Come New Year’s Day, college football fans all over the world will be ready for the Baylor Bears and Ole Miss Rebels to face off in the Sugar Bowl. This is going to be one amazing battle, as the SEC and Big 12 squads will both be hungry to try and record a win. In this article, we have NCAA picks for Baylor vs. Ole Miss in Sugar Bowl action. Who will end up winning?
What: Sugar Bowl
When: Jan. 1, 2022
Who: Baylor Bears vs. Ole Miss Rebels
Where: Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, La.
Making things even more interesting for this awesome showdown, Baylor and Ole Miss are dead even for Sugar Bowl odds. This goes ahead and tells us all just how great this contest is going to be. While the two teams were hoping to hold high College Football Playoff odds till the end, things just didn’t pan out for them. Still, they’d love nothing more than to end the year with a win in the Sugar Bowl.
For the Baylor Bears, they finished the year 11-2 on the season and made it to the Big 12 Championship Game. In that contest, they took on Oklahoma State and the Cowboys were expected to come away with a win. Instead, Baylor did the unthinkable and recorded a big-time upset win. It’s a victory that Bears fans are never going to forget about for sure.
| Sugar Bowl odds |  |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ole Miss to win | -110 | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Baylor to win | -110 | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Over to hit | -110 | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Under to hit | -110 | -110 | -110 | -110 |
Meanwhile, for Ole Miss, Lane Kiffin’s crew also had a strong season. The Rebels went 10-2, with their only losses coming to Alabama and Auburn. That loss to Alabama makes sense, as the Crimson Tide are the No. 1 team in the country and hold the best NCAA College Football Playoff odds. A loss to the Crimson Tide isn’t going to shake this team’s confidence.
According to the best rated online sportsbooks, the two teams hold even odds to win, as they’ve both been set with -110 NCAA Vegas odds. Holy smokes, this just adds to the drama of the showdown. Will Baylor come out on top or will Kiffin get himself a Gatorade bath following the final whistle? This one could go either way, but we’re going to have to go with Baylor to win this one. The Bears are our pick.
When it comes to primetime college football games like this, we’re always going to be expecting plenty of points. That’s why we think the over should hit between Baylor and Ole Miss when they meet in the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day. If you want to talk about some fun offenses, that’s exactly what we have between Baylor and Ole Miss in this one.
For Baylor, they’ve of course got a great aerial attack, but running back Abram Smith was sensational this year. The stud RB rushed for more than 1,400 yards and added 12 touchdowns. For Kiffin, the offense is no doubt led by quarterback Matt Corral. This year, the stud QB has thrown for 3,339 yards and 20 touchdowns. He’s pumped to try and take down Baylor too, and he’s ready for one last game with his teammates
“I would not be in this position without them,” Corral said of his teammates as he prepares for the Sugar Bowl. “I am not gonna just leave because I know what is ahead. God has got me. I am not going to worry about the negative part. I am going to give these guys all I got till it’s over.”
As things stand, the over-under has been set at 54.5 points. Really, that’s it for these two teams? That low number really feels like a bit of a surprise, but the oddsmakers are expecting a defensive battle. We don’t think that’s going to be the case. With Baylor’s strong ground game and Corral powering things for Ole Miss, we expect plenty of points. We’re going with the over as our pick.
A big question folks have on their mind is will Matt Corral be able to throw for 300 yards vs. Baylor? This sure is a tough one, as Corral does have a rocket for an arm, but the Bears’ defense has been strong in preventing guys from blowing up when it comes to yardage. The defense will hope to try and silence Corral when they face off in the Sugar Bowl.
That of course isn’t going to be an easy task, as Corral has been known for making some great plays with his arm this year. In two of his last three games, Corral has eclipsed the 300-yard mark. In total, he’s tossed for at least 300 yards in five games. He’s got plenty of confidence whenever firing the ball around to his go-to receivers on the gridiron. Now, what will Baylor do to stop him?
For Ole Miss, they’ll most certainly be relying on Corral in this one to try and come away with a win. With us expecting this to be a see-saw battle, our expectation is that Corral will be throwing the ball plenty of times against Baylor. Will he be able to reach 300 yards? It’s going to be close, but we’re going to have to go with Corral hitting the over of 300 yards as our pick.
