College Football Betting Picks for Friday 12/29/23

If you've not hopped on December's bowl-season train already, fret not! The college postseason action is really only just beginning.

With games firing off all throughout the week, Friday offers four more CFB contests to keep bowl season churning strong. Of that bunch, I am most thrilled for a clash between the Oregon State Beavers and Notre Dame Fighting Irish at the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl.

There is quite a bit to unpack here, and I know you value your time. Prior to Friday, let's dive into the odds and lines for the upcoming bowl slate, emphasizing the most valuable of the traditional betting markets where applicable. Also, be sure to check out our piece for Saturday's bowl action, as well.

All college football odds via FanDuel Sportsbook. Lines may change after this article is published.

College Football Betting Picks for 12/29/23

Friday's Full Slate

Sun Bowl

Oregon State vs. Notre Dame

• Venue: Sun Bowl, El Paso, TX
• Time: 2:00 p.m. ET
• TV: ESPN/ESPN+
• Spread: ND -6.5 (-105)
• Moneyline: ORST +188/ND -230
• Total: 41.5 (-112/-108)

A college football tradition of El Paso since 1936, the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl is back to kick off the weekend's sporting action. This time around, Oregon State (8-4) and Notre Dame (9-3) will clash in what should be a hyper-physical meeting. So, who has the edge in this historic CFB postseason contest on the Rio Grande?

Coming into this final weekend of 2023, the Beavers and Fighting Irish are both moving on to new quarterbacks. Talented signal-callers D.J. Uiagalelei and Sam Hartman are both changing scenery, as the former heads into the transfer portal while the latter prepares for the 2024 NFL Draft. That brings in freshman Steve Angeli to take the snaps for N.D. while sophomore Ben Gulbranson gets the call for Oregon State.

Additionally for the Beavers, Jonathan Smith is taking his head coaching talents to East Lansing where he will join the Michigan State Spartans. With that, Kefense Hynson and Trent Bray will jointly handle HC duties.

Best Bet: Under 41.5 (-108)

With this season's starting quarterbacks now gone for both teams, I believe it wise to count on a physical game in El Paso. Even when Uiagalelei and Hartman were running the respective shows, Oregon State and Notre Dame were known as sides anchored by the defense.

Under head coach Marcus Freeman, the Irish allowed just 16.6 points per game (PPG) in 2023, the eighth-best in FBS. The Beavs were not far behind, stingily giving up just 21.5 PPG. Simply, I'd expect these units to bring the boom on Friday.

From there, it should be noted that Oregon State and Notre Dame have combined to produce 70 rushing attempts per game this year. Behind dynamic feature backs like Damien Martinez and Audric Estime, the game clock could move by rather expeditiously. All in all, under 41.5 feels like the best play at the Sun Bowl.

Cotton Bowl

Missouri vs. Ohio State

• Venue: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX
• Time: 8 p.m. ET
• TV: ESPN/ESPN+
• Spread: OSU -2.5
• Moneyline: MIZ +120/OSU -144
• Total: 48.5 (-115/-105)

Yet again, the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic is back to provide another intense meeting on the gridiron. The Ohio State Buckeyes (11-1) and Missouri Tigers (10-2) will descend upon Dallas for a game that's a part of the New Year's Six slate.

As with most campaigns, the Buckeyes produced another high-profile football season. However, even after churning out a blazing 32.8 PPG, they lost to the Michigan Wolverines for the third straight year. With head coach Ryan Day's seat warming up, Ohio State will head into the Cotton Bowl without quarterback Kyle McCord (who also entered the portal), and possibly without superstar receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (still awaiting word on any NFL declaration).

Missouri just notched 10 wins in a season for the first time since 2014. Notably, head coach Eli Drinkwitz has made impressive strides with the Tigers. Navigating a tough SEC slate, Mizzou only suffered losses to the LSU Tigers and Georgia Bulldogs. That should give the Tigers enough confidence to go at the Buckeyes.

Best Bet: Missouri +2.5 (-110)

This line opened at FanDuel Sportsbook with Missouri favored but has since switched sides. Even from Tuesday to Wednesday of this week, the line has moved from Ohio State -1.5 to Ohio State -2.5. Still, that is quite interesting considering McCord entered the transfer portal and Harrison might forego the game for draft preparation.

Of all the teams featured in this article, only Mizzou is entering the postseason with their full-time starting quarterback participating. Senior Brady Cook is enjoying his best collegiate year, sporting a 20:6 TD-to-INT ratio. Additionally, Cook had the Tigers scoring 34.1 PPG in 2023, which was a top-25 clip.

Being that multiple key contributors are out for Ohio State, I don't mind taking 2.5 points with a Missouri team that was also 8-4 against the spread this season. With Cook playing as he is, I believe he and the Tigers stand a solid shot to cover or possibly win outright, which would be Missouri's third victory at the Cotton Bowl Classic since 2007.

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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.