The first of the New Year's Day games kick off with Wisconsin and LSU in the ReliaQuest Bowl. It is time to continue our College Football odds series with a ReliaQuest Bowl Wisconsin-LSU prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.

The ReliaQuest Bowl began in 1986, originally known as the Hall of Fame Bowl. It has been in Tampa Bay Florida the entire time, moving into the Raymond James Stadium in 1999. This has been a traditional Big Ten and SEC Match-up with this year being no different. For much of the history of the game, the game was sponsored by Outback Steakhouse. Outback would assign one team to the appetizer Coconut Shrimp and the other being Bloomin' Onion. Whatever team won, Outback would give out that appetizer at their restaurants the next day.

Wisconsin represents the Big Ten in this game. They have played in this game five times, with the last one being in 2015 against Auburn. In that game, they beat 34-31 in overtime. This year, they are 7-5. Wisconsin opened the season 4-1, with the only loss being to Washington State. Then, after beating Rutgers, they would lose four of their next five, with the only win being over Illinois. Still, they finished strong, winning their last two games of the year to go bowling.

LSU has only played in this game twice. They lost in 1989 to Syracuse but won in 2014 with a 21-14 victory over Iowa. The win would later be vacated by the NCAA. This year, LSU is 9-3. They lost their opening game of the year to Florida State but would win the next three. They then faced Ole Miss, losing a tight game 55-49. After three more wins, including beating a ranked Missouri, they would fall by 14 to Alabama. Still, they also finished strong, winning their last three games, including wins over Florida and Texas A&M.

Here are the college football odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

ReliaQuest Bowl Odds: Wisconsin-LSU Odds

Wisconsin: +9.5 (-118)

LSU: -9.5 (-118)

Over: 55.5 (-110)

Under: 55.5 (-110)

How to Watch Wisconsin vs. LSU

Time: noon ET/ 9:00 AM PT

TV: ESPN2

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why Wisconsin Will Cover The Spread

The Wisconsin offense ranked 91st in the nation this year in points per game while sitting 74th in yards per game this year. They were 56th in the run but sat 8th in the pass. Tanner Mordecai led the offense this year for Wisconsin. The transfer quarterback threw for 1,683 yards this year on 177 of 275 passing. He also had six touchdowns, with two of them coming to the last time out. Further, Mordecai protected the ball, throwing just four interceptions with just five turnover-worthy passes. He also scored four times on the ground this year while losing just one fumble.

Wisconsin will be without a lot in the running game. Braelon Allen will not be playing in this game, and with him, 982 yards and 12 scored are gone. Chez Mellsui is out as well, as he was lost for the year just four weeks into the season. Jackson Acker is expected to play in this game though. He has 240 yards on the year with a touchdown.

Wisconsin is also missing a lot in the receiving game, but they can rely on their top wide receiver. Will Pauling is expected to play in this game. He has 691 yards on the year with 65 receptions. Pauling scored four times as well. He is the only player on the team with more than one touchdown reception this year.

On defense, Wisconsin was solid. They were 14th in the nation in points against, while sitting 28th in yards against. They were 43rd against the run while sitting 26th against the passing game. Third-team all-Big Ten safety Hunter Wholer. Wholer had two sacks this year while being solid in the run game. He had 36 stops for offensive failure in the run game. Further, he had two interceptions and a pass breakup this year.

Why LSU Will Cover The Spread

LSU was the top team in the nation in points per game this year, while also leading the nation in yards per game. They had the ninth-best rushing offense while sitting third in passing yards per game. Jayden Daniels had led the LSU offense all year. He passed for 3,811 yards and 40 touchdowns on his way to a Heisman. Further, he ran for over 1,000 yards and ten scores. HE has opted out of this game, meaning Garrett Nussmeier is in at quarterback. He threw 33 passes for 195 yards and a score this year.

Logan Diggs will be a key in the running game. He ran for 651 yards this year while playing just nine games. He also forced 19 missed tackles and had seven touchdowns. Diggs will be joined by Josh Williams, who scored five times this year. Still, LSU is expected to have their primary weapon at wide receiver. Malik Nabers has 1,545 yards this year with 14 touchdowns on 86 receptions. Meanwhile, Brian Thomas Jr. comes in with 60 receptions on just 74 targets. He has 1.079 yards and 15 scores. Rounding out the top receivers is Kyren Lacy, who scored seven times this year.

On defense, LSU ranked 83rd in the nation in points allowed per game, while sitting 102nd in yards allowed per game. They were 76th against the running game while sitting 106th against the passing game. All-SEC linebacker Harold Perkins will be the focus in this game. He had six sacks this year with 22 quarterback pressures. Further, Perkins has 30 stops for offensive failures in the run game with three forced fumbles. He also had an interception and three pass breakups.

Final Wisconsin-LSU Prediction & Pick

Wisconsin has been decimated by opt-outs and players leaving for the transfer portal. LSU does have some issues in the secondary, but Wisconsin does not have the players to exploit that. They are a run-focused tram without a running back. While Garrett Nussmeier will be in at quarterback, if both the top wideouts for LSU play, there will be a lot of points for LSU in this one. They will also get some short fields with Wisconsin unable to move the ball. It is a big number, but LSU covers it.

Final Wisconsin-LSU Prediction & Pick: LSU -9.5 (-118)