2 Best Bets and Player Props for Duke vs. Ole Miss in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl

Bowl season continues to take place across the college football landscape, with plenty of interesting matchups still to be played. On Thursday, the Duke Blue Devils will take the field to face the Mississippi Rebels in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida.

The Blue Devils enter this contest with a 9-3 record, winning three games in a row to conclude the regular season. As for the Rebels, they also boast a 9-3 record after winning four of their last five games in the regular season, with the lone defeat during that span coming against the 8-5 Florida Gators.

Using the college football odds at FanDuel Sportsbook, let's take a look at the best bets and player props for Thursday's showdown between Duke and Ole Miss that kicks off at 8 p.m. ET.

All college football odds come from FanDuel Sportsbook and may change after this article is published.

Duke vs. Ole Miss Betting Picks

Ole Miss -17.5 (-105)

While this is a massive spread for teams with the same record, will the Blue Devils have enough production on offense to keep this game competitive? Up to this point, Duke is 66th in expected points added per rushing attempt (0.004), 76th in expected points added per drop back (-0.013), and 118th in overall offensive success rate (37.6%).

Even though the Blue Devils tallied 27-plus points in four of their final five games of the regular season, none of those games came against the Rebels' stout defense. Ole Miss allows the fourth-fewest points per game (15.2), and they are sitting at 2nd in expected points added per rushing attempt allowed (-0.134), 22nd in expected points added per drop back allowed (-0.070), and 3rd in overall defensive success rate (35.0%).

On the offensive side of the ball, Jaxson Dart will be making his final collegiate start on Thursday after helping the Rebels notch the 15th-most points per game (34.0) this season. Having Dart available in an offense that is first in expected points added per drop back (0.153) should be more than enough for Ole Miss to cruise to a lopsided victory.

numberFire's college football projections predict a 37.59-17.77 score in favor of the Rebels ahead of the Gator Bowl.

Jaxson Dart Over 26.5 Rushing Yards (-114)

Besides having confidence in Dart to move the ball with ease through the air, the soon-to-be NFL quarterback is capable of creating with his legs. Over the course of his last three years at Ole Miss, Dart has averaged 120 carries, 485 rushing yards, and 4 rushing touchdowns per season.

When diving into his numbers for the 2024 campaign, Dart enters with 452 rushing yards on 112 attempts, which is good enough for 37.7 rushing yards per game. Throughout his 12 starts thus far, Dart has rushed for 27-plus yards in 9 of those outings, including 47-plus rushing yards in each of his last 4 appearances.

This is Dart's last chance to showcase his dual-threat ability in a game setting in college football, so I expect him to continue generating yardage on the ground. It also helps that Duke's defense is weaker against the run, ranking 52nd in defensive rushing success rate (40.4%) and 6th in defensive passing success rate (34.9%).

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.