The Ohio Bobcats from the MAC conference will face the UL Monroe Warhawks from the Sun Belt conference in the Independence Bowl in an NCAA college football game on Friday December 28th. Kick off time from Independence Stadium in Shreveport Louisiana is scheduled for 2PM Eastern Time with national television coverage provided by ESPN.
The betting odds opened up in this college football bowl contest with the UL Monroe Warhawks favored by -7 points with an over under line of 60 points. Early money has shown on the side of the Sun Belt conference school as UL Monroe is now favored by -7 ½ points. The total has moved up a full point to a current line of 61 points.
There have been no recent meetings between the Bobcats and Warhawks. CFB Trend: Ohio Bobcats are 1-7 ATS in their past eight games.
Ohio enters play in the Independence Bowl with a record of 8-4 on the season. They were 4-8 against the spread on the year. After a strong start at 7-0 and a Top 25 placing following a 34-28 home win against Akron on October 27th the Bobcats collapse down the stretch losing four of their past five games and three straight. The Bobcats three losses down the stretch have come by 12 or more points. Ohio has a notable week one 24-14 road win at Penn St. They lose their entire step up games in MAC conference play with losses to Bowling Green, Ball St and Kent St. Ohio has a balanced offensive attack with 233 yards passing and 202 coming from their ground game. They are a mid-pack team defensively which is good for a MAC school. Junior quarterback Tyler Tettleton threw for 16 touchdowns and 3 interceptions for 62% completion percentage.
The UL Monroe Warhawks finished up play with a mark of 8-4 on the year. They went 8-4 against the spread as well. They concluded play with two straight wins following a two game losing streak. The Warhawks have a notable three point overtime win against Arkansas and the following week they lose by three t Auburn. They battled Baylor tough with a 47-42 home defeat to Baylor in week four. The other notable win by the Warhawks came on October 20th as they travel to Western Kentucky and earn the 43-42 overtime win as a +3 point road underdog. They were denied a Sun Belt conference title with a double digit home loss to Louisiana Lafayette and a 45-23 road defeat at Arkansas St. UL Monroe is a very good offense as they are 35th in the nation with 442 yards gained per game. They average 35 points a game and give up 27. Junior quarterback Kolton Browning has 27 touchdowns and 7 picks on the year with nearly 65% completion percentage.