Two old MEAC rivals battle in the Cricket Celebration Bowl as the Howard Bison face the Florida A&M Rattlers, and we have you covered with our best Howard vs. Florida A&M prediction based on the best college football odds.
Howard (6-5) has won back-to-back games and four of its last five. The Bison challenged themselves with a tough schedule, including two games against Power 5 competition, and they hung tough in those two games. They lost to Eastern Michigan and Northwestern by a combined score of 56-43.
Florida A&M (11-1) was ranked No. 5 in the last FCS rankings and justified that by winning its first-ever SWAC championship after defeating Prairie View A&M 35-14. It was the Rattlers' first postseason home game since 1998.
Howard and Florida A&M have met 41 times, but not since the Rattlers beat the Bison 39-7 in 2019. The Cricket Celebration Bo wl is unique because it is the only bowl game featuring two FCS teams and is widely labeled as the HBCU national championship. We look at the FCS Championship odds here.
As part of our look at all of the College Bowl Game odds, here is our best Howard vs. Florida A&M prediction and our college football picks (odds via our best college football betting sites; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).
Howard vs. Florida A&M prediction: Celebration Bowl
Florida A&M is looking to cap off its most successful season in school history, largely because its defense, known as the “Dark Cloud,” has allowed 14.5 points per game. The Rattlers' defense ranks in the top 25 of the FCS in passing and rushing yards allowed, sacks, and third-down conversion percentage. Not counting Florida A&M's 38-24 loss against the FBS South Florida Bulls, the Rattlers have only allowed 20 or more points on two other occasions and held three of their final five opponents to seven or fewer points.
Howard is no slouch defensively, ranking third in FCS in passing efficiency, which will help slow down SWAC Offensive Player of the Year Jeremy Moussa, Florida A&M's quarterback. Moussa led the conference in passing yards and touchdowns but was inconsistent down the stretch, with 188 passing yards or fewer in thre e of the last five games.
Both teams have their respective conference's Defensive Players of the Year, as Rattlers linebacker Isaiah Major and the Bison's Kenny Gallop Jr. took home the hardware. Major will be integral in slowing down Howard running back Eden James, son of Hall of Famer Edgerrin James, who averaged 5.8 yards per carry this season.
The Bison have an explosive offense that averaged 28.7 points per game. Howard totaled 521 yards and had nine plays of 20 or more yards two games ago against NC Central. However, the Bison can also win in other ways, like their 14-7 grinder of a win in their last game against Morgan State, where they ran the ball 53 times and held a 19-minute edge in time of possession. We expect this Celebration Bowl to be more like that defensive struggle against the best FCS defense that Howard will face all season.
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Howard vs. Florida A&M best odds
| DraftKings | FanDuel | BetMGM | Caesars | bet365 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | 48.5 | OFF | 50.5 | 50.5 |
| Under (-110) | Under (-115) | OFF | Under (-110) | Under (-110) |
As Under backers, we can make our wager at Caesars or bet365, the only two sportsbooks offering a total higher than 50 points. There is absolutely no value in the total at FanDuel, and we would only play this total down to 50 points. Bettors may find value in Howard's moneyline odds (DraftKings has the best number at +190), as teams from the MEAC are 6-1 SU in the seven Celebration Bowls.
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Howard vs. Florida A&M odds analysis
Since opening on Tuesday morning, the total has gone from 48.5 to 50 at DraftKings and raised 1.5 points at Cae sars from 49 to 50.5 while staying the same at FanDuel and bet365. Early wagers are split 80/20 in favor of the Over.
The point spread has moved off the key number of -7 at both DraftKings and FanDuel, who are now at Florida A&M -6.5. However, the spread has gone the other way at bet365, rising from -4.5 to -5.5, and has not moved off the opening number at Caesars. The betting splits indicate the line movement off the key number, as 70% of the early wagers have been placed on Howard.
Celebration Bowl game info
- When: Saturday, Dec. 16 at noon ET
- Where: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA
- How to watch: ABC/ESPN+
- Weather: Indoors
Howard-Florida A&M prediction made Wednesday at 6:23 a.m. ET.
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