College Football Best Bets, Odds, Picks, & Player Props for Jan. 2

We've reached the end of the road for the college football bowl season, as the final four non-College Football Playoff games are here to bring us some joy ahead of the weekend.

The action starts with the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl between Rice and Texas State, followed by the AutoZone Liberty Bowl between Navy and Cincinnati. The action will wrap up with a pair of thrilling contests, with #17 Arizona and SMU locking heads in the Trust & Will Holiday Bowl, while Wake Forest and Mississippi State battle in the famous Duke's Mayo Bowl.

With all this high-flying college football action on tap, make sure you head over to our favorite college football betting sites to lock in the best prices before you finalize your wagers.

Now, let's get into our college football best bets for today, January 2.

Game Lines

#17 Arizona vs SMU -1.5 (-108)

🏈Odds via FanDuel📈

Don't let the ranked team vs. non-ranked team fool you. This SMU football team is extremely good, and it's a pity that they didn't return to the College Football Playoff. Three of their four losses were by three points or less, and this team beat Miami.

Arizona went 0-2 against ranked teams this year and got absolutely hammered by the Iowa State Cyclones earlier this season.

Fortunately, the transfer portal won't be that big of a deal in this game. We absolutely love SMU to put on a show tonight.

Cincinnati +7.5 vs Navy (-115)

🏈Odds via DraftKings 📈

Looking at recent history, Navy is 0-5 against the spread as a favorite this season. While Navy enjoyed a 10-2 season, their strength of schedule was extremely silly. Their two losses came against the only real competition they faced all season, and it showed, losing by multiple scores against North Texas and getting destroyed by Notre Dame. Heck, they only beat Temple by one.

Even with a handful of opt-outs, including starting quarterback Brendan Sorsby, Cincinnati should have enough raw talent to outclass the Midshipmen.

Rice vs Texas State -18.5 (-108)

🏈Odds via Caesars Sportsbook📈

Set it and forget it. Texas State has one of the best offenses in the country, while the Rice Owls gave up a combined 108 points in their last two games of the season and have been blown out by any halfway decent team they've faced.

Rice was one of the small handful of 5-7 teams to be offered a bowl bid, and we think their lack of ability to show up against good teams will show on the field tonight.

Anytime Touchdown Scorers

Cyrus Allen Anytime Touchdown Scorer (-130)

🏈Odds via DraftKings 📈

Allen enjoyed his 2025 season, finding the end zone an incredible 12 times despite catching fewer than 50 passes. He's enjoyed a couple of breakout games against top opponents, and we think the senior wide receiver will go out with a bang as he attempts to impress NFL Draft scouts.

Greg Burrell Anytime Touchdown Scorer (+144)

🏈Odds via Caesars Sportsbook📈

We think Texas State is going to put a licking on Rice tonight, which means the players deep in the squad should get plenty of burn. Look for their third running option to house one.

By no means is Burrell a slouch. As the backup running back, he ran for nearly 600 yards on 6.5 yards per carry. It just so happens that their number one option put up over 1,000 yards and 11 touchdowns while quarterback Brad Jackson ran for 700 yards and 16 touchdowns. Oh, and the Bobcats have a 1,000+ yard wide receiver as well.

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Chris Dawn Anytime Touchdown Scorer (+120)

🏈Odds via FanDuel📈

Sure, Dawn only had two touchdowns this season, but he's put up nearly 1,000 yards receiving. We'd have to imagine that the Bobcats offense will want to show Dawn some love today.

Player Props

Brad Jackson Under 238.5 Passing Yards (-113)

🏈Odds via FanDuel📈

This one could be over pretty quickly, and the Bobcats have plenty of firepower on the ground. We're absolutely smashing Jackson's under tonight, even though he's a fantastic dual-threat quarterback.

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Blake Horvath Under 110.5 Rushing Yards (-114)

🏈Odds via FanDuel📈

While Horvath is going to run the ball often, Navy has struggled against better opposition this season. We think he's going to have a very tough time against the Cincinnati Bearcats defense tonight and will be held in check. Take the under.

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All Odds as of 10:30 a.m. ET on Jan. 2