College Football

LendingTree Bowl: Liberty vs Eastern Michigan 12/18/21 College Football Picks, Predictions, Odds

Eastern Michigan Eagles (7-5) vs. Liberty Flames (7-5)
December 18, 2021 5:45 pm EDT
The Line: Liberty Flames -8.5 ; Over/Under: 58.5
(Get latest betting odds)

The Liberty Flames and Eastern Michigan Eagles square off Saturday afternoon in the college football LendingTree Bowl from Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile. Eastern Michigan posted a 7-5 record this year, finishing up with a loss to Central Michigan. As for the Flames, they went 7-5 this season as well and are coming off a loss to Army. Check back all season long for free college football picks at Sports Chat Place. 

Eastern Michigan managed a 3-1 start this year, with their only blemish being a loss to Wisconsin. The Eagles finished off the final eight games at 4-4, falling to Northern Illinois, Ball State, Ohio and Central Michigan during that time. 

Back on November 26 against the Chippewas, Eastern Michigan was down 17-10 heading into the fourth quarter. The Eagles were outscored 14-0 from there in a 31-10 loss. QB Ben Bryant notched 221 yards, and top receiver Tanner Knue caught seven balls for 70 yards. 

Over on the Liberty side, they hit a 3-0 start this year before a loss to Syracuse. The Flames went 4-1 over the next five outings (losing to LA-Monroe), then finished 0-3 with losses to Ole Miss, Louisiana and Army. 

On November 27 versus Army in their last appearance, the Flames were down 24-3 at halftime and had little chance at coming back in an eventual 31-16 loss. Liberty QB Malik Willis finished with 305 yards, one TD and a pick, while CJ Daniels had eight catches for 118 yards. 

The Eagles are 5-0 ATS in their last five in December and 6-1 ATS in their last seven on grass. EMU is 20-7 ATS in their last 27 after an ATS loss and 15-6 ATS in their last 21 non-conference games. 

Meanwhile, the Flames are 4-0 ATS in their last four in December and 1-4 ATS in their last five as a favorite. Liberty is 10-4 ATS in their last 14 on grass and 1-4 ATS versus a team with a winning record.

PICK: I’m going to try Liberty, but probably not going near this one. The Flames struggled in their final three games, but to be fair those came against some quality opponents. Prior to that losing stretch Liberty had notched 28 or more points in five straight games and the offense was working well. This should be a favorable matchup for the Flames to put up some points. 

As for the Eagles, they’ve been a mixed bag at times this year but they’ve also scored 22 or more points in four of their last five outings. I like both teams to finish in the 20s here at least, with Liberty eventually covering. 

Andrew's Free Pick: Liberty Flames -8.5

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Andrew

Andrew has been writing about college, professional and fantasy sports betting since 2013. Andrew's goal is to break down the complicated numbers and trends into a language that's easily accessible to novice sports bettors and seasoned professionals alike.

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