College football returns to the limelight Saturday with the first five bowl games of the 2017 postseason being played – the busiest day on the schedule until Dec. 29. The finale Saturday features Middle Tennessee and Arkansas State from the Camellia Bowl.

Arkansas State vs. Middle Tennessee Spread and Betting Analysis

Bowling Green won the first Camellia Bowl in 2014, 33-28 over South Alabama. The next year, it was Appalachian State beating Ohio 31-29. And in 2016, App State won again, 31-28 over Toledo. So that’s a combined winning margin of 10 points in the first three Camellia Bowls.

This will be the first time this bowl doesn’t include a Mid-American Conference school from Ohio. Arkansas State is from the Sun Belt Conference and Middle Tennessee from Conference USA, although it was in the Sun Belt from 2001-12. ASU won the final three meetings between the schools in blowout fashion, the most recent a 45-0 home result in December 2012; current Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn was the coach at ASU then. The favourite has covered nine of the past 10 between these two.

The Blue Raiders are 3-7 all-time in bowl games, losing last year as a 7.5-point favourite 52-35 to Hawaii in the Hawaii Bowl. The Red Wolves are 4-6-1 in bowl games. They were 4-point underdogs in the 2016 Cure Bowl but upset Central Florida 31-13.

Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders

Middle Tennessee (6-6 SU, 7-5 ATS) finished in a three-way tie for third in Conference USA’s East Division and got bowl eligible with a 41-10 blowout of Old Dominion in the regular-season finale. The Blue Raiders had major injury problems all season, with star quarterback Brent Stockstill, the son of Coach Rick Stockstill, limited to six games. He’s healthy now and the Blue Raiders were 4-2 under him. His top target is Ty Lee, who caught 74 balls for 916 yards and five scores. His receptions led the conference, while his receiving yards were second. Freshman running back Brad Anderson led the team in rushing (491 yards) and was second in receiving (33 catches, 338 yards, three TDs).

Arkansas State Red Wolves

Arkansas State (7-4 SU, 7-4 ATS) finished third in the Sun Belt, with both conference losses – to South Alabama and Troy – by seven points or fewer. ASU had won the conference five of the previous seven years. The Red Wolves only played 11 games because their Sept. 9 matchup against Miami Fla. was canceled due to Hurricane Irma. Arkansas State has one of the better offenses in the country, ranking sixth in passing yards and 15^th in scoring (38.5 ppg). QB Justice Hansen, who originally signed with Oklahoma and redshirted his freshman year before transferring, was named the Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year. He threw for 3,630 yards and a conference-record 34 TDs this season while rushing for 388 yards and six scores. Hansen has three receivers with at least 42 catches and 600 yards.

Camellia Bowl Prediction