Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl – Notre Dame vs Oregon State Free Picks
Backup Quarterbacks Take Center Stage in Sun Bowl
The point spread in the Sun Bowl appears to have leveled off for the most part. The spread opened Notre Dame -10.5 and quickly moved to Irish -8.5. The line continued to drop and bottomed out at Notre Dame -6 but climbed back to Notre Dame -6.5.
The total opened at 46.5 and has continually dropped and is now down to 41.5. The moneyline has moved downward, along with the point spread. The Irish initially opened -610, but as the point spread dropped, it did also. Notre Dame is now -225, with Oregon State at +185.
Oregon State leading rusher Damien Martinez was reinstated to the team after no charges were filed in a suspected drunk driving case. But interim coach Kefense Hynson said he was unlikely to play. That could change depending on the game situation.
Both teams will be missing starting quarterbacks and a number of other players. No additional players have elected to miss the game. But Notre Dame will be missing 24 players and the Beavers will be missing at least 16.
Temperatures will be in the mid-50s at kickoff and the weather forecast looks good. There is less than a 1% chance of rain and winds will be light.
This could have been a pretty decent game. But college football bowl games are no longer a big deal to many players, who either opt out or enter the transfer portal. Some games, like this one, will see two starting quarterbacks who have thrown a combined 26 passes this season.
Notre Dame opened as 10.5-point favorites, and the line has continually dropped. The current number is Notre Dame -6, and the Irish are -235 on the moneyline after opening -610.
The total has dropped from its opening of 46.5 down to 42. The Notre Dame vs Oregon State free picks will look at the remaining players and seek to come up with a winner on the side and total.
Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl
Notre Dame vs Oregon State 
Records: Notre Dame Fighting Irish (9-3) vs Oregon State Beavers (8-4)
Location: Sun Bowl, El Paso, Texas
Day/Time:
Streaming: CBS
Angeli Making Starting Debut at QB
All starting quarterbacks have to make their first start at some time, although it’s usually in September rather than late December. But Notre Dame’s Steve Angeli will get his first start in this game. He’s looked good in extremely limited playing time, completing 19 of 25 passes for 272 yards and four touchdowns against one interception. Most of that was in mop-up time, however. Now, the pressure will be on. Notre Dame lost Audric
Estime, who is moving on to the NFL, so Notre Dame will probably rotate several different backs in. And the Irish have some good ones. Notre Dame rushed for 181.8 yards per game during the season.
The Irish also had some big departures on defense, which has been solid. Notre Dame allowed 16.6 points per game during the season. The Fighting Irish allowed 3.7 yards per rush and 5.4 yards per pass. Notre Dame allowed just 4.4 yards per play, putting the Irish tied for fifth-best in the country.
Despite being a big-name team, the Irish were 8-3-1 against the college football odds this season. Notre Dame was 8-4 in totals.
Gulbranson Returns as Starting QB
After leading Oregon State to a 30-3 victory over Florida in the Las Vegas Bowl last year, Ben Gulbranson was relegated to third string this year. He threw one pass all season but has been thrust into the starting line-up here after the departure of the team’s top two quarterbacks. His numbers were decent last year, although not great. Oregon State rushed for 184.8 yards per game, but will also be without its leading rusher, as Damien Martinez was suspended for the game. Deshaun Fenwick should see the bulk of the carries for the Beavers.
Oregon State’s defense was pretty solid, considering they play in the Pac-12 Conference. Oregon State allowed 3.5 yards per rush and 6.9 yards per pass. That’s not bad, considering the Beavers saw some top-notch quarterbacks during the season. Oregon State held teams to 6.7 fewer points than they averaged during the season.
The Beavers were 6-6 against the NCAAF lines this season and 6-6 in totals.
Can Beavers Overcome Coaching Losses?
It’s bad enough that Oregon State lost its top two quarterbacks, leading rushers and other key players. The Beavers also lost their head coach and offensive coordinator. Defensive coordinator Trent Bray will be the team’s new head coach, but he won’t coach the Beavers in the bowl game.
But Notre Dame also suffered some key losses, so it’s the proverbial ‘battle of attrition’ in one of the more unpredictable games on the college football bowl schedule. But the Beavers have one edge and that’s Gulbranson has won a bowl game in the past and has played meaningful minutes. He also gets a chance to impress the new coaching staff, so he should be ready.
This game could be a little disappointing to Notre Dame, who was No. 10 in the CFB championship odds at the start of the season. The Beavers finished close to expected.
The Notre Dame vs Oregon State free picks will tab Oregon State +6 and also +195 on the moneyline. There are so many unknown factors, and this game appears to be capable of going either way. When that’s the case, taking the underdog makes the most sense. It’s not easy betting on Pac-12 teams in bowl games, but this might be the year they turn things around.
The Notre Dame vs Oregon State free picks are going to go ahead and take the under 42. With the number of offensive weapons removed from both teams, this one could see more running plays than anticipated. Both NCAAF teams can play pretty solid defense, so the under makes the most sense here.
For NCAAF betting news analysis and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
