Camellia Bowl Betting History

The Camellia Bowl debuted in 2014 and is played at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Alabama, between schools from the Sun Belt and Mid-American conferences. The Cramton Bowl stadium has plenty of history. The University of Alabama played home games there from 1922 to 1932 and some other years through 1954. It also used to host the Blue-Gray Football Classic. In addition, the Cramton Bowl holds the honor of being the first stadium in the South to feature a football game at night under the lights. That was a Sept. 23, 1927, high school matchup between Cloverdale and Pike Road, which drew more than 7,000 fans. (Cloverdale won 72-0.)

High-scoring close games have been the norm at the Camellia Bowl. The inaugural bowl saw MAC school Bowling Green beat South Alabama 33-28 behind an MVP performance from quarterback James Knapke. He threw the winning 78-yard touchdown pass to Roger Lewis with 1:04 remaining.

The Sun Belt’s Appalachian State won the next two in the Camellia Bowl. In 2015, the Mountaineers beat 7.5-point underdog Ohio University 31-29 on a field goal with 23 seconds remaining. App State, in its first-ever bowl game since moving up to the FBS, outscored the Bobcats 24-5 in the fourth quarter.

In 2016, the Mountaineers beat Toledo 31-28, marking the third time in three years that only schools from Ohio represented the MAC in the bowl game. App State, a 1-point favorite, won by a field goal with just over five minutes remaining. Thus, the first three Camellia Bowls were decided by a total of only 10 points and were decided late in the fourth quarter.

The 2018 Camellia Bowl is an Eagles-heavy matchup betwen the Georgia Southern Eagles and the Eastern Michigan Eagles. For odds, a free pick and handicapping info, check out our Camellia Bowl Center.