We are entering the heart of bowl season with the Camellia Bowl kicking off a busy slate of games on Tuesday. The matchup is between the Sun Belt Conference and the MAC, with the Georgia Southern Eagles going up against the Buffalo Bulls. Georgia Southern and Buffalo both come in losing three out of the last four games. The Georgia Southern Eagles are a 4.5-point favorite with the over/under set at 66.5. Here is my betting preview for the Camellia Bowl.

Georgia Southern Eagles

The Georgia Southern Eagles have one of the best passing offenses in the country. They rank 7th in the country with 327.8 passing yards per game, and they also average 472.9 total yards of offense (28th). The Eagles score 33.7 points per game (30th) and convert on 47.2% of third downs (t-25th). This offense is led by former Buffalo Bulls quarterback Kyle Vantrease. Vantrease has thrown for 3,897 passing yards (7th in the nation), 25 passing touchdowns, and 15 interceptions. The Eagles has three receivers with over 50 receptions and 700 receiving yards this season (Khaleb Hood, Jeremy Singleton and Derwin Burgess).

Burgess is out of the remainder of the season, so Hood and Singleton will be the two main targets for Vantrease. Another factor on this Eagles offense is running back Jalen White. White has rushed for 914 yards and 10 touchdowns. Jalen White can be a big advantage given how bad Buffalo has been against the run.

Defensively, the Eagles have been horrendous this season. They give up 504.2 total yards of offense per game (258th). The Eagles also allow 240 rushing yards per game (256th), and their defense gives up 32.3 points per game as well (243rd). Georgia Southern is 2-5 in games that they surrender 30 or more points. If the Eagles want to win the Camellia Bowl, then they will need to give up less than 30 points.

Buffalo Bulls

The Buffalo Bulls have to have a little chip on their shoulder here. They are going up against their former quarterback, which means that they want to show out in this one. Offensively, this team averages 29 points per game (t-61st) and 391.1 total yards of offense (129th). Buffalo’s quarterback Cole Snyder has been solid for the Bulls. This season, Snyder has thrown for 2,765 passing yards to go along with 17 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Snyder’s top two targets are Quian Williams (56 receptions, 643 receiving yards, five touchdowns) and Justin Marshall (53 receptions, 710 receiving yards, eight touchdowns). These two have been big-time for Snyder this season.

Buffalo have been known about their rushing attack the last couple of seasons . This season, they have two running backs with 600 or more yards on the ground. Their two running backs, Ron Cook and Mike Washington, have been the focal point of their rushing attack. With the way that Georgia Southern gives up yards on the ground, the running game could be very effective this week. I believe that if Buffalo gets the ground game going early, they will keep Georgia Southern on their toes.

Defensively, the Bulls haven’t been great either. They allow 27.2 points per game and 405.6 total yards of offense per game. The Bulls will need their pass defense to step up against this very good Georgia Southern passing offense. Buffalo gives up 216.2 passing yards per game (108th). If they can contain the Eagles passing attack, I think they have the advantage overall.

Betting Trends

-Under is 4-0 in Eagles last four neutral site games.

-Eagles are 4-1 ATS in last five non-conference games.

-Bulls are 7-3-1 ATS in their last 11 non-conference games.

-Over is 4-1 in Bulls last 5 games overall.

The Don’s Camellia Bowl Best Bet

My official play here is Buffalo +4. This Camellia Bowl matchup has the potential to be a shootout, so my lean is over 66.5. However, I am worried that one of these offenses has a stinker and they will not live up to their numbers this season. I think Buffalo has a lot more to play for going up against their former quarterback. Look for the Bulls to keep this close in the Camellia Bowl.

Bowl Record 10-7 (+2.4u) 58.8%