College Football Best Bets: Picks & Analysis For The Bowl Games On Wednesday, December 28

The bowl game slate for Wednesday, December 28 is the best one we've had thus far, so make sure you strap in and check out our best bets for a great day of college football action. We're going to see some good programs in action almost immediately here, with the UCF Knights taking on an improved Duke Blue Devils squad. There's two excellent games after that, before the meeting between the Texas Tech Red Raiders and Ole Miss Rebels ends the day as the fourth and final game. As always, we have you covered with everything you'll be watching, so make sure you keep on reading to find out how we're going to play each of these matchups. Don't place your bets without hearing us out first! 

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 Wednesday, December 28 Bowl Games

Military Bowl Presented By Peraton: UCF Knights vs. Duke Blue Devils - 2:00PM ET

Mike Elko hasn't gotten enough credit for the job he did as Duke's head coach this year. The Blue Devils were just 3-9 last season, but Elko came in and immediately won eight games in his first year with the program. Now, he'll be hoping to lead his Blue Devils to a win over a solid Knights team. And we like Duke's chances to do so — and cover — as this could serve as a statement game for the program. 

UCF had a decent year and isn't going to be easy to beat, but the Knights had some real trouble defensively down the stretch. UCF gave up at least 28 points in four of its final five games, and that's not going to fly heading into a meeting with Duke. Riley Leonard and this Blue Devils offense should be able to pick the Knights apart through the air, as he threw for seven touchdowns and only one pick in his final two games of the season. 

Duke also happens to have a far more reliable defense, as the team gave up only 22.8 points per game this year. And that's what Elko knows best as a football coach, as he was previously a defensive coordinator for big programs like Texas A&M and Notre Dame. With that said, we expect him to have a nice plan in place to slow down UCF. The Knights are also a miserable 0-6 against the spread when coming off back-to-back games in which 60 or more total points were scored over the last two years. 

BET: Duke -3 at -110 at DraftKings Sportsbook

🏈 UCF vs. Duke Predictions
📈 Betting preview: UCF vs. Duke

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AutoZone Liberty Bowl: Kansas Jayhawks vs. Arkansas Razorbacks - 5:30PM ET

While Arkansas is an SEC program playing against a Big 12 opponent, it genuinely feels like the wrong team is favored in this game. Sure, things spiraled a bit for a Jayhawks team that started the year extremely well, but Kansas' schedule was tough in the second half of the season. But our model gives the Jayhawks a 59% chance to cover in this one, and we think this is worthy of a moneyline sprinkle, too.

You've probably noticed that this has been a theme for us, but you just have to think about the motivation in this one. Whereas Arkansas' six wins made for an extremely disappointing regular season, Kansas' six wins were historically good for a school that has generally only found success on the basketball court. That's why Jayhawks head coach Lance Leipold was one of the hottest names on the coaching market this year, and it's also why Kansas paid him a boatload of money to stay with the team. 

Overall, we're just not exactly sure how Arkansas will get enough stops to come away with a cover in this game. Jelon Daniels is one of the most electric dual-threat quarterbacks in the country, and he could be in for a huge game here. And we just think the Jayhawks will come away with a few more stops when all is said and done here. 

Kansas has done well for bettors in expected shootouts, going 4-1-1 ATS in games with totals between 63.5 and 70 under Leipold. 

BET: Kansas +3 at -110 at DraftKings Sportsbook

🏈 Kansas vs. Arkansas Predictions
📈 Betting preview: Kansas vs. Arkansas

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San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl: Oregon Ducks vs. North Carolina Tar Heels - 8:00PM ET

This is a total that really could have been set at anything and we would have looked to take the Over. This is just a matchup that has the potential to be insanely explosive, so this is one you should definitely make sure you are watching. We know we have said that quite a few times throughout bowl season, but we really mean it here. 

This season, Oregon was ninth in college football in scoring offense, scoring 39.7 points per game. Meanwhile, North Carolina averaged 35.0 points per game, while also giving up 31.0 points per game. The Tar Heels truly had one of the worst defenses the Power Five had to offer this year, which is why we expect Bo Nix and an outstanding Ducks offense to really put up a ton of points in this spot — even with new Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham no longer calling plays for Oregon. 

If the Ducks do end up scoring a bit early, Over bettors should start to get pretty excited, as you want the Tar Heels to be throwing a lot from behind. Drake Maye is one of the best quarterbacks in the country, so he'll do his part in helping North Carolina put up a lot of points. 

The Over is actually 3-1 in the four bowl games that UNC has played since Mack Brown became the program's head coach. It's also 8-2 when the Tar Heels are coming off a bye week in that span. And this time off has been a lot more than a bye week, so North Carolina should come correct offensively with multiple weeks to prepare. 

BET: Over 73.5 at -110 at DraftKings Sportsbook

🏈 Oregon vs. North Carolina Predictions
📈 Betting preview: Oregon vs. North Carolina

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TaxAct Texas Bowl: Texas Tech Red Raiders vs. Ole Miss Rebels - 9:00PM ET

Texas Tech won and covered in its final three games of the season, picking up wins over Kansas, Iowa State and Oklahoma on that streak. It was a very nice way for the Red Raiders to finish the season, but we still don't see them having enough to get over the hump against the Rebels. In fact, the only way we could have seen that being the case would have been if Lane Kiffin chose to leave for another job. But with Kiffin sticking around, we like Ole Miss to finish its year with a bang. 

The Red Raiders are just likely going to have a lot of trouble slowing down Quinshon Judkins on the ground. This season, Judkins ran for 1,476 yards and 16 touchdowns. Not many teams on the planet have what it takes to bottle him up, but Texas Tech certainly doesn't. And if Judkins does get it going with his legs, quarterback Jaxson Dart should be able to turn in a strong game as a passer. He had a good year in his first season with Kiffin, and he should only get better moving forward. 

Over the last three seasons, Texas Tech is just 1-8 ATS when coming off a game in which it scored 37 or more points. Meanwhile, the Rebels are a perfect 6-0 straight-up as a favorite of 3.5 to 10 points under Kiffin. Winning outright and winning by four aren't all that different, so look for Ole Miss to win this one and find a way to cover. Also, the team is 9-1 SU and 7-3 ATS in non-conference games under Kiffin. So, the Rebels will enjoy seeing a non-SEC opponent out there. 

BET: Ole Miss -3.5 at -110 at DraftKings Sportsbook

🏈 Texas Tech vs. Ole Miss Predictions
📈 Betting preview: Texas Tech vs. Ole Miss

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College Football Playoff Previews: 

TCU vs. Michigan

Ohio State vs. Georgia