The Mississippi State Bulldogs (7-5) and Texas Tech Red Raiders (6-6) clash in a Liberty Bowl showdown Tuesday. Kickoff from Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tenn., is set for 6:45 p.m. ET. Below, we look at the Mississippi State vs. Texas Tech odds and lines, and make our expert college football picks, predictions and bets.
Mississippi State went 4-2 over its last six regular-season games. The two losses — to current No. 8 Ole Miss and No. 24 Arkansas — were in close games, and the four wins were by an average margin of 26.8 points per contest.
Head coach Mike Leach’s Air Raid offense ranks third in the nation in passing yards with 385.7 yards per game and 130th in rushing at 63.9 yards per game. QB Will Rogers has thrown for 330-plus yards in six straight outings.
Texas Tech is just 1-4 since Oct. 23. The Raiders also sport a pass-first offense, although TTU does show a bit more balance as it’s ranked 77th in rushing.
Turnovers have been a problem for Texas Tech: the Red Raiders are a minus-8 on the season. They don’t post solid havoc analytics on defense, but TTU should have an advantage in this matchup on special teams.
Rankings courtesy of the AFCA Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports.
Mississippi State vs. Texas Tech odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 9:12 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Mississippi State -360 (bet $360 to win $100) | Texas Tech +270 (bet $100 to win $270)
- Against the spread (ATS): Mississippi State -9.5 (-112) | Texas Tech +9.5 (-108)
- Over/Under (O/U): 58.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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Mississippi State vs. Texas Tech odds, lines, picks and predictions
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Prediction
Mississippi State 31, Texas Tech 24
Money line
PASS, and look for value opportunities against the number and possibly on the total.
Against the spread
Much of the narrative for this one revolves around Leach facing a Texas Tech program he coached from 2000-09 and left with some acrimonious feelings on both sides. That the Red Raiders are transitioning to new head coach Joey Maguire but will be led by interim coach Sonny Cumbie in this one.
However, there is some football analysis favoring Texas Tech here. Figure on a somewhat slow pace with both teams finding moderate success.
TTU gets perhaps more dinged by opt-outs, with OL Charles Cross — a left tackle projected as an NFL first-rounder — and CB Martin Emerson on the sideline. Mix in some field tilt provided by a rather large discrepancy in special teams play.
BACK the RED RAIDERS +9.5 (-108).
Over/Under
The odds of a closer game, a slower-paced one edging the total closer to 55-56 makes the UNDER 58.5 (-110) a decent play.
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