2023 Holiday Bowl Betting Lines - Louisville vs. USC Odds

Holiday Bowl Lines - Louisville vs. USC Odds

While the Louisville football program won't be heading to a New Year's Six bowl in their first season under head coach Jeff Brohm, their consolation prize is a trip out west against one of the top brands in college football. The Cardinals have been selected to play in the DirecTV Holiday Bowl and will face USC on Wednesday, December 27, at Petco Park in San Diego, Calif. This is Louisville's 12th bowl appearance over the last 14 seasons, their 21st bowl appearance over the last 26 seasons, and their 26th overall. Led by interim head coach Deion Branch, the Cardinals won the Fenway Bowl 24-7 over Cincinnati last season in what was Scott Satterfield's final year at the helm. USC QB and 2022 Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams has opted out of the matchup.

2023 Holiday Bowl at a Glance

Date: Wednesday, December 27, 2023

Time (ET) / TV: 8:00 PM / ESPN

Venue: Petco Park, San Diego, California

Matchup: Louisville Cardinals vs. USC Trojans

College Football Betting Lines

Louisville Cardinals -7.5

USC Trojans +7.5

Total: 58

Money Line: Louisville -310, USC +252

Holiday Bowl Preview

Last game, the Louisville Cardinals lost 16-6 against the Florida State Seminoles as 1.5-point favorites. The game went under the total of 46.5. Louisville has a record of 10-3 straight up, 6-6-1 against the spread, and 6-6-1 over/under the total. Louisville ranks 44th for total offense, 53rd for passing, 46th for rushing and 45th for scoring. Defensively, they rank 16th overall, 35th against the pass, 14th against the rush, and 21st for points allowed. Also, Louisville ranks 47th for fewest turnovers lost and 40th for takeaways.

Last game, the USC Trojans lost 38-20 against the UCLA Bruins as 5-point home dogs. The game went under the total of 63. USC has a record of 7-5 straight up, 3-9 against the spread, and 9-3 over/under the total. USC ranks 11th for total offense, 5th for passing, 91st for rushing and 5th for scoring. Defensively, they rank 123rd overall, 118th against the pass, 117th against the rush, and 125th for points allowed. Also, USC ranks 127th for fewest turnovers lost and 110th for takeaways.

Holiday Bowl Prediction

In this situation, Louisville has a better body of work. By contrast, USC is without its key star player.

Holiday Bowl Format

The Holiday Bowl began in 1978, and the matchup currently features schools from the Pac-12 and ACC. Petco Park, home of the San Diego Padres, has been the host of this game since 2022. The payout is $6.5 million in the Holiday Bowl. The Holiday Bowl was long renowned as the best of the non-New Year’s Day Bowl games and for its thrilling finishes. The bowl has lost its shine since the expansion of additional bowl games and the current playoff format that will expand to 12 teams in 2024.

Holiday Bowl Past Results

BYU dominated the WAC at the time of the Holiday Bowl’s inception, and the Cougars appeared in the first seven games. Thanks to BYU, the Holiday Bowl got a reputation for miraculous finishes. BYU erased a 20-point deficit to SMU in the last two minutes of the 1980 game, getting a game-tying touchdown pass from Jim McMahon on the final play. The extra point gave BYU a 46-45 win.

Following two years of COVID cancelations, the Holiday Bowl returned in 2022. Oregon beat North Carolina 28-27, scoring the winning TD on a 6-yard TD pass from Bo Nix to Chase Cota with six seconds remaining in the game. Bucky Irving was the MVP with 149 yards rushing and two TDs for Oregon.

2023-24 College Football Bowl Games

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