2023 Holiday Bowl Odds
The Holiday Bowl has been coming our way annually from San Diego since 1978. There have been some awesome games through the years, all of which attracted plenty of bets.
Here’s what to expect when legal online sports betting comes to California, including the best sportsbooks for Holiday Bowl odds and promos.
2023 Holiday Bowl betting odds
When legal online sports betting becomes a reality in California, you’ll be able to view the real-time Holiday Bowl game odds from all of the top sportsbooks right here.
How to bet on the Holiday Bowl in CA
Online sports betting has not been legalized in California as of now. However, many hope the situation will change in the not-too-distant future. The matter could be put in front of voters in November 2022, but we’ll have to take a wait-and-see approach for now.
Legal sports betting is available in neighboring Arizona, Nevada and Oregon, so there are safe options to explore for those who don’t mind a trek. Unregulated offshore sites may advertise their wares to Californians, but we can’t recommend them.
Best betting sites for Holiday Bowl odds
If and when sports betting is legalized in California, some of the industry’s top operators will be sure to set up shop in the massive market. While we can’t say for certain which mobile sportsbook apps will be approved and licensed by the state, here’s a look at what some of the most likely candidates bring to the table for college bowl games.
DraftKings Sportsbook: The slick DraftKings sportsbook platform is a favorite of college football bettors in a number of legal states. All of the bet types that you could ask for are here, including a wide range of props and alternate lines.
- Pros: Great platform, lots of bowl game betting options
- Cons: Could use more boosts and promos
FanDuel Sportsbook: FanDuel is a preferred option for many college football bettors. It’s one of the most user-friendly books on the market. All the requisite bowl-game bets are present, plus great features like same game parlays (SGPs).
- Pros: User-friendly interface, innovative features
- Cons: Needs more regular incentives for existing players
BetMGM Sportsbook: BetMGM does a lot of things right. You’ll find all of the bet types you need for the bowl games, as well as innovative features like “edit my bet.” There’s also typically a big selection of props and alternate lines.
- Pros: Big menu of options, regular promos
- Cons: Navigation can be a little awkward in spots
Caesars Sportsbook: Caesars has really ramped up its online sports betting presence. The sportsbook features competitive odds, lots of recurring promos and all of the bowl game bet types you would expect.
- Pros: Regular promos and competitive odds
- Cons: Platform is a little bland in appearance
Most popular Holiday Bowl bets
During college football season, many sportsbooks will have a link or icon at the top of the menu. Once you click on it, all of the upcoming games will be displayed in the betting lobby ordered by start time. If you check out the game listing for the Holiday Bowl, you’ll see something like this:
| Moneyline | Spread | Totals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| NC State | +120 | +2.5 (-110) | Over 54.5 (-110) |
| UCLA | -140 | -2.5 (-110) | Under 54.5 (-110) |
The above bets are considered “the big three” of pregame betting. Each of them is incredibly popular for college football betting. Here’s what you need to know.
- Moneyline: Make the call on which team will win outright between the favorite (negative odds) or underdog (positive odds).
- Spread: The spread is set by sportsbooks and is akin to an estimated margin of victory. The side you pick has to cover the spread for your bet to win.
- Totals: The total is also set by the book. It’s an estimate of the number of points that will be scored in the game. Bettors can pick over or under the listed amount.
For other ways to wager on the Holiday Bowl and other college games, you simply click through the main game listing. As a general rule, there are slightly fewer options in college sports than what you’ll find on the pro side, but still more than enough to keep you busy.
- Props: A prop is basically a side bet on something that will happen during a game or by its conclusion and can revolve around the game, teams or players.
- Alternates: The main Holiday Bowl betting lines are a top draw, but there are also alternate numbers to explore with the odds adjusted for differing spreads and totals.
- Same game parlays: This is a multi-leg wager on a single contest, such as the underdog plus the points, under on the total and a prop of your choosing.
As sports betting gets legalized in new states, the rules for wagering on college games are always an area to watch. In some markets, player props and live betting for college games are allowed, while those bets are prohibited in other markets.
For college football bowl game betting in California, we won’t know the exact options until legal sports betting becomes a reality. In the meantime, just know that you’ll have more than enough ways to get in on the action and excitement of the Holiday Bowl.
Which teams are in the Holiday Bowl?
The Holiday Bowl has gone through a few different iterations since making its debut in 1978. Initially, it was the champion of the Western Athletic Conference versus an invited at-large team. Through the years, the Big Ten and Big 12 have had stints of sending teams to the game, while the WAC’s association came to a halt in 1997.
In the present day, it’s a Pac-12 team versus a squad from the ACC. The former began its association with the Holiday Bowl in 1997, while the latter is a new addition. The ACC just started shipping a team out west for the big game in 2022. Over the past 10 editions, at least one ranked team has been involved eight times with two matchups of top 25 teams.
Where is the Holiday Bowl played?
The current branding of the game—San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl at Petco Park—is quite a mouthful. Sponsorship has shifted quite a bit through the years, so regular fans tend to simply refer to it as the Holiday Bowl. Here are the details on where you can catch the next edition in person.
- Name: Petco Park
- Address: 19 Tony Gwynn Dr.
- Location: San Diego, CA 92101
- Owner: City of San Diego and San Diego Padres
- Operator: Padres LP
- Capacity: 40,209
- Surface: Bull’s-Eye Bermuda grass
- Opened: April 8, 2004
- Other events hosted: Baseball, concerts, etc.
How to watch the Holiday Bowl on TV
For the upcoming bowl game season, many dates, times and broadcast networks are still being finalized as of this writing. Come wintertime though, all of the postseason games are easily accessible on major broadcast or cable networks.
The last three editions of the Holiday Bowl have been carried by FS1. ESPN and its family of networks handle many of the bowl games, while CBS, Fox and their subsidiaries pitch in as well. In short, you won’t have any trouble locating the Holiday Bowl on the tube or streaming.
History of the Holiday Bowl
The Holiday Bowl has been a part of the college football postseason schedule since 1978. Initially known solely by its given name, the bowl has made several sponsorship arrangements and brand changes through the years.
Beginning in 1986, it was known as the SeaWorld Holiday Bowl. That arrangement lasted through 1990 and has been followed by eight different deals. The current official name is the “San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl at Petco Park.”
The initial setup for the game was the champion of the WAC squaring off against an at-large program. That has also changed through the years with the Big Ten and Big 12 conferences having direct tie-ins for several years.
Currently, the Holiday Bowl is scheduled as a meeting of programs from the Pac-12 and ACC. The past two editions have been canceled along with several other postseason games, but the Holiday Bowl is expected to be back on track in 2022.
The game has traditionally attracted some of the top squads in college football. Over the past 10 editions, 11 of the 20 possible spots have been filled by clubs that ranked in the top 25. Here are the results of those games along with team ranks at game time.
- 2019: #19 Iowa over #22 USC, 49-24
- 2018: Northwestern over #20 Utah, 31-20
- 2017: #19 Michigan State over #21 Washington State, 42-17
- 2016: Minnesota over Washington State, 17-12
- 2015: #23 Wisconsin over USC, 23-21
- 2014: #24 USC over #25 Nebraska, 45-42
- 2013: Texas Tech over #16 Arizona State, 37-23
- 2012: Baylor over #17 UCLA, 49-26
- 2011: Texas over California, 21-10
- 2010: Washington over #17 Nebraska, 19-7
On an all-time basis, BYU leads the way with 11 appearances in the Holiday Bowl. The Cougars have racked up a record of 4-6-1 in the game. Texas is second with five appearances (3-2), while five programs are tied for third with four appearances each.