Missouri’s cover, and outright win, helped us close out a 3-1 day and move our bowl record to 13-7. Today brings us another full card of bowl games leading into a big NFL matchup between the Lions and Cowboys. So it’s a full day of football to keep an eye on as you get prepared for NYE.

2023 BOWL GAME RECORD: 13-7

Saturday December 30th

CHICK-FIL-A PEACH BOWL (12:00PM EST): OLE MISS REBELS +6 vs PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS

Both schools come into this game with intact offensive skill positions. Penn State has the bigger opt-out issues as they are losing their top defender, Chop Robinson, and top offensive lineman, Olu Fashanu, for this game. They also may be without star DB Kalen King though there is news he will play.

On the other hand, the Rebels biggest loss is Edge rusher Cedric Johnson. But to offset that, they’ve been riding a wave of momentum with several key players signing at Ole Miss as they have a projected top 10 recruiting class in 2024. HC Lane Kiffin will want to impress the new class and come out of this game with a victory.

We’ve already seen one SEC team prevail against the Big 10 in Missouri over Ohio State. And while OSU was shorthanded, it did show the elite level of play that occurs week in and week out in the SEC. Penn State played the top teams in the Big 10, but their out of conference schedule was WVU, Delaware, and UMASS. That’ll rack up wins, but won’t prepare you for the top teams in the nation. Remember, Michigan did not pass the ball once against Penn State in the 2nd half of their victory in University Park. Ole Miss has one of the best RB’s in the nation in Quinton Judkins and I expect them to be physical and try to replicate Michigan’s success.

So with that, I’m backing the Rebels who have a slight edge in roster continuity and a motivation. And I also think schedule is the biggest factor when handicapping this game.

TRANSPERFECT MUSIC CITY BOWL (2:00PM EST): MARYLAND TERRAPINS +7 vs AUBURN TIGERS

If you weren’t aware, Tua Tagovailoa’s brother is the starting QB at Maryland. However, you won’t get a chance to see Taulia Tagovailoa play today as he opted out to prepare for the National Football League draft. And that’s the biggest news of this game as it moved the spread over 6 points in Auburn’s favor.

And that is rightfully so as the Tigers do own one of the better defenses in the nation. If there is any area, they are susceptible to it is against the run as they rank 73rd in rush success defense. And that will be a key to this game as RB Roman Hemby will be the focal point for the Terrapins in Taulia’s absence.

For me this is simply too many points for an Auburn team that lost 31-10 versus New Mexico State back in November. Their offense is not capable of running away from teams as they rank 102nd in pass success. QB Payton Thorne had a decent year but just isn’t slinging it around like he was at Michigan State. As much as Maryland football scares me, my hope is that the turnovers and pass-heavy play calling are both minimized without Tua Two behind center. And that will be the path to a close game and Terrapin cover.

CAPITAL ONE ORANGE BOWL (4:00 PM EST): GEORGIA BULLDOGS -20 vs FLORIDA STATE SEMINOLES

I’m not even sure I’ll bet this game as there is too much uncertainty. On one hand, Georgia is coming into this game almost fully intact. Even their one big question mark, TE Brock Bowers, looks like he’ll play. On the other hand, we have Florida State who has at least 20 players opting out, injured or in the portal. They are without their top 2 QB’s, top 3 WR’s, and top 3 RB’s. The poor offense that we saw against Louisville, which USC QB Miller Moss just eviscerated, will be even worse today.

As much as head coach Mike Norvell can be a great motivator, the talent gap is just too wide for FSU to keep this close. I hate betting a line this high especially knowing that the entire public will also back UGA. But I can’t put my money on QB Brock Glenn and this semblance of weapons against a tenacious Georgia team that is motivated to win another bowl game.

BARSTOOL SPORTS ARIZONA BOWL (4:30 PM EST): WYOMING COWBOYS -3.5 vs TOLEDO ROCKETS

Motivation will be on the side of Wyoming in this game as Head Coach Craig Bohl has announced his retirement from football. Bohl coached 10 seasons at Wyoming, including coaching QB Josh Allen. But prior to that he was HC at North Dakota State where he won three National Titles. The Cowboys will surely want to win one for their coach and put everything on the line to do so. In doing so, they’ll have most of their team available including 6th year starting QB Andrew Peasley.

For Toledo, they are losing several key players including QB Dequan Finn and RB Peny Boone. They had a great year, going 11-2, and losing to just Illinois and Miami-OH (in the MAC Championship game). But the motivation as well as roster is in shambles.

Finally, while Toledo boasts a solid D their strength is against the pass. And Wyoming just doesn’t pass the ball that often and instead leans on Peasley and RB Harrison Waylee to carry the load. Because of that, and the other edges explained above, I’m going with Wyoming today to cover this line and win the Arizona Bowl.

Now that you finished reading the College Football Bowl Game Betting Picks article make sure to check out our YouTube Channel for constant content for every game and slate in the NFL this season and hop in our Discord Expert Chat.

Also, be sure to follow me on Twitter (@dgloeck) and my other content that is part of the WinDailySports family.

Arizona’s win in the Alamo Bowl last night capped off a good day as we went 2-1 in our article yesterday. We’re now heading into the halfway point as far as games remaining go. After today’s four game college bowl slate, we’ll only ten more bowl games to watch and bet. But the good news is, almost all games remaining are between Power 5 schools so the best is yet to come. Let’s keep the momentum rolling into a set of solid games today.

2023 BOWL GAME RECORD: 10-6

Friday December 29th

TAXSLAYER GATOR BOWL (12:00PM EST): KENTUCKY WILDCATS +4.5 vs CLEMSON TIGERS

The Kentucky Wildcats are playing in their 8th consecutive bowl which is a program record. Over the past seven seasons under coach Mark Stoops, they are 4-3 in bowl games. And outside of the first, a 33-18 loss to Ga Tech, and last, a 21-0 loss to Iowa, they have all been decided by 7 or less. The point being here is that the Wildcats are almost always up for this game under Stoops and he plays the underdog role well.

As for Clemson, they are 11-8 in bowl games under HC Dabo Swinney. They are coming off a loss in last year’s Orange Bowl to Tennessee. And they are also dealing with several transfer and opt-outs, including leading tackler Jeremiah Trotter Jr. There is also a question of motivation as they are playing in a non Big 6 Bowl game for only the second time in eight years.

We’ve talked about three factors we always use as part of our handicapping. In this one, I believe Kentucky has two advantages which are roster continuity and motivation. But we are going to add a fourth to consider as we get later in the bowl season. And that’s conference record. The SEC has played only one game and is 0-1. But I think we all know they are the best conference in the nation. On the other hand, the ACC is now 4-5 overall with their two ranked teams losing in NC State and Louisville.

I’m going to ride the Wildcats today and take the points. QB Cade Klubnik struggled against a South Carolina team that allowed the 2nd most points in the SEC. While I don’t have a ton of faith in Kentucky QB Devin Leary, he’s played Clemson three times prior and has experience that will help in this one.

TONY THE TIGER SUN BOWL (2:00PM EST): NOTRE DAME IRISH -6 vs OREGON STATE BEAVERS

If you don’t know about my affinity for the Oregon State Beavers, you just have to look up prior YouTube videos of Betting for Breakfast. Everything that HC Jonathan Smith built in Corvallis. But he is now gone as he moved to the Big 10 and Michigan State. He’s taking with him several key players including backup QB Aidan Chiles. The Beavers are also without their starting QB DJ Uiagalelei. And without those key players, Oregon State would look to lean on RB Damien Martinez but he is ruled out due to an arrest and impending disciplinary actions.

As bad as Oregon State has it, Notre Dame may be even more shorthanded. They are without QB Sam Hartman who opted out to prepare for the NFL Draft (by the way, if you ever want to hear me rant just ask my opinion of Sam Hartman). The Irish are also without all three of their top WR’s. So they have a QB in Steve Angelini that has seven snaps this season throwing to receivers that haven’t caught more than 20 balls this year.

So this game lines up as an ugly one. The difference will likely be the defense of Notre Dame and their coaching continuity. The Fighting Irish will be motivated to get to double digit wins and their star S Xavier Watts will make enough plays to lead them to that accomplishment.

AUTOZONE LIBERTY BOWL (3:30 PM EST): IOWA STATE CYCLONES -10.5 vs MEMPHIS TIGERS

This spread just stands out. We have a Memphis team that is 9-3 and their only losses were to Mizzou, SMU and Tulane. Yet they are 10.5 underdogs to Iowa State who lost to Ohio? Then we look deeper and see that Memphis still has QB Seth Hanigan and WR Roc Taylor, they’re two best offensive weapons. So what gives to make this line so big? Ultimately, it’s the Tigers defense which is allowing 29 points per game. And that number would have been worse if you take away games against Bethune and Arkansas St where they allowed a combined 17 points.

The other factor is Iowa State started clicking down the stretch. They hung tough against Texas as it was a one score game heading into the 4th quarter. And they upset 19th ranked Kansas State in their finale. The Cyclones have momentum as well as the better defense. I’m going to side with the faves here and not get suckered in by the big number.

GOODYEAR COTTON BOWL (8:00 PM EST): MISSOURI TIGERS +4.5 vs OHIO STATE BUCKEYES

The Missouri Tigers had one of their best seasons in program history. They finished 10-2 with their only two losses to Georgia and LSU. They are absolutely dialed in for this one as they are fired up to test their progress against one of the blue bloods of College Football.

Now that you finished reading the NFL BETS & SURVIVOR POOL PICKS article make sure to check out our YouTube Channel for constant content for every game and slate in the NFL this season and hop in our Discord Expert Chat.

Also, be sure to follow me on Twitter (@dgloeck) and my other content that is part of the WinDailySports family.

We finally hit a speed bump in our bowl game bets as backup QB’s were the story yesterday. The two we backed, Conner Harrell and Jaylen Henderson, we bad but for different reasons. But that’s the game and we have to take that info and tuck it away for future bets. Today we have four bowl games (one already in action) to choose from. Let’s get back on a winning track and build that bank roll back up.

2023 BOWL GAME RECORD: 8-4

Thursday December 28th

BADBOY MOWERS PINSTRIPE BOWL (2:15PM EST): RUTGERS SCARLETT KNIGHTS -1.5 vs MIAMI HURRICANES

Because Rutgers resides in the state of New Jersey, I can’t easily bet their games. But this one is big enough for me to cross state lines and get into the action. That’s because I see the Scarlett Knights having the motivational edge, as well as roster continuity and coaching, to win this game.

Rutgers lost their last four games but those were to Penn State, Iowa, Ohio State and Maryland. All bowl eligible teams and three ranked in the top 25. Miami is coming into this one with three losses in their last four games. But they are also without their starting QB Tyler Van Dyke, as well as roughly 10 other starters. They have to travel from warm sunny weather to a wet and rainy New York. The other factor to consider is HC Greg Schiano is 5-2 ATS in bowl games. He knows how to get his teams motivated and ready. Which is why I’m backing Rutgers today. Also, as of this writing, 90% of the betting tickets are on Miami.

POP-TARTS BOWL (5:45PM EST): NORTH CAROLINA STATE WOLFPACK +3.5 vs KANSAS STATE WILDCATS

This looks like a great matchup on paper, with two top 25 teams battling it out for the frosted pastry championship. However, we have another case of significant opt-outs potentially watering down an attractive cross-conference matchup of good teams and coaches. Kansas State will be without their QB as Will Howard entered the transfer portal. They’re also going to be without their top 2 pass catchers and several key defensive players. Lastly, K-State lost offensive coordinator Collin Klein to the same job title at Texas A&M. It’s a lot to overcome for a team that almost won the Big 12 title last season.

As for NC State, their big loss is NT CJ Clark. But outside of that, they are mostly intact. And that’s good news as the Wolfpack won their last 5 games to close the season. For the record, I can’t stand how QB Brennan Armstrong plays. And NC State felt the same way by midseason. But backup QB MJ Morris redshirted midseason giving the ball back to Armstrong. With that, he ended up taking care of the ball better leading the Wolfpack to their successful finish.

In the end, the Wolfpack’s D is solid and should be able to contain the Kansas State run game. And as long as Armstrong can keep the chains moving with his legs, and not throw critical INT’s, then NC State will be victorious in the first ever Pop-Tart Bowl.

ALAMO BOWL (9:15 PM EST): ARIZONA WILDCATS -2.5 vs OKLAHOMA SOONERS

The Wildcats and Sooners meet tonight in the Alamo Bowl with both teams ranked in the top 25. That’s a normal accomplishment for the Sooners. But for Arizona, this was a surprising rise as they were predicted to be towards the bottom of the Pac-12. Which was rightfully so as they finished 2022 with a 1-11 record. And though they started slow, Arizona is coming in hot. The Wildcats are riding a 6-game win streak which was capped off with a 36-point win against their in-state rivals, ASU.

But the main talk will be Oklahoma’s last game as a Big-12 school and Arizona’s last in the Pac-12. As the Sooners are heading out, so is most of their offense as QB Dillon Gabriel is moving onto Oregon and their top two RB’s have also hit the portal. Add to that OC Jeff Lebby has moved over to Mississippi State. The Sooners defense wasn’t hit hard, but that unit struggled all year to stop anyone.

On the other hand, Arizona has starting QB Noah Fifita playing which is a major key as he threw 23 TD’s to only 5 INT’s. The Wildcats have opt-outs across the O-line but I think they can overcome that versus a suspect Sooners D.

I’m not sure what the Sooners will look like on offense. And Arizona boosts a solid D allowing 20.4 ppg. Give me the motivated Wildcats here against a Sooners team that is likely looking more forward to their future than the present. Add to that is the fact that Arizona was 10-2 ATS this season.

Now that you finished reading the NFL BETS & SURVIVOR POOL PICKS article make sure to check out our YouTube Channel for constant content for every game and slate in the NFL this season and hop in our Discord Expert Chat.

Also, be sure to follow me on Twitter (@dgloeck) and my other content that is part of the WinDailySports family.