While these matchups might feel like a consolation prize for some, others will be taking advantage of their time in the spotlight during these big games! The holidays wouldn’t quite be the same without College Bowl season, and I’m about to do some studying to give you the best picks possible. With the NFL Draft looming in April, it is impossible to look over key players during this time of the year when many young stars will have their eyes set on their dream of playing in the NFL.
Will backup quarterbacks have their time to shine? And will hyped-up underdogs shock the nation? Let’s break down 4 marquee games that we all want to watch and hopefully make a little money in the process. Consider these picks & predictions to be an early holiday present from ZenSports to you!
Orange Bowl
Clemson -6 vs Tennessee
Total 63.5
Dec 30, 5 PM
Hard Rock Stadium, Miami, Florida
Here’s one of the orangest Orange Bowl we could possibly get! With the Tennessee Volunteers and Clemson Tigers facing each other, they’ll both be fit for making an entertaining Orange Bowl right before the New Year. Each team’s top QB will miss the game due to injury or transfer. That means the future of QB at Clemson will be showcased when Cade Klubnik will start for the first time this season. DJ Uiagalelei, their original starting QB, has decided to enter the transfer portal and will not play.
On the Tennessee side, Hendon Hooker took a big hit against South Carolina, and will be absent but at least we’ve seen a good example of what his backup, Joe Milton III, is capable of on the field. Thus far, he has thrown for 7 touchdowns and zero interceptions and is averaging over 10 yards rushing per game. I feel like this game is a little bit of a toss up with an interesting quarterback matchup, but I give the edge to Tennessee +6 in this one. The Vols might have a porous passing defense but their rushing defense will be looking to shake up Clemson’s freshman QB on a big stage. Give me Vols +6!
Sugar Bowl
Alabama -6 vs Kansas State
Total 56
Dec 31, 9 AM Pacific Time
Caesar’s Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
It almost feels like a new era of football now, not seeing the Crimson Tide in a championship after having a mediocre season by their standards. They still get a chance to end the season strong by winning the Sugar Bowl, but they’d have to get past Kansas State first. KSU beat TCU in a thrilling overtime game and certainly have some momentum going into this one. You would figure Kansas State is much more motivated about entering this Bowl game than Alabama, improving from a 5-loss season last year to only a 3-loss season.
Will Howard, QB for Kansas State, is fired up for this game, getting a chance to play a school like Bama on national television. The whole team probably is too. While it appears as though Bama will be giving it all they got without benching their big players, their ability to cover the spread this season is also quite disappointing, going 1-5-1 against the spread in their last 7 games. On top of it, they haven’t done very well against the Big-12 conference, going 1-4 against the spread in the last 5 games against them. K-State is also 5-1 ATS in their last 6 matchups. The dogs are barking again! I’ll take Kansas State +6 points in a close, fierce matchup.
Cotton Bowl
USC -2.5 vs Tulane
Total 63
Jan 2, 10 AM Pacific Time
AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
All USC had to do was win one game against Utah for a great chance to make it to the College Football Playoffs. They’ll have to settle for the Cotton Bowl instead. The story for the Tulane Waves this season couldn’t be anymore opposite from USC who are probably feeling ecstatic to be here! After finishing only 2-10 last season, the waves have risen from the ashes to finish 11-3. Tulane definitely has the advantage when it comes to being hyped for the game but that certainly won’t be all they need to win this one.
USC is a deep Pac-12 team with many talented players on the bench but this might be put to the test if their star, Heisman Trophy winning QB, Caleb Williams, doesn’t give it a go in the Cotton Bowl. If you watched the Pac-12 Championship game, you noticed Caleb starting to hobble around a bit, and he lost his scrambling ability. It turns out that he injured his hamstring in that game and is questionable to play. Many are also wondering if top wide receiver, Jordan Addison, will opt-out. If we don’t see them in this game, we’ll certainly see them on Sundays.
In any case, I personally don’t think Caleb Williams will play this game and he won’t want to hurt his NFL draft chances while playing with an injured hamstring. I think Tulane will cap off their fairy tale season with a win in a high scoring game. Might as well just take the moneyline in this one at +120 before they announce if Williams plays or not.
Rose Bowl
Utah -2 vs Penn State
Total 52.5
Jan 2, 2 PM Pacific Time
Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California
And last but not least, we have the Rose Bowl where the Pac-12 Champions, the Utah Utes, play the Big-10 conference, with Penn State making it in this season. We’ll definitely see how a great offense like Utah does against a stingy Penn State defense, which will be a key them in this game. While the other top Big 10 teams like Michigan and Ohio State make it in the playoffs, In fact, their only 2 losses this season came from those two teams. The Nittany Lions have certainly fared well in major bowl games, going 16-6-1 straight up in those games. They will certainly have a formidable opponent and will have to find a way to stop Utah’s QB, Cameron Rising.
It will be his 2nd Rose Bowl, after losing to Ohio State last season by a field goal. I think Cam Rising is ready to show off why he’s one of the best quarterbacks in the league and wants to show the NFL he’s ready to get drafted. Utah has put up an average of 40 points per game this season and they are able to shine on defense as well.
While Penn State has had a great season, they’ve had difficulty protecting their quarterback giving up 9 sacks in their last 5 games. Utah will find a way to exploit this weakness, ranking 8th overall in sacks. Caleb Williams got a taste of it in the Pac 12 Championship and it didn’t look fun to go up against. I see Utah as the more complete team with an emphasis on their offense though and will be taking the -2. For a bonus pick, try parlaying it with the over. 52.5.It seems a bit low and I can see Utah putting up at least 40 again in this one! Utes -2 and the over are the plays in this one.
None of these teams will get the chance to play in the championship this season! But hey, if they made it this far, they deserve a pat on the back. At the very least, they will earn some respect for their conference and a moment of glory on national television. In my next article, after the Peach and Fiesta Bowl conclude, I’ll go over my best picks for the National Championship game and analyze a few prop bets with a side and total pick. Be sure to follow us on Twitter for more updates and good luck on your bets!
