5 Best College Football Bowl Predictions Against The Spread: CFP Semifinals, December 30, 31 Games

5 best college football bowl predictions and picks against the spread and point totals for the games on December 30th and 31st

5 best predictions for College Football Playoff Semifinals and other December 30th and 31st games. 


5 Best College Football Bowl Predictions College Football Playoff, December 30th, 31st Games

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Expert Picks Dec 28-Jan 2, NY6, CFP
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Results So Far: 82-70-1
Bowl Season: 8-7

I was about to be more insufferable than I already am.

After a rough start to the bowl season, I was right there. My picks for the last round of games were about to be 4-1 against the spread, all I needed was one Minnesota stop in the Pinstripe against Syracuse, I got it, and … 12 men on the field flag, an Orange score on 4th and goal, just like that, I’m back to being just okay.

But in this wacky bowl season I’ll take 60% for that last run. Now it’s time to do better with five to end 2022 on a high note, starting with …

Click on each game for the game preview

5. Capital One Orange Bowl: Tennessee vs Clemson

Friday, December 30, 2022, 8:00 ET, ESPN
ATS Line 
Clemson -6
Pick Tennessee

I’m still not sold on the Clemson secondary.

Tennessee is missing a ton. Combine that with the public having little faith in Joe Milton at quarterback, and Clemson is almost a touchdown favorite. The Tiger defensive line might have something to do with that, and overall, the losses for a team of this caliber were relatively minimal.

I’m still not sold.

Not to dog Jalin Hyatt or Cedric Tillman in any way, but I do believe Tennessee’s system has as much to do with the success – if not more – than the receivers and the parts in the roles.

I’m going with the idea that Milton can do enough with the returning receivers to hit the Tiger secondary sort of like Sam Hartman and Wake Forest did, sort of like North Carolina’s Drake Maye did – at least in terms of total yards – and sort of  like Florida State’s Jordan Travis did.

I do believe that the atmosphere in the Orange Bowl will be great, both teams will trade big offensive punches, and I’m even buying in that Clemson will probably win this.

I’ll take my chances walking into the stadium up 6-0 with the team that’s been through the SEC wars this season.

NEXT: College Football Pick Against the Spread No. 4: TaxSlayer Gator Bowl

Kentucky vs Iowa TransPerfect Music City Bowl Prediction Game Preview

Kentucky vs Iowa game preview, prediction, and breakdown for the TransPerfect Music City Bowl on Saturday, December 31

Kentucky vs Iowa prediction, game preview, odds, how to watch. TransPerfect Music City Bowl, Saturday, December 31


Kentucky vs Iowa TransPerfect Music City Bowl Prediction Game Preview

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Kentucky vs Iowa How To Watch

Date: Saturday, December 31
Game Time: 12:00 ET
Venue: Nissan Stadium, Nashville, TN
How To Watch: ABC
Record: Kentucky (7-5), Iowa (7-5)
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Kentucky vs Iowa TransPerfect Music City Bowl 5 Things To Know

TransPerfect Music City Bowl Prediction, What’s Going To Happen, History

Two teams with a bunch of players wearing Iowa and Kentucky uniforms will run onto the field, and a game of football will be played. After that, good luck trying to figure out what this is going to be.

Kentucky won’t have its top guys in the backfield – QB Will Levis is getting ready to possibly be the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft, and heart-and-soul RB Chris Rodriguez isn’t going to play, either. It goes on from there with the depth taking a hit along with a few parts on the defensive side.

Iowa is trying to figure out its offense, too, without one of its normal quarterbacks expected to be around for an offense that wasn’t exactly rocking and rolling to begin with.

There are enough regular starters for both teams to make this interesting, but it’s going to be a bit rocky, especially because …

Iowa had the second-worst offense in college football. There wasn’t any passing game, scoring was like pulling teeth, and there’s a rumor the attack converted on a third down. Even so, the defense was fantastic – a slew of the main men are supposed to be around – and the O managed to not screw it up over a five-game winning streak in the second half of the year.

Kentucky’s offense wasn’t a whole lot better thanks to a ragged offensive line, the defense couldn’t generate a pass rush, and yet it all worked in a Kentucky sort of way to get here. That’s not a knock because …

Kentucky has been great in bowl games under Mark Stoops. UK lost four straight bowls – with Stoops dropping his first two – and then came the run of four great performances in bowl wins over the last four years. That includes last season’s 20-17 Citrus Bowl win over …

Iowa was a disaster in bowls from 2011 to 2016, and then it all turned with three nice wins highlighted by a 49-24 whacking of USC in the 2019 Holiday Bowl. Last year’s bowl loss to Kentucky was tough, but it was a good fight.

When the Music City Bowl hits, it’s cranks up a home run. Purdue’s 48-45 overtime win over Tennessee last year might have been the best bowl of the season. Throwing out the canceled 2020 bowl, 13 of the last 17 Music City Bowls have been decided by eight points or fewer. Considering how these two teams play, this should be low scoring, too.

CFN Experts CFP, NY6, Dec 28-Jan 2

Why Kentucky Will Win The TransPerfect Music City Bowl

Really, this Iowa offense is just that stagnant.

It was only able to hit 200 yards passing twice, the overall attack never came up with 400 yards, and it only got to 300 three times. It’s not a stretch to suggest it’ll only take a few scores for Kentucky to put this away.

As is there’s no Iowa passing game, at least there’s nothing deep. Now it’s throwing out an untested option in Joey Labas as he tries to do something to get the chains moving.

But the Iowa O is the Iowa O. It’s the defensive side that has to own this game, and it starts with needing to come up with takeaways. Kentucky had issues over the first half of the season with giveaways, but it only turned it over twice in the last four games.

And the Wildcats can play a little defense, too.  It hasn’t allowed 200 passing yards in any of the last four games, and Iowa doesn’t have the running game to make up for it.

However …

Top 100 Bowl Players | Ranking Bowl Games So Far

Why Iowa Will Win The TransPerfect Music City Bowl

Really, the Kentucky offense is just that stagnant.

Will Levis is being panned as a possible top pick in the NFL Draft, but that’s partly because he didn’t get a chance to show what he could do behind an offensive line that was the worst in the SEC in sacks allowed.

That’s where the Iowa defense comes in. If all goes according to plan, a slew of key stars from the nation’s fourth-best D and sixth-best scoring defense. As is UK couldn’t get the attack moving. It’s supposed to rock without Levis and Rodriguez? Not really.

And no, the Iowa offense isn’t going to come out and hang 50 on the board. However, there won’t be anything big coming from the Kentucky pass rush and defensive front.

UK is 7-0 when allowing fewer than 165 rushing yards, and 0-5 when allowing that many or more. However …

TransPerfect Music City Bowl Prediction, What’s Going To Happen, History

NEXT: What’s Going To Happen, Kentucky vs Iowa Prediction, TransPerfect Music City Bowl History

Iowa vs Kentucky Prediction, Vrbo Citrus Bowl Game Preview

Iowa vs Kentucky: Vrbo Citrus Bowl prediction, game preview, how to watch, lines, and why each team might or might not win.

Iowa vs Kentucky: Vrbo Citrus Bowl prediction, game preview, how to watch, Saturday, January 1 


Iowa vs Kentucky: Vrbo Citrus Bowl How To Watch

Date: Saturday, January 1
Game Time: 1:00 pm ET
Venue: Camping World Stadium, Orlando, FL
How To Watch: ABC, Live stream on ESPN+
Records: Iowa (10-3), Kentucky (9-3)
CFN Predictions | Bowl Schedule

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Iowa vs Kentucky Vrbo Citrus Bowl Preview

Both teams manage to defy logic and reason to win a whole lot of games. They’re a perfect fit for each other.

Iowa doesn’t do anything on offense. It averaged fewer than 300 yards per game, the normally great O line – that has a few NFL talents – couldn’t keep anyone out of the backfield, and the downfield passing attack was too often nothing more than a polite rumor. Now it has to find things that move without RB Tyler Goodson – he opted out.

However, few teams were better at avoiding penalties, and only Middle Tennessee was better when it came to turnover margin. When the defense forced a ton of takeaways, good things happened.

And then there’s Kentucky. It was the third-worst team in college football in turnover margin, which would normally equal death for a team without a high-powered offense, but it all somehow worked well enough to get here.

The Wildcat offensive line was outstanding at preventing defenses from generate consistent pressure. Because of that, the offense was among the best in the nation at converting on third downs, and like Iowa, there weren’t a whole lot of penalties.

Why Iowa, Kentucky Will Win
Prediction, What’s Going To Happen, History
Vrbo Citrus Bowl Top Players To Know

NEXT: Why Iowa Will Win, Why Kentucky Will Win, Vrbo Citrus Bowl Prediction