The regular season is over, but we’re lucky to have a huge Saturday of college football bowl games on deck.
With eight bowl games on Saturday, starting at 11 a.m. ET and playing through midnight, our staff of experts pieced together six best bets for all the action.
Read on for our college football picks and NCAAF best bets for Saturday, Dec. 27.
College Football Picks, Best Bets
The team logos in the table below represent each of the matchups that our college football betting staff is targeting from Saturday's slate of NCAAF bowl games. Click on the team logos for any of the matchups below to navigate to a specific bet discussed in this article.
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 12 p.m. | |
  | 2:15 p.m. | |
  | 3:30 p.m. | |
  | 7:30 p.m. | |
  | 9:15 p.m. | |
 | All Day | |
Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our NCAAF Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. | ||
Penn State vs. Clemson Pick
By RoadToCFB
Both teams have sweeping opt-outs, with Clemson missing 27 players in this bowl game, per coach Dabo Swinney.
But the Tigers do retain quarterback Cade Klubnik, top receiver T.J. Moore, and their running back duo.
Another advantage for Clemson is the retention of its coaching staff, compared to Penn State's decision to turn over its entire regime. The Nittany Lions haven’t seen a turnover in leadership since 2013, and that search was both (a) long-running and (b) very public.
Penn State is without its entire defensive core, including team captain Zane Durant. Inbound coach Matt Campbell — who has nothing to do with this bowl — said his top priority was retaining freshmen on the roster, but five-star pass rusher Chaz Coleman hit the transfer portal anyway.
That screams lack of team motivation.
Clemson currently owns the nation’s longest streak of postseasons with at least one win (be it conference championship, playoff, or bowl game). Dabo is almost certainly aware of that streak and plans to continue it with a roster that has more key pieces intact.
Digging into depth, Clemson has signed a higher-ranked recruiting class in two of the previous three cycles and ranks slightly better in 247Sports’ team talent composite rankings.
This game is played in a baseball stadium at Noon. Whoever is more up for this game will be evident right out of the gate.
Instead of laying almost the same line as the full game (1H spread is Clemson -2.5, full game -3), I’m looking to back Clemson finding the end zone twice early against a Penn State defense without its top pieces and a coordinator (Jim Knowles) already on his way to Tennessee.
Pick: Clemson 1H TT Over 12.5
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UConn vs. Army Pick
This game triggered one of our Action PRO systems, powered by Evan Abrams.
When bowl lines move significantly toward one team despite low public betting support, it signals sharp action.
This system rides those smart-money moves — especially when the spread drops by a point or more — to capture value in postseason games.
In college football’s postseason, bowl games often see sharp bettors move lines well before the public catches on.
When the spread shifts by a point or more toward a team with limited public backing, it signals that influential money has identified an edge.
These moves can reflect matchup advantages, insider knowledge, or situational factors not yet priced into the market.
By following the side that benefits from this early and decisive action, bettors can align with professional opinion in games where motivation and preparation play an outsized role in the outcome.
Aside from the system, I'm all in on Army in this game.
Service Academies are money in bowl games, as they rarely sees opt-outs and are always motivated — if I remember correctly, Service Academies have covered 18 of their past 20 bowl games.
The situation for Army gets better when you consider the Black Knights are getting healthier, especially on defense.
Meanwhile, UConn is a mess.
Head coach Jim Mora is gone, alongside stud starting quarterback Joe Fagnano. There's a chance that the Huskies will be down to their fourth-string quarterback — considering you want to attack Army through the air, that's not ideal.
Behind those two departures, plenty of Huskies hit the portal, including:
- Starting RT Carsten Casady (774 snaps)
- Starting LT Ben Murawski (773 snaps)
- Starting RG Brady Wayburn (430 snaps)
- Starting RB Cam Edwards (says he'll play)
- Starting CB Cam Chadwick (796 snaps)
- Starting LB Oumar Diomande (790 snaps)
- CB Osiris Gilbert (288 snaps)
- RB Victor Rosa (157 snaps)
- RB Mel Brown (56 snaps)
- RB MJ Flowers (37 snaps)
- DL Vincent Carroll-Jackson
- TE Juice Vereen
All from a defense that ranks 134th nationally in Rush Success Rate allowed, which is not ideal when playing an option offense — not to mention, most of the coaching staff isn't there to prep the defense for the looks.
The Black Knights should run all over UConn en route to a double-digit victory.
Pick: Army -9.5 or Better
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BYU vs. Georgia Tech Pick
Frankly, BYU is not as good as its record.
The Cougars barely moved the ball against Texas Tech and didn't look all that impressive against better competition.
Meanwhile, Georgia Tech seemed to underperform for much of the year.
Still, I'll gladly take Haynes King over Bear Bachmeier in the quarterback battle, and standout BYU running back L.J. Martin is not playing in this game.
The wrong team is favored, and I am taking Georgia Tech with the points — along with a half unit on the moneyline.
Pick: Georgia Tech +4 or Better
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Virginia vs. Missouri Pick
Virginia exceeded expectations this year despite a loss to Duke in the ACC Championship.
The 10-win season was a bit of smoke and mirrors, as the 'Hoos ended the 2025 campaign with an eight-win second-order win total.
UVA's offensive success in the Gator Bowl will come down to J'Mari Taylor and Chandler Morris creating explosives on the ground.
Virginia runs a split between inside and outside zone reads, an area Missouri has dominated this season. The Tigers have a heavy 64% Success Rate against outside zone and limit all zone-read opponents to an explosive on just one of every 17 attempts.
Ahmad Hardy should have more success against the Virginia defense on the ground.
Missouri runs exclusively zone-read and man-blocking concepts, each with a Success Rate of 56%. The Tigers will have success with man- or gap-blocking assignments for the offensive line, as the Cavaliers have a 49% Success Rate against the concept.
Virginia struggles with tackling, especially when compared to Missouri, which has the top defense nationally in broken tackles allowed.
Action Network's Betting Power Ratings projects Missouri as a touchdown favorite if all contributors played for each roster.
A dip in the number came after Pribula entered the portal, but as long as Hardy remains in the backfield for Missouri, there are no worries that the offense will thrive on rushing attempts. Wait closer to kickoff to verify that Hardy is, indeed, playing in the Gator Bowl.
A first-half under is also required with quarterbacks who should have limited success in the passing game.
Pick: Missouri -4.5 or Better | 1H Under 21.5 or Better
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LSU vs. Houston Player Prop
By Doug Ziefel
This game has lost a ton of talent on the LSU side, but the Cougars are largely intact, and the most significant commitment came from quarterback Conner Weigman, who's not only playing in this game but returning to the Cougars next season.
Houston runs a rush-heavy offense, and Weigman is a significant piece, averaging 13.1 rush attempts per game. We saw him carry the ball a season-high 22 times in the season finale against Baylor.
Weigman's legs are utilized heavily in the red zone. He's averaged 2.9 red zone rushing attempts per game this season, scoring in eight of 12 games.
Weigman's usage alone is enough to see why this price is a massive value, but the absence of talent on the LSU defense will only make it easier for Weigman to find the end zone.
Pick: Conner Weigman Anytime TD
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Stuckey's Full Action App Card
Need more action for Saturday's slate? It's always wise to see what our guy Stuckey is betting on!
If you haven't already, make sure you download the Action Network App to track all your bets and follow all your favorite experts.
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