College football gets into high gear post-Christmas with four bowl games on Wednesday, and we offer our top college football player props and best bets for Wednesday's bowl games based on the leading NCAAF odds from our best sports betting apps.
The 2023 bowl games feature intriguing storylines due to the transfer portal, player opt-outs, and coaching changes/vacancies. This is evident again on Wednesday, as a double-digit favorite, the 6-6 Virginia Tech Hokies, face off against a Tulane team that spent much of the season contending for a spot in a New Year's Six.
In other action, USC's Caleb Williams and UNC's Drake Maye, the potential top two picks in the 2024 NFL Draft, will not be under center for their respective teams. However, their fans will get a glimpse into the future of their offenses in 2024.
As part of our look at all college bowl game odds, here are our college football player props and best bets for Wednesday's four-game slate (odds via our best college football betting sites; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).
College football schedule and odds for Wednesday
Odds via DraftKings
- Virginia Tech (-10.5) vs. Tulane
- North Carolina vs. West Virginia (-6.5)
- Louisville (-7) vs. USC
- Texas A&M (-2) vs. Oklahoma State
College football best bets for Wednesday
- Da'Quan Felton (Virginia Tech) anytime TD score r vs. Tulane (+100 via DraftKings) ???
- Jahiem White (West Virginia) Over 113.5 rushing yards vs. North Carolina (-115 via DraftKings, bet365) ????
- Miller Moss (USC) Over 1.5 passing touchdowns vs. Louisville (-125 via bet365) ???
- Oklahoma State ML vs. Texas A&M (+110 via Caesars, DraftKings, bet365) ???
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College football player props
Virginia Tech needed four wins in its final six games to earn bowl eligibility. That team being a 10.5-point favorite over an 11-win Tulane squad directly reflects how barren the Green Wave's roster is right now.
Tulane could be featuring Justin Ibieta, who has logged just six career snap s, under center with Kai Horton in the transfer portal. And since the Green Wave will also be without four of its five top pass-catchers and a starting offensive lineman, we expect few sustained drives from the Tulane offense.
Thus, Virginia Tech should have its way offensively. The team may not need to get too aggressive in the passing game, but running back Bhayshul Tuten's -195 anytime touchdown odds are unappealing.
Thus, we're opting for the better value with wide receiver Da'Quan Felton, who's registered eight touchdown catches in 2023. Felton came on strong to end the season, with multiple touchdown receptions in three of the final five games. And he still recorded 100-plus receiving yards during one of the two games when Felton didn't find the end zone.
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West Vi rginia is moving forward with three wide receivers in the transfer portal, plus there's an injury concern tied to leading receiver Devin Carter, who left the regular-season finale against Baylor after four snaps. Thus, the Mountaineers are likely to lean heavily on an elite ground game to bully North Carolina. They should boast a significant advantage, especially with Tar Heels leading tackler Cedric Gray declaring for the NFL Draft (his 121 tackles were 30 more than the next-highest player).
Even without the opt-outs or players in the portal, West Virginia always figured to hold a huge advantage in the trenches, as it ranks in the top 25 in rushing success rate and rushing explosiveness.
Meanwhile, North Carolina has experienced trouble generating tackles for a loss, ranking 120th in stuff rate. Jahiem White is one of the nation's most explosive backs while averaging 8.2 yards per carry. He registered 110-plus yards in the four games he was given double-digit carriers. The Mountaineers' coaching staff has put more on his plate lately, giving him 16-plus carries in three of the final four games. We expect him to get similar volume on Wednesday, leading to a major day on the ground in the Duke's Mayo Bowl.
DraftKings and bet365 offer the same -115 odds for this wager, so either option is viable.
Miller Moss will be under center for his first career start at USC. Though the sophomore has thrown fewer than 60 career passes, there's no head coach we hold more confidence in to make an inexperienced signal-caller comfortable than Lincoln Riley. Three of Moss's 59 career passes have gone for touchdowns, and he's averaged at least nine yards per attempt in two of three games during 2023 while attempting 10-plus passes in the same amount, though much of his action has come during garbage time.
The Cardinals may have finished in the top 20 in defensive success rate and preventing explosive plays, but the ACC wasn't a juggernaut for quarterbacks. Three of Louisville's opponents finished inside the top 40 in offensive SP+ (Notre Dame, Miami, and Florida State). Still, the Seminoles were playing with their third-string quarterback, and the first two scored a combined 51 points while averaging 392 total yards against the Cardinals.
We are making this wager at bet365, as DraftKings is posting slightly more expensive -130 odds to back the Over.
College football game picks
Oklahoma State's roster is much more intact than Texas A&M's entering the Texas Bowl, especially after Doak Walker Award winner Ollie Gordon II, the nation's leader in scrimmage yards and rushing yards, announced he was returning to Stillwater for 2024. The Aggies' coaching staff is also in flux after firing head coach Jimbo Fisher and offensi ve coordinator Bobby Petrino leaving for Arkansas, so it feels like Texas A&M is only favored because it is an SEC team playing in its own state.
Oklahoma State's defense is practically intact, with just fourth-leading tackler Collin Oliver possibly sitting out. However, the only significant loss on offense is wide receiver Jaden Bray to the transfer portal. Still, he's the team's fourth-leading receiver (382 yards), and the team is likely to rely on Gordon against an Aggies defense playing without two starting defensive linemen and a starting linebacker anyway.
This is a three-star play, as Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy is 11-6 against the spread in bowl games, including a cover as 5-point underdogs during a 24-21 loss to Texas A&M in this very bowl game during 2019.
Bettors are getting plenty of options among our best sportsbooks that are offering +110 odds, which is a gr eat value considering BetRivers is as high as -103 on Oklahoma State's moneyline.
College football best bets made 12/26/2023 at 6:37 a.m. ET.
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