NCAAF Betting Picks: Bowl Season 2021 Last week saw the beginning of college football bowl season. Altogether, there are 44 bowl games, including the College Football Playoff and the national championship games. The schedule began on Dec.17 and will run until Jan.10, but we're focussing on this week's schedule that leads up to Christmas Day. Join us in previewing our favorite bowl games of the week and our best bets for NCAAF bowl season 2021.
EasyPost Hawai'i Bowl
Memphis vs. Hawai'i
Friday, Dec. 24 at 8 p.m. ET
Clarence TC Ching Complex (Honolulu, Hawaii)
The Spread: Memphis -7.5
Hawaii (6-7) was fortunate to sneak into this year's bowl game after winning their final two games, but without Quarterback Chevan Cordeiro and running back Dae Dae Hunter, their chances of a 3rd straight victory are slim.
More to the point, the Rainbow Warriors haven't been desirable from a betting perspective. In the nine games where Hawaii have been the betting underdogs this season, they've only managed to win three of these contests (33.3%). NCAAF picks against the spread are difficult during bowl season, but all signs point towards a miserable outing for Hawaii because of the key player absences.
Memphis enters another bowl matchup for the eighth consecutive season, moving from Conference USA to the AAC with fierce competition in wait. They've proven their worth to level up and have gone 6-6 in 2021 behind an offense that averages 435 yards and 30.1 points per game.
Key players are absent, and Hawaii's poor defensive record is why the Tigers should get the job done.
EasyPost Hawai'i Bowl Betting Pick: Memphis -7.5
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl
Missouri vs. Army
Wednesday, Dec. 22 at 8 p.m. ET
Amon G. Carter Stadium (Fort Worth, Texas)
The Spread: Army -4
Army (8-4) will lock horns with Missouri (6-6) for the first time since 1982 in this season's Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl. And while Missouri owns a slight advantage with more rest time than their opponents, Army will be hunting for their ninth win of the season.
Both teams have been proficient at running the ball. For Missouri, senior running back Tyler Badie will be their hopeful prospect, as he led the SEC in 2021 with 1,604 rushing yards with an average of 133.7 yards per game.
That said, watching Missouri quarterback Connor Bazelak complete just 10 of 26 passes versus Arkansas in the last regular-season game is a concern.
Army will enter this bowl game with the second-best rushing offense as they averaged 286.92 yards per game this season. Army finds the hands of multiple player's seamlessly, and they won't rely on singular stars to gain points.
It isn't easy to look beyond Army in this fixture, and Missouri hasn't won a bowl game since 2014. The running game will be a concern for the Tigers, and although we shouldn't expect a blowout game, Army can cover this game by at least a touchdown.
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl Betting Pick: Army cover -4
Frisco Football Classic
North Texas vs. Miami (Ohio)
Thursday, Dec. 23 at 3:30 p.m. ET
Toyota Stadium (Dallas, Texas)
The Spread: Miami -2.5
Following a bleak 2020 with a mere three games to their name, Miami returned for an entire season under Chuck Martin to finish with a 6-6 record. This marked the 5th season from six, where Miami finished first or second. However, despite averaging 36.7 points from their final six games, Miami didn't show unconditional promise this term.
The RedHawks enter this bowl game as slight favorites, and it should be noted they went 1-6 in road games this season, and this meeting is essentially another road trip.
North Texas were 1-6 early into the season, but this was based on the non-conference schedule they were faced with. Since October, UNT won their final five games to claim a bowl position, and one of these games included a 22-point hammering over the undefeated UTSA squad. Air Force and Army are the only two teams who average more rushing yards per game, and I believe the Mean Green can test Miami with this attribute.
Frisco Football Classic: UNT +2.5
TaxAct Camellia Bowl
Georgia State vs. Ball State
Saturday, Dec. 25 at 2:30 p.m. ET
The Spread: Georgia State -5.5
Georgia State went 7-5 in the regular season and continued their evolution under Shawn Elliot with their fourth bowl appearance from five seasons under his tutelage.
There's no deception from GSU; they aren't show-offs and play ball the old-fashioned way. They've hung around decent opposition this term, nearly defeating Auburn and Louisiana in addition to defeating Coastal Carolina. The Panthers have now won six of their previous seven games entering this year's Camellia Bowl and have rightfully opened up as -5.5 favorites.
Ball State were 2020 MAC winners and have reached the 2021 bowl with a 6-6 record. Consecutive seasons reaching the bowl is impressive, thanks to Mike Neu, but their weak offensive structure could cause them problems on Christmas Day.
The Cardinals weakness in offense can't be made up in defense versus Georgia State, and I anticipate the betting favorites to cover and win this meeting.
Camellia Bowl Betting Pick: Georgia State -5.5
