Top Parlay Picks for this Weekend’s Bowl Games

Posted by Alex Murphy on Thursday,December 17, 2015 3:48, EDT in

After two weeks of resting by most teams by nearly all the teams in the nation, the football programs that qualified for the NCAA Football Bowl season will commence their games this Saturday, November 19th, as teams seek to end their 2015-16 college football odds calendar on a high note. Follow me as I take you through the best College Football Odds parlay picks for the five sumptuous games slated for this weekend.

 Check Out Our Top Parlay Picks for this Weekend’s NCAA Football Bowl Games

•    Arizona for SU and New Mexico (+10) for ATS
•    BYU (+2.5)
•    Appalachian State (-7.5)
•    Georgia State (+3), UNDER 56
•    Arkansas State + Louisiana Tech = OVER 67 total

Arizona vs. New Mexico, Gildan New Mexico Bowl

When: Saturday, December 19 at 10:00 PM AST
NCAAF Odds: Arizona (-10), OVER/UNDER 64.5

Analysis: Thanks to their 37-30 double overtime victory over then-No. 10 Utah, the Wildcats were able to wipe off the memories of their disappointing regular-season run to secure this bowl berth. Unfortunately for the 6-6 Wildcats, their defense has been far from solid and quarterback Anu Solomon is listed as questionable for this game due to a concussion. This is therefore likely to make it difficult for Arizona to have fluency in their game this Saturday. Additionally, the Lobos (7-5) were decent contenders for the Mountain West’s Mountain Division title and proved capable of hanging with the best. Even more notably, the Lobos finished the season ranked eighth in the nation in ground attack, averaging 246.5 rushing yards per game, something that is likely to give fits to Arizona’s rushing defense that is allowing 188.5 yards per game on the season (89th in the nation).

Pick:  Arizona Wins but New Mexico (+10) covers the spread

BYU vs. No. 22 Utah, Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl

When: Saturday, December 19 at 11:30 PM AST
NCAAF Odds: BYU (+2.5), OVER/UNDER 54

Analysis: BYU’s freshman quarterback Tanner Mangum has been a real revelation for the Cougars this season and most credit goes to him for his surging play since taking over as the starter earlier in the season due to an injury to the team’ No. 1 QB. The fact that made 123 pass attempts without a pick and is coming off a four-touchdown performance in his season finale shows the stuff he is made of. Unfortunately for him, he will be going against Utah’s vaunted passing defense that collected 19 interceptions this season (seventh-most in the country).

That said, the Utes will be playing without their main man in running back Devontae Booker (1,261 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns) who suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 11 against Arizona, a game they eventually lost. This is likely to drop much of their production in the offense, especially in running the ball. And with Utah’s quarterback Travis Wilson (13 TDS, 10 INTs) leading a wobbly passing game, the Utes will definitely be hard-done in their quest to win this bowl game.

Pick: BYU (+2.5) rides on Mangum’s throws to secure a thrilling 100th and final win for departing head coach Bronco Mendenhall.

Ohio vs. Appalachian State, Raycom Media Camellia Bowl

When: Saturday, December 19 at 1:30 AM AST
NCAAF Odds: Appalachian State (-7.5), OVER/UNDER 54

Analysis: With their losses this season coming against the No. 1 Clemson and Arkansas State (who were the Sun Belt Conference’s lone undefeated team in conference play), the Mountaineers (10-2, 7-1 Sun Belt) certainly bring a lot of pedigree to this game. The key to their success in their first season since moving from the FCS has been their nation-best red zone defense and a lethal offense led by dual-threat quarterback Taylor Lamb.

The Bobcats (8-4, 5-3 MAC) equally had a commendable season, mainly due to the stifling nature of their run defense. Unfortunately, Ohio’s offense (led by starting quarterback Derrius Vick and his backup J.D. Sprague) have been battling injuries and form issues, presenting a bleak picture for Bobcat fans who will be hoping for a win here.

Picks: Appalachian State (-7.5) blows its way past Ohio for a solid win and cover of spread.

San Jose State vs. Georgia State, Cure Bowl Predictions

When: Saturday, December 19 at 3:00 AM AST
NCAAF Odds: San Jose (-3), OVER/UNDER 56

Analysis: When you have two of the worst teams in the Bowlanza with records of 6-6 (Georgia State) and 5-7 (San Jose), you are guaranteed of all kinds of ugliness on the field. Fortunately, any football game is better than no football, so most of you (like me) will be watching this game, even if they don’t rout for any of the two teams. And as consolation to the viewers, the Panthers have been quite resurgent in their recent games with four wins in a row, including the morale-boosting 34-7 road win over an 8-4 Georgia Southern team in the season finale to claim bowl eligibility for the first time in the program’s history.

The Spartans, meanwhile, were expected to be a bit better this season, but never rose to the occasion and lost three of their last four games to narrowly sneak their way into the postseason games. San Jose running back Tyler Ervin and quarterback Kenny Potter have been serviceable performers, but given that they’ll be going against one of the best quarterbacks in the country in Georgia State’s Nick Arbuckle, the Spartans are going to need all the help they can get from their D-line.

Picks: A back and forth affair ensues and Georgia State (+3) probably upsets San Jose, but the best pick here is that both teams will most likely combine for less than 56 points in a rather contained game to pay UNDER total bettors.

Arkansas State vs. Louisiana Tech, R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl

When: Saturday, December 19, 5:00 AM AST
NCAAF Odds: Arkansas State (+2), OVER/UNDER 67

Analysis: Both on paper and in terms of talent, the Wolves (9-3, 8-0 Sun Belt) look better than their Louisiana Tech (8-4, 6-2 C-USA) counterparts, which is the reason they also boast of superior stats than their counterparts in nearly every category. Even so, the Bulldogs (despite losing 58-24 in their regular season finale to Southern Mississippi) are still a potent unit that should not be written off from winning this game. The most focus in this game is, however, likely to be on the scoring side of things in this game. Arkansas State’s QB Fredi Knighten has not lost any of his seven games since taking over James Tabary earlier in the season and is boasting of an impeccable 140.5 passer rating while leading his offense to an average of 38.4 points per game this year.

The Bulldogs, on the flipside, finished the season with a whopping 5,589 yards of total offense while averaging 36.8 PPG on the season, riding high on a big season from Florida transfer QB Jeff Driskel. The QB was named the Conference USA Newcomer of the Year after throwing for career-bests of 3,575 yards and 24 touchdowns. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs also had a solid running game, averaging 226.9 yards per game. Given both teams haven’t been as solid in the defense, yet they both have high-tempo, free-flowing offenses, this game rightfully has the potential of finishing as the highest scoring game of the weekend.

Picks: Both teams score 30-plus points to push the total OVER 67, with Arkansas State (+2) just about managing to eke out a close win.