College Football Bowl Odds 2024: Betting Tips for Top Games on Thursday's Schedule

Christmas might be behind us, but the football gods still have more than a few gifts left in store for college football fans.

And college football wagerers, too.

Bowl season is, in many respects, just getting started, and there's a three-pack on deck for Thursday. We'll lay out the scheduling particulars and latest lines from DraftKings Sportsbook before digging into two of our best bets on the docket.

GameAbove Sports Bowl

Who: Pittsburgh vs. Toledo

When: 2 p.m. ET on ESPN

Spread: Pittsburgh (-7)

Over/Under: 50 points

Moneyline: Toledo (+210, bet $100 to win $210); Pittsburgh (-258, bet $258 to win $100)

Rate Bowl

Who: Rutgers vs. Kansas State

When: 5:30 p.m. ET on ESPN

Spread: Kansas State (-7)

Over/Under: 50 points

Moneyline: Rutgers (+210); Kansas State (-258)

68 Ventures Bowl

Who: Arkansas State vs. Bowling Green

When: 9 p.m. ET on ESPN

Spread: Bowling Green (-8.5)

Over/Under: 53 points

Moneyline: Arkansas State (+260); Bowling Green (-325)

Pittsburgh sprinted out to a 7-0 start but then immediately limped to an 0-5 finish as the competition increased and quarterback Eli Holstein battled the injury bug. Holstein's status remains up in the air, and the Panthers have no safety net behind him since his backup, Nate Yarnell, transferred.

No matter who quarterbacks the Panthers, they'll have to make due without top target Konata Mumpfield, who led the team in catches and receiving yards and tied for the team lead in touchdown catches. Pittsburgh's star receiver opted out of this game to focus on the NFL draft. Junior running back Desmond Reid is an all-purpose playmaker, but he won't have a lot of help around him, especially if Holstein is unavailable or even limited.

There are too many question marks with Pittsburgh's offense, especially when it has to contend with a defense as solid as Toledo's. And while the Rockets have their own issues on offense—their running game is nonexistent—they could hit on some big plays courtesy of the connection between quarterback Tucker Gleason and receivers Jerjuan Newton and Junior Vandeross III.

The Panthers have more talent, and they'd be the pick if we knew Holstein was fully healthy. Since we don't know that, it's hard to go away from the Rockets and their touchdown cushion.

It was a tale of two seasons for the Wildcats, who looked like Big 12 contenders and potential College Playoff participants amid a 7-1 start before they skidded out during a 1-3 finish and torpedoed all their most ambitious plans. It was basically a book of three seasons for the Scarlet Knights, meanwhile, as they won their first four, lost their next four and then semi-salvaged things by winning three of their final four.

What Rutgers never did, though, was flash the kind of high-end potential Kansas State showcased early. The Wildcats had a pair of ranked wins before September finished and then opened October by knocking off Colorado and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter. The Scarlet Knights lost to the only ranked opponent they played and were steamrolled by Wisconsin and USC teams that combined for more losses than wins this season.

The question, of course, is whether any of this matters, since each team is effectively starting a new chapter with this contest. Both will be operating without their top running backs as Kansas State's DJ Giddens and Rutgers' Kyle Monangai opted out to prepare for the NFL draft.

Assessing what's left, Kansas State boasts a stingier defense and a more explosive offense. The Wildcats will miss Giddens, obviously, but quarterback Avery Johnson makes plays through the air and on the ground, and sophomore running back Dylan Edwards, who transferred from Colorado, impressed in his limited chances.

Rutgers has been better with ball control, but if Kansas State limits its mistakes, it should control this contest.

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