This slate of games looks to be full of stories about backup quarterbacks looking to make a difference. Here are four college football picks and bets for December 27.
College Football Picks and Bets for December 27
Military Bowl: Virginia Tech vs. Tulane
2:00 pm on ESPN
Virginia Tech and Tulane to go UNDER 44.5 points
Tulane will be without its star quarterback, Michael Pratt, this week in its tilt with the Hokies. Tulane games have gone under the total in the past 5 with him behind center – and there’s no reason to think that they’ll be ready to put up points without him. Take the under in what looks to be a fairly boring contest.
Duke Mayo’s Bowl: West Virginia vs. North Carolina
5:30 pm on ESPN
West Virginia to COVER -6.5 points over UNC
West Virginia is a scrappy team looking to take advantage of Drake Maye’s absence here. They’ve won four out of the past five games and won against the spread three out of the last five. We don’t know what to expect from UNC without Maye, but I wouldn’t expect much. The Mountaineers could route them here.
.@DukesMayoBowl Report #1: Burnin’ Rubber 🏁@div_energy | #HailWV pic.twitter.com/eZw4i6rEri
— West Virginia Football (@WVUfootball) December 25, 2023
Holiday Bowl: Louisville vs. USC
8:00 pm on Fox
Louisville and USC to go UNDER 59 points
Fitting the theme of today’s matchups, Caleb Williams will sit for this contest against Louisville. Williams has been touted as a “generational” prospect who’s brought all of the offense to USC. They should be pretty lost without him on offense. Louisville’s last matchup was a 16-6 loss against Florida State – I wouldn’t expect much more of an offensive output against the Trojans.
Texas Bowl: Texas A&M vs. Oklahoma State
9:00 pm on ESPN
Oklahoma State to WIN (+110)
This is a Texas showdown that should be fun to watch. Both of these teams will be shooting to win this game, and it should be a close one. This game feels like a coin flip, and the best betting strategy is to take the plus money bets where you can get them.