Quick Picks with Coach Rick Bowe, CFB/CBB Picks, CFB/CBB Free Picks, CFB/CBB Predictions 1/3/25

Quick Picks with Coach Rick Bowe, CFB/CBB Picks, CFB/CBB Free Picks, CFB/CBB Predictions 1/3/25

FIRST RESPONDER BOWL

NORTH TEXAS vs. TEXAS STATE (TXST -13.5, 63.5)

NORTH TEXAS UNDER 27.5

During the regular season, I often backed North Texas and its team total. The Mean Green scored a ton of points. They averaged 34 per game during the season which was 16th in the nation. Tonight, though, the North Texas offense will be a shell of its former self. No Chandler Morris at QB. No. DT Sheffield at WR and No Oscar Hammond at TE.

Texas State will be missing some guys as well, but they should have enough on defense to get the job done. Texas State's defense was actually pretty solid. The Bobcats finished 15 in Rush Success Rate and 40th in Pass Success Rate. Even with Morris at quarterback, North Texas scored 3, 27, 28, and 24 points in its last four games.

DUKE'S MAYO BOWL

MINNESOTA vs. VIRGINIA TECH (MIN -8.5, 42.5)

MINNESOTA -8.5

It's going to be a mayo bath for Minnesota head coach PJ Fleck tonight. Opt outs have reduced Virginia Tech to a JV college football team. They will be without two starters on the offensive line. The Hokies will not have starting QB Kryon Drones and they will be without at least three starters on defense.

Minnesota has one of the best defenses in the nation. The Golden Gophers ranked 14th in scoring defense (19.1 ppg), 27th against the run (121.2 ypg), and 16th against the pass (183.9 ypg). That defense is why Minnesota went 9-2-1 ATS this season. The Gophers covered 7 of their last 8 games and I like them to cover another tonight.

IOWA @ WISCONSIN (WIS -6.5, 162.5)

WISCONSIN -6.5

Don't let the records fool you in this one. Both teams come into this game at 10-3. Iowa is 1-0 in the Big Ten. Wisconsin is 0-2. But, the Badgers played the tougher schedule by far. They faced Marquette on the road, Butler in the Indy Classic, and Arizona at home. Their two Big Ten losses are to Michigan and Illinois, two of the best in the conference.

Iowa played a much softer schedule and tonight will be a tough matchup with the Badgers. Wisconsin is the better rebounding team. The Badgers take better care of the basketball and they are the better free throw shooting team by a mile. Iowa ranks 298th in free throw shooting percentage. Wisconsin is the No. 1 free throw shooting team in the nation. The Badgers shoot 85.1 percent from the line and that could be the difference tonight.

Ylose expert Coach Rick Bowe delivers his daily Quick Picks. The Coach continues to roll up big wins in MLB, college football, the NFL, and much more. Coach Rick offers a unique perspective to handicapping. Check out his daily free picks right here and jump on his daily Best Bets, which you can find right here at Ylose.com/coach.