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College Bowl Game Player Props & Best Bets, Odds for Saturday: Trust Louisiana's Experience

Mike Spector

Last Updated: December 16, 2023 2:07 PM EST • 5 min 8 sec read.

A custom graphic of College football best bets
College football best bets

College football bowl season begins with seven games on Saturday’s slate, and we offer our best college football player props and best bets for Saturday’s bowl games based on the best NCAAF odds at our best sportsbooks.

Saturday's college football bowl games will feature a variety of compelling matchups. Jacksonville State, in its inaugural bowl appearance, seeks victory against Louisiana, marking a significant milestone after an impressive 8-4 season in the Conference USA.

This matchup sets the stage for an exciting clash as Jacksonville State aims to solidify its successful season with a memorable bowl win in its historic debut appearance.

Elsewhere, MAC champion Miami (OH), boasts its best team since the era of Ben Roethlisberger and will face Appalachian State. App State, which holds a 6-1 record in bowls at the FBS level entering this week, will challenge Miami (OH) in what promises to be an engaging contest.

As part of our look at all college bowl game odds and to accompany our college bowl game expert picks, here are our college football player props and best bets for Saturday's bowl game slate (odds via our best college football betting sites; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

College bowl game best bets for Saturday

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College football schedule and odds for Saturday

Odds via DraftKings

College bowl game player props for Saturday

Ethan Garbers (UCLA) Under 1.5 passing touchdowns (+102 via FanDuel) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

UCLA’s sputtering offense was a big reason it lost three of its final four games, as it averaged just eight points per game in those losses. That is especially concerning since only one of those poor offensive games came against a top-four Pac-12 scoring defense (Arizona), as the other two were against Arizona State and California defenses that allowed 31.8 points per game or more.

Bruins quarterback Ethan Garbers started two of those games and threw for just one touchdown between them. He had multiple passing touchdowns in two of his three starts but has also been limited to 155 passing yards or fewer in three consecutive appearances.

Garbers left the regular season finale against California due to a right forearm injury, which likely affected his preparation for this bowl game. Boise State allowed the second-most passing yards per game (251.9) of all Mountain West teams this season, but we expect it to control the time of possession with running back Ashton Jeanty. Jeanty was the FBS leader in scrimmage yards per game and goes up against a UCLA defense that lost coordinator D’Anton Lynn to rival USC. 

We are jumping at the opportunity to get plus-money odds on this wager at FanDuel, as DraftKings and bet365 offer -115 odds for Garber to have one or fewer passing touchdowns.

See C Jackson Cowart's UCLA vs. Boise State prediction for more on this matchup.

Visit our Google News page and click "Follow" (⭐) for the latest odds, picks and news!  

Jaydn Ott (California) Over 105.5 rushing yards vs. Texas Tech (-115 via DraftKings, bet365) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

California has a new play-caller (Mike Bloesch) for this game following the loss of Jake Spavital to Baylor. We expect Bloesch to lean heavily on the team’s best skill-position player in his first time on the job.

Jaydn Ott was the Pac-12’s leading rusher (and 13th in the country) with 1,260 rushing yards this season, and he exceeded this projected total in three of the final five games. Ott is a true bell-cow back with more than three times the amount of carries as the next-closest player on the team, and has attempted 20-plus runs in five straight games.

He should carve up a Texas Tech defense that ranks 107th in Stuff Rate and 97th in Line Yards.

We are making this wager at DraftKings or bet365, as FanDuel has a slightly higher O/U of 107.5 rushing yards.

Get the best possible odds with our bet365 bonus code: SBRBONUS.  

C Jackson Cowart has more with his California vs. Texas Tech prediction.

College bowl game picks for Saturday

Georgia Southern-Ohio Under 49.5 (-110 via BetMGM) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This line jumped the fence from Ohio -1.5 to Georgia Southern -3.5 once the news broke that Ohio quarterback Kurtis Rourke entered the transfer portal. That leaves starting quarterback duties for Parker Navarro. However, while the total has plummeted even further from 54.5 to as low as 48.5 at DraftKings and FanDuel after the news, we are still making the Under a confident four-star play.

Rourke was the 2022 MAC Offensive Player of the Year, and his loss cannot be understated. He ranked 21st in EPA/Play percentage and guided the Bobcats to a No. 21 ranking in Passing Success Rate. In addition, wide receiver Miles Cross, who is second on the team in yards (599) and receptions (47), also entered the transfer portal. Joining them were running backs Sieh Bangura and O'Shaan Allison, who combined for 818 snaps this season.

Instead of backing Georgia Southern on the point spread, we are much more confident in the Under, given all this roster turnover. In addition, we trust an Ohio defense that ranks fifth nationally in scoring defense (15.4 points per game allowed) and one with a secondary that ranks in the top 16 in EPA/Pass Allowed and Passing Success Rate.

Plus, we want no part of fading an Ohio team that is 19-7 under head coach Tim Albin, so we instead expect the Under to cash for the 10th time in the Bobcats' 13th game.

BetMGM is the only shop offering a total higher than 49, providing the most value for Under backers. Be sure to use our BetMGM bonus code: SBRBONUS for the best price.

Shane Jackson breaks down the Myrtle Beach Bowl with his Georgia Southern vs. Ohio prediction.

Louisiana +3.5 vs. Jacksonville State (-114 via BetRivers) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

There is a big experience mismatch and home-field advantage in the New Orleans Bowl, which both favor Louisiana.

Jacksonville State was not even supposed to be allowed to play in a bowl game in its first season at the FBS level, but it was extended an invitation when there were not enough bowl-eligible teams. Meanwhile, Louisiana is practically playing in its backyard at the Caesars Superdome, and is in its 11th bowl appearance since 2011.

Thus, while Gamecocks head coach Rich Rodriguez is coaching his 12th bowl game (he is 5-6 SU in the previous 11), his players are not as used to the preparation it entails as much as those from the Ragin’ Cajuns.

Though the two teams’ strength of schedules is comparable (Louisiana’s SOS is 127th, Jacksonville State’s is 129th, per Jeff Sagarin), the Sun Belt arguably prepared Louisiana much better for this game, with 12 of 14 teams appearing in bowl games. Meanwhile, Jacksonville State’s defensive numbers are buoyed by weak C-USA competition, with just two teams ranked in the top 52 in yards per play. 

BetRivers is the only of our best sports betting apps where one can back the underdogs at more than a field goal, as all of our best sportsbooks are in unison with a spread of +3.

College football best bets made 12/13/2023 at 4:09 p.m. ET.

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Written By:
Mike Spector
Mike started in the sports writing industry in July 2019, and gained a lot of followers in his first year after finishing with the No. 2 overall record in an annual NFL betting competition, which made picks against the spread, and from an Over/Under and moneyline perspective. Mike is an avid fan of the NFL, MLB, tennis, and all college sports. In his opinion, March Madness is the best sporting event there is, and he's especially euphoric starting with conference tournament time in college basketball. Mike's a big advocate of "fading the public" and making plays that are contrarian, constantly citing that "there are reasons why they have those big shiny buildings in Las Vegas." When making wagers, Mike always scours the best odds at all of the major sports betting sites, where he mostly sifts through DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, and bet365. He's tried several others and is of the firm belief that bettors should not just stick to one sportsbook, as there is always likely better value to be had with the same wager. In addition, while Mike received his undergraduate degree from Villanova University, he has no issue betting against the Wildcats when it comes to college basketball wagering, and suggests other bettors should always put their “head” before their “hearts.”