College football bowl season rolls on with 3 more games on Tuesday.
First, we'll kick it off with the Independence Bowl between Conference USA's Louisiana Tech Bulldogs and the Sun Belt's Coastal Carolina Chanticleers.
After that, the Power 4 matchups start.
At 5:30 p.m. ET, the Illinois Fighting Illini take on the Tennessee Volunteers in a Big Ten/SEC showdown in the Music City Bowl.
Then, to close it all out at 9 p.m. ET, we have an Alamo Bowl battle between the Big 12's TCU Horned Frogs and the Big Ten's USC Trojans.
Our college football writers broke down all 3 games and came through with a pick for each, so let's dive into our college football picks and NCAAF predictions for Tuesday, Dec. 30.
College Football Picks, Best Bets
The team logos in the table below represent each of the matchups that our college football betting staff is targeting from Tuesday's slate of NCAAF bowl games. Click on the team logos for any of the matchups below to navigate to a specific bet discussed in this article.
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 2 p.m. | |
  | 5:30 p.m. | |
  | 9 p.m. | |
Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our NCAAF Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. | ||
Louisiana Tech vs Coastal Carolina Pick
By Road to CFB
Welcome to a Sun Belt preview of 2026 and beyond. Louisiana Tech joins the league, leaving Conference USA, on July 1. Conference opponents for 2026 and beyond haven’t been released at the time of writing.
Coastal Carolina is undergoing a coaching change with defensive coordinator Jeremiah Johnson stepping into the interim role for this game before former Missouri State head coach Ryan Beard takes over.
The disruption to the coaching staff was just the start, as a couple of key pieces hit the transfer portal and a slew of other starters appeared on the injury report.
That includes quarterback Samari Collier, who started three games for Coastal before suffering a knee injury that sidelined him for the final two games.
Collier was steadily improving during his time as the starter, and his injury is a tough blow for both the redshirt senior and the Chants. Tad Hudson, who started the year as QB1, would likely reassume starting duties here.
The Coastal offense is night and day under quarterback Collier compared to Hudson.
In the four games Collier started, Coastal averaged 42.3 points per game (3-0 in games he also finished). Under Hudson, the Chants were held under 14 points six times, including being shut out 38-0 by East Carolina and held to 13 points against FCS Charleston Southern, which went 5-7.
You can scrutinize the quality of the opponent, but this offense was significantly better under Collier than under Hudson.
From a 10,000-foot view, Coastal Carolina just isn’t very good. Per aggregated industry power ratings, the Chants are the second-lowest rated bowl team and lowest among those in the six-plus win bowl-eligible field.
Coastal has been blown out in losses and won narrowly, leading to a 20.8% deficit in available yards, fifth-worst in the FBS.
But something shifted in the final few games of the season for Louisiana Tech’s defense. Tackling became a significant issue — both Liberty (28 points) and Missouri State (30 points) gained more than 5.8 highlight yards per rush.
From October on, Tech went 3-4 with a 35-7 loss to eventual Conference USA champion Kennesaw State and narrow losses to Western Kentucky and Delaware. And thus, Tech finished 7-5 and 5-3 in CUSA play, outside consideration for the title game.
Coastal’s offense lives and dies by explosive plays. I’d expect a few of those here against a regressing defense on what should be a mild day in Shreveport.
Pick: Coastal Carolina Team Total Over 20.5
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Illinois vs Tennessee Pick
Head coach Bret Bielema has provided stability to an Illinois football program that desperately needed it before he arrived in Champaign.
Some pundits had the Illini pegged as a sleeper College Football Playoff team this season. That didn't prove to be the case, but another eight-win regular season is nothing to scoff at.
Quarterback Luke Altmyer came back for another season, and he has lived up to expectations in his final college season. Altmyer had a 21:5 touchdown-to-interception ratio in 2024, and entering the bowl game, that 21:5 split is exactly where he's at in 2025.
He's also been the unquestioned leader of this team and made plays in key moments in victories over USC, Northwestern, Duke and others.
In a bowl season filled with opt-outs, this is a rare game where most of the core pieces for each team will suit up.
There are a couple of guys sitting out on both sides, but overall, this will be good-on-good. It should be one of the more fun bowl matchups to watch.
I expect this tilt to come right down to the wire, so I see some value on the Illini as a small underdog as a result.
Altmyer has had a heck of a career in Champaign, and I expect the veteran to be at his best in his final game against a Tennessee defense that has struggled all season.
The Vols were unable to get a key stop when they really needed one. That was the case in a 17-point loss at Alabama, in a home loss to Oklahoma and in the regular-season finale against Vanderbilt.
Defensive coordinator Tim Banks was fired earlier this month as a result.
The Volunteers will certainly score their fair share of points as well, but can you really expect them to create margin when they haven't stopped a nosebleed all season?
I give Illinois a real chance of winning the Music City Bowl outright, so I'll gladly back Bielema's team catching a couple of points in what should be a classic in Nashville.
Pick: Illinois +2.5
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TCU vs USC Pick
By John Feltman
The Alamo Bowl is a prime example of a game that could be completely chaotic. Both teams have so many injuries, opt-outs and transfers that it creates a ton of uncertainty.
When bowl season brings together two short-handed offenses and coaching changes, the best value is often on the first-half under, which is the angle I want to take here.
TCU starting quarterback Josh Hoover entered the transfer portal, so the former Vanderbilt QB Ken Seals — who's mediocre at best and not a game-changer — will take over.
Losing your quarterback before a bowl game is tough, but the problems don’t stop there. The Horned Frogs' top receiver, Jordan Dwyer (54 catches, 730 yards), is also out with a foot injury.
USC isn’t in a better situation; it might actually be worse off.
The Trojans have several injuries on the offensive line, as right guard Alani Noa missed the last game, left tackle Elijah Paige hasn’t played since Week 11, center Killian O’Connor is out and running back Waymond Jordan hasn’t played since October.
This is a tough combination for a team that relies on big passing plays and staying in good down-and-distance situations. On top of the injuries, USC is also dealing with opt-outs and transfer news.
Historically, bowl games with significant transfer movement, coaching changes and roster uncertainty tend to feature low-scoring first halves.
Coaches usually play it safe, backups need time to get comfortable and both teams want to avoid early mistakes that could shift momentum.
All things considered, this first half is likely to be messy and low-scoring.
USC is missing too many key offensive players to start smoothly, and TCU is trying to make things work with new players, as well as a temporary play-caller.
Both teams have big issues with third-down efficiency, so I don't see a world where either team gets off to a quick start offensively.
Pick: 1H Under 28
