New Years' Eve will feature two teams that have never faced off before. Washington State and Central Michigan meet for the first time in the Sun Bowl. It's time to continue our college football odds series with a Washington State-Central Michigan prediction and pick.

Washington State gets a new opponent for the Sun Bowl as the University of Miami pulled out due to Covid-19 issues. Luckily, the state of Arizona isn't far from El Paso, Texas, so Central Michigan didn't have to go far. Central Michigan switched to the Sun Bowl after Boise State came down with Covid-19 issues as well. Washington State is 8-8 in bowl games and Central Michigan is looking to win their first bowl game since 2012.

Both of these teams have very good offenses so it will be on the defense to find a way to win the Sun Bowl. The Cougars ended the season 7-5 and the Chippewas 8-4. Both teams are coming off huge wins against their rivals. The Cougars are fourth in the nation with 27 takeaways including 13 fumble recoveries. They are also 2-0 all-time in the Sun Bowl.

Here is how FanDuel set the Washington State-Central Michigan line for the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl.

College Football Odds: Washington State-Central Michigan Odds

Washington State: -7.5 (+100)

Central Michigan: +7.5 (-122)

Over: 57.5 (-110)

Under: 57.5 (-110)

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Why Washington State Could Cover The Spread

Washington State can cover this spread with their passing offense. Central Michigan can not defend the pass well at all, and in fact, they are among the worst in the nation allowing 266 passing yards per game. Freshman quarterback Jayden de Laura played great in his first season throwing 23 touchdowns and averaging 250 passing yards. The Cougars need to make sure their passing game is on point, because if so, then the Chippewas aren't going to just all of a sudden stop it. Receivers Travell Harris and Calvin Jackson were two of the top in the Pac-12 this season. Jackson led the conference with 80 yards per game and both combined with 16 touchdowns.

On the defensive side, the Cougars will need to shut down the run game. Central Michigan has one of the top running backs in the nation in Lew Nichols III. Nichols III led the nation with 1,710 rushing yards and ended with 15 touchdowns (eight in the final three games). He will be a force to be reckoned with and if the Cougars can contain him, then they will have a great chance of covering this spread. This is a big game for them because a win will put them over .500 in bowl games.

Why Central Michigan Could Cover The Spread

Central Michigan can cover this spread with their run game and their defense stepping up. Nichols III is one of the most dynamic backs in the nation, and he is only a freshman. Leading the nation in yards is not an easy feat and he did it while averaging 5.5 yards per carry. He ran for over 200 yards in each of his last three games while also scoring eight times. The Chippewas need to make sure to keep his momentum going by creating a good game plan for him. The Cougars allow 161.7 rush yards per game and so that is a favorable stat for Nichols III and the Chippewas offense.

On the defensive side, stoping the passing game will be their top priority. The Chippewas allow almost 400 yards of offense on average, that can not happen if they want to cover. There are a good amount of weapons on the Cougars' offense so it's going to take one of their best performances to get it done. Their defense has only allowed a combined 27 points in their last two games, so that is a positive sign as they get set to win their first bowl game since 2012.

Final Washington State-Central Michigan Prediction & Pick

Both teams ended the year playing very well. Washington State won three of their last four games and Central Michigan won their last four in a row. Both offenses are going to be at their best so it's on whichever defense wants to show up. The Cougars are 8-4 against the spread and the Chippewas are 7-5. This is a very tough matchup to choose from, but I am going to take Washington State to cover the spread and win. I expect this to be a high-scoring game because of how dominant the offenses are on both teams, so I would consider taking the over in this game as well.

Final Washington State-Central Michigan Prediction & Pick: Washington State -7.5 (+100) & over: 57.5 (-110)