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Bowl season is underway, and the Mississippi State Bulldogs and the Illinois Fighting Illini will compete for postseason bragging rights in the ReliaQuest Bowl at Raymond James Stadium at noon ET on Monday.
The Bulldogs have more to be thankful for after their game against the Ole Miss Rebels five weeks ago. MSU had just enough and edged out Ole Miss 24-22. No one had a standout game offensively for MSU, but they got scores from RB Jo'quavious Marks, WR Rara Thomas, and WR Lideatrick Griffin.
Meanwhile, you're bound to get a positive result if you outscore your opponent every quarter, and that's exactly how it played out for Illinois five weeks ago. They were totally in charge, breezing past the Northwestern Wildcats 41-3 on the road. The contest was all but wrapped up at the end of the third, by which point Illinois had established a 34 to nothing advantage. Their RB Reggie Love III looked sharp as he punched in one rushing touchdown. Love III had some trouble finding his footing against the Michigan Wolverines six weeks ago, so this was a step in the right direction.
The Fighting Illini's defense was a force to be reckoned with, as it collected five interceptions and one fumble. The picks came courtesy of DB Sydney Brown and DB Devon Witherspoon.
This next matchup is expected to be close, with the Bulldogs going off at just a 1.5-point favorite. They might be worth taking a chance on against the spread as they are currently on a two-game streak of ATS wins.
A couple stats to keep in the back of your head while watching: MSU enters the matchup with 35 passing touchdowns, good for ninth best in the nation. But the Fighting Illini rank first in the nation when it comes to passing touchdowns allowed, with only eight on the season. We'll see which of these strengths -- offense or defense -- will win out.
