College Football Bowl Odds 2023: Betting Tips for Every Game on Saturday's Schedule

The 2023 college football bowl season kicks off with a six-game smorgasbord on Saturday.

The action begins at 11 a.m. ET in the Myrtle Beach Bowl and will not end until after midnight on the east coast with the Independence Bowl.

The majority of the slate is dominated by Group of Five schools, some of whom will use the bowls as showcases for their tremendous seasons.

New Mexico State Aggies quarterback Diego Pavia might be the best individual to take the field on Saturday.

Pavia broke on to the national scene at the end of the regular season, when he led NMSU to a road win over the Auburn Tigers and played in a high-scoring Conference USA Championship Game against the Liberty Flames.

Pavia is one of the Group of Five stars set to play on Saturday, but some games will be affected by the transfer portal.

Before you wager on any bowl game make sure you look up the latest roster updates for all teams so you have an accurate idea of who is and is not playing.

Myrtle Beach Bowl: Georgia Southern vs. Ohio (Under 49)

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MADISON, WI - SEPTEMBER 16: Georgia Southern Eagles quarterback Davis Brin (5) throws a pass durning a college football game between the Georgia Southern Eagles and the Wisconsin Badgers on September 16th, 2023 at Barry Alvarez field at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, WI. (Photo by Dan Sanger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Saturday, 11 a.m. ET, ESPN

The Ohio Bobcats are the hardest hit Group of Five team on Saturday's slate when it comes to transfers.

Former quarterback Kurtis Rourke recently announced his transfer to Indiana and leading rusher Sieh Bangura is also in the transfer portal.

Ohio's defense will be put to the test to secure a win in the Myrtle Beach Bowl over the Georgia Southern Eagles.

The Bobcats had the best scoring defense in the Group of Five. They allowed 15.4 points per game, which was the fifth-best total in the FBS.

Ohio allowed one team to eclipse the 20-point mark in any of its nine victories.

Georgia Southern lost its final four games to finish the regular season at 6-6 and it has a turnover prone quarterback in Davis Brin, who threw 16 interceptions and was sacked on 26 occasions.

Ohio needs to drag Georgia Southern down to its offensive level to have a chance to win without its top quarterback and running back.

The Bobcats offense may look awful in the first half because of the new faces running the show and the early start, and if their defense plays well, the under may hit with ease.

New Orleans Bowl: Jacksonville State (-2.5) vs. Louisiana

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MIAMI, FL - OCTOBER 25: Jacksonville State Gamecocks cornerback Marco Baker (2) celebrates his broken up pass during the game between the Jacksonville State Gamecocks and the Florida International (FIU) Golden Panthers on Wednesday, October 25, 202 at Ricardo Silva Stadium, Miami, Fla. (Photo by Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Saturday, 2:15 p.m. ET, ESPN

The Jacksonville State Gamecocks carry far more motivation to win the New Orleans Bowl than the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns.

Jacksonville State is playing in its first FBS bowl, and despite going 8-4, it had to wait until the final day of the regular season to become bowl eligible.

The Gamecocks were not automatically eligible with six wins because of their transition from the FCS to FBS.

Rich Rodriguez's team might be the road team on paper because of Louisiana's campus proximity to New Orleans, but it should have a ton of support inside the Superdome.

Jacksonville State's only losses after September came against the two C-USA title game participants and the South Carolina Gamecocks, who it only lost to by 10 points.

The Gamecocks played at a higher level than Louisiana all season and that should show over four quarters.

Cure Bowl: Miami (Ohio) (+6.5) vs. Appalachian State

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DETROIT, MICHIGAN - DECEMBER 02: Cade McDonald #15 of the Miami (Oh) Redhawks runs the ball against Zachary Ford #7 of the Toledo Rockets during the first quarter of the MAC Championship at Ford Field on December 02, 2023 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images)

Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC

The Cure Bowl pits the MAC champion Miami (Ohio) RedHawks against the Sun Belt runner-up Appalachian State Mountaineers.

App State is the heaviest favorite on Saturday's board because Miami (Ohio) quarterback Aveon Smith is in the transfer portal.

Like their MAC brethren Ohio, the RedHawks can still win the game because of their defense.

The RedHawks won the MAC Championship Game by limiting the Toledo Rockets to 14 points.

Chuck Martin's team has not allowed an opponent to score over 20 points during its five-game winning streak.

Miami's defense was not significantly affected by the transfer portal, so that unit should contain App State's offense for a majority of the contest.

App State earned its spot in the Sun Belt Championship Game by winning five straight games, including three in which it produced over 40 points.

The Mountaineers may have to make some in-game offensive adjustments to even get close to that point range against Miami's defense, and while App State may win, the 6.5-point spread is too high to trust a team against the RedHawks' top unit.

New Mexico Bowl: New Mexico State (-3.5) vs. Fresno State

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LAS CRUCES, NEW MEXICO - OCTOBER 11: quarterback Diego Pavia #10 of the New Mexico State Aggies passes against the Sam Houston Bearkats during the second half of their game at Aggie Memorial Stadium on October 11, 2023 in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The Aggies defeated the Bearkats 27-13. (Photo by Sam Wasson/Getty Images)

Saturday, 5:45 p.m. ET, ESPN

Get ready for the Diego Pavia show!

Pavia is one of the most electric Group of Five players and he will use the New Mexico Bowl as a showcase to the rest of the country.

Pavia recorded 2,915 passing yards, 856 rushing yards and 32 total touchdowns this season.

The junior quarterback led New Mexico State to wins over Jacksonville State and Auburn to close out November. He was responsible for four touchdowns in the C-USA title game loss to Liberty.

The Fresno State Bulldogs will have a tough time containing Pavia, who should play in front of a home crowd in Alberquerque.

Fresno State started the season 8-1 and then lost three straight games by eight or more points in which it failed to reach the 20-point mark in every contest.

The Bulldogs trended in the wrong direction in November and it may be hard for them to find motivation in what will feel like a true road game.

LA Bowl: Boise State vs. UCLA (Under 47)

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PASADENA, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 25: TJ Harden #25 of the UCLA Bruins runs the ball during the second quarter against the California Golden Bears at Rose Bowl Stadium on November 25, 2023 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)

Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET, ABC

The LA Bowl is the game on Saturday's slate most affected by injuries and transfers.

Boise State Broncos quarterback Taylen Green and UCLA Bruins signal-caller Dante Moore are both in the transfer portal.

Boise State is transitioning to a new head coach and the Bruins lost defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn to the USC Trojans.

It is going to be hard for both teams to replace a combined 3,300 passing yards and 22 passing touchdowns at quarterback.

UCLA is in better shape under center in terms of experience with Ethan Garbers, but he was not spectacular in any of his starts.

The Bruins could be without leading rusher Carson Steele as well. His availability was up in the air as of Wednesday, per the Los Angeles Times' Thuc Nhi Nguyen.

Both defenses can key in on the rushing attack with a big drop off at quarterback and that could lead to an ugly game inside Sofi Stadium.

UCLA will be without linebacker Laiatu Latu, a Chuck Bednarik Award finalist, but it has a decent amount of starters still available and they will be tasked with slowing down Ashton Jeanty, who ran for 1,262 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Boise's only option is to create offense through the rushing attack, and if that can't happen, the Broncos may have to get creative to score points.

Independence Bowl: Cal vs. Texas Tech (Under 58)

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AUSTIN, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 24: Bralyn Lux #12 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders celebrates with Dadrion Taylor-Demerson #1 after an interception in the first half against the Texas Longhorns at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on November 24, 2023 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)

Saturday, 9:15 p.m. ET, ESPN

A battle of two 6-6 teams with questionable quarterback play is not exactly how you want a six-game marathon to end, but that is what we get with the Independence Bowl.

The California Golden Bears will likely start freshman Fernando Mendoza, who had 13 touchdowns and seven interceptions this season.

The Texas Tech Red Raiders will not have starter Tyler Shough, who is off in the transfer portal, so they will trust Behren Morton, who had 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

Neither quarterback's numbers will blow you away, and the potential for drive-killing turnovers could have a significant impact on the total.

Cal played in six games that featured more than 58 points this season, but four of those games came against ranked Pac-12 sides in which the opponents did the majority of the scoring.

Three of Texas Tech's last five games featured fewer than 58 points, and the only reason its last game went over that mark is because the Texas Longhorns beat it 57-7.

There should not be enough trust in both offenses to reach the 58-point mark, and that makes the under the better play.

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