College Football Bowl game action rolls on as everyone prepares for their holiday celebrations. We’ve got three solid games on tap starting at 2:00 ET and carrying all the way through to a 10:00 ET kick for the final game. Let’s jump in and take a look at all three games and make our College Football Bowl best bets for Tuesday, December 23rd.
First up is the Boca Raton Bowl. Kickoff from Flagler Credit Union Stadium in Boca Raton, Florida, is set for 2:00 ET on ESPN. The Toledo Rockets will take on the Louisville Cardinals. Toledo will be without defensive end Malachi Davis. Safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, cornerbacks Avery Smith, and Andre Fuller. Along with running back Chip Trayanum and wide receiver Junior Vandeross III. Head coach Jason Candle has moved on. Quarterback coach Robert Weiner is filling in. Louisville has their fair share of opt-outs in quarterback Miller Moss, wide receiver Chris Bell, running back Isaac Brown, and defensive end Clev Lubin.
The New Orleans Bowl from the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, is set for a 5:30 ET kickoff on ESPN. It’ll feature the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers and Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles. The Hilltoppers will be without cornerback Dylan Flowers and running back La’Vell Wright. Southern Mississippi has just one opt-out, cornerback Josh Moten. They’ll also be without head coach Charles Huff, who took the Memphis job. Offensive coordinator Blake Anderson is the interim coach.
The nightcap will be the Scooters Coffee Frisco Bowl at the Ford Center at the Star in sunny Frisco, Texas. Kickoff is set for 10:30 ET, so grab an extra energy drink and stay up for what should be a good one as the UNLV Rebels face off with the Ohio Bobcats. Shockingly, there are no known opt-outs in this game currently. Ohio’s head coach has been fired, and defensive coordinator John Hauser will coach this game.
College Football Bowl Best Bets: Tuesday, December 23rd
Louisville -6.5 (-116)
There are quite a few opt-outs on either side of this game, and the Cardinals will definitely miss quarterback Miller Moss. However, I trust Jeff Brohm to make sure his team is ready over a depleted staff and depleted team in Toledo. Louisville missed on expectations this year overall, but still ended the year blowing out their rival, an SEC team in Kentucky, to keep them out of a bowl game.
Southern Mississippi +2.5 (-106)
Southern Miss was a team that was good to me betting wise this season. Their coach, Charles Huff, brought a lot of these players with him from Marshall, but as noted, he’s already moved on. This is a good game for those guys to showcase themselves if they also want to move on. This game should be a close one, so I’ll roll with the underdogs and an experienced interim head coach.
UNLV -6.5 (-110)
Speaking of teams that have been good to me this year, betting-wise, enter the Rebels of UNLV. Ohio, not to be outdone by Michigan, has their own head coaching issues going on. Brian Smith has been fired due to inappropriate relationships. Leaving this team a bit of a mess, how much do they muster up for this one? Give me UNLV quarterback Anthony Colandrea and this explosive Rebels offense to get the job done.
