Christmas may still be a couple of days away, but there is an early present waiting for college football fans! It has been a highly entertaining Bowl Season thus far, and there are two more compelling college football bowl games on the schedule for Friday. The action gets underway in the afternoon with the Independence Bowl and continues with a primetime clash between Power 5 programs in the Gasparilla Bowl. Fans looking to try and win some extra holiday cash making college football bowl game predictions should be sure to check out the BetMGM promo code found in this article!
Below is an all-inclusive look at the college football bowl game schedule for Friday, December 23rd. Readers will find the matchups, start times, predictions, TV coverage and how to watch the college football bowl games today.
College Football Bowl Games Today: Schedule, Start Time, Predictions, TV Coverage
Independence Bowl Prediction and Preview
Independence Bowl
Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns (6-6, 4-4 SBC) vs. Houston Cougars (7-5, 5-3 AAC)
Time: 3 p.m. EST
Venue: Independence Stadium — Shreveport, LA
Coverage: ESPN
For fans of high-flying offenses, the Independence Bowl matchup between Louisiana and Houston is one not to miss. The Cougars had one of the most prolific offenses in all of college football this season. With quarterback Clayton Tune at the controls, even a sturdy Louisiana defense figures to have trouble stopping this attack. What’s more, this will be the final collegiate game for star receiver Nathaniel ‘Tank’ Dell, who has already stated that he will enter the 2023 NFL Draft.
In addition to expecting fireworks from the Houston offense, fans shouldn’t write off Louisiana’s ability to answer back. After all, the Cougs’ defense was a sieve all season long. The Ragin’ Cajuns will need to overcome a couple of key losses in terms of personnel, but it may not matter given the defense they will be up against.
According to the numberFire college football bowl projections, Houston has a 63.5% chance of winning the Independence Bowl.
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Gasparilla Bowl Prediction and Preview
Gasparilla Bowl
Wake Forest Demon Deacons (7-5, 3-5 ACC) vs. Missouri Tigers (6-6, 3-5 SEC)
Time: 6:30 p.m. EST
Venue: Raymond James Stadium — Tampa, FL
Coverage: ESPN
Next up on the schedule of college football bowl games today is a battle between Wake Forest and Missouri in the Gasparilla Bowl. What is a “Gasparilla” you ask? Well, the name traces its roots back to legendary pirate Jose Gaspar, also known as “last of the Buccaneers”. Gaspar terrorized the coastal waters of West Florida up until his death in the early 19th century. Rumor has it, he hid a fortune in buried treasure somewhere on the Florida coast!
As if the name of the bowl itself isn’t cool enough, this is also likely to be the final college game for Demon Deacons QB, Sam Hartman. Those who aren’t familiar with his incredible story should definitely check out the Twitter video above. At any rate, this rare pre-Christmas matchup between Power 5 teams figures to serve as a wonderful appetizer for next week’s loaded college football bowl game schedule.
According to the numberFire bowl game projections, Missouri has a 53.4% chance of winning the Gasparilla Bowl.
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