Bowl Slate Preview (Dec. 14)

This year has flown by, and we are already into college football’s bowl season, which kicks off with the IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl that features South Alabama taking on Western Michigan. The Cricket Celebration Bowl is also taking place, which is the only bowl game to feature teams from the FCS. The annual Army-Navy game is also Saturday, and both teams have been competitive this year, which gives even more meaning to their battle.

We will help you with all of your Bowl game preparations by providing a breakdown for each matchup with a focus on DFS as well as a betting perspective. Let’s get to it.

Annual Army/Navy Game

It’s the 125th edition of this storied rivalry, and both teams will be wearing special uniforms. Army will be honoring the 101st Airborne Division’s courageous efforts in the siege of Bastogne, while Navy will wear uniforms with a Jolly Rogers theme to honor the VFA-103.

Army won the AAC by beating Tulane last week, and their record is currently 11-1 (8-0 AAC). The only blemish on the resume is a blowout loss to Notre Dame from last month. Navy is 8-3 (6-2 AAC) and has slowed down after a sizzling 6-0 start to the season. They’ve also lost to Notre Dame by a wide margin and have won just two of their last five games. 

Army is a 6-point favorite and the total sits at 39 points at this moment. The Black Knights success has come from revamping the nearly extinct triple-option offense. The bread and butter of this offense is the option, but they’ve been able to dress it up a bit by implementing more motion concepts as well as different formation alignments.

Army QB Bryson Daily has led this offense flawlessly and the media has dubbed him “Captain America” of the college football world. He has run for 1,480 yards and scored 29 rushing touchdowns, which ties him with Heisman candidate Ashton Jeanty for the most in all of CFB. Army is third in offensive Adjusted EPA per play, 17th in yards per carry and lead the NCAA with 314.4 rushing yards per game. Needless to say, the Navy defense will have their work cut out for them.

Navy ranks 83rd in rushing yards allowed and are 100th in rushing success rate. They were battered by Notre Dame and gave up 265 yards to a group that included mobile QB Riley Leonard. Against the elite rushing attack of Tulane, the Midshipmen surrendered 220 yards. The linchpin of Army’s offense is their ability to keep drives going via timely first downs. They are fourth in the country in third down success and that can be attributed to more than just the modern-day Captain America.

Kanye Udoh has rushed for over 1,000 yards along with 10 touchdowns and has been a great complement to Daily. Additionally, slotback Noah Short has been a menace to opposing defenses all year long with 533 rushing yards/2 touchdowns and 16 catches for 313 yards/3 TDs.

This Black Knights team throws far more than your traditional Service Academy team, which may surprise some that haven’t gotten a chance to follow them much this year. Daily has actually thrown for 877 yards and 8 touchdowns to just 1 interception. His top wideout has been Casey Reynolds (17-418-3). Former QB turned RB Tyrell Robinson is still around as well. Injuries have affected him, but he did catch a 41-yard touchdown a few weeks back, and he is a threat to take it to the house on every touch.

Navy’s offense is also a modernized version of the triple-option, and many have referred to their system as the “Gen Z Wing-T.” They are averaging 6.2 yards per play which is 38th best in the country. A far cry from last year’s 5-7 team that struggled often. 

Blake Horvath is a unique signal-caller that can run like your traditional option QB but also effectively throw like a spread QB. He has thrown for over 1,110 yards and rushed for 895 while scoring a total of 24 touchdowns (11 passing/14 rushing). He is officially questionable but there is very little chance that he misses this game.

Eil Heidenreich is one of the top offensive weapons on the team with 402 rushing yards on 55 carries and 36 receptions for 597 yards. Alex Tecza is also heavily involved with 489 yards on the ground along with 11 catches for 198 yards.

A competitive game is expected, but ultimately I think Army walks away with a victory and will be laying the points.

DFS Targets

Bryson Daily
Kanye Udoh
Eli Heidenreich
Tyrell Robinson

Best Bets

Army -6 (-108, DraftKings)
Bryson Daily OVER 119.5 Rushing Yards (-121, Caesars)
Bryson Daily 2+ Touchdowns (+110, DraftKings)

Cricket Celebration Bowl

Jackson State/South Carolina State

These two programs faced off in the Celebration Bowl back in 2021, which resulted in a 31-10 victory for South Carolina State. 

Jackson State is 11-2 after beating Southern University 41-13 in the SWAC championship. This will be their third Celebration Bowl in four years. South Carolina State got here by winning the MEAC championship in convincing fashion over Morgan State by a score of 54-7. They are 9-2, which gives them their first winning season since 2021.

First-year coach Chennis Berry was named MEAC Coach of the Year, and the SC State future is bright with him at the helm. They were top 20 in the FCS in total offense and led the MEAC in yards per game (426.5), touchdowns (49) and total yards. They’re also strong on the other side of the ball, ranking eighth in the FCS in total defense.

QB Eric Phoenix was named the MEAC Offensive POY with 2,469 passing yards and 20 touchdowns. Phoenix did suffer an injury, so his status could be up in the air and backup Ryan Stubblefield may be called upon to lead the Bulldogs here. Top wideout Caden High led the MEAC in receptions (58), receiving yards (892) and receiving TDs (7). His impact remains high as he has shown good chemistry with both Phoenix and Stubblefield.

Jackson State won its third SWAC title in four years with head coach TC Taylor being named SWAC COY. They’re ranked inside the top 10 in both scoring offense and defense in the FCS. They’ve averaged 37.1 PPG, which ranks fifth in the FCS, and are giving up just 17.92 PPG, which is 10th.

Tigers star running back Irv Mulligan has rushed for 1,168 yards and 11 touchdowns this year. He passed the legendary Walter Payton for seventh on the program’s single-season rushing record list.

Starting QB Jacobian Morgan has thrown for 2,003 yards and 19 touchdowns to 7 interceptions, but he was injured last game, which led to backup Zy McDonald stepping in and leading the team to victory. Unfortunately, McDonald was also banged up so they’re not as healthy as they’d like to be heading into a Bowl game situation. Joanes Fortilien (35-584-9) and Isaiah Spencer (32-537-4) are the top wideouts on the team, but the QB injuries may impact their overall production.

Injuries at the QB position for both teams cast some uncertainty on who will emerge victorious but this should be an entertaining affair throughout. The South Carolina State defense is opportunistic and their ability to create turnovers will be the difference.

DFS Targets

N/A

Best Bets

South Carolina State ML (-110, DraftKings)
Irv Mulligan Anytime TD (-163, Bet365)

IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl

South Alabama/Western Michigan

This is where the bowl game shenanigans begin. A lot of times the player news is lacking, which leads to surprise scratches far more often than it should. We also have players that have either declared for the NFL draft or decided to transfer which throws their status into doubt for whichever Bowl game their team may be in.

Redshirt freshman QB Gio Lopez has surprisingly announced that he will be back for another year at South Alabama, which is a major boost for the Jags. Unfortunately, he is considered questionable for the Bowl game due to a variety of ailments that have stacked up over the last few weeks. If he can’t go, it’s going to put the offense into a very tough spot. Backup QB Bishop Davenport hasn’t played much this season but would be called upon to take the wheel if Lopez has to sit out.

Stud frosh RB Fluff Bothwell has decided to transfer, so that’s a big piece of the Jags’ offense gone. He averaged 7.5 yards per carry and already has multiple power conference teams blowing up his phone.

The team is still well positioned even if they have to play this game without Lopez. Kentrell Bullock (702 rushing yards) has been a productive back all year and we could even see intriguing options like PJ Martin get more work. We often see little used players explode during bowl “SZN,” so hitting on those depth pieces is crucial.

Jamaal Pritchett (91-1126-9) is a monster and could probably succeed with a mailman at quarterback. Devin Voisin, Jeremiah Webb and DJ Thomas-Jones are relevant when it comes to DFS purposes. They’re all under $4k on DK, which is necessary value to be able to fit some of the more expensive options.

The Western Michigan Broncos will be without tight end Blake Bosma after he announced that he would be transferring but should have every other important offensive option (as of this moment). Anthony Sambucci is considered questionable, and he has struggled with injuries most of the season.

Hayden Wolff has played collegiate level football since 2019 when he was with Old Dominion and will be finishing his career in this Bowl game. He has thrown for 2,212 yards and 17 TDs to 7 INTs. 

Jalen Buckley (657 yards/8 TDs) and Jaden Nixon 876 yards/12 TDs) make up a formidable rushing duo for the Broncos. Kenneth Womack (34-456-1) is the top remaining receiver, but some unheralded options like Chris Toudle, Malique Dieudonne or Kaevion Mack could be worth a look depending on Sambucci’s status. Zahir Abdus-Salaam racked up 135 yards and a score on the ground while also catching a touchdown in WMU’s last game, so he is a worthwhile option in all formats.

Even with Lopez injured and Bothwell gone, I like the Jaguars to win this game. I’m a believer in coach Major Applewhite and think he will have the better overall gameplan.

DFS Targets

Gio Lopez
Kentrel Bullock
Jalen Buckley
Jamaal Pritchett
Zahir Abdus-Salaam

Best Bets

South Alabama -9 (-108, DraftKings)
Under 57.5 Total Points (-108, DraftKings)
Zahir Abdus-Salaam OVER 17.5 Receiving Yards (-117, Caesars)