Buffalo Bulls vs Liberty Flames Matchup

Check out our free Buffalo Bulls vs Liberty Flames pick and preview for this CFB Bahamas Bowl game in Nassau. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this Bahamas Bowl CFB matchup.

ESPN2 is set to broadcast the Bahamas Bowl matchup between the Buffalo Bulls and the Liberty Flames, scheduled for 11:00 ET on Saturday, January 4th, at Thomas Robinson Stadium in Nassau. Liberty comes in with an 8-3 record, while Buffalo is 8-4 on the season. The Flames are the -2.5 point favorites, and the over/under line is at 51.5 points for this game.

Bulls vs. Flames Matchup At A Glance

Sport: CFB
Teams: Buffalo Bulls at Liberty Flames
Where: Nassau at Thomas Robinson Stadium
Date: Saturday, January 4th
Betting Odds LIBRTY -2.5, BUF +108 | LIBRTY -130 O/U 51.5

Bulls Preview:

Buffalo enters their Week 13 matchup against Liberty with an 8-4 record. They’ve gone 3-1 at home and 2-3 on the road this season. The Bulls have been favored in two games, winning both, and hold a +1.1 average scoring margin for the season.

Against the spread, Buffalo is 5-4, covering three out of four home games and going 2-3 on the road. They are 2-0 ATS as the favorite and have covered the spread by an average of 9.9 points.

The over/under record for Buffalo’s games stands at 6-3, with their contests averaging 57.1 points. This week’s line is set at 51.5 points, higher than eight of their games this season.

Bulls Offense Breakdown

Buffalo’s offense has been driven by their ground game, ranking 30th in rushing attempts and averaging 166.6 yards per game. Al-Jay Henderson leads the team with 959 rushing yards, eight touchdowns, and an average of 5 yards per carry. The Bulls are scoring 29.1 points per game, placing them 45th nationally, but they are 106th in our offensive power rankings heading into week 1.

Quarterback C.J. Ogbonna has thrown for 2,244 yards with 19 touchdowns and five interceptions, giving him a passer rating of 92. Buffalo ranks 106th in passing yards per game, and they have converted just 34.1% of their third-down attempts. Victor Snow leads the receiving corps with 610 yards and six touchdowns on 51 catches.

Bulls Team Defense

Buffalo's defense shined in their latest game, allowing just seven points and forcing an interception against Kent State. They held the Golden Flashes to 209 total yards, including 107 rushing yards on 35 attempts and 102 passing yards.

On the season, Buffalo ranks 151st in passing yards allowed, giving up 258.6 yards per game. They’ve also allowed 146.6 rushing yards per game. Opposing quarterbacks have a 92.7 passer rating and a 62.9% completion rate against Buffalo’s defense.

Flames Preview:

Against the spread, Buffalo is 5-4, covering three out of four home games and going 2-3 on the road. They are 2-0 ATS as the favorite and have covered the spread by an average of 9.9 points.

The over/under record for Buffalo’s games stands at 6-3, with their contests averaging 57.1 points. This week’s line is set at 51.5 points, higher than eight of their games this season.

Flames Offense Breakdown

Liberty’s offense has leaned heavily on their run game, ranking 7th in the nation with 238.8 rushing yards per game. They are 14th in rushing attempts, averaging 41.5 per game. Quinton Cooley has been the standout performer, rushing for 1,254 yards and 13 touchdowns, averaging 6 yards per carry. The Flames are 48th in scoring, with 28.2 points per game, and we have them ranked 75th in our offensive power rankings heading into week 1.

Quarterback Kaidon Salter has thrown for 1,886 yards, with 15 touchdowns and six interceptions, and Liberty ranks 121st in passing yards per game. Salter’s passer rating is 88, and the team ranks 103rd in passing attempts. Treon Sibley leads the receiving corps with 499 yards and two touchdowns.

Flames Team Defense

Liberty's defense has allowed 21.3 points per game this season, ranking 24th nationally. In their recent game against Sam Houston, they gave up 20 points, allowing 18 first downs and 337 total yards. The defense held Sam Houston to 135 rushing yards on 42 attempts and forced one interception, but allowed 202 passing yards and two touchdowns.

Opponents have averaged 152.9 rushing yards per game against Liberty, while quarterbacks have posted a 59.7% completion rate and a passer rating of 87.3, averaging 201.7 passing yards per game.

Bulls vs Flames Betting Odds, Trends & Analysis

Across their last three road contests, Buffalo has been good against the spread posting a mark of 2-1. Their overall mark in these games was 2-1, while averaging 31 points per game.
In their last three games at home, the Liberty Flames have a straight up record of 2-1 while going 1-2 vs the spread. The team averaged 30 points per game in this stretch.
In their last three games as the betting underdog, the Buffalo Bulls have a strong straight up record of 2-1. In addition, their ATS record was 2-1 in these scenarios.
Spanning across their last ten games as the betting favorite, the Liberty Flames have gone 3-7 vs the spread. Their overall record in these games was 7-3.