Camellia Bowl: Ball State vs Georgia State 12/25/21 College Football Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Ball State Cardinals and Georgia State Panthers clash Christmas Day in the college football Camellia Bowl from the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery. Georgia State is sitting at 7-5 overall so far. The Panthers got a win over Troy in their last game. As for Ball State, they went 6-6 this year and took out Buffalo in their most recent outing. Check back all season long for free college football picks at Sports Chat Place. 

Georgia State got off to a rough start at 2-4, losing to Army, North Carolina, Auburn and App State. The Panthers finished off the year on a nice 5-1 run, taking out Texas State, GA Southern, Coastal Carolina, Arkansas State and Troy along the way. 

Back on November 27 versus Troy, the Panthers didn’t have a whole lot of trouble. Georgia State scored in every quarter on the way to a 37-10 blowout win. QB Darren Grainger finished on 140 yards and two scores, while Jamyest Williams had 108 yards and a TD on 15 carries. 

Over on the Ball State side, they had a 3-3 run in the first half of the season with wins over Western Illinois, Army and Western Michigan. Another 3-3 run came for the second half, as the Cardinals beat Eastern Michigan, Akron and Buffalo. 

In the November 23 game versus Buffalo, Ball State scored 17 points in the first half and held on for a 20-3 win. Quarterback Drew Plitt finished with 176 yards and a touchdown. Carson Steele rushed for 45 yards, and Jayshon Jackson led the receivers with 103 yards and a TD on nine grabs. 

The Panthers are 8-1 ATS in their last nine after a straight-up win and 6-1 ATS in their last seven overall. Georgia State is 5-1 ATS in their last six as a favorite and 2-5-1 ATS in their last eight on turf.
Meanwhile, the Cardinals are 6-1 ATS in their last seven after an ATS win and 1-4 ATS in their last five overall. Ball State is 1-4 ATS in their last five bowl games and 1-4 ATS in their last five on turf. 

PICK: I’m going to stay with Georgia State in this one. The Panthers were pretty impressive in their last outing against Troy, finishing with 387 yards (247 rushing), 21 first downs and 5.7 yards per play. There’s certainly plenty to clean up, however; Georgia State went just 2-of-11 on third-down tries with nine penalties and two turnovers. 

As for Ball State, they were great defensively against Buffalo. The Cardinals minimized the scoreboard damage and came up with four interceptions. Ball State is going to need another good defensive effort here. If Georgia State can keep their mistakes minimal I think they’ll be fine on a cover.