College Football Bowl Odds 2023: Betting Tips for Top Games on Friday's Schedule

The first Top 10 matchup of bowl season headlines Friday's four-game bowl slate.

Only one of the two teams will be at close to full strength at the Cotton Bowl since the Ohio State Buckeyes have a slew of opt-outs.

Ohio State will definitely be without quarterback Kyle McCord and wide receiver Julian Fleming and the assumption is wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., a likely top-five NFL draft pick, will not be on the field at AT&T Stadium either.

The majority of the Missouri Tigers roster will play on Friday night and that makes them the most intriguing underdog on a day where underdogs could feast.

The Memphis Tigers are playing a home game at the Liberty Bowl and the Kentucky Wildcats could take advantage of a depleted Clemson Tigers defense to pull off an upset.

The Sun Bowl is by far the most affected contest by opt-outs and transfers and that could lead to a low-scoring affair between the Oregon State Beavers and Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

No. 22 Clemson vs. Kentucky (+4.5)

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LOUISVILLE, KY - NOVEMBER 25: Kentucky Wildcats running back Ray Davis (1) scores on a 20-yard touchdown pass during the fourth quarter of the college football game between the Kentucky Wildcats and Louisville Cardinals on November 25, 2023, at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium in Louisville, KY. (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Gator Bowl (Noon ET, ESPN)

Kentucky is a fascinating underdog because of what its offense could do against a weakened Clemson defense.

Clemson will be without five defensive starters due to opt-outs, transfers and injuries.

The Tigers took their biggest hit in the secondary. Cornerback Nate Wiggins opted out for draft preparations and safety Andrew Makuba hit the transfer portal.

Kentucky quarterback Devin Leary has experience playing against Clemson from his time at NC State, so he should be familiar with some of the concepts the Tigers utilize at the Gator Bowl.

Leary should pick apart a secondary starting two freshman corners to put up a decent number of points. Kentucky's team total or total touchdown props are worth looking at because of Clemson's absences.

Kentucky's star running back Ray Davis is set to play in the contest, so he could wear down the middle of the Clemson defense that will not have linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr.

Clemson can still be competitive behind quarterback Cade Klubnik, but it may take a 30-40-point output to break away from Kentucky.

The Tigers eclipsed the 30-point mark in three of their last four games, but even if they score a ton, they will be at a defensive disadvantage and that is why Kentucky is such an intriguing underdog pick.

No. 19 Oregon State vs. No. 16 Notre Dame (Under 41.5)

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STANFORD, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 25: The Notre Dame offensive line at the line of scrimmage during a game against the Stanford Cardinal at Stanford Stadium on November 25, 2023 in Stanford, California. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Image Of Sport/Getty Images)

Sun Bowl (2 p.m. ET, CBS)

Good luck trying to find points in the Sun Bowl.

Oregon State and Notre Dame took depleted rosters to El Paso, Texas because of coaching and personnel changes.

Former Oregon State head coach Jonathan Smith took the Michigan State job and backup quarterback Aidan Chlles followed him there. Starting quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei is in the transfer portal.

The Beavers will be without six other starters and their kicker due to opt-outs and the portal.

Notre Dame will not have quarterback Sam Hartman, who is focusing on NFL draft preparations.

Running back Audric Estime, offensive tackle Joe Alt and two starting defensive backs will also not be on the field for the Irish.

Both offenses will be shells of themselves in the Sun Bowl and that will make it hard for each team to discover some on-field offensive chemistry.

Betting an under of 41 points seems risky, but with little experience at quarterback on both sides, we could be destined to see 17-10-type game.

Memphis (+10) vs. Iowa State

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DENTON, TX - OCTOBER 28: Memphis Tigers running back Blake Watson (4) runs through North Texas Mean Green cornerback John Davis (8) during the game between the North Texas Mean Green and the Memphis Tigers on October 28, 2023 at DATCU Stadium in Denton, Texas. (Photo by Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Liberty Bowl (3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)

Memphis will play inside its home stadium at the Liberty Bowl.

As we saw on Thursday in the Fenway and Pinstripe Bowls, home-field advantage does matter a bit in bowl games.

The Iowa State Cyclones fans should travel well to Memphis, but they should still be outnumbered by Memphis fans.

The Tigers should not be a 10-point underdog because of the home stadium factor and quarterback Seth Henigan.

Henigan threw for 3,519 yards and 26 touchdowns this season and led Memphis to 40-point totals in four of its last five games.

The Tigers can score in bunches against an Iowa State defense that conceded over 20 points on five occasions.

Iowa State was 4-2 in true road games, but it did lose to the Ohio Bobcats and Oklahoma Sooners away from Ames.

Henigan's experience at quarterback should keep the Tigers at least within 10 points, and they could potentially win if the signal-caller turns in a strong performance.

No. 9 Missouri (+4.5) vs. No. 7 Ohio State

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COLUMBIA, MO - NOVEMBER 11: Missouri Tigers defensive back Daylan Carnell (13) looks back as he returns an interception 38 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter of an SEC football game between the Tennessee Volunteers and Missouri Tigers on Nov 11, 2023 at Memorial Stadium in Columbia, MO. (Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Cotton Bowl (8 p.m. ET, ESPN)

It is difficult to understand why Missouri is a 4.5-point underdog for the Cotton Bowl.

Ohio State lost its quarterback and one of its top wide receivers to the transfer portal and it could have a few more key absences on Friday.

Harrison's status is the most important one to watch. He has not officially said that he will be out of the Cotton Bowl, but one has to assume he won't risk injury as a projected top-five draft pick.

Running back Tre'Veyon Henderson, tight end Cade Stover and defensive J.T. Tuimoloau are also worth watching in the buildup to kickoff.

Missouri does not have question marks lingering over its stars participation in the New Years' Six bowl.

The Tigers have a 1,400-yard running back in Cody Schrader, an 1,100-yard wide receiver in Luther Burden III and another pass-catching machine in Theo Wease.

Schrader, Burden, Wease and quarterback Brady Cook were going to hurt Ohio State regardless of which players were on the field, and now that they hold an advantage over the Buckeyes' current offense, they should be consider the favorite to win the Cotton Bowl.

Ohio State's offense could take some time to develop a rhythm behind backup Devin Brown, and if he is without a few potential NFL players, the adjustment process will be far more difficult.

At least you know with Mizzou that its full-strength offense will be on the field, and that could lead to a nice halftime advantage that turns into a victory. The Mizzou first-half money line is worth a look because of Ohio State's potential offensive instability.

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