College Football Bowl Games Best Bets for December 23-26: K-State in the K-Hole
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Jason Lake
- December 17, 2024
Top NCAAF Pick: Bowling Green ML (–260) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
College football betting at top-rated sportsbooks will never be the same again.
Now that the transfer portal has been blown wide open, players are bailing at an unprecedented rate for bigger opportunities – and deciding to skip bowl season in the process. That’s on top of the annual parade of prospects opting out for the NFL Draft.
You can almost taste the betting value dripping off these bowl games, provided you’ve been keeping track of who’s playing. Making college football picks at this time of year is almost like NFL preseason betting; for example, you’re going to see a lot of second- and even third-string quarterbacks for the relatively minor bowl games outside the College Football Playoff. Let’s get those bibs on and dive right in, shall we?
If you’re looking for more value picks, make sure to take a look at our YouTube channel for more daily betting advice. Today, our expert has advice on the Pittsburgh vs. Toledo and Rutgers vs. Kansas State games.
Coastal Carolina Chanticleers vs. Texas-San Antonio Roadrunners (Myrtle Beach Bowl)
Monday, December 23, 2024 – 11:00 AM ET at Brooks Stadium
“This isn’t a program. Each year, you just build a team,” Coastal Carolina head coach Tim Beck told reporters last Thursday when he announced that third-string QB Tad Hudson would get the start at the Myrtle Beach Bowl. The Chanticleers (6-6 SU, 5-7 ATS) were one of the hardest hit Group of 5 teams at the transfer window, losing 27 players as of press time including QBs Ethan Vasko and Noah Kim.
UTSA (6-6 SU and ATS), miraculously enough, had zero starters on either side of the ball heading out the door when the portal opened on December 9. They’ve shed a handful of players since then, including occasional starting OL Walker Baty, but it’s nowhere near the carnage Coastal Carolina is facing – even if Hudson is a four-star recruit who himself transferred from North Carolina in March 2023.
NCAAF Pick: UTSA –8.5 (–108) at Heritage Sports (visit our Heritage Sports Review)
Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs. Kansas State Wildcats (Rate Bowl)
Thursday, December 26, 2024 – 05:30 PM ET at Chase Field
It’s not just the Group of 5 teams that are getting defenestrated. Including opt-outs for the draft, Kansas State (8-4 SU, 4-8 ATS) will be without over a dozen players for the Rate Bowl, most notably the following:
- OT Carver Willis
- WR Keagan Johnson
- WR Tre Spivey
- QB Ta’Quan Roberson
- LB Kam Sallis
- S Nickendre Stiger
Again, Rutgers (7-5 SU, 6-5-1 ATS) has gotten through the window relatively clean, although WR Chris Long did bolt last Friday. The big question mark is whether senior RB Kyle Monangai will opt out, but we’re willing to look past that uncertainty for our bowl picks; we’re also hitting Rutgers on the moneyline rather than dealing with that 7-point spread on the NCAAF odds board.
NCAAF Pick: Rutgers ML (+218) at Bookmaker (visit our Bookmaker Review)
Arkansas State Red Wolves vs. Bowling Green Falcons (68 Ventures Bowl)
Thursday, December 26, 2024 – 09:00 PM ET at Hancock Whitney Stadium
The Falcons (7-5 SU, 6-6 ATS) are getting the moneyline treatment too, but this time as 7-point faves after their starters claimed they would play in this bowl game regardless of their transfer status. That includes TE Harold Fannin Jr., who will reportedly suit up rather than opt out for the draft as a potential early first-rounder.
Compare and contrast to Arkansas State (7-5 SU, 5-7 ATS), where head coach Butch Jones has called this window “the most frantic” he’s ever witnessed. The Red Wolves have only lost two starters as of press time, DE Jayden Jones and CB Dontay Joyner, but those are two key players who won’t be around to help contain Fannin.
Bet accordingly.
NCAAF Pick: Bowling Green ML (–260) at BetOnline
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
