The final Saturday of 2025 is loaded with eight college football bowl games from morning through the night.
The pregame narrative: In the middle of the day, the No. 12 BYU Cougars face the No. 22 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the slate's biggest matchup. Later on, the Houston Cougars should have the advantage in a pseudo-home game against the LSU Tigers.
Check out our best college football bowl picks for Saturday, Dec. 27, featuring a prediction on the Gator Bowl.
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College football bowl picks
Best bet: Houston -2.5 (-110)
Missing the College Football Playoff and paying Brian Kelly $54 million to not coach the team wasn't on the LSU Tigers' vision board for 2025. And yet here we are.
I think this lost season will come to a quiet end in what is essentially a home game for its opponents. LSU will face the Houston Cougars at NRG Stadium in Houston (home of the NFL's Texans).
After going 4-8 in both of their first two seasons in the Big 12, the Cougars went 9-3 this year and finished No. 21 in the CFP rankings.
-> Back Houston to cover as a Texas Bowl favourite vs. LSU
Houston went 5-2 down the stretch, and four of those five wins came as an underdog.
LSU went just 3-5 down the stretch, and each of its losses in that span came by four or more points.
Not only is LSU entering in poorer form and amid a coaching transition (with Lane Kiffin on the recruiting trail but not on the sidelines), but the Tigers will also have a far greater number of absences in this game.
- Houston's only notable opt-out, as of this writing, is centre Demetrius Hunter. He has reportedly left the team.
- On LSU's side, neither receiver Aaron Anderson (leader in receiving yards/game), edge rusher Harold Perkins Jr. (tied for team lead in interceptions), nor cornerback Mansoor Delane (LSU's lone All-American) will play. The same goes for quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, who will miss a fourth straight game with an abdominal strain.
Houston has far more continuity and should finish stronger to close out the season. Laying the better part of a field goal doesn't feel like enough in my view.
Key stat: The Cougars are 8-4 ATS this season, while the Tigers are just 4-8 ATS.
Gator Bowl prediction
Missouri -4 (-110): Given that Missouri's starting quarterback, Bea Pribula, has departed for the transfer portal, it might seem odd that the Tigers are still favoured in the Gator Bowl.
But even with a backup under centre, Mizzou has the best offensive playmaker in this game, as well as the better team overall.
- Missouri running back Ahmad Hardy led the SEC in rushing yards (1,560) and yards per rush (6.5) this season while amassing 16 TDs in 12 games.
- According to Game On Paper, Missouri ranks 10th in NCAA Division I in net EPA per play. By comparison, Virginia ranks 44th.
-> Bet on the Gator Bowl between No. 19 Virginia and No. 25 Missouri
The Virginia Cavaliers would be in the CFP if they'd just beaten unranked Duke in the ACC championship game. But they couldn't get it done, losing by a touchdown as 3.5-point favourites.
Now the Cavaliers, whose defence is a pedestrian 85th in EPA per rush, will have the unenviable task of trying to stop the All-American Hardy. I don't see it going well.
Mizzou is 6-2 ATS as a favourite this season, per Team Rankings.
NCAAF bowl predictions: Pop-Tarts Bowl
Georgia Tech/BYU over 56 points (-110): There are no reported opt-outs for one of the best non-CFP matchups in bowl season, and that means we'll see some truly elite offensive talent.
- Leading the charge for Georgia Tech is quarterback Haynes King, who was named the ACC Player of the Year. He threw for nearly 250.0 yards per game while also rushing for over 900 yards and a conference-high 15 TDs.
- On BYU's side, running back L.J. Martin is the straw that stirs the drink. He paced the Big 12 in rush yards (1,305) and total touches (272), taking pressure off true freshman QB Bear Bachmeier.
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Both teams are scoring over 30.0 points per game, so I know this total is attainable.
This over has cashed in four of Georgia Tech's past five games, while BYU has hit this over in five of its past nine.
The weakest unit in this game is the Yellow Jackets' defence, which ranks 102nd in defensive EPA per play.
I'm hoping this one turns into a track meet before the Pop-Tarts mascot takes his fateful toaster plunge.
College football bowl picks made at 1:45 p.m. on Dec. 23, 2025.
