Jacksonville State -2.5 (-110) over Louisiana
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- Jacksonville State went an impressive 8-3-1 against the spread through the regular season.
- Louisiana has struggled mightily in the second half of this season, dropping three of their final four games before bowl season.
One of the better traditions during the opening weekend of college football bowl season is the New Orleans Bowl. Held in one of the great cities in America, with a history of exciting finishes, this bowl game is one that bettors aren’t likely to want to miss. Here, we look at the history of the New Orleans Bowl as well as what to expect from this year’s edition of the game.
2023 New Orleans Bowl Analysis
This year’s New Orleans Bowl will be historic in a way, as it is the first bowl game appearance for the Jacksonville State Gamecocks. They are still transitioning from FCS football to FBS football, but were granted a waiver to compete in this year’s bowl season due to a lack of available teams with six or more wins to fill the bowl schedule. They will take on the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns, who are no strangers to competing in this particular bowl game.
As far as who wins this year’s New Orleans Bowl, the question will be whether the inexperience of Jacksonville State or the struggles of Louisiana will loom larger. The Ragin’ Cajuns have dropped three of their last four games, needing to win at the end of the regular season against a bad UL Monroe team just to become bowl-eligible. But a relative home-field advantage in this game could make up for the recent struggles of Louisiana here.
New Orleans Bowl History
The New Orleans Bowl has been around since 2001, which currently features tie-ins with the Sun Belt and Conference USA. That Sun Belt tie-in is especially important in the context of this game, as the Ragin’ Cajuns of Louisiana are a member of that conference. Their presence in this game has become a staple in the bowl schedule, as they are invited to this game almost as often as they are bowl-eligible. Below is a full list of participants in the history of this contest.
| Year | Bowl Winner | Bowl Runner-Up |
| 2001 | Colorado State | North Texas |
| 2002 | North Texas | Cincinnati |
| 2003 | Memphis | North Texas |
| 2004 | Southern Miss | North Texas |
| 2005 | Southern Miss | Arkansas State |
| 2006 | Troy | Rice |
| 2007 | Florida Atlantic | Memphis |
| 2008 | Southern Miss | Troy |
| 2009 | Middle Tennessee | Southern Miss |
| 2010 | Troy | Ohio |
| 2011 | Louisiana | San Diego State |
| 2012 | Louisiana | East Carolina |
| 2013 | Louisiana | Tulane |
| 2014 | Louisiana | Nevada |
| 2015 | Louisiana Tech | Arkansas State |
| 2016 | Southern Miss | Louisiana |
| 2017 | Troy | North Texas |
| 2018 | App State | Middle Tennessee |
| 2019 | App State | UAB |
| 2020 | Georgia Southern | Louisiana Tech |
| 2021 | Louisiana | Marshall |
| 2022 | Western Kentucky | South Alabama |
Bowl Game MVPs
There are some recognizable names on the list of New Orleans Bowl MVPs from years past. Pros like Michael Boley and Orleans Darkwa are among those who have earned this honor previously, as well as some fun college football players like Shai Werts. Below is the full list of previous MVPs in the New Orleans Bowl from 2001 to now.
| Year | MVP | Team |
| 2001 | Justin Gallimore | Colorado State |
| 2002 | Kevin Galbreath | North Texas |
| 2003 | Danny Wimprine | Memphis |
| 2004 | Michael Boley | Southern Miss |
| 2005 | Shawn Nelson | Southern Miss |
| 2006 | Omar Haugabook | Troy |
| 2007 | Rusty Smith | Florida Atlantic |
| 2008 | Austin Davis | Southern Miss |
| 2009 | Dwight Dasher | Middle Tennessee |
| 2010 | Corey Robinson | Troy |
| 2011 | Blaine Gautier | Louisiana |
| 2012 | Terrance Broadway | Louisiana |
| 2013 | Orleans Darkwa | Tulane |
| 2014 | Terrance Broadway | Louisiana |
| 2015 | Kenneth Dixon | Louisiana Tech |
| 2016 | Allenzae Staggers | Southern Miss |
| 2017 | Brandon Silvers | Troy |
| 2018 | Zac Thomas | App State |
| 2019 | Darrynton Evans | App State |
| 2020 | Shai Werts | Georgia Southern |
| 2021 | Levi Lewis | Louisiana |
| 2022 | Austin Reed | Western Kentucky |
