COLLEGE FOOTBALL BEST EARLY BETS BOWL WEEK 3

MONDAY

JLAB BIRMINGHAM BOWL

GEORGIA SOUTHERN VS APPALACHIAN STATE (+7, O/U: 59.5)

Georgia Southern (6-6) wrapped up its regular season with a 24-19 win over Marshall. JC French IV was 24 of 27 for 313 yards, two touchdowns, and no picks. He added 51 yards on 15 rushes and was sacked once. Weston Bryan went 2 for 2 with a TD pass. Camden Brown caught nine passes for 157 yards and two scores. Marcus Sanders, Jr. had eight grabs for 135 yards and a touchdown. The defense held Marshall to 64 yards on the ground. The Mountaineers (5-7) got the mercy 5-win bowl bid in spite of losing their final game, 30-29, to Arkansas State. JJ Kohl was 26 of 39 for 271 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions. He added 34 yards rushing and was sacked once. Jaquari Lewis carried the ball 22 times for 108 yards. Sam Mbake and Dalton Stroman caught TD passes. The defense picked off Jaylen Raynor once and sacked him three times. 

BEST BETS: Under 59.5

Hey, what else are you going to watch at 2 p.m. EST on a Monday afternoon? Both of these teams are unimpressive and seem to only show up on offense every other week. A touchdown is a lot, so I don’t like the spread, and a low-scoring garbage bowl game to start the week after Christmas just feels right. 

TUESDAY

RADIANCE TECHNOLOGIES INDEPENDENCE BOWL

COASTAL CAROLINA VS LOUISIANA TECH (-9, O/U: 51.5)

The Chanticleers (6-6) ride a three-game losing streak into their Bowl season, dropping a 59-10 blowout to eventual College Football Playoff first-round loser James Madison. Tad Hudson was 16 of 38 for 148 yards, one touchdown, and one pick. He was sacked twice. More importantly, he proved that there are still people in America named “Tad.” The entire offense was garbage, and Coastal Carolina rushed for a total of -5 yards. The defense picked off Alonza Barnett III once and sacked him once. Louisiana Tech (7-5) won two straight to end their year, knocking off Missouri State 42-30 in their finale game. Trey Kukuk was 8 of 13 for 87 yards, no TDs, and no interceptions. He added 16 carries for 172 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. Andrew Burnett rushed 16 times for 132 yards and two scores. The defense picked off Jacob Clark once and sacked him four times.

BEST BETS: Louisiana Tech -9

When people say there are too many forgettable bowl games, this will be the first one they won’t be able to remember. We have a solid losing streak going for CC, and I see no reason for them to stop it here.

LIBERTY MUTUAL MUSIC CITY BOWL

TENNESSEE VS ILLINOIS (+2.5, O/U: 61.5)

Tennessee (8-4) fell in their season finale to little brother Vanderbilt, 42-24, in a blowout loss that secured Diego Pavia a seat at the Heisman Trophy ceremony and guaranteed an angry tweet when he was destined to lose it to Fernando Mendoza. Joey Aguilar was 29 of 44 for 299 yards, one TD, and no interceptions. He was sacked four times. DeSean Bishop had 20 carries for 97 yards and two scores. Chris Brazzell II caught six passes for 91 yards and a score. The defense gave up 582 yards of offense, but did pick off Pavia twice and sack him once. The Illini (8-4) picked up a solid 20-13 win over Northwestern to end their season. Luke Altmyer was 10 of 15 for 136 yards, no touchdowns, and no picks. He was sacked once. Cal’Lil Valentine rushed 14 times for 74 yards and a TD. Kaden Feagin had a rushing touchdown.  The defense sacked Preston Stone twice and intercepted him three times.

BEST BETS: Tennessee +2.5

The over was tempting here, but I’m not sure how Illinois’ offense will show up. I see Tennessee cruising to the victory here in front of what will basically be a Volunteer home crowd.

VALERO ALAMO BOWL

No. 16 USC VS TCU (+6.5, O/U: 55)

The Trojans (9-3) missed out on the College Football Playoff but can get the featured game on a Tuesday night to make up for it after defeating UCLA 29-10 in their final game. Jayden Maiava was 21 of 29 for 257 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions. He was sacked twice. King Miller had 17 carries for 124 yards and two scores. Makai Lemon and Lake McRee caught TD passes. The defense sacked Nico Iamaleava four times. TCU (8-4) won two straight to end their 2025 campaign, beating Cincinnati 45-23 in their finale. Josh Hoover was 19 of 22 for 306 yards, four touchdowns, and no interceptions. He was sacked twice. Jeremy Payne carried the ball 26 times for 174 yards and two scores. Eric McAlister caught eight passes for 101 yards and a TD. Jordan Dwyer hauled in three balls for 84 yards and two touchdowns. Joseph Manjack IV caught a TD. The defense sacked Brendan Sorsby three times. 

BEST BETS: TCU +6.5, Over 55

I think this will be a legit fun game. I still see USC winning it, but the Horned Frogs have the talent and coaching to make it a real battle.

WEDNESDAY

REALQUEST BOWL

No. 23 IOWA VS No. 14 VANDERBILT (-5.5, O/U: 47)

Iowa (8-4) put the boot to Nebraska, 40-16, in their final game of the regular season. Mark Gronowski was 9 of 16 for 166 yards, one touchdown, and no interceptions. He added 64 yards on 13 carries for two scores. Kamari Moultin rushed 18 times for 93 yards and two TDs. DJ Vonnahme caught three passes for 91 yards and a touchdown. The defense held the Cornhuskers to just 69 yards through the air, and no, I won’t make that joke. Some layups aren’t worth the effort. The Commodores (10-2) narrowly missed out on a spot in the College Football Playoff after beating down Tennessee 45-24 to end the regular campaign. Deigo Pavia was 18 of 28 for 268 yards, one TD, and two picks. He added 20 rushes for 165 yards and a score. He was sacked once and whined about losing the Heisman Trophy when no one on the planet thought he’d win it. Sedrick Alexander rushed 10 times for 115 yards and three TDs. Tre Richardson caught six passes for 75 yards and a touchdown. The defense sacked Joey Aguilar four times. 

BEST BETS: Vanderbilt -5.5, Over 47

The Hawkeyes’ offense rarely shows up like it did last week, but Pavia will give their defense a few short fields and maybe a ball or two to take to the house. It won’t be enough to keep Vandy from winning by a TD, but it makes the over play.

TONY THE TIGER SUN BOWL

ARIZONA STATE VS DUKE (-3, O/U: 49.5)

The Sun Devils (8-4) fell in their final game of the season to Arizona, 23-7. Jeff Sims was 11 of 25 for 114 yards, no TDs, and three interceptions. He did rush 10 times for 43 yards and a score. The defense sacked Noah Fifita once. Duke (8-5) won the ACC Championship over Virginia, 27-20. Darian Mesnah was 19 of 25 for 196 yards, two touchdowns, and one pick. He was sacked once. Nate Sheppard had 21 carries for 97 yards and a score. Cooper Barkate caught five passes for 91 yards. The defense sacked Chandler Morris once and intercepted him twice. 

BEST BETS: Duke -3, Over 49.5

Duke should have the offense to win this one, but I like the over. The Blue Devils scored 27, 49, and 32 in their last three games. Arizona State laid an egg against Arizona, but scored 42, 25, 16, and 26 in their four previous games. 

CHEEZ-IT CITRUS BOWL

No. 18 MICHIGAN VS No. 13 TEXAS (-7, O/U: 48)

Michigan (9-3) secured a spot in the best second-tier bowl thanks to a 27-9 loss to Ohio State to wrap their regular season. Bryce Underwood was 8 of 18 for 63 yards, no touchdowns, and a pick. He was sacked once. The entire offense was a dumpster fire and gained just 163 total yards. The defense picked off Julina Sayin once. The Longhorns (9-3) cost Texas A&M a spot in the SEC title game with a 27-17 upset win to end their season. Arch Manning was 14 of 29 for 179 yards, one touchdown, and no interceptions. He added 53 yards on seven rushes and a score and was sacked twice. Quintrevion Wisner rushed 19 times for 155 yards. Jack Endries caught four passes for 93 yards. Ryan Wingo had a TD grab. The defense picked off Marcel Reed twice and sacked him once.

BEST BETS: Michigan +7, Over 48

This might compete with Vandy vs Iowa as the best game of the day. I think both these teams will come out firing to make up for what could have been in 2025-26. I do like Texas to win, but closer than a touchdown. Steve Spurrier used to joke that you can’t spell “Citrus” with “UT,” but I’m pretty sure Texas wasn’t the “UT” he was talking about.

SRS DISTRIBUTION LAS VEGAS BOWL

NEBRASKA VS No. 15 UTAH (-16.5, O/U: 50.5)

The Cornhuskers (7-5) limp into this game on a two-game losing streak, capped with a 40-16 curb stomp from Iowa. TJ Lateef was 9 of 24 passing for 69 yards (I’m not doing it), no TDs, and no picks. Emmett Johnson rushed 29 times for 217 yards and a touchdown. Utah (10-2) won its fifth straight game in a 31-21 victory over Kansas. Devon Dampier was 15 of 25 for 253 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. He added 50 yards on 11 carries. Wayshawn Parker rushed 12 times for 95 yards. Larry Simmons caught three passes for 97 yards and two TDs. JJ Buchanan had a TD grab. The defense picked off Jalon Daniels three times and sacked him once.

BEST BETS: Utah -16.5

We should all soak this one in as our final Latter-Day Saints nightcap of the year. Nebraska hasn’t done much of offense this season, and I don’t expect this one to be any different. Break out the decaf in celebration, Utah. You should win big.

Follow Adam Greene on Blue Sky @AdamGreene13, threads @adam.greene and Twitter @TheFirstMan