Top College Football Picks for Saturday, December 18 (2021)

    NCAAF -  

    Although Friday, December 17 starts the college football bowl action, there’s much more action on Saturday, December 18. With six games on the slate, I’ve put together my top three favorite bets for the slate. Please allow me to remind you that there will still be players that miss games due to protocol, the flu, and to get ready for the NFL. That’s all inevitable. Please continue to check on the teams you’re looking to bet on to make sure key players are playing in these games. Absences can happen fast with everything going around.

    Anyway, here are my best bets for Saturday, December 18 in college football.

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    All odds via BettingPros consensus

    Western Kentucky vs Appalachian State: Over 67.5  (-110)

    (11:00 AM ET)

    Why not start the day on Saturday with an 11 am ET bet in college football? Everyone loves to wake up to points. In this game, we’ll see many points.

    Western Kentucky averaged 43.1 points per game and have the quarterback that threw the most touchdown passes on the year along with the most yards on the year in Bailey Zappe. Zappe, a senior quarterback, threw for 56 touchdowns and 5,545 yards. Western Kentucky fell short of a C-USA Championship, but this offense really developed as the season continued.

    However, Western Kentucky has struggled a little bit when it comes to the run game defensively. The Hilltoppers allowed 161.3 yards per game on the ground. Meanwhile, Appalachian State averaged 187.7 yards on the ground and scored 34.2 points per game. With a senior quarterback in Chase Brice, I’m expecting tons of points between two talented seniors under center.

    Utah State vs Oregon State: Oregon State -7 (-110)

    (7:30 PM ET)

    The Oregon State Beavers went 7-5 on the year but were much better statistically than that record. The Beavers scored 32.8 points per game while allowing 25.9 points per game. Realistically, Oregon State can stick around with Utah State when it comes to offense. The Beavers averaged over 215 yards rushing per game and will get to face the Utah State Aggies, which is a team that allowed 162.6 yards per game on the ground this season.

    The Beavers weren’t that impressive defensively, but still allowed fewer yards per game than Utah State this year. Oregon State has a secondary that can be really good at times, and while Oregon State has struggled stopping the run, they’ve still been better statistically in comparison to Utah State.

    The Utah State offense averaged 33.2 points per game with 452.2 yards per game. The Aggies gained 305.8 yards per game in the air but will have to face an Oregon State secondary that is really talented. I like Oregon State to get some stops and don’t think Utah State is capable of many.

    UTEP vs Fresno State: Fresno State -11.5

    (2:15 PM ET)

    The UTEP Miners never got going offensively this season in the air. With Gavin Hardison, the Miners only scored 17 touchdowns in the air and turned the ball over 12 times in the air. Hardison, a sophomore, will have better seasons ahead, but for now, he’s turnover prone.

    On the other hand, Jake Haener will get the start for Fresno State after joining the Transfer Portal and then leaving the Transfer Portal. He later apologized for his mistake and will now join the Fresno State Bulldogs in the New Mexico Bowl.

    Haener threw 32 touchdowns on the season with nine interceptions on the year. When he joined the portal, there was talk that he could sling the football around in the a Power 5 conference. Having the team leader back will help him gain trust and ultimately help Fresno State win this game with so much offense in store.

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    Jason Radowitz is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Jason, check out his archive and follow him @Jason_Radowitz.

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