Top College Bowl Betting Picks of the Week – December 31st

Top College Bowl Betting Picks of the Week – December 31st

Written by on December 31, 2018

We are now just a week away from the college football National Championship Game, but the good news is that we don’t have to sit around twiddling our thumbs waiting for that one, as there are a lot of bowl games over the next couple of days, some of which look like great match-ups.

Between Monday and Tuesday, there are no less than 12 bowl games on TV for your viewing pleasure, and we have picked out what we believe are the best bets from some of those games. We have 4 picks lined up for you, which we hope will help you start out 2019 with a little bit of extra money in your pocket. Let’s get right to the NCAAF Betting Picks.

Top NCAA Football Bowl Picks of the Week – December 31st

Missouri Tigers vs Oklahoma State Cowboys (OVER 71 ½)

I think there is very little chance that we see a tight defensive struggle in the Liberty Bowl, as these are two teams that are known for throwing the ball all over the field. This game will be a farewell to the college game for Missouri QB Drew Lock, an exciting player that may very well be among the top draft picks in 2019.

He will lead a Missouri team that finished the regular season with 4 straight wins on their way to an 8-4 record. Their opponent will be the Oklahoma State Cowboys, who went 6-6 on the year and closed things out by losing 3 of their last 4. Look for Lock to shine and the Tigers to win. Also look for the OVER here.

Latest NCAA Football Betting Trends

  • Missouri is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games
  • Missouri is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
  • The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Missouri’s last 5 games
  • Oklahoma State is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Missouri
  • Oklahoma State is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Missouri

Northwestern Wildcats (+6 ½) vs Utah Utes

Utah ended the season with a 9-4 record, but they are certainly sure to be a little disappointed at coming up short in the Pac 12 Championship Game against Washington. In fairness, though, they were missing their starting QB and RB for that one, which made their 10-3 loss a little easier to take.

In the Holiday Bowl, they will face the Northwestern Wildcats, a team that also lost their final game of the regular season in the Big Ten Conference Championship Game. This is likely to be a bit of a defensive struggle, which is why I think this will be close. I am on the Wildcats to cover as a 6 ½ point underdog.

Latest NCAA Football Betting Trends

  • Northwestern is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games
  • The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Northwestern’s last 7 games
  • Utah is 6-3 ATS in its last 9 games
  • Utah is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games

LSU Tigers vs UCF Knights (OVER 57 ½)

The UCF Knights have now gone back to back seasons without losing a game, and they have the chance to keep the wins coming in the Fiesta Bowl when they face the LSU Tigers. This will be the second straight year that UCF has gone to a bowl game and been paired with a team from the SEC West, with last year’s encounter being a win against the Auburn Tigers.

LSU is not on the list of safe NCAA Football Bowl Picks.

LSU closed out the season with a very respectable 9-3 record, so we are looking at a very competitive game here. I think we are in for a bit of a shootout here, which is why I am on the OVER 57 ½.

Latest NCAA Football Betting Trends

  • Louisiana State is 9-3 SU in its last 12 games
  • The total has gone OVER in 6 of Louisiana State’s last 9 games
  • Central Florida is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games
  • Central Florida is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
  • The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Central Florida’s last 9 games

Georgia Bulldogs (-12 ½) vs Texas Longhorns

At the end of every season, there is always a debate about whether the playoff committee chose the right 4 teams. After the events of the semi-finals, there is a lot of talks that they got it wrong and that Georgia should have been in the mix. Twitter was filled with those types of comments on Saturday night, with many of those tweets coming from Bulldogs players. This looks like a group ready to show the nation that they are one of the best in the nation, so look for Georgia to beat Texas in a big way.

Latest NCAA Football Betting Trends

  • Texas is 2-4-1 ATS in its last 7 games
  • Texas is 9-3 SU in its last 12 games
  • The total has gone UNDER in 17 of Texas’s last 25 games
  • Georgia is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games
  • Georgia is 11-2 SU in its last 13 games
  • The total has gone OVER in 6 of Georgia’s last 7 games