Bowl Slate Preview (Jan. 3)

The college football bowl game grind is winding down, and I want to take a moment to thank everyone who has supported my content and FTN as a whole the entire season. It means the world to me that so many people appreciate what we do here and several members in our community hit big pay days on Thursday. This is the last two-game slate of the 2024-25 season, so let’s take full advantage and keep our hot streak going.

In this breakdown, we will highlight the top fantasy options and any best bets for each matchup. Let’s get into it.

First Responder Bowl

North Texas vs. Texas State

Texas State -14, O/U 65

The total in this game has steadily increased across most books, and it’s no secret that both of these offenses have serious firepower. Both programs have key opt-outs, but they’re still stacked with talent at the skill positions and the defenses are suspect to say the least.

North Texas has been hit by a slew of transfers that includes QB Chandler Morris, RB Ikaika Ragsdale, RB Shane Porter and WR DT Sheffield. Even though Porter is in the portal he is listed atop the depth chart, so we will operate under the assumption that he plays. The loss of Morris and Sheffield is obviously tough, but their remaining pass-catchers are still dangerous. Damon Ward (36-622-4), Dalton Carnes (29-371-2), Blair Conwright (40-542-7) and Miles Coleman (30-274-1) are all available. 

Freshman Drew Mestemaker will be starting at quarterback for the Mean Green. He hasn’t played much this season, but this will be a great opportunity for him to prove he deserves a shot at being the starter for next season. Shane Porter (643 yards) and Makenzie McGill (442 yards) will get plenty of touches in the backfield to protect the young signal caller as much as possible.

Star QB Jordan McCloud confirmed this morning that he would in fact be playing, which is a huge boost for the Bobcats. RB1 Ish Mahdi has transferred to Arizona, so it’ll be a combination of Lincoln Pare (404 yards), Torrance Burgess (344 yards) and Deion Hankins (245 yards) getting carries.

As of now, the Bobcats will have the majority of their receivers available with the exception of Kole Wilson who has decided to hit the transfer portal. Joey Hobert (66-661-8), Jaden Williams (49-652-6), Chris Dawn (33-387-6) and Beau Sparks (21-217-2) are viable to varying degrees. 

It will likely take North Texas some time to get rolling in the first half as they adjust to playing without Chandler Morris. On the other side, I’m expecting the Bobcats to strike fast, which will lead to an early lead. The second half will be much more competitive, and I am taking a stand with Texas State in the first half.

DFS Targets

Jordan McCloud
Lincoln Pare/Torrance Burgess/Deion Hankins
Jaden Williams/Joey Hobert/Chris Dawn
Damon Ward/Dalton Carnes/Blair Conwright
Makenzie McGill/Shane Porter

Best Bets

Texas State -7.5 First-Half Spread (-106, FanDuel)

Duke’s Mayo Bowl

Minnesota vs. Virginia Tech

Minnesota -10, O/U 42.5

The Gophers RB depth has been a strength of their team all year long, but Sieh Bangura is headed back to Ohio as a transfer while Jordan Nubin and Marcus Major are also potentially out. Darius Taylor will be back for 2025 so he is one of the players we can definitely count on for this team. Injuries derailed the beginning of his season, but he was still able to rack up 873 yards on the ground while also contributing 50 receptions for 333 yards. Taylor is a versatile weapon on offense that has the best chance of breaking Friday’s slate. 

Rumors are swirling that Daniel Jackson will be opting out to focus on draft preparations, which would make Elijah Spencer (46-603-4) the top option in the receiving room. Jameson Geers (25-251-4) and La’Meke Brockington (16-227-1) are all interesting looks for DFS tournaments.

Max Brosmer has been steady this year with 2,617 passing yards and 17 TDs to 5 INTs while sporting a 66.8% completion rate. I am expecting a ton of easy throws to Taylor out of the backfield, and it seems very likely that he will be peppering Spencer heavily with targets.

The Hokies are in far worse shape than the Gophers when it comes to injuries, opt-outs and transfers. QBs Kyron Drones is not playing, and Collin Schlee is apparently in a “break in case of emergency” situation due to his various injuries. That means William “Pop” Watson will get the call at QB and he looked fairly good in a Week 14 win over Virginia. In that game he threw for 254 yards and a TD while rushing for 48 yards/1 TD. RB Bhayshul Tuten is injured and hasn’t been practicing at all, while Malachi Thomas has decided to transfer. Jeremiah Coney and Tyler Mason appear set to handle the backfield duties. Receiver Jaylin Lane and Da’Quan Felton have opted out but the Gosnells (Benji and Stephen) are expected to suit up. Ali Jennings has unfortunately been plagued by injuries over the last couple of years, but he is just three years removed from a thousand yards season at Rice and will be suiting up for his final collegiate game. Jennings never really got going with Drones for whatever reason, but he has flourished with Watson under center. He went for 6-158-1 in Week 13 against Duke and 2-51-0 in Week 14 against Virginia. Something tells me that he will be a huge part of the game plan.

I like Virginia Tech a bit more than most today and truly believe they’ll be competitive even with so many key players out. With that said, Minnesota’s going to have success running the football today and that will be especially prevalent in the second half which will enable them to ultimately pull away with a victory as well as the cover.

DFS Targets

Darius Taylor
Elijah Spencer/Jameson Geers
Max Brosmer
William Watson
Jeremiah Coney
Ali Jennings/Benji Gosnell/Stephen Gosnell

Best Bets

Minnesota -9.5 (-115, DraftKings)
Darius Taylor 2+ Touchdowns (+140, FanDuel)
Elijah Spencer Over 55.5 Receiving Yards (-114, FanDuel)
Darius Taylor Over 98.5 Rushing Yards (-114, FanDuel)