Hawaii Bowl Betting: Middle Tennessee vs. Hawaii Odds, Analysis and Pick

The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders are just 1-4 both straight up and against the spread over their previous five bowl appearances. But at least they get to go to nice places. Last year, Middle Tennessee lost in the Bahamas Bowl, and this year, the Raiders are headed to Honolulu to take on the Warriors of Hawaii in the Hawaii Bowl on December 24.

Hawaii Bowl point spread: This game remains off the board, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark (line updates and matchup report).

College football pick, via OddsShark computer: 42.0-22.2 Blue Raiders (College football picks on every game)

Why the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders can cover the spread

The Raiders won and covered their last two games and are playing in a bowl for the third time in the last four seasons. Earlier this year, Middle Tennessee beat one C-USA division winner, Louisiana Tech, and took eventual conference champion Western Kentucky to double-overtime before losing on a missed extra point. The Raiders also picked up a victory over the SEC this year, winning at Missouri, 51-45.

Middle Tennessee finished with a bang, scoring 11 touchdowns in a 77-56 triumph over Florida Atlantic. The Raiders, playing without their top two quarterbacks, instead used a pair of wide receivers behind center to set a new school record with 757 yards of offense. That included 495 yards on the ground, as both I'Tavius Mathers and Richie James hit the 200-yard mark and combined to find the end zone seven times.

For the season, Middle Tennessee ranks 10th in total offense, averaging 515 yards per game.

Why the Hawaii Warriors can cover the spread

Hawaii needed victories in its last two games to become bowl-eligible, and it got them, winning at Fresno State, 14-13 then outlasting Massachusetts, 46-40. The Warriors racked up 479 yards of offense on the Minutemen, as sophomore quarterback Dru Brown threw for 311 and five touchdowns while running back Diocemy Saint Juste added 122 on just 14 carries, one for a score.

Just prior to that, Hawaii scored a touchdown with just under a minute left to escape with a victory against the Bulldogs. So one season after going 3-10, and in their first season under coach Nick Rolovich, the Warriors are playing in their first bowl since 2010.

Smart pick

As of this writing, this game remains unlined because of the injuries to the Blue Raiders' top two quarterbacks. But Middle Tennessee didn't seem to miss them too much in the season finale, when it put up 77 points. Meanwhile, Hawaii needed 13 games to get to six wins. Regardless of who plays quarterback, the smart money at sports betting sites rides on the Raiders.

Betting trends

The total has gone over in six of Hawaii's last seven games in December.

Hawaii is 1-6 ATS in its last seven games against teams with winning records.

Middle Tennessee is 0-4 SU and ATS in its last four games in December.

All college football lines and betting trends courtesy of Bleacher Report’s official odds partner, OddsShark. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line-movement updates and the OddsShark YouTube page for picks and analysis, or download the free odds tracker app.