The college football bowl season continues on Saturday, and it’s time to lock in some CFB Best Bets! We have a full day of bowl games on December 27th, so let’s dive right in. The action gets started at 11 am ET with Pittsburgh vs. East Carolina in the Military Bowl. Saturday’s final college football bowl matchup features LSU vs. Houston in the Texas Bowl. Let’s jump into the top CFB picks for Saturday’s slate of games. 

 

 

 

CFB Picks, Predictions & Best Bets For Bowl Games: Saturday, 12/27

Let’s kick off our CFB Best Bets with the Pop-Tarts Bowl matchup between Georgia Tech and BYU. Our CFP predictions also feature UConn vs. Army in the Fenway Bowl on Saturday afternoon. Be sure to check out more CFB picks below for the entire slate of bowl games. That includes some intriguing college football player props as well. Good luck!  

 

 

 

Georgia Tech vs. BYU Prediction: Saturday, December 27th

This is one of the best non-Playoff matchups of the college football bowl season. We have a pair of ranked teams in action with Georgia Tech taking on BYU. They combined for 20 wins this year, and both were nationally relevant in the CFP picture until late in the season. 

As we handicap this game, let’s put both seasons in perspective. BYU’s only losses this year came against Texas Tech – on the road in the regular season and again in the Big 12 title game. Otherwise, the Cougars won all 11 of their other games, but just couldn’t get past an elite-level Red Raiders squad. Notably, BYU’s 10 victories over FBS opponents came by an average margin of 14.8 PPG. That includes 7 different double-digit wins. 

Georgia Tech, meanwhile, enters this game trending down after a strong 8-0 start to the season. The Yello Jackets fell apart in the final weeks, losing three of their last four games to end the year. That included a pair of upset, double-digit losses to both NC State and Pittsburgh. Even the lone victory in that stretch came against a bad Boston College team by just 2 points.

In this matchup, specifically, Georgia Tech’s shaky defense could be an issue. The Yellow Jackets ranked 92nd in the FBS in total yards allowed per game while giving up 28.5 PPG in conference play, which looks worse in the ACC. They also rank 115th nationally in defensive EPA/Play and 81st in defensive success rate. 

BYU has the offensive physicality and enough playmaking to put up points against this subpar defense. The Cougs’ top-35 run game will be especially tough on Tech’s rush defense, which allowed 4.6 yards per carry this year (97th in FBS). Over the last four games of the season, GT gave up nearly 200 rushing yards per game and 5.5 yards per attempt. 

There are some opt-out possibilities for BYU’s offense, but it sounds like everyone will play. That will hopefully include stud running back LJ Martin. Plus, quarterback Bear Bachmeier should be good to go. He was dealing with an ankle injury in the Big 12 title game, but is expected to play with three weeks off in between games. 

On the other side, it’s fair to wonder what type of Georgia Tech team we’ll see. Is it the one that was once 8-0 and poised for a Playoff berth? Or is it the squad that crashed out at the end of the season and didn’t even make the ACC title game? 

Yellow Jackets quarterback Haynes King was a playmaker all season. Yet, that came against some softer ACC defenses. This matchup against BYU’s physical and imposing unit will be a much tougher test. The Cougars rank 30th in the country in defensive EPA and 28th in total yards allowed per game. It’s one of the best defenses that King and Tech will have faced this year. It also doesn’t help that GT offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner has left to become Florida’s OC, with other key members of the offensive coaching staff also gone. 

If you need some more convincing, BYU head coach Kilani Sitake brings in a proven history of success in bowl games. He’s 5-2 in bowls with the Cougars, including last year’s blowout win over Colorado. Sitake’s team could also be playing with a bit more juice as their head coach recently signed a contract extension amid rumors of a possible Penn State departure. Furthermore, BYU went 8-0 SU and 7-1 ATS as favorites this season. 

 

 

 

UConn vs. Army Prediction: Saturday, December 27th

College football bowl games always feature a team (or a few) that’s a shell of itself from what we saw during the regular season. Connecticut is in that boat this week ahead of a Fenway Bowl matchup against Army. Let’s fade the Huskies with some notable absences, as the favored Black Knights own some key edges as well. 

UConn is in a tough situation. Head coach Jim Mora Jr. is off to Colorado State and won’t be on the sidelines for this bowl. Offensive coordinator Gordon Sammis is now the interim, but he’s also accepted the TCU OC job. Standout quarterback Joe Fagnano will sit out as he prepares for the NFL Draft. Then there are the dozen or more Huskies who have entered the transfer portal and likely won’t play. That includes multiple starters and key contributors on both sides of the ball. 

It’s worth noting that star WR Skyler Bell says he will play, despite preparing for the upcoming Senior Bowl as a rising draft prospect. Starting RB Cam Edwards is also committed to playing, though he’s also in the transfer portal. They may suit up, but it’s fair to wonder how much both will actually play in the game. 

Simply put, this is not the same 9-3 team we saw for much of the season. The Huskies’ offense, especially, will at least be without its breakout quarterback and multiple starters along the line. That’s before we even factor in the statuses of Bell and Edwards, who say they’ll play but could easily see limited snaps. Plus, with Sammis having one foot out the door, the motivation might be lacking to coach and prep a team of backups for this bowl.

As for Army, we know head coach Jeff Monken will have his team ready to go. In a decade-plus with the Black Knights, Monken is 5-1 SU and 4-2 ATS in bowl games. They regularly come to play hard in these postseason settings with mostly the entire roster bought in. The situational spot also heavily favors Army. 

The Black Knights most recently lost a tough, close battle with Navy in their rivalry game. That put Army at 6-6 on the season. Getting a 7th victory and clinching a winning season would be a big accomplishment for Monken’s squad that lost a ton of talent from last year’s 12-2 team. Army has rebounded well all year, going 4-1 both SU and ATS after a loss. 

The Black Knights’ triple-option run-heavy offense will especially be a difference-maker in this game. Not only will it be tough for UConn to gameplan against the unique scheme, but the Huskies have been terrible at defending the run anyway. They rank 130th nationally in defensive EPA vs. the run and 134th in defensive success against the rush, while giving up 185.5 rushing yards per game (116th in FBS). 

 

 

 

Best CFB Prop Bets & Other Picks: Saturday, 12/27

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