, last three of which were all decided by 5 or fewer points- average total in their last five bowls: 60.6. Louisville is 7-0 when it scores 28+ points, 0-5 when it doesn’t; they allowed 449+ TY in five of last seven games, lost three of their last four bowls, scoring average of 19.3 ppg. Six of their last eight games overall went over. Cardinals are 4-11 ATS in last 15 games as an underdog, 3-4 TY. Favorites covered this bowl five of last seven years, with average total of 58.6 the last five years.

Redbox Bowl, Santa Clara
Illinois lost its last two games, scoring 10-10 points; they’re in bowl for first time in five years. Illini covered six of seven games as an underdog TY- they’re 6-1 when they gain 300+ TY, 0-5 when they don’t. Under is 4-1-1 in their last six games. Favorites covered four of Illinois’ last five bowl games. California won three of its last four games (over 3-1) after a 4-4 start; they’re 1-7-1 ATS in last nine games as a favorite, 0-3 TY. Cal is 0-5 when it scores 17 or fewer points, 7-0 when they score more. Three of their last four games went over. Cal is bowling in consecutive years for first time in a decade; they lost three of last four bowls, with average total of 49.2 in last five. Underdogs covered this bowl the last four years; average total last five years is 53.6.

Orange Bowl, Miami
Florida won its last three games, scoring 39.7 ppg, throwing for 378.7 ypg; they covered seven of last eight as a double digit favorite, 3-0 TY. Four of their last six games went over. Junior QB Trask stepped in for injured starter Franks, threw 24 TD’s TY. Gators won three of last four bowls, with average total of 48.2 in last five. Mullen is 6-2 in bowls in his career. Virginia won four of its last five games, losing ACC title game 62-17 to Clemson; Cavaliers allowed 337.7 passing yards/game in last three games. Cavaliers lost three of last four bowls- they gave up 31+ points in four of last five. Under Mendenhall, Virginia is 4-7 ATS as a double digit underdog. Underdogs covered six of last eight Orange Bowls; average total in last five Orange Bowls is 68.7.

NCAAF
Long Sheet
Monday, December 30

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

W MICHIGAN (7 - 5) vs. W KENTUCKY (8 - 4) - 12/30/2019, 12:30:00 P
Top Trends for this game.
W KENTUCKY is 9-2 ATS (+6.8 Units) in road games in games played on turf over the last 2 seasons.
W KENTUCKY is 24-10 ATS (+13.0 Units) after 2 or more consecutive straight up wins since 1992.

Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ILLINOIS (6 - 6) vs. CALIFORNIA (7 - 5) - 12/30/2019, 4:00:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ILLINOIS is 140-177 ATS (-54.7 Units) in all games since 1992.
ILLINOIS is 140-177 ATS (-54.7 Units) in all lined games since 1992.
CALIFORNIA is 64-90 ATS (-35.0 Units) as a favorite since 1992.

Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

VIRGINIA (9 - 4) vs. FLORIDA (10 - 2) - 12/30/2019, 8:00:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
FLORIDA is 35-19 ATS (+14.1 Units) in road games when playing with 2 weeks or more of rest since 1992.
FLORIDA is 30-16 ATS (+12.4 Units) in road games after a bye week since 1992.
FLORIDA is 10-2 ATS (+7.8 Units) after 2 or more consecutive straight up wins over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

MISSISSIPPI ST (6 - 6) vs. LOUISVILLE (7 - 5) - 12/30/2019, 4:00:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MISSISSIPPI ST is 0-6 ATS (-6.6 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
LOUISVILLE is 4-12 ATS (-9.2 Units) as an underdog over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
MISSISSIPPI ST is 1-0 against the spread versus LOUISVILLE over the last 3 seasons
MISSISSIPPI ST is 1-0 straight up against LOUISVILLE over the last 3 seasons
1 of 1 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

NCAAF
Dunkel
Monday, December 30

Western Kentucky @ Western Michigan

Game 245-246
December 30, 2019 @ 12:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Western Kentucky
84.186
Western Michigan
77.971
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Western Kentucky
by 6
55
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Western Kentucky
by 3
52
Dunkel Pick:
Western Kentucky
(-3); Over

Mississippi St @ Louisville

Game 281-282
December 30, 2019 @ 4:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Mississippi St
92.348
Louisville
84.734
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Mississippi St
by 7 1/2
68
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Mississippi St
by 4
63 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Mississippi St
(-4); Over

California @ Illinois

Game 249-250
December 30, 2019 @ 4:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
California
91.914
Illinois
82.798
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
California
by 9
39
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
California
by 6 1/2
43 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
California
(-6 1/2); Under

Florida @ Virginia

Game 251-252
December 30, 2019 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Florida
109.993
Virginia
93.367
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Florida
by 16 1/2
49
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Florida
by 14
54 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Florida
(-14); Under

Orange Bowl Preview
December 30, 2019
By Brian Edwards

Florida (10-2 straight up, 8-4 against the spread) secured a second straight double-digit win total during the regular season, and now the Gators face ACC runner-up Virginia in tonight’s Orange Bowl with hopes of winning an 11th game for the first time since 2012.

Back on Dec. 8, most books opened UF as a 13.5-point favorite. Four days later, most spots had adjusted the Gators to 14-point ‘chalk.’ The number inched up to 14.5 at most shops by Dec. 17. Over the last 12 days, UF hit -15 at some books but by Sunday night, most shops had UF at -14.5.

After the total opened at 53.5 or 54 at various books, it moved to 54.5 and hasn’t budged from that number at most spots. UVA is +450 on the money line. For first-half wagers, the Gators are 7.5-point favorites.

Florida is 5-0 ATS as a double-digit favorite this season and 8-1 ATS in nine such spots since Dan Mullen took over in 2018. Mullen is 20-5 SU and 17-8 ATS since returning to the school where he was offensive coordinator from 2005-08, when the Gators won a pair of national championships.

Florida is 3-0 in three previous Orange Bowl appearances, winning by 15 points or more in each game. As a quarterback in 1966, Steve Spurrier led the Gators to a 27-12 win over Georgia Tech. In the 1999 Orange Bowl, Doug Johnson and Travis Taylor led Spurrier’s team to a 31-10 win over Syracuse and Donovan McNabb as a seven-point favorite. In Spurrier’s last game as head coach at Florida, the Gators blasted Maryland 56-23 and racked up an Orange Bowl record with 659 yards of total offense.

UF closed the regular season with a 40-17 win over FSU as a 17-point home favorite. The 57 combined points slipped ‘over’ the 55-point total. The Gators dominated with healthy advantages in total offense (467-250) and first downs (26-13).

Junior QB Kyle Trask completed 30-of-41 passes for 343 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. Emory Jones connected on 5-of-6 throws for 47 yards and one TD without an interception. Jones also had a team-high 33 rushing yards on seven attempts.

Trask replaced Feleipe Franks as UF’s starting QB when Franks went down with a season-ending injury at Kentucky in Week 3. Trailing 21-10 early in the fourth quarter, Trask directed three TD drives in a 29-21 comeback victory. Trask’s four-yard TD run with 4:11 left put UF in front for good.

In Week 4 at home vs. Tennessee, Trask got his first collegiate start and his first start of any sort since his freshman year of high school. Trask served as Houston star QB D’Eriq King’s back up at the prep level. He threw at least two TD passes in each of his first nine starts.

For the season, Trask has completed 213-of-315 passes (67.6%) for 2,636 yards with a 24/6 touchdown-to-interception ratio. He also has three rushing scores. The fourth-year junior out of Manvel, Texas, finished third in the SEC (behind only LSU’s Joe Burrow and Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa) in TD passes, completion percentage and QB Rating (159.24). Trask was fourth in the league in passing yards.

Mullen uses Jones quite a bit, especially in short-yardage and red-zone situations. The redshirt freshman has completed 25-of-38 passes (65.8%) for 267 yards and three TDs without an interception. He’s also rushed for 224 yards and four TDs, averaging 5.9 yards per carry.

UF sophomore TE Kyle Pitts was a first-team All-SEC selection by the AP and Coaches. He had a team-best 51 receptions for 610 yads and five TDs. Pitts, who will be one of the favorites to win the Mackey Award in 2020, is a matchup nightmare for opponents.

UF’s group of WRs is deep and talented, although senior Freddie Swain is ‘questionable’ after injuring his knee in the win over the Seminoles. Swain has 35 receptions for 496 yards and a team-best seven TDs.

Senior Van Jefferson has 43 catches for 528 yards and six TDs, while Trevon Grimes has 32 grabs for 484 yards and three TDs. Josh Hammond has caught 27 balls for 346 yards and two TDs, in addition to rushing for 101 yards and one TD on six carries. Tyrie Cleveland has 22 receptions for 300 yards and one TD, and Jacob Copeland has 20 catches for 266 yards and two TDs.

Florida’s weakness is its ground attack, which ranks No. 122 in the country out of 130 FBS teams. Senior RB Lamical Perine has 539 rushing yards and four TDs, averaging 4.6 YPC. He also has 35 receptions for 219 yards and four TDs. Sophomore Dameon Pierce has 271 rushing yards and four TDs with a 5.6 YPC average.

Florida is ranked No. 8 in the nation in scoring defense, limiting opponents to 14.4 points per game. The Gators are 10th in total defense, 18th against the pass and 15th versus the run. They threw three shutouts against UT-Martin, Towson and Vanderbilt. Furthermore, UF had its most sacks (46) since 1997.

Florida junior cornerback C.J. Henderson is ‘out’ of the Orange Bowl after declaring for the NFL Draft. He won’t play vs. UVA in order to stay healthy since he’s a projected first-round pick. Henderson is a three-time All-SEC selection, garnering first-team honors this year after being named to the second team in 2017 and ’18.

Junior DE Jonathan Greenard has elected to turn pro early, but he will play vs. UVA in hopes of bolstering his NFL Draft stock. After transferring from Louisville, Greenard made this most of his only season with the Gators, earning first-team All-SEC honors. Greenard led the league in sacks (nine) despite missing the South Carolina game and most of the loss at LSU.

Greenard produced 26 solo tackles, 25 assists, six tackles for loss, eight QB hurries, three passes broken up, two forced fumbles, one interception and one 80-yard fumble return for a TD. Senior LB David Reese was a second-team All-SEC choice for the second time in his career (’17 being the other), recording 89 tackles, three TFL’s and a pair of sacks.

Florida senior DE Jabari Zuniga suffered a severe ankle sprain in Week 3 at Kentucky. He tried to return at LSU and vs. Georgia, only to aggravate the injury. Zuniga hasn’t played since the loss to UGA on Nov. 2, but he’s been practicing and is expected to start vs. the Cavaliers. In only five games, he had 13 tackles, four TFL’s, three sacks and one QB hurry.

Florida took its only losses at LSU (42-28) and vs. Georgia (24-17) in Jacksonville. UF led the Tigers 28-21 in the third quarter, but it came up empty on a pair of fourth-down attempts inside the red zone in the fourth quarter.

The Gators won five of seven games against bowl-bound opponents. In addition to the wins vs. FSU and at Kentucky, they posted victories vs. Miami (24-20 in Orlando), vs. Tennessee (34-3) and vs. Auburn (24-13).

Virginia (9-4 SU, 6-6-1 ATS) won the ACC Coastal Division for the first time in program history by winning four games in a row to close the regular season, including a 39-30 comeback win over Virginia Tech as a 1.5-point home underdog.

Bronco Mendenhall’s team was no match for Clemson in the ACC Championship Game, dropping a 62-17 decision as a 29-point underdog. Senior QB Bryce Perkins completed 27-of-43 passes for 266 yards and two TDs, but he was also intercepted twice in the losing effort. He had 58 rushing yards on 17 attempts.

Senior WR Hasise Dubois had 10 catches for 130 yards and one TD against the Tigers, while Billy Kemp had nine receptions for 66 yards. Terrell Jana caught six balls for 62 yards and one TD.

Perkins, a second-team All-ACC selection, was the catalyst against the Hokies. He had 164 rushing yards and two TDs on 19 carries. Perkins completed 20-of-33 throws for 311 yards and one TD with one interception vs. Virginia Tech.

Only one UVA player earned first-team All-ACC honors. It was Joe Reed, who was a dual first-team choice as an all-purpose back and a kick returner. Most injury reports show Reed as ‘questionable’ vs. Florida, but he declared himself good to go when speaking with the media on Dec. 28. He missed the loss to Clemson with a hip pointer.

Reed finished fifth in the ACC in all-purpose yards with 1,419. He has 70 receptions for 627 yards and six TDs. Reed returned a pair of kickoffs for TDs and averaged 34.7 yards per return.

Perkins has connected on 64.0 percent of his passes for 3,215 yards with an 18/11 TD-INT ratio. He also has 745 rushing yards and 11 TDs, averaging 3.5 YPC. UVA sophomore RB Wayne Taulapapa missed two of his team’s 13 games, but he still had 459 rushing yards and 12 TDs with a 4.1 YPC average.

Dubois is Perkins’s favorite target, hauling in 65 catches for 979 yards and four TDs. Jana has 67 receptions for 760 yards and two TDs, while Kemp has 34 grabs for 287 yards and one TD.

UVA senior LB Jordan Mack is ‘out’ vs. UF with a foot injury. This is a huge loss for the Cavs, as Mack was a third-team All-ACC selection who has a team-high 7.5 sacks. He’s also contributed 69 tackles, 10 QB hurries, two forced fumbles and one TFL.

Before Mack’s injury, Virginia had already lost four starters to season-ending injuries. Junior CB Darius Bratton went down with a knee injury in August, while CB Bryce Hall sustained an ankle injury in a 17-9 loss at Miami on Oct. 11. Hall was a second-team All-American in 2018 when he produced 62 tackles, 22 PBU, two sacks, two interceptions, two forced fumbles and 1.5 TFL’s. In six games this year, Hall registered 20 tackles (13 solo), four PBU, two TFL’s and one sack.

Junior safety Brenton Nelson went down with a lower-body injury in early November. In eight games, Nelson had 19 tackles, two PBU, one TFL and one interception. Junior LB Robert Snyder was lost for the year in early October. Snyder, who had 53 tackles in 2018, played in only five games this season. He had 13 tackles, one QB hurry and 0.5 TFL’s.

Virginia is ranked No. 41 in the nation in total defense, No. 30 against the run and No. 59 in scoring ‘D’ (26.5 PPG).

Junior safety Joey Blount garnered third-team All-ACC honors. He produced 90 tackles, 3.5 sacks, three TFL’s, three interceptions for 66 return yards, two PBU and one QB hurry.

Mendenhall’s bunch has been an underdog four times this year, going 1-3 both SU and ATS. After starting the season 4-0, Virginia lost 35-20 at Notre Dame as a 10.5-point road ‘dog. In addition to the loss at UM against the Hurricanes, the Cavs lost a 28-21 decision at Louisville as 4.5-point road ‘chalk.’

UVA defeated five bowl-bound teams. Those victories came at Pitt (30-14), vs. FSU (31-24), at North Carolina (38-31), vs. Liberty (55-27) and vs. Virginia Tech.

Since going 2-10 in the first season of Mendenhall’s tenure in 2016, UVA is bowling for a third straight season. The Cavs lost 49-7 to Navy as 1.5-point ‘dogs in the 2017 Military Bowl. Then in last season’s Belk Bowl, they destroyed South Carolina by a 28-0 count.

The ‘over’ has hit in five straight games for the Cavs to improve to 9-4 overall. Meanwhile, the Gators have seen the ‘under’ go 7-5 overall.

Kickoff on ESPN is scheduled for tonight at 8:00 p.m. Eastern.
**B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets**
-- The ‘over’ was a winner for both UF and UVA’s season win totals.

-- As of late Sunday night, most books had LSU installed as a 5.5-point favorite vs. Clemson in the finals of the College Football Playoff. This battle of unbeatens will go down in New Orleans on Jan. 13.

-- Notre Dame QB Ian Book announced Sunday that he’ll be returning in 2020 for the Fighting Irish. Book threw for 3,039 yards with a 34/6 TD-INT ratio this season. He also had 546 rushing yards and four TDs.

-- Texas HC Tom Herman has hired Ohio St. QBs coach and pass-game coordinator Mike Yurich as the Longhorns’ new offensive coordinator.

-- According to a report Sunday, Baylor’s Matt Rhule will interview for the Carolina Panthers head-coaching vacancy.

-- FSU added a grad transfer Sunday that’ll be eligible in 2020. FIU’s Devontay Taylor has started 25 of the Panthers’ last 26 games at right tackle, but he’ll be playing for the Seminoles next year.