Sugar Bowl – Baylor vs. Mississippi Spread, Line, Odds, Predictions, Picks, and Betting Preview

The Allstate Sugar Bowl kicks off on January 1 between the Baylor Bears (11-2) and the Mississippi Rebels (10-2).

Baylor had a magical season in Year 2 under Dave Aranda. The Bears improved their record from 2-7 a year ago to 11-2 in 2021 en route to the Big 12 Championship. They've gotten things done thanks to balance on both sides of the ball. The offense averaged 32.5 points per game while the defense held opponents to only 19.2 points per game, a top-15 mark nationally.

Ole Miss found its groove under Lane Kiffin and finished 10-2 thanks to an improved defense. They were a turnstile defensively last season but were much more respectable this season, and Matt Corral still leads a dangerous offense. Corral has a case to be made as the first quarterback selected in the 2022 NFL Draft and yet is expected to give it a go in the Bowl game, a testament to his dedication to this program.

Ole Miss has been playing to the under for the last half of the season, but we're skeptical that trend will continue here. Baylor is solid defensively, but the month off will allow Ole Miss to operate at close to 100% offensively for the first time all season. It's Corral's last game in college, and he certainly won't be kept off the scoreboard.

Baylor quarterback Gerry Bohanon is expected to be healthy and ready to go, only furthering our look toward the over in this contest. Ole Miss will operate with pace, and we're getting a total in the 50s instead of the 60s and 70s, where lines for Rebels games have been for the majority of the season.

All CFB game predictions and picks are courtesy of SportsGrid

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