Jackson State vs. North Carolina Central Odds, Picks, Predictions: Tigers Given Edge in Celebration Bowl

Five of the last six Celebration Bowl games have gone to the MEAC champions. The 2022 edition features the Jackson State Tigers squaring off against the North Carolina Central Eagles. Check out our top Jackson State-North Carolina Central college football pick based on the top betting odds for the Celebration Bowl.

The Tigers are heavily favored going into this year’s Celebration Bowl matchup against the Eagles.

After passing all 11 tests faced during the regular season, Jackson State knocked off Southern in the SWAC Championship Game to punch its ticket to the Celebration Bowl. Head coach Deion Sanders coaches the Tigers in Saturday’s bowl game despite already accepting the same role at Colorado.

Meanwhile, it's been almost a month since North Carolina Central's last contest. A 50-21 win over Howard in early November gave the Eagles the head-to-head tiebreaker atop the MEAC standings. As the conference doesn't play a title game, NC Central automatically qualified for the Celebration Bowl as regular season champs.

Here is our best Jackson State vs. North Carolina Central Celebration Bowl pick (odds via DraftKings Sportsbook; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5 star scale).

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Jackson State vs. North Carolina Central Game Info

• Date: Saturday, Dec. 17, noon ET
• TV: ABC
• Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA
• Weather: Indoors

Jackson State vs. North Carolina Central Odds Analysis

Jackson State is a consensus 14-point favorite as of Saturday morning after opening at -16.5. While 56% of the tickets are backing Jackson State, those account for just 30% of the money wagered on the spread.

The Over/Under has similarly ticked down through the week. The consensus opening line of 56 sits at 54.5 on the morning of gameday. However, the Over is backed by 83% of the tickets and 76% of the handle.

Jackson State vs. North Carolina Central Pick

Jackson State -14 (-110) ★★

This is the second year in a row Jackson State represents the SWAC in the Celebration Bowl. Last season, South Carolina State beat Sanders and the Tigers handily. Oddly enough, MEAC teams won five of the six Celebration Bowls since the inaugural game in 2015.

Some fans find the MEAC’s dominance in this game quite surprising. After all, the conference lost member schools left and right over the last few years. North Carolina A&T won four of the previous six Celebration Bowls. The Aggies are now members of the Big South Conference.

When it comes to this year’s matchup, it’s easy to see why Jackson State is favored to buck the recent trend of SWAC struggles. The Tigers largely dominated all-comers this season. Only one of JSU’s 12 victories wasn't by double-digits. Nine of those 12 came by 14+ point margins.

Since Sanders leaves for Colorado after the game, the line move in North Carolina Central’s favor makes sense, especially given how high the spread first opened. However, bettors must question just how good the Eagles are. Can they keep pace with a Jackson State squad that's undoubtedly motivated?

NC Central won nine games this season. Even so, the Eagles also played in a conference where no other team finished with a winning record. Two of Central’s victories also came over NCAA Division II opposition. 

Jackson State vs. North Carolina Central Best Odds

DraftKings (-110)

The Celebration Bowl is a situation where bettors gain a major advantage from shopping the odds across multiple sportsbooks. For those looking to lay the points with Jackson State, DraftKings is the best outlet. 

While most major books list the spread at JSU -14.5, DraftKings is a half-point lower at -14. Given how important number 14 is in football betting, the half-point discrepancy is even more significant. 

What’s more, bettors don’t need to lay any extra juice to get an advantage. The  -110 odds are the same you'd have to pay to bet Jackson State -14.5 elsewhere in the market.

Jackson State vs. North Carolina Central picks made 12/14/2022 at 3:36 p.m. EST.

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