SI Gambling analyst Roy Larking has Oklahoma State vs. Miami and Texas vs. Colorado as featured bowl game matchups on his Tuesday NCAA football betting card.
College football bowl season continues with the Oklahoma State Cowboys and Miami Hurricanes meeting in the Cheez-It Bowl. That contest is followed by the Texas Longhorns battling the Colorado Buffaloes in the Alamo Bowl. With betting odds posted at DraftKings Sportsbook - here is a breakdown and best bets for those two matchups slated for Tuesday, December 28th.
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The Vegas Whispers sharp information continues to dominate the sportsbooks with a 211-138-3 overall record. The information received from Frankie Taddeo, Sports Illustrated's Vegas Gambling Insider, is currently 28-20 ATS on NCAA College Football for all SI PRO members. Follow Frankie on Twitter @Frankie_Fantasy.
Cheez-It Bowl: No. 18 Miami vs. No. 21 Oklahoma State (-1) | TOTAL: 60
Formerly the Camping World Bowl, the Cheez-It Bowl features No. 18 Miami battling No. 21 Oklahoma State. Kickoff is slated for 5:30 p.m. ET on December 29 at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida. The Hurricanes represent the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), and the Cowboys represent the Big 12 Conference. There is little history between these teams as they have only met once, and that was way back during the 1991 NCAA regular season.
Oklahoma State (7-3) opened their season with three straight against unranked opponents. True freshman QB Shane Illingworth played most of those games after starter Spencer Sanders was injured in the season opener. Sanders returned for the fourth game and led the Cowboys to a 24-21 win against No. 17 Iowa State. Oklahoma State had a mixed bag finish as they alternated losses and wins over the final six games. That includes a 41-13 loss to rival Oklahoma.
Miami (8-2) was also quick out of the gate as they won three straight, including a 47-34 win against Louisville, who were ranked No. 18 in the AP Top 25 at the time. The Hurricanes hit a speed bump during their fourth game as Clemson, who was ranked No.1 at the time, crushed them 42-17. Miami rebounded with five straight wins against unranked opponents by a 167-98 combined count. In their final regular-season game - Miami was thumped 62-26 by No. 17 North Carolina.
Both teams will be missing keys players who have opted out to prepare for the 2021 NFL Draft. The Cowboys will be without star RB Chuba Hubbard, while the Miami defense will be without edge rushers, Jaelan Phillips and Quincy Roche. Although both teams had loftier goals, Miami is more likely to be less motivated to be playing in this lower-level bowl game. The Cowboys have three quality backups to replace Hubbard, and I like Oklahoma State to cover the short spread.
Cheez-It Bowl Pick: Oklahoma State Cowboys (-1) at DraftKings
Alamo Bowl: No. 20 Texas (-8.5) vs. Colorado | TOTAL: 63.5
Established in 1993, the Valero Alamo Bowl features Texas squaring off against Colorado. Kickoff is slated for 9:00 p.m. ET on December 29 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. The Longhorns are representing the Big 12 Conference while the Buffaloes are representing the Pac-12 Conference. These teams met regularly when Colorado was a member of the Big 12. However, the Buffaloes transferred to the Pac-12 before the 2011 season, so this is the first meeting since 2009.
Texas (8-2) opened the season with wins against UTEP (59-3) and Texas Tech (63-59). That was followed by a 33-31 upset loss to unranked TCU, who were -10.5 underdogs, and dropped the No. 9 ranked Longhorns out of AP Top 25. Looking to rebound, Texas battled hard but lost 53-45 (4 OT) to Oklahoma in the Red River Shootout. The Longhorns closed the season on a 4-1 run, including a 41-34 win over No. 6 Oklahoma State. The lone loss was 23-20 against No. 13 Iowa State.
Colorado (4-1) played a short season as the Pac-12 Conference didn't begin play until the first week of November. The Buffaloes rolled to a 4-0 start that included a 35-32 win against Stanford, who finished the season with a 4-2 record. Colorado had their hopes of playing for the Pac-12 Championship dashed following a 38-21 loss to Utah in the regular season's final game. This is the second bowl game in 13 years for Colorado, who lost 38-8 to Oklahoma State in the 2016 Alamo Bowl.
This is the second straight Alamo Bowl game for Texas, who upset No. 12 Utah 38-10 last year. While the Longhorns will be affected more than the Buffaloes, both teams will be missing key players due to suspensions, injuries, COVID-19, and players opting out ahead of the NFL Draft. Colorado is built around running the ball on offense and will keep the pace slow in this contest. Tempted to take Colorado and the points – I feel the best bet is UNDER on the game total.
Alamo Bowl Pick: Game Total UNDER 63.5 at DraftKings
2020 NCAA Football Record: 12-5 ATS
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