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CFB DFS Cheat Sheet for Saturday Bowl Games: Picks & Predictions

December 28, 2024

December 28, 2024

Miami QB Cam Ward warms up at Hard Rock Stadium on October 26, 2024 in Miami Gardens, Florida. Cam Ward is a top CFB DFS pick on PrizePicks for Saturday’s Bowl Games.

Carmen Mandato/Getty Images

It's that strange time of year when everyone is home from work, and no one knows what day it is. The good news is the sports schedule is loaded, and Saturday brings us a ton of college football bowl action, plus three NFL games. 

Today, we have eight college football bowl games, with CFB DFS action all day long, with the slate kicking off at 11 a.m. ET. Below, we’ll give you the top player picks for today’s bowl games for CFB DFS on PrizePicks.

These bowls have matchups you would never see in the regular season, and a few teams that were once in College Football Playoff contention, so you know they’ll have a ton of talent on the field.

We will give you player picks to take in each of these games to put in your PrizePicks Lineup on Saturday. Let’s get into the picks.

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CFB DFS Picks for Bowl Games Today: December 28

Here are the top CFB DFS picks on PrizePicks for all of the college football bowl games today, December 28. Click to get more analysis on each.

For more college football picks and predictions throughout the College Football Playoff and bowl games, stay tuned to the Playbook for picks and predictions on all the bowl and CFB Playoff games.

College Football Bowl Schedule Today: December 28

Here is the full college football bowl game schedule for today, Saturday, December 28, including when they start and where to watch the bowl games.

  • Fenway Bowl: UConn (8-4) vs. North Carolina (6-6) — 11 a.m. ET, ESPN
  • Pinstripe Bowl: Boston College (7-5) vs. Nebraska (6-6) — 12 p.m. ET, ABC
  • New Mexico Bowl: Louisiana (10-3) vs. TCU (8-4) — 2:15 p.m. ET, ESPN
  • Pop-Tarts Bowl: #18 Iowa State (10-2) vs. #13 Miami (10-2) — 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC
  • Arizona Bowl: Miami (OH) (8-5) vs. Colorado State (8-4) — 4: 30 p.m. ET, CW Network
  • Military Bowl: East Carolina (7-5) vs. NC State (6-6) — 5:45 p.m. ET, ESPN
  • Alamo Bowl: #17 BYU (10-2) vs. #23 Colorado (9-3) — 7:30 p.m. ET, ABC
  • Independence Bowl: Louisiana Tech vs. #22 Army (11-2) — 9:15 p.m. ET, ESPN 

Miami QB Cam Ward 324.5 Passing Yards — More (Demon)

College Football Bowl Picks, CFB DFS Cheat Sheet

Things were going well for Miami QB Cam Ward entering December: Miami was No. 4 in the country, had a playoff spot, and was the favorite to win the Heisman as the best statistical quarterback in the country. 

Then it all came crashing down, where Miami dropped two of the final three games and found itself out of the playoffs. Ward still had a fantastic season as he led the country with 36 touchdowns and was second with 4,123 passing yards.

The overall defensive numbers for Iowa State look good, especially in the passing game, as the Cyclones finished fifth in passing yards allowed (165.5). However, they have been torched the last three games, allowing a 64.5% completion rate and three passing touchdowns in back-to-back. 

Ward has tossed 3+ touchdowns in eight games this year, and has passed for more than 325 yards in three of his last four games. He sees his biggest numbers when he plays close games, which this one has the makings of.

Army QB Bryson Daily 147.5 Rushing Yards — More

College Football Bowl Picks, CFB DFS Cheat Sheet

Army QB Bryson Daily led this team to one of its better seasons in recent memory and only the second 11-win season in program history. You can’t look at his passing numbers to truly talk about his impact because he only had 942 passing yards and nine touchdowns, but that’s typical in the triple-option offense that Navy runs. 

The ground game is where Daily excelled; his 1,532 rushing yards were seventh in the country, and his 29 rushing touchdowns were tied with Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty for the most in the FBS.

Louisiana Tech was excellent against the run this season, allowing 125.6 yards per game (31st), but it will be missing several key players on the defensive front. The Bulldogs only saw 35.5 rush attempts per game, but the Black Knights are second in with 53.6 per game. Army RB Kanye Udoh hit the transfer portal, so Daily will likely get more carries and could get this to this total on pure volume.

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Miami RB Damien Martinez 70.5 Rushing Yards — More

College Football Bowl Picks, CFB DFS Cheat Sheet

People talk about the success of Cam Ward and Miami’s passing game, but the Hurricanes were also excellent on the ground. The Hurricanes finished third in PFF run grade (95.6) and fifth in rush EPA (0.102). With a solid rushing game, Martinez has gone more than this number in four of his last six games.

The Cyclones have been vulnerable against the run. They are 100th in rushing yards allowed per game (179.6) and have allowed 230 yards on the ground in three of the last five games. The Canes could get a lot of yards on the air and ground in this matchup. 

Nebraska RB Emmett Johnson 71.5 Rushing Yards — Less

College Football Bowl Picks, CFB DFS Cheat Sheet

The Cornhuskers have to feel good, as they will play in their first bowl game in eight years — the longest drought among the Power Four teams. This team has had some ups and downs, but now they have one of next year's top transfer portal classes. 

Boston College's upcoming opponent will be a challenge coming off a great first year under Bill O’Brien. Although he’s known as an offensive coach, the Eagles had a fantastic defense. They were especially tough against the run, as they were 17th in the PFF run defense grade and 41st in rush defense expected points added. 

Nebraska RB Dante Dowdell — 143 carries and 614 yards on the season, is transferring and won’t play here, which allows Emmett Johnson to be the lead back for this game.

If you look at his last matchup where he got the bulk of the carries; he only averaged 3.9 yards per carry against Iowa, and now he faces a run defense that Pro Football Focus has rated higher.

Iowa State WR Jayden Higgins 85.5 Receiving Yards — More

Iowa State and Miami are named after storms, which is appropriate for how this game could play out. Both teams can score, and both tend to give up points. Miami has been especially vulnerable to giving up big plays, which hurt them in its two losses late in th season.

Look for Higgins to get at least one big play in this game. He finished fifth in the FBS in receiving yards and had at least one 20+ yard reception in 12 of his 13 games.

North Carolina WR J.J. Jones 51.5 Receiving Yards — Less

This North Carolina vs. Connecticut matchup has the makings of a low-scoring game that could be determined in the trenches. Even with North Carolina RB Omarion Hampton opting out, UNC should use the ground game as much as possible. 

Both offenses run the ball at least 54% of the time, and UConn’s defense is a respectable 54th in dropback EPA. UNC QB Jalcoby Criswell spreads the ball well, and although Jones leads the teams with 570 receiving yards, his 34 catches are third, and six players have at least 19 catches on this team. Do not look for him to play a large factor in this game.

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Win Money on Saturday’s Bowl Games with PrizePicks

There's still a packed schedule of bowl games left, with the best yet to come, and plenty of action this Saturday — just days before the College Football Playoff quarterfinals. PrizePicks is the best way to turn your college football knowledge into cash all the way through the National Championship. 

Use these Saturday college football bowl game picks to help you build your CFB DFS Lineups on PrizePicks

You can win real money on PrizePicks throughout the bowl season and College Football Playoff by choosing more or less on player projections. Pick more on Demon projections to win up to 1000x your money with a 6-Pick Lineup. The more players you pick in one Lineup, the more you stand to win.

Follow John Supowitz for more CFB Picks: @ImThatSupi

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