College Football Best Bets: Picks & Analysis For The Bowl Games On Saturday, December 31

Not only will we see the TCU Horned Frogs vs. the Michigan Wolverines and the Ohio State Buckeyes vs. the Georgia Bulldogs in the College Football Playoff on Saturday, December 31, but we'll also get the Alabama Crimson Tide vs. the Kansas State Wildcats and the Iowa Hawkeyes vs. the Kentucky Wildcats. The real holiday might not start until midnight, but this is going to be a special day for all college football fans and bettors. We have some more in-depth previews with best bets for the two bigger games on this slate, but this is where we have our favorite picks for the other two games. And being that it's Nick Saban and Alabama in one of them, you can't exactly write these off. 

If you haven't already, you should consider signing up for DraftKings ➡️ here ⬅️ as you can turn a $5 pre-game moneyline bet on any game into a free $150 if your team wins. 

RELATED: College Football Bet Hub 

College Football Best Bets For The Saturday, December 31 Bowl Games

Allstate Sugar Bowl: Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Kansas State Wildcats - 12:00PM ET

Motivation has been a major theme for us throughout bowl season, and it has delivered mixed results thus far. But this is a game that is really interesting from that standpoint. This Alabama team absolutely feels like it fell short of its goals this season, and the Crimson Tide are going to be devastated to not be playing in the College Football Playoff this weekend. With that in mind, they could have a lot of trouble getting up for this meeting with the Wildcats. However, Kansas State sees this as an opportunity to knock off one of the biggest brands in college football. This is a massive spot for the Wildcats to be in. 

The Tide might have an edge in size and physicality here, but the Wildcats will likely have a bit more edge. And with Bryce Young possibly not playing for Alabama, you have to like Kansas State's defense to give Saban's group some trouble. Young is with the team, but he could still sit. The Wildcats allowed just 20.1 points per game this season, and they held all of their opponents to less than their scoring averages. 

It's also hard to believe that Alabama will be able to completely keep Kansas State's offense in check. The Wildcats averaged 33.2 points per game this season, and they're good in every aspect of the game. Kansas State is also 3-0 both straight-up and against the spread when facing SEC opponents under Chris Klieman. 

BET: Kansas State +7.5 at -135 at DraftKings Sportsbook

🏈 Alabama vs. Kansas State Predictions
📈 Betting preview: Alabama vs. Kansas State

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TransPerfect Music City Bowl: Iowa Hawkeyes vs. Kentucky Wildcats - 12:00PM ET

We feel bad for any eyeballs that end up soaking in this action, as only seven teams in college football averaged fewer than the 17.4 points per game that Iowa scored this season. The Hawkeyes will, however, have their sixth-ranked scoring defense going up against a Wildcats team that is without quarterback Will Levis, who is preparing for the 2023 NFL Draft — where he should be selected rather early. So, neither team will be in for pretty performances on offense here. 

Without Levis in the picture, we just have to go with Iowa in this game. The Hawkeyes might not be able to score many points, but they won't need many to cover the 1.5 here either. Iowa is actually an impressive 8-1 ATS when the line is between +3 and -3 over the last three seasons, and the team has won those games by an average of 9.9 points per game. The Hawkeyes are also 11-6-1 ATS in bowl games under head coach Kirk Ferentz. 

BET: Iowa -1.5 at -110 at DraftKings Sportsbook

🏈 Iowa vs. Kentucky Predictions
📈 Betting preview: Iowa vs. Kentucky

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Vrbo Fiesta Bowl: TCU Horned Frogs vs. Michigan Wolverines - 4:00PM ET

We went pretty deep on this game in our TCU vs. Michigan betting preview, so we'll just leave you with a short blurb from there for this one:

TCU is known for having an explosive offense, which is why people might be quick to bet the Over here. However, Michigan has a top-five scoring defense and will look to run the ball on offense. That's a good recipe for an Under. 

Since writing that preview, the total has dropped nearly two points, so clearly the important action is on the Under and the sportsbooks are reacting to that. 

BET: Under 60.5 at -110 at DraftKings Sportsbook

🏈 TCU vs. Michigan Predictions
📈 Betting preview: TCU vs. Michigan

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Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl: Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Georgia Bulldogs - 12:00PM ET

Like the other game, we already did an in-depth preview of this game in our Ohio State vs. Georgia betting preview. With that in mind, here's a quick glance at the bottom line of that one:

Georgia's physicality should allow the team to advance to the national championship, but it's hard to imagine Ohio State not putting up a lot of points in a loss. That makes the Over look like the safer play here. 

Like the other College Football Playoff semi-final matchup, this total has also moved in a way that supports us. It's up quite a few points, so the action supports an Over. And we're sticking with it, but we're happy we got it at our number. 

BET: Over 59.5 at -110 at DraftKings Sportsbook

🏈 Ohio State vs. Georgia Predictions
📈 Betting preview: Ohio State vs. Georgia