College Football Bowl season cruises into Friday with a couple of matinee Bowl games before the first College Football Playoff game kicks off to close the day. Get these bets in early, as the Myrtle Beach Bowl kicks off at 11:00 AM ET/ 8:00 AM PT. A little coffee and football for you, West-Coasters. Let’s take a look at both of these Friday games and make our College Football Bowl best bets.
The Myrtle Beach Bowl, with that 11:00 ET kickoff Friday morning, features the 10-3 Kennesaw State Owls. They are another team making their first-ever Bowl game appearance. They’ll take on the 9-4 Western Michigan Broncos. Brooks Stadium in Conway, South Carolina, will be the game’s host, and it’ll air on ESPN. Each team will be missing one opt-out player. Cornerback Caleb Offord will be out for Kennesaw State. On the Western Michigan side, its defensive end Nadame Tucker is choosing not to play.
The ESPN matinee double header continues with a 2:30 ET kickoff in the Gasparilla Bowl at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, Florida. The home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will feature a matchup between the 8-4 Memphis Tigers and the 7-5 North Carolina State Wolfpack. There are no player opt-outs in this game. Memphis head coach Ryan Silverfield left to take the job at Arkansas. Defensive back coach Reggie Howard will serve as the interim.
College Football Bowl Best Bets: Friday, December 19th
Kennesaw State +3.5 (-114)
Delaware was good to us a few nights ago as a team getting their first-ever FBS bowl game opportunity. I’m leaning into that same angle in this one. The players for the Owls have worked hard to turn this team into a winner at the FBS level and have done a great job of it. In an era when opting out of teams and players is the way to go. Locker rooms like this get united and show up in what feels like their Super Bowl. Owls win outright.
North Carolina State -3.5 (-102)
The Wolfpack finished the season with a few wins that appear to have saved their head coach’s job. An embarrassing game here, and that just might change. Dave Doeren will have his squad fired up and ready to go in a game that’s meaningful for the Wolfpack. Memphis had College Football Playoff aspirations late in the year before they stumbled to close the season. Their head coach is gone, they are drained, and this game is a far cry from the playoffs. Sometimes it’s more about what these teams and players have to play for than just looking at the stats.
