The sportsbooks have released their betting odds for college football’s bowl game season.
I am interested in the following bowl games:
- Armed Forces Bowl between James Madison and Air Force
- Hawai’i Bowl between Coastal Carolina and San Jose State
- First Responders Bowl between Texas State and Rice
- Texas Bowl between Texas A&M and Oklahoma State
- Mayo Bowl between North Carolina and West Virginia.
For your best bets, I will recommend investing in Air Force, the “over” in the Hawai’i and First Responders bowls, Texas A&M, and North Carolina.
All of my recommendations are backed by OddsTrader’s Computer AI and by my handicapping.
Picks Summary
- Air Force +2 (-110)
- Coastal Carolina-San Jose State Over 52 (-110)
- Texas State-Rice Over 59.5 (-110)
- Texas A&M (-130)
- North Carolina +6.5 (-110)
*All odds from Bet365 (check our Bet365 Review)
James Madison Dukes vs. Air Force Falcons
Saturday, December 23, 2023 – 03:30 PM ET at Amon G. Carter Stadium
Our computers project an Air Force victory, and I agree.
With Air Force, we are getting free points. So, I recommend betting on the underdog.
James Madison’s Exodus
James Madison is in utter disarray right now. This is a team without reliable leadership and without sufficient personnel to win a bowl game against an armed services school, one of those schools that will always give its opponent top effort.
Specifically, the Dukes will miss their head coach, who is going to become Indiana’s head coach, both their offensive and defensive coordinator, and their quarterbacks coach. They will miss other coaches as well, leaving them with four coaches who are staying with the team.
James Madison, being in the unique position of needing to hire more coaches, added five temporary hires who are completely new to the team.
The Dukes also had nine starters enter the portal and have two key injuries, including sack-master Jalen Green.
NCAAF Pick: Air Force +2 (-110) at Bet365
Coastal Carolina Chanticleers vs. San Jose State Spartans
Saturday, December 23, 2023 – 10:30 PM ET at Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex
Our computers project this game to be a high-scoring affair, and I agree. Accordingly, I recommend the “over.”
Coastal’s Collapsing Defense
The Chanticleers ended their regular season disastrously, allowing 28 points to Army and then 56 to James Madison. Run defense was a big problem: Army amassed 365 rushing yards. James Madison ran for 157 yards.
Coastal Carolina also couldn’t stop James Madison’s pass attack: the latter team’s quarterback was highly efficient, throwing for 324 yards and five touchdowns to one interception.
Run defense has been a problem for the Chanticleers throughout the season. Hence, they rank 91st against the run. Their struggles against JMU’s pass attack reflect their vulnerability against strong opposing quarterbacks.
San Jose State’s Offense
I like San Jose State to score a lot because it has both a strong pass attack and a rush attack that is more than capable of exploiting Coastal’s vulnerability against the run.
For the Spartans, Chevan Cordeiro will be especially motivated because he is actually from Hawaii, so he is primed to have a great game. In the regular season, he was an efficient quarterback who threw for 19 touchdowns to four interceptions.
Cordeiro had a lot of support from running back Kairee Robinson, who amassed 1,127 rushing yards on 7.1 YPC in the regular season. He also had 18 rushing touchdowns.
Coastal’s Offense
Despite its absences, including its starting quarterback, the Chanticleers will put up more than enough points against a vulnerable Spartans defense.
Even when facing New Mexico’s soft pass attack, the Spartans still gave up 24 points, while their offense had a huge day. Their defense will not play tightly while their offense wins the game for them.
NCAAF Pick: Over 52 (-110) at Bet365
Texas State Bobcats vs. Rice Owls
Tuesday, December 26, 2023 – 05:30 PM ET at Gerald J. Ford Stadium
Our computers indicate that this game will be high-scoring, and I agree. Accordingly, you should play the “over.”
Texas State’s Offense
When looking at Texas State’s schedule, it’s easy to think that you’re on the school’s basketball page. Their last four games finished with point totals of 69, 54, 108, and 96. On offense, they are simply stacked.
Former LSU quarterback TJ Finley is highly efficient, is repeatedly exceeding 300 yards passing, and has thrown 24 touchdowns this season, including a combined total of six in his past two games. Since transferring to Texas State, he has looked like a better quarterback: he is making nicer throws and nicer plays while facing competition that is softer than the opponents he would have faced at LSU.
Finley still gets a great supporting cast, too, especially in the form of Ismail Mahdi, who achieved 1,209 yards rushing this season on 6.1 YPC.
Rice Won’t Stop Them
A Rice team that repeatedly struggled against strong offenses, such as when they allowed 36 to SMU and 34 to UTSA, won’t put up much resistance. Led by Finley, Texas State will be one of the toughest challenges this season for Rice’s defense.
Rice’s Offense Can Score, Too
Rice won’t have the starting quarterback it wants, but AJ Padgett will prove more than sufficient. Padgett is a quarterback who completes over 63% of his passes while maintaining the courage and the ability to make deep completions.
He has multiple big-play pass-catching targets and the support of a running back in Dean Connors who has had an 80-yard reception and who averages 6.7 YPC on the ground.
NCAAF Pick: Over 59.5 (-110) at Bet365
Texas A&M Aggies vs. Oklahoma State Cowboys
Wednesday, December 27, 2023 – 09:00 PM ET at NRG Stadium
Our computers project a strong victory for the Aggies, and I agree. Accordingly, you should play Texas A&M.
Oklahoma State’s Disastrous Dependency
The Cowboys, in order to win, need their star running back Ollie Gordon II to do well.
When he struggles, the whole team struggles as well. For example, when he ran for 12 yards against South Alabama, Oklahoma State lose 33-7. When he ran for 25 yards against UCF, UCF won 45-3.
The list continues
Texas A&M’s Defense
The Aggies match up excellently against Oklahoma State’s offense because they own the nation’s 16th-best run defense. While it is true that they will be missing some starters, they also have excellent depth in their front seven.
Their pass defense won’t have to worry about OK State’s quarterback, who struggled even against Central Arkansas and has not improved enough throughout the season to pose a threat against a defense with a pulse.
Texas A&M’s Offense
If you don’t like OK State’s offense, then it’s impossible to like the Cowboys. They rank outside the top 100 nationally against both the pass and the run.
Texas A&M boasts efficient running backs and a quarterback in Jaylon Henderson, who threw for 294 yards in his last game against LSU.
NCAAF Pick: Texas A&M (-130) at Bet365
North Carolina Tar Heels vs. West Virginia Mountaineers
Wednesday, December 27, 2023 – 05:30 PM ET at Bank of America Stadium
Our computers project a tight game, indicating that the Tar Heels are a great underdog. I agree with this projection. It would be best to bet on the Tar Heels and coast to an easy cover with the free points.
North Carolina’s Stud Quarterback
Nobody is giving the Tar Heels a chance in this game since they’ll be missing their star quarterback Drake Maye.
But Conner Harrell is the real deal, he only hasn’t had enough opportunities to make himself well-known yet. He’s played the most against Campbell. In this game, he was 4-for-4 with 100 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for 61 yards. With Harrell, the Tar Heels have a quarterback who can make big plays both with his arm and his legs.
West Virginia’s Defense
Harrell’s running ability is valuable against a West Virginia defense that in game after game gives up big rushing gains to opposing quarterbacks, no matter who the quarterback is.
But there are a lot more reasons why the Mountaineers are giving up nearly 400 yards per game. One reason is that they don’t stop the run. They rank in the bottom half defending the run.
UNC has a stud in Omarion Hampton who ran for 1,442 yards and 15 touchdowns. He’ll carry the Tar Heels offense, which will remain balanced with their underrated quarterback.
West Virginia’s Insufficient Offense
While the Mountaineers, to be fair, will be able to run on this Tar Heels defense, they’ll also need to be able to pass in order to keep up with UNC’s mighty offense.
But the Mountaineers don’t have a reliable quarterback. Garrett Greene has serious accuracy issues, as evident in his tendency to miss wide-open receivers. He struggles to complete more than half his passes.
NCAAF Pick: North Carolina +6.5 (-110) at Bet365
*The line and/or odds referenced in this article might have changed since the content was published. For the latest information on line movements, visit OddsTrader’s free betting odds tool.
