Jackson State vs NC Central Odds, Spread and Picks for Cricket Celebration Bowl
- Unbeaten Jackson State will meet NC Central in the Cricket Celebration Bowl on Saturday, December 17
- SWAC Jackson State is a 15.5-point favorite over the MEAC Eagles at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta
- Read below for Jackson State vs NC Central odds, analysis and prediction
Jackson State (12-0, 8-0 SWAC) is a 15.5-point favorite over NC Central in the Cricket Celebration Bowl at noon ET on Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The Tigers are ranked No. 5 in the FCS poll. Deion Sanders will coach the team for the final time after being hired by Colorado last week.
NC Central (9-2, 4-1 MEAC) won its final four games of the regular season to clinch its second Celebration bowl berth. The Eagles are ranked No. 21 in the FCS poll.
Let’s dive into the Jackson State vs NC Central odds and find the best bet for the Cricket Celebration bowl.
Jackson State vs NC Central Odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson State Tigers | -15.5 (-110) | -780 | Over 55.5( -105) |
| NC Central Eagles | +15.5 (-110) | +530 | Under 55.5 (-115) |
Odds from FanDuel on Dec. 13. Get the FanDuel Sportsbook promo code for bowl season.
Jackson State is a 15.5-point favorite over North Carolina Central in the annual Cricket Celebration Bowl, which features the winners of the Southwestern Athletic and Mid-Eastern Athletic conferences.
Jackson State is 6-6 ATS this season and NC Central is 6-3 ATS. The Tigers have won the previous two meetings, although the most recent was in 1987.
Jackson State Shoots for Perfection
Coach Deion “Prime” Sanders’ third season in Jackson was historic. The Tigers posted the first 12-0 regular season in program history and are the first SWAC team to go undefeated and untied since Alcorn State (9-0) in 1991 and the first SWAC team to go undefeated since Alabama State went 11-0-1 in 1991. Sophomore quarterback Shedeur Sanders, one of Deion’s two sons on the team, and a league-best defense were the prime factors.
SHEDEUR SANDERS COULDN'T STOP THROWIN TDS 🎯 pic.twitter.com/o3puYZlybi
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) December 3, 2022
Sanders, who will follow his father to Colorado, threw for 3,409 yards and 36 touchdowns and rushed for 172 yards and five scores. He set program season records for touchdown passes and had five 300-yard games, four four-touchdown games and two five-touchdown games.
Offensive tackle Tyler Brown was named to the NCBU All-American team on an offense that is eighth in the FCS in scoring (38.0 points per), 10th in passing yards (293.5 and 14th in total offense (448.3 yards per).
Linebacker Aubrey Miller Jr., defensive lineman Nyles Gaddy and Sam’Ron Silmon-Craig also were HCBU All-Americans. Miller was a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award, given to the FCS defensive player of the year.
NC Central Finished Strong
Without as much fanfare, NC Central also had the MEAC’s most valuable offensive and defensive players in a vote of league coaches, the first time a team has won both since 2005. Quarterback Davius Richard and defensive back Khalil Baker were the recipients for a season that included a 45-27 Week 3 victory at New Hampshire, which finished the regular season ranked 16th in the FCS poll.
PFF Seven Highest-Graded HBCU Players
90.7 Carlvainsky Decius Morgan St
90.0 Keshaun Moore Hampton
88.1 Davius Richard NC Central
87.6 Brayshul Tuten NCAT
87.5 Xavier Smith FAMU
85.8 Travis Hunter Jackson St
85.2 John Huggins Jackson St pic.twitter.com/ehvQBsgmcO— HBCU Premier Sports & More (@HBCUSports1) December 5, 2022
Dual-threat Richard passed for 2,486 yards and 24 touchdowns with a 155.3 quarterback efficiency rating. He also was the second-leading rusher in the MEAC with 691 yards and led the league with 13 rushing touchdowns and a 6.4-yard average per carry.
Richard accounted for five touchdowns and NC Central had 548 yards in total offense in a 48-14 victory over Norfolk State to clinch the Celebration bowl berth in the penultimate game of the regular season. The Eagles have set program season records with 422 points and 4,862 yards of total offense.
Safety Khalil Baker has four interceptions for a defense that led the FCS in red zone defense. The Eagles held opponents to points on 22 out of 34 trips inside the 20-yard line, 64.7 percent.
Jackson State vs NC Central Prediction
Jackson State has won every game but one by at least 11 points and stopped Southern 43-24 in the SWAC championship game the last time out. It is difficult to say how the Sanders’ imminent departures will affect the Tigers, although veterans, some of whom also are expected to find their way to Boulder via the transfer portal, said they are fine with it.
The MEAC has a strong history here, having won five of the previous six Celebration bowls. Jackson State lost 31-10 loss to South Carolina State in the 2021 game, when Shedeur was 16 of 36 with a pair of picks. This is a special season for Jackson State, but the points are the value here.
- Pick: NC Central +15.5 (-110)
- Season CFB: 46-45 ATS
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Jack has covered college and professional sports for various Arizona media outlets since the 1980s and has written for the Associated Press, USA Today and Baseball America, among others. He staffed the 2015-17 World Series and has staffed four Super Bowls.
