Liberty Bowl: Texas Tech vs Mississippi State 12/28/21 College Football Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Texas Tech Red Raiders and Mississippi State Bulldogs meet Tuesday afternoon in the college football Liberty Bowl at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis. The Mississippi State Bulldogs look for a win after winning four of their last six games. The Texas Tech Red Raiders need a win after losing four of their last five games.

The Mississippi State Bulldogs have won three of their last four non-home games. Will Rogers is completing 75.1 percent of his passes for 4,449 yards, 35 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. Makai Polk and Jaden Walley have combined for 1,599 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns, while Austin Williams has 47 receptions. The Mississippi State Bulldogs ground game is averaging 63.9 yards per contest, and Dillon Johnson leads the way with 423 yards and 4 touchdowns. Defensively, Mississippi State is allowing 25.3 points and 331.3 yards per game. Jett Johnson leads the Mississippi State Bulldogs with 84 tackles, Tyrus Wheat has 6 sacks and Emmanuel Forbes has 3 interceptions.

The Texas Tech Red Raiders have split their last six non-home games. Henry Colombi is completing 64.2 percent of his passes for 1,291 yards, 5 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. Erik Ezukanma and Kaylon Geiger have combined for 1,229 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns, while Myles Price has 35 receptions. The Texas Tech Red Raiders ground game is averaging 150.8 yards per contest, and Tahj Brooks leads the way with 461 yards and 6 touchdowns. Defensively, Texas Tech is allowing 32.1 points and 411.3 yards per game. Colin Schooler leads the Texas Tech Red Raiders with 98 tackles, Tyree Wilson has 5 sacks and Dadrion Taylor-Demerson has 3 interceptions.

The Bulldogs are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games following a ATS loss and 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games overall. The Red Raiders are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 vs. SEC and 7-15 ATS in their last 22 neutral site games. The over is 4-1 in Bulldogs last 5 games overall. The over is 16-5 in Red Raiders last 21 neutral site games.

The Texas Tech Red Raiders head into this bowl game ice-cold, and we’ve seen teams in similar form fall flat on their face in bowl games. The main concern here is that Texas Tech has a pass defense that’s ranked 118th in the country, and Mississippi State has a pass offense that’s third best in college football. The Mississippi State Bulldogs could have a field day offensively in this game, and I’m not sure the Red Raiders have the horses to keep up. Thick line, but Miss State should roll based on the current form.