Kentucky vs. NC State odds, betting trends, expert picks and predictions

The Kentucky Wildcats are set for their final game of the 2020 season, as they’ll face NC State in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl.

The Wildcats ended their regular season on a winning note, handing the South Carolina Gamecocks a 41-18 defeat. Heading into the bowl game, Kentucky will now look to officially end the year with a second-straight victory, which would also be their third-straight win in a bowl game.

Check out the latest odds, betting trends, expert picks and my prediction for the big game in Jacksonville.

Odds

According to Pregame.com, Kentucky opened as a 3-point favorite over NC State with that line narrowly fading to 2.5. The over/under opened at 51.5 and has also fell a tad, currently sitting at 50. “Sharp” money appears to be on the wildcats, as just 27% of the tickets placed are generating 76% of the cash. ESPN’s Football Power Index is giving Kentucky the edge in this one, predicting a victory by 56.5%.

Betting Trends

Kentucky Wildcats

• Kentucky is 2-4 SU in their last 6 games.
• The total has gone OVER in 6 of Kentucky’s last 8 games against an opponent in the Atlantic Coast conference.
• Kentucky is 2-4 SU in their last 6 games played on a Saturday.
• Kentucky is 15-4 SU in their last 19 games when playing as the favorite.
• Kentucky is 10-2 ATS in their last 12 games played on a Saturday when playing at home.

NC State Wolfpack

• North Carolina State is 6-3 ATS in their last 9 games.
• The total has gone OVER in 10 of North Carolina State’s last 15 games.
• North Carolina State is 4-1 SU in their last 5 games.
• North Carolina State is 7-2 SU in their last 9 games this season.
• The total has gone OVER in 6 of North Carolina State’s last 6 games against an opponent in the Southeastern conference.
• North Carolina State is 7-1 SU in their last 8 games played on a Saturday.
• The total has gone OVER in 6 of North Carolina State’s last 6 games when playing as the underdog.
• North Carolina State is 2-7 ATS in their last 9 games played on a Saturday when playing on the road.

Expert Picks

• ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg is going with as 27-17 win for NC State.
• Chris Ruffolo of Sports Chat Place is siding with the points in this matchup, taking NC State +2.5.
• Bill Bender with Sporting News is also picking NC State, this time straight-up in a 28-24 upset.
• Antwan Staley of Athlon Sports projects the Wolfpack to win 35-27.
• Justin Rowland, Travis Graf and Jeff Drummond of Cats Illustrated have Kentucky winning 27-23, 24-21 and 26-23 respectively.
• Adam Burke of Bang The Book has the Cats covering the 2.5-point spread.
• Josh Moore of the Herald-Leader went with a 27-20 win for Kentucky.
• Skip Snow of Sports Wire has NC State winning 31-24.
• 247 Sports’ Hale McGranahan, John Del Bianco and John Whittle all three picked NC State to upset Kentucky by an average of eight points.
• TeamRankings has the Cats winning 26-24, while numberFire projects a 21-20 victory for Kentucky.

Prediction

Kentucky’s dominance on the offensive line has been a tremendous problem for a teams that aren’t used to facing such physical units. NC State hasn’t played an offensive line like Kentucky’s all season. Combining their force in the trenches with a superior will to win, there’s just something about this game that screams Kentucky should pull out a late win. Kentucky runs the football and plays with a sense of urgency to end a year they’ll be glad is over.

Final Score: Kentucky 31, NC State 23