Top College Football Bowl Picks of the Week – December 26th

Now that a lot of the lower-tier bowl games are out of the way, we’re getting closer and closer to the New Year’s Six and the national semifinals, all set for a rip-roaring New Year’s Day. Let’s take a look at some of your best college football bowl betting choices when it comes to these end-of-the-year tilts. It is important to remember, with bowl games, that a lot of the times your teams coming from the lower conference will often win because they have more motivation to beat a top-tier team. Also, coaching changes can play a role, as teams who lose their head coach but then go into the bowl game with some mishmash of assistant coaches running things can lack focus as well. Keep these things in mind as you prepare your NCAAF Betting strategy.

Top College Football Bowl Picks of the Week – December 26th

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— FSU Football (@FSUFootball) December 25, 2017

Wednesday, December 27

Walk-On’s Independence Bowl (1:30 pm ET, ESPN) Southern Mississippi vs Florida State

Florida State barely limped into postseason eligibility, as it was their win over Delaware State that gave them six victories. Delaware State is an FCS program that has 87% of their football team on athletic scholarships. The rule for wins over FCS programs and bowl eligibility says that they have to have at least 90% of players on scholarship, but Delaware State had enough players on academic scholarships to get over that hump. But this got the Seminoles plenty of scorn. They will have interim coach Odell Haggins on the sideline and new coach Willie Taggart in the box upstairs. But how much motivation will the Seminoles have against Southern Miss? College Football Bowl Prediction: Florida State 20 – Southern Miss 16

New Era Pinstripe Bowl (5:15 pm ET, ESPN) Iowa vs Boston College

The Iowa Hawkeyes have definitely not played well in the postseason in recent years, and they head to Yankee Stadium to take on BC in what will largely be a road game in terms of fans in the seats. The Hawkeyes do have tailback Akrum Wadley, but the fact that Iowa does not appear to prepare (or perhaps get motivated) for bowl games, as well as they, could mean that the Eagles have a real chance to pull off what would be an upset. College Football Bowl Prediction: Boston College 20 – Iowa 17

Foster Farms Bowl (8:30 pm ET, FOX) Arizona vs Purdue

Jeff Brohm led Purdue to their first bowl berth in five years, and this will be about between two video-game offenses. That’s not the style that Purdue has been associated with in recent years, but you’ll see what Purdue fans have gotten to see all year long in that tilt. The Boilermakers have the better defensive unit, so I’m going with them for the win. College Football Bowl Prediction: Purdue 38 – Arizona 34

Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl (9:00 pm ET, ESPN) Texas vs Missouri

This game will be played in Houston, so expect the crowd to be wearing burnt orange. Texas has a decent offense but got more out of their defense this season. That season-ending loss to Texas Tech was far from impressive, though, as the defense showed that they could not get crucial stops against a pass-heavy offense. In comes, Missouri, led by talented quarterback Drew Lock. I like the Tigers to put up a lot of points on Texas. College Football Bowl Prediction: Missouri 38 – Texas 24

Thursday, December 28

Camping World Bowl (5:15 pm ET, ESPN) Virginia Tech vs Oklahoma State

This game will also feature lots of scoring as two track-meet offenses take the field against defenses that are more of an afterthought. Oklahoma State features quarterback Mason Rudolph and wideout James Washington and averages 46.3 points per game. Virginia Tech can score too, but can they score this much? I doubt it. Take the Cowboys to win, and if you can get a point total at 65 or below, take the over too. College Football Bowl Prediction: Oklahoma State 45 – Virginia Tech 27