2024 New Year’s Eve Bowl Games Odds and Predictions

This year’s rockin’ New Year’s Eve starts early. There are five 2024 New Year’s Eve bowl games, one of which is part of the new 12-team College Football Playoff. If you’re looking for a way to ring in the New Year, kick it off with the ReliaQuest Bowl which features two recent national champions – Michigan and Alabama.

The final day of the year culminates with the first of four College Football Playoff quarterfinal games. The Vrbo Fiesta Bowl plays host to No. 6 Penn State and No. 3 Boise State. The Nittany Lions are 10.5-point favorites. We’ll talk later about the first-round games of the CFP and the number of lopsided victories we’ve seen.

These New Year’s Eve games should provide plenty of excitement in addition to tremendous betting opportunities. You can get all the latest college football championship odds and predictions right here at Scores & Stats. Our experts will provide you with the best insider information, detailed analysis, and, ultimately, picks for each game.

In addition to Alabama, South Carolina plays on New Year’s Eve. The 15th-ranked Gamecocks will take on No. 20 Illinois. There has been plenty of talk about how both of these teams could have been part of the CFP. Again, we’ll hit on those first-round blowouts a little later on. We’ll also provide you with our expert Playoff odds and predictions.

These are coming straight from our college football experts who have decades of experience in the sports betting industry. Read on to get yourself ready for the 2024 New Year’s Eve bowl games.

New Year’s Eve Bowl Games Schedule

New Year’s Eve Bowl Games Betting

Keep an eye on the latest College Football Odds and monitor how the lines change throughout the week.

In the first round of this year’s College Football Playoff, fans and bettors were treated to four double-digit blowouts. Will that continue in the CFP Quarterfinal on New Year’s Eve? Penn State faces Boise State in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl. The Nittany Lions are favored by 10.5 points. The books are expecting another blowout victory for a Power 4 school against one from the Group of 5.

There are actually three double-digit spreads among the five New Year’s Eve bowl games. As mentioned, Alabama takes on Michigan in the ReliaQuest Bowl. The Wolverines have had issues with scoring all season long. The Crimson Tide has not. That is part of the reason why Alabama is a 13.5-point favorite, the biggest chalk of the day. The books are definitely expecting a blowout with the game total set at just 43.5.

Oddsmakers do expect a couple tight games on New Year’s Eve. The Sun Bowl pits Louisville against Washington. The Cardinals are 2.5-point favorites. Baylor is a 3.5-point favorite over LSU in the Texas bowl.

Three of the New Year’s Eve bowl games have game totals of less than 50 and none of the five are 60 or higher. Baylor-LSU in the Texas Bowl has the highest total at 59.5. It’s interesting because Baylor head coach Dave Aranda is the former defensive coordinator at LSU and he is known for his strong defenses. The Texas Bowl game total opened at 58.5 and has been as high as 60.

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New Years Eve Bowl Game Predictions

Let’s take a look at the featured FBS College Football games and make our spread, total, and moneyline NCAAF picks for each game.

Reliaquest Bowl: Alabama vs. Michigan Odds

How about this for a fun fact? Alabama and Michigan kicked off 2024, meeting in one of the CFP semifinals last season. They will end 2024 on New Year’s Eve in the ReliaQuest Bowl. Michigan, of course, is a shell of last year’s team. The defense is the one thing keeping this team in games.

Offensive coordinator Kirk Campbell has already been let go after Michigan averaged 22.3 points per game, which ranked 100th among the 134 FBS teams this season. The Wolverines won their last two games, the second of which was the massive upset of Ohio State in the regular season finale. Michigan did cover the spread in four of its last five games of the season.

Alabama did something this season it hadn’t done in a long time – lose three games. The Crimson Tide lost to Vanderbilt, Tennessee, and Oklahoma. Those losses kept the Tide from making the CFP this season. Just like year’s past, Alabama’s offense was outstanding, producing 36.3 points per game and the defense was stingy, allowing 17.3 per game.

Reliaquest Bowl: Alabama vs. Michigan Predictions

The big thing to look at in all of these New Year’s Eve bowl games are the players that have transferred or are opting not to play. Both teams have some players that will not play, but Alabama QB Jalen Milroe says he will. That’s one of the big reasons why the Tide are still such a big favorite.

Michigan won’t have starting cornerback Will Johnson or DT Mason Graham, who is expected to be a high first-round selection in next year’s NFL draft. Michigan’s defense will still be solid, but not having those two will make an impact. The Wolverines are limited at quarterback as well with Alex Orji (who will transfer after the game) and Davis Warren.

Alabama has some of the best depth in the country. Their opt-outs and transfers will have less of an impact than Michigan’s. The Wolverines will have a tough time putting points on the board. With the spread under 14, that blowout cover is likely to happen.

Bet: ML pass, Alabama -13.5 (-110), Over 43.5 (-110)

Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl: Louisville vs. Washington Odds

It’s one of the oldest bowl games on record, right up there with the Rose Bowl and Orange Bowl. It’s also one of the weirdest bowl names due to its sponsorship with a Kellogg’s cereal brand. The Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl should be one of the more competitive bowl games on this New Year’s Eve.

Louisville won each of its last two games with stellar defensive efforts against Pitt and rival Kentucky. That gave the Cardinals wins in four of its last five games. The only loss was an upset to Stanford (38-35). Louisville covered three of its last four games, but the Cardinals are 3-6 ATS in their last nine games.

Washington started the 2024 season 4-2, but went 2-4 in their last six games. They were also 2-4 ATS in their final six games of the season. With a top-40 defense, the Huskies were 4-8 to the Under this season and 12 of their last 17 games dating back to last season have gone Under the total.

Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl: Louisville vs. Washington Predictions

Again, looking at opt-outs, none will have more impact on this game than Louisville QB Tyler Shough. He was the Cardinals starter all season long and threw for 3,195 yards and 23 TDs. Shough has opted out and now the Cardinals offense will fall onto the shoulders of backup Harrison Bailey.

Bailey will have to go up against a very good Washington defense. The Huskies forte is defending the pass. They rank No. 5 in the nation in passing yards allowed per game. Facing a backup quarterback will be much easier than facing Shough. Washington has played a brutal schedule this season and ended up 6-6. They would have been better if they could have scored some points.

With Louisville playing an inexperienced backup and Washington having the better defense, there is value on the underdog here. The Huskies should be able to keep this game close. Neither team plays all that fast. Both rank in the 80s in number of plays run per game. Watch out for the Huskies in a low-scoring upset.

Bet: Washington +105, Washington +2.5 (-115), Under 49.5 (-110)

Kinder’sTexas Bowl: Baylor vs. LSU Odds

Baylor and LSU have never played in the modern era of college football. Baylor head coach Dave Aranda has coached at both schools though. Aranda was LSU’s defensive coordinator when they won a national championship in 2019. After that season, Aranda went from being the nation’s highest-paid defensive coordinator to Baylor’s head coach. In just his second year, Aranda and Baylor won the Big 12 championship and finished 12-2

The Bears are 8-4 this season with six straight wins. They have also covered the spread in six straight games. Baylor’s offense has been absolutely crushing their opponents. In five of those six games, Baylor scored 37 or more points. The Bears gained 499 yards or more of total offense in five of the six games as well.

LSU had grand aspirations entering this season but lost to USC in the season opener. Head coach Brian Kelly and the Tigers then ripped off six straight wins and was ranked No. 8 in the country heading into Week 10. Then, disaster struck…three straight losses which dashed any playoff hopes.

LSU won its last two games of the season. The Tigers covered only once in its final four games of the season. They finished the 2024 season 4-8 ATS. The total has gone Under in seven of LSU’s last nine games. For Baylor, the Over has cashed in seven of the last nine.

Kinder’s Texas Bowl: Baylor vs. LSU Predictions

The rosters will play a big role in this one too. LSU’s opt-outs and transfers are going to leave the Tigers shorthanded in a number of key positions. Both starting offensive tackles are out as well as tight ends Ka’Morreun Pimpton and Mason Taylor. QB Garrett Nussmeier will play, but he will not have his usual weapons.

Baylor QB Sawyer Robinson has been on one recently. In the Bears six-game winning streak, Robinson has thrown for 17 touchdowns. The Baylor defense remains pretty much intact. The Bears have just a handful of players that opted out or transferred. The results are going to favor Baylor.

LSU will likely start three freshmen on the offensive line. The Tigers running game ranks 108th in the country and that was with five experienced starters. Plus, LSU may have trouble protecting Nussmeier in the passing game. The Tigers offense will have trouble scoring against a pretty solid Baylor defense. That might not allow them to keep this one close.

Bet: Baylor -152, Baylor -3.5 (-115), Under 59.5 (-110)

Cheez-It Citrus Bowl: South Carolina vs. Illinois Odds

Unlike several of these New Year’s Eve bowl games, the transfer portal has not really affected either of these teams. Other than a couple of opt-outs for the NFL draft, both South Carolina and Illinois will have most of their best players available.

The Gamecocks finished the regular season on a six-game winning streak. It was one heckuva streak too as it featured three wins over Top 25 teams. South Carolina also almost pulled off an upset of Alabama earlier in the season. In addition, the Gamecocks went 6-1 ATS over their final seven games.

South Carolina and Illinois are built similarly, but the Gamecocks have the better defense. They rank in the top 15 against the run and in scoring defense. Illinois averaged nearly 29 points per game this season which contributed to their outstanding season. The Illini won their final three games of the season and they scored 38 points in each.

Illinois finished the season 9-3 SU and 8-3-1 ATS. Both teams have seen game totals in the mid- to high 40s all season long. Both teams have good defense, but both teams have trended to the Over. Each of Illinois’ last three games went Over the total. Five of the last seven South Carolina games went Over as well.

Cheez-It Citrus Bowl: South Carolina vs. Illinois Predictions

LaNorris Sellers is the difference in this game. The Gamecocks dual-threat quarterback threw for 2.274 yards and 17 TDs. He also ran for 655 yards and seven scores. The Illinois defense gave up 59 points over its final two games. Facing a quarterback like Sellers is going to be an issue, especially since he outclasses both signal-callers from Northwestern and Rutgers.

The South Carolina defense is an elite unit. The Gamecocks held Alabama to 27 points and led late in the game before the Tide scored 13 fourth-quarter points. South Carolina also limited Ole Miss to 27 and Texas A&M to 20.

Illinois has had issues with mobile quarterbacks. The Illini had to come back and beat Purdue in overtime after the Boilermakers quarterback threw for over 300 yards and ran for over 100. Dillon Gabriel also torched the Illini in a 38-9 victory. Sellers is going to be too much for Illinois to handle.

Bet: South Carolina -360, Illinois +10 (-108), Over 49.5 (-110)

CFP Quarterfinals Vrbo FiestaBowl: Boise State vs. Penn State Odds

Boise State has had a season to remember. The Broncos only loss was by 3 (34-31) to No. 1 Oregon. RB Ashton Jeanty was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy and is the nation’s leading rusher. He has rushed for 2,497 yards and 29 touchdowns this season. Every defense has geared up to stop him, but none have been all that successful.

Penn State went 10-2 SU this season with losses to Ohio State and the same team that beat Boise State – Oregon. The Nittany Lions once again have one of the better defenses in the nation. They won five of their last six games and in four of those wins Penn State held their opponent to 10 or fewer points.

The Nittany Lions went 7-7 ATS this season and they have covered four of their last six games. They are also very strong late in the season. Penn State is 9-2 ATS in its last 11 games played in the month of December.

Boise State has won 10 straight, but they are 1-4 ATS in their last five games. They have been the opposite of Penn State late in a season. The Broncos are 1-6 ATS in their last seven games played in December. Boise is also 0-6 SU the last six times they have been an underdog.

CFP Quarterfinals Vrbo Fiesta Bowl: Boise State vs. Penn State Predictions

Historically, Penn State has had great success in shutting down big-time running backs. They will have their hands full stopping Jeanty, but it can be done. Jeanty did rush for over 100 yards in every game, but UNLV held him to a season-low 128 back at mid-season. UNLV is a pretty good defense, but Penn State is much better. The Nittany Lions are No. 7 in the nation against the run and fifth in scoring defense allowing just 15.9 points per game. If there is a defense that can stop Jeanty, it’s Penn State’s.

On offense, the Nittany Lions have been pouring on the points lately. QB Drew Allar has been excellent and the running game has rushed for 200-plus in four of the last six games. Penn State has scored 35 points or more in five of the last six games.

The difference will be Allar and the Penn State passing game. Boise State’s pass defense ranks 113th in the nation. Allar has thrown for 3,027 yards and 21 touchdowns. The Penn State running game is solid too – 17th in the FBS averaging 200.1 points per game. Head coach James Franklin can beat you with the run or the pass. There’s a reason Penn State is favored by double digits.

Bet: ML Pass, Penn State -10.5 (-115), Under 52.5 (-110)

Best Bets For The New Year’s Eve Bowl Games

After examining the 2024 New Year’s Eve bowl games, our Scores & Stats college football experts have come up with their best bets. Let’s take a look.

• Baylor (1H) -1.5 vs. LSU
• Louisville vs. Washington Under 49.5

Baylor has had a great season not only with eight wins in 12 games, but also by covering in nine of the 12. Part of that has been due to starting games quickly. The Bears average 17.1 first-half points. That ranks 17th in the nation. Baylor has covered the first half spread in each of its last three games. With LSU starting three freshmen offensive linemen, the Bears get off to another good start.

Louisville will play with its backup quarterback. Washington has one of the best pass defenses in the nation. The Huskies rank fifth in passing yards allowed per game. Their offense leaves a lot to be desired, but this should end up being a slow-paced dogfight.

You can bet Baylor -1.5 in the first half at -106. You would need to wager $106 to win $100. If you plan on backing the Under in the Louisville-Washington game, you need to pony up $110 to win $100. You can also get better odds – +236 – by parlaying these two bets. Both legs will have to win, but if they do you’ll take home $336 – winnings of $236 plus your $100 stake.