2025 Gator Bowl Picks, Predictions for Ole Miss vs. Duke Today

As the 2025 College Football bowl season nears an end, we get Ole Miss vs. Duke in the Gator Bowl at 8 p.m. ET on Friday, January 2. We’ve got the best Gator Bowl picks and predictions for CFB DFS and PrizePicks below to help you cash in on the game.

There is an excellent chance Ole Miss puts up a 50 spot on Duke, as the Rebels have done it four times this year, and the Blue Devils have also allowed 50 points in a game. Ole Miss was on the cusp of making it into the playoffs, and the Rebels may want to show the committee they messed up by not giving them a spot. 

Duke will also be without some of their top players, so they’ll send out a B-Squad against a great offense.

Below, we’ll give you the best Gator Bowl picks and predictions for Duke vs. Ole Miss for CFB DFS on PrizePicks, including the best player projections to target in this College Football Bowl game.

‍

Gator Bowl Picks for Duke vs. Mississippi

Here are the best picks for the 2025 Gator Bowl between Duke vs. Mississippi on Thursday, January 2, in the College Football Playoffs for CFB DFS and PrizePicks.

• Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart Passing 324.5 Yards — More (Demon)
• Ole Miss WR Jordan Watkins 0.5 Rush+Rec TD — More (Goblin)
• Duke QB Henry Belin IV 177.5 Passing Yards — Less
• Duke WR Jordan Moore 50.5 Receiving Yards — Less
• Duke WR Eli Pancol 44.5 Receiving Yards — Less

Gator Bowl: Where to Watch Duke vs. Mississippi

Date: Thursday. January 2, 2025

Time: 8 p.m. ET

Location: EverBank Stadium, Jacksonville, Fla.

Where to Watch: ESPN, ESPN+ (streaming)

Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart Passing 324.5 Yards — More (Demon)

Duke faced the top-15 scoring offenses in Miami and SMU. They allowed SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings to throw for 258 yards, and Miami quarterback Cam Ward had 400. 

‍

Dart looks good for a big game, even with his passing numbers being all over the place. 

He has seven games with over 300 passing yards, including performances of 418 and 515 yards, but he has thrown for under 200 yards in two of the last three games. With this being the last game of the year, Ole Miss will go all out to prove they should be in the playoffs.

Ole Miss WR Jordan Watkins 0.5 Rush+Rec TD — More (Goblin)

The one drawback is that Mississippi does not have its two better players, Henry Parrish Jr. and Tre Harris, who have opted out. In the passing game, we should keep an eye on Watkins. He primarily runs a five-yard slant or fade, but he can also get yards after the catch. Dart loved looking for him in the red zone, so his seven touchdown catches tied for the most on the team.

Watkins should see a large target share and find the end zone.

Duke QB Henry Belin 178.5 Passing Yards — Less

Maalik Murphy will not start at quarterback this game for Duke; it will be Henry Belin IV, who has only thrown 30 passes in his collegiate career and one this year. It's not the best way to get your first start. 

Mississippi does not have many opt outs and most of their defensive starts will play including Walter Nolen, JJ Pegues, Princely Umanmielen who combined for 41 tackles for loss and 20.5 sacks this season. The Rebels finished third with a 90.1 PFF pass-rush grade, while Duke finished 58th with a 72.1 PFF pass-blocks grade. 

Belin IV will be running for his life all day.

Duke WR Jordan Moore 50.5 Receiving yards / WR Eli Pancol 44.5 Receiving Yards — Less

Duke's problem is that it lacks a run game. It was 24th in pass play percentage (54.3%) and will not have its own. That means Ole Miss could keep the box relatively light and have more defenders to cover receivers. Duke’s targets were virtually split between Jordan Moore and Eli Pancol, as both had 50+ catches for 70+ yards. 

We could see a case where both will be double-covered or at least have an additional defender shadowing them. 

We anticipate a challenging day for Belin IV, and we should not allow him to make tight throws with only the move. However, you could be comfortable taking both receivers below their total.

‍

Get Real Money Action on the 2025 Gator Bowl

The bowl season is coming to a close, but you can still win money on PrizePicks all the way through the 2025 National Championship.

The easiest way to get real money action on the Gator Bowl between Duke and Mississippi is on PrizePicks. Just pick more or less on player statistics like the ones above, set your Lineup, and get paid if you get your picks correct.

You only need to pick on two players, but the more you pick in your Lineup, the more you can win on the Gator Bowl!