Early Bowl Game Predictions: Best College Football Games to Bet Now
Bowl season is right around the corner with the Celebration Bowl kicking off festivities on Saturday, Dec. 14 and the College Football Playoff National Championship capping off the 2024/25 campaign on Jan. 20.
This period brings bettors endless opportunities to play the college football bowl games odds. I've picked my four best early bowl game predictions and matchups to bet on now before the lines change.
Our Rob Paul notes all key personnel news - including transfers - in his bowl game opt-out tracker. What are our favorite plays from the 47 bowl games on the upcoming slate?
Early bowl game predictions and bets
- College Football Playoff prediction: Notre Dame -7.5 vs. Indiana (-105 via BetMGM) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Rate Bowl prediction: Rutgers +7 vs. Kansas State (-110 via Caesars) ⭐⭐⭐
- Birmingham Bowl prediction: Georgia Tech-Vanderbilt Under 51.5 (-108 via DraftKings) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Las Vegas Bowl prediction: Texas A&M -3 vs. USC (-110 via BetMGM) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
College Football Playoff prediction: Indiana vs. Notre Dame
My best pick: Notre Dame -7.5 (-105 via BetMGM) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
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Sportsbooks are begging bettors to take Indiana here with the half-point hook. It's worked with 56% of spread tickets at BetMGM coming in on the Hoosiers. The line likely won't be bet down enough to see it shift to a touchdown spread as kickoff approaches for that reason, so it's important to grab Notre Dame -7.5 at the best possible price right now.
As I discussed in my first-round college football playoff predictions piece, this is a great matchup for the hosts.
Notre Dame is one of the hottest teams in the country as it rides a 10-game winning streak into the postseason. The Fighting Irish stack up well against Indiana given it emphasizes strength in the trenches. The Hoosiers' two toughest games this season came against teams built similarly in Michigan and Ohio State.
Marcus Freeman's men are 9-2-1 against the spread this year, and their 81.8% cover rate is tied for the second-best mark in the country. The hosts' success is largely due to their +26.3 average scoring margin on the season, the highest in the NCAA.
Factor in Indiana's 13-game losing streak in South Bend, as well as the matchup advantages, and I have enough confidence in Notre Dame to give this pick four stars. BetMGM currently has the best price among the best college football betting sites on the Fighting Irish -7.5 at -105.
Indiana vs. Notre Dame live odds & info
- When: Friday, Dec. 20
- Kickoff: 8 p.m. ET
- Where: Notre Dame Stadium (Notre Dame, Ind.)
- How to watch: ABC/ESPN
- Favorite: Notre Dame -7.5 (-105 via BetMGM)
Rate Bowl prediction: Rutgers vs. Kansas State
My best pick: Rutgers +7 (-110 via Caesars) ⭐⭐⭐
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It'd be an understatement to say Kansas State has had an underwhelming season by its standards. The Wildcats were supposed to compete for a title in the new-look Big 12, and instead, they finished eighth with an 8-4 overall record.
Chris Klieman's team underperformed in more ways than one. Kansas State was among the worst against-the-spread finishers in the nation, and at 4-8 ATS, only 11 schools finished below it. The Wildcats' opponent in the Rate Bowl, Rutgers, was not one of those 11 teams.
The Scarlet Knights rewarded bettors more often than not, with a 54.6% cover rate in 2024. Rutgers ended the year on a hot streak, winning three of its last four games, with the only loss being a 38-31 defeat against No. 20 Illinois. This is the polar opposite of Kansas State, which lost three of its last four games in the regular season.
The Wildcats will be without leading wideout Jayce Brown, which hurts an already mediocre passing attack. The Scarlet Knights, who rank 93rd against the pass, won't be too upset with this development.
Truth is, these teams are trending in opposite directions. Rutgers is playing better football at the moment, and by and large, it has avoided the opt-out bug among key players. I think the Scarlet Knights keep this one closer than the best sports betting apps expect. Caesars has the best odds for backing the underdogs at standard juice.
Rutgers vs. Kansas State live odds & info
- When: Thursday, Dec. 26
- Kickoff: 5:30 p.m. ET
- Where: Chase Field (Phoenix)
- How to watch: ESPN
- Favorite: Kansas State -7 (-110 via BetMGM)
Birmingham Bowl prediction: Georgia Tech vs. Vanderbilt
My best pick: Under 51.5 (-108 via DraftKings) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
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The Birmingham Bowl has featured plenty of high totals over the years, but that's mostly because it featured high-flying offenses with pro-ready talent. Georgia Tech and Vanderbilt, who tied for 59th and 75th respectively in scoring offense among FBS programs, don't exactly fit that bill.
As such, I believe this total is too high.
Both offenses rely on quarterbacks who lean on their rushing ability to move the ball downfield in Haynes King and Diego Pavia. The rushing proficiency of each side particularly hints at a lower Over/Under with ground games naturally chewing more clock. That's reflected in their trends throughout the campaign, with the teams combining to lean Under at a 12-10-2 clip.
Furthermore, four of the last five Birmingham Bowl games have gone Under. Three of the last four have failed to see the total surpass 52 points, which is where this game would need to go to cash the Over. Factor in the absences of Eric Singleton Jr. and Corey Robinson II for the Yellow Jackets' offense and this total becomes even more difficult to reach.
DraftKings offers the best price on the Under at just below industry standard vig (-108). A $10 wager would lead to a $9.25 profit if the Birmingham Bowl goes Under for a fifth time in six seasons.
Georgia Tech vs. Vanderbilt live odds & info
- When: Friday, Dec. 27
- Kickoff: 3:30 p.m. ET
- Where: Protective Stadium (Birmingham, Ala.)
- How to watch: ESPN/ESPN+
- Favorite: Georgia Tech -2.5 (-115 via BetMGM)
Las Vegas Bowl prediction: Texas A&M vs. USC
My best pick: Texas A&M -3 (-110 via BetMGM) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
When this matchup was announced, I thought the line would be much larger. I planned on taking USC as a scrappy underdog with new quarterback Jayden Maiava at the helm. However, upon further investigation, I found Texas A&M is undervalued in this matchup.
Mike Elko's team has been horrible against the spread this season, covering at a 25% rate. Meanwhile, USC is among the best in the Big Ten in this statistic, with a 7-5 record. I'm fading the season-long trends with this spread play, as the Aggies are far and away the stronger side. The Trojans are also dealing with several key opt-outs on offense, including wide receiver Kyron Hudson and tight end Duce Robinson.
These teams shared two common opponents this season and the results were the same. Both Texas A&M and USC beat LSU while losing to Notre Dame. The Aggies beat the Tigers more convincingly and kept it closer against the Fighting Irish, indicating they are a markedly better team than the Trojans.
Elko's side ranks 29th in scoring defense, so as long as Marcel Reed and Co. can find the end zone, it should be able to keep its Big Ten foe in check.
More than 80% of the spread bets on this game at BetMGM are on Texas A&M. The Aggies are currently field-goal favorites, so bettors should head to BetMGM now to ensure they get the spread without the hook at the best price among our best sportsbooks.
Texas A&M vs. USC live odds & info
- When: Friday, Dec. 27
- Kickoff: 10:30 p.m. ET
- Where: Allegiant Stadium (Las Vegas)
- How to watch: ESPN/ESPN+
- Favorite: Texas A&M -3 (-110 via BetMGM)
College bowl game expert picks
- College football bowl game picks against the spread
- Early bowl game predictions
- College football championship predictions
- College football playoff predictions
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