College Football Betting Guide: Odds, Trends & Picks For Dec. 19-24 Bowl Games

College Football Betting Lines, Odds & Picks For Dec. 19-24 Bowl Games

College football bowl season rolls along, and BetQL is your source for NCAAF best bets, live college football public bets, live NCAAF sharp data, college football line movement and historical betting trends in addition to our NCAAF articles that cover the sport from top to bottom. Scroll down to see all the best bets and key betting trends for the upcoming bowl game matchups.

One trend to note is that the BetQL college football model finished the regular season strong, going 63-35 (65%) on all picks rated ⭐⭐⭐⭐ and higher in the last 30 days for a total return of $1,625 on $100 bets! BetQL subscribers can see more betting trends and all of our best bets with star ratings for every game.

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Myrtle Beach Bowl: UConn vs. Marshall

ATS Record: UConn 9-3, Marshall 6-6

O/U Record: UConn 4-7-1, Marshall 3-9

The Huskies are surely one of the feel-good stories of the season. They were one of the worst teams in the country last year and got off to a dreadful start this season, only to rally and get to a bowl game. Jim Mora Jr. deserves serious consideration for national coach of the year honors after all that he’s accomplished. Even with oddsmakers continuing to doubt them, the Huskies had won seven in a row ATS before losing their regular-season finale to Army. Of course, Marshall also finished strong, winning four in a row to close out the season. Remember that the Thundering Herd won at Notre Dame early in the season. However, they were also 2-2 SU and 1-3 ATS when favored by 10 points or more this year.

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Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: E. Michigan vs. San Jose State

ATS Record: Eastern Michigan 6-5-1, San Jose State 4-7

O/U Record: Eastern Michigan 6-6, San Jose State 4-7

For the first time since 1987, San Jose State is going to a bowl game in consecutive seasons. But while the Spartans are moving in the right direction in the larger sense, they were 0-6 ATS during the second half of the season. During that stretch, they also lost two games in which they were favored. In fact, they were 2-4 ATS in all games with a spread of seven points or fewer.

On the other side, Eastern Michigan won four of five games to close out the season, going 4-0-1 ATS in those games. Thanks to that strong finish, Chris Creighton is taking the Eagles to a bowl game for the fourth time in five seasons. Unfortunately, EMU has failed to win any of those bowl games and is winless in bowls since 1987. The Eagles will be underdogs in this game, although they were 5-1 ATS and 4-2 SU as underdogs in 2022, including an upset of Arizona State early in the season.

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Boca Raton Bowl: Toledo vs. Liberty

ATS Record: Toledo 5-8, Liberty 5-7

O/U Record: Toledo 6-7, Liberty 6-6

This might be one of the most underrated pre-Christmas bowl games. Both teams won eight games with Toledo heading to the Boca Raton Bowl fresh off a MAC championship. Despite being conference champs, the Rockets are just 3-3 SU and 1-5 ATS over their last six games, although they did cover as a 3.5-point favorite in the MAC title game. As for Liberty, the Flames will play their bowl game with an interim coach after Hugh Freeze left for Auburn. Freeze may have had his mind on other things late in the season, as the Flames lost their final three games of the season despite being a double-digit favorite in all of them. That includes a humiliating, 49-14 loss to New Mexico State as a 24-point favorite. However, wins over BYU and Arkansas are proof that the Flames have plenty of upside.

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New Orleans Bowl: S. Alabama vs. W. Kentucky

ATS Record: South Alabama 7-5, Western Kentucky 8-5

O/U Record: South Alabama 4-7-1, Western Kentucky 5-8

If you don’t follow the Sun Belt, you may not know that South Alabama had an incredible season. The Jaguars were 10-2 with their only losses coming by four points against Troy, a loss that cost them a place in the Sun Belt title game, and a one-point loss to UCLA. Equally important, only one of their 10 wins came by fewer than seven points. But Western Kentucky also had an impressive season and also came close to playing for a conference title. However, the Hilltoppers failed to win any of their three games this year in which they entered as an underdog, although they did beat the spread in two of those games, doing so against both Indiana and C-USA champion UTSA.

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Armed Forces Bowl: Air Force vs. Baylor 

ATS Record: Air Force 6-6, Baylor 7-5

O/U Record: Air Force 5-7, Baylor 8-4

As the reigning Big 12 and Sugar Bowl champs, the Bears had some bright moments this season. But they fell apart down the stretch, losing three straight games, including a 31-3 blowout at home against Kansas State. Those losses made the Bears just 3-5 this season against bowl teams.

On the other side, the Falcons were somewhat overlooked this season as one of the better teams from outside the power conferences. Behind a defense that conceded just 13.3 points per game, Air Force went 9-3 with all three losses coming by seven points or fewer, all against teams playing in a bowl. However, the Falcons were still favored in all three of those games and didn’t register a win over a team playing in a bowl game until beating San Diego State in their regular-season finale.

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Independence Bowl: Houston vs. Louisiana

ATS Record: Houston 4-8, Louisiana 7-5

O/U Record: Houston 9-2-1, Louisiana 6-6

In past years, both of these programs were among the best outside of the power conferences. However, neither matched expectations in 2022. Houston certainly faltered a little down the stretch, going 1-4 ATS in the team’s last five games. They also hit the under in their last two games after hitting the over in nine of their first 10 games. As for the Ragin’ Cajuns, they also struggled to find consistency this season. The good news is that even after Billy Napier left for Florida, first-year coach Michael Desormeaux was able to get the Ragin’ Cajuns to a bowl game for the 10th time in the last 12 seasons. Louisiana is 7-2 in those previous bowl games and has a three-game bowl winning streak.

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Gasparilla Bowl: Wake Forest vs. Missouri

ATS Record: Wake Forest 7-5, Missouri 7-5

O/U Record: Wake Forest 5-7, Missouri 4-8

On Dec. 23, we’ll get just our second bowl game between two power-conference teams. The Tigers won a couple of games late in the season, including a mild upset of Arkansas on Black Friday, to secure a second straight bowl appearance. However, Missouri has lost three straight bowl games, last winning one in 2014.

Meanwhile, Dave Clawson has turned Wake into a perennial bowl team, as this is the seventh straight season the Demon Deacons are playing in a bowl, going 4-2 in the previous six. Unfortunately, the Demon Deacons lost four of their last five games to end the regular season despite being favored in all five games. To be fair, two of those losses came by three points or fewer and they were favored by 4.5 points or fewer in all four games they lost. Of course, they opened as a one-point favorite over Missouri.

Hawai'i Bowl: Middle Tennessee vs. San Diego State

ATS Record: Middle Tennessee 6-6, San Diego State 5-7

O/U Record: MiddleTennessee 6-5-1, San Diego State 5-7

These teams hit the bowl jackpot by getting to play on Christmas Eve in Hawaii. Of course, both teams will be looking for a win to cap off a season that was perhaps a little disappointing by their standards. The Aztecs ended up with just two victories over teams going to a bowl game. As for the Blue Raiders, they enjoyed a massive upset over what became a lackluster Miami team early in the season, then proceeded to lose three in a row. But Middle Tennessee did finish strong, winning four of five to close out the regular season. The Blue Raiders were also 5-3 ATS as an underdog this season.

MORE BOWL GUIDES: DEC. 26-28 | DEC. 29-31 | CFP GAMES | JAN. 2

BetQL subscribers can see more betting trends and all of our best bets with star ratings for every game. Take advantage of BetQL's free trial and see all of this week's best college football bets, plus what the model is projecting for every NFL, NBA, NHL and college basketball game! Start your free trial today!