Military Bowl Betting Odds, Spreads & Picks 2023

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25 December 2023

Military Bowl Betting Odds, Spreads & Picks 2023

Tulane enters this bowl game having been gashed by the transfer portal which is why an 11-2 team is a 10.5-point underdog to a team that needed to win out to go bowling. Find out the best way to bet on this obscure game with our free CFB pick below.

Something clicked midway through the season for Virginia Tech as it reeled off four wins in its last six games. In the process, it earned the school's first bowl bid since 2021. That bowl will happen here when the Hokies face Tulane in the Military Bowl.

It's been another solid season for #23 Tulane. Although it didn't quite match its season from a year ago, when it went to the Cotton Bowl and beat USC, it was still impressive. It finished the season with a Top 25 ranking and 11 wins. Such a feat remains a massive accomplishment for the Green Wave.

What's the best bet in this one? Find out below as we break down the college football odds and offer our college football picks and predictions for Wednesday, December 27.

Virginia Tech vs Tulane best odds

Virginia Tech vs Tulane picks and predictions

As it so often is for teams in bowl season, this game's story is about one team's opt-outs. The team affected the most with those opt-outs is Tulane.

The central story is the absence of QB Michael Pratt. He broke most records that could be broken at Tulane, and now he'll forgo this game with the expectation of being drafted in the 2nd or 3rd round of the NFL Draft. Elsewhere on offense, Tulane will be without WR Chris Brazzell (771 receiving yards, 44 receptions) and TE Alex Bauman (273 receiving yards, 33 receptions). They will also have some key absences defensively, but that's not of concern to us because of our best bet. That bet? Tulane Team Total Under 16.5 over at FanDuel.

There are multiple reasons this has appeal.

First, you must wonder about Tulane's mindset here. The offensive transfer departures aren't the only story; its head coach has also gone elsewhere as Willie Fritz is headed for the same job at Houston. This bowl game has to feel like a downer for the Green Wave. This team had New Six Year Bowl aspirations before the season, during the season, and up until the end of the season when SMU dashed them in the American Conference Championship. How will it react here? Will there be much of a desire to play?

On the field, Virginia Tech's defense made some tremendous strides to end the season, and ultimately, that's what led to its late-season rally.

Entering this matchup, it's held its last three opponents under 150 rushing yards, all below its season average. I don't need to tell you how significant that is here with Tulane starting a backup quarterback under center. Kai Horton will be in his stead, and while he has experience with two starts under his belt, I wonder if they are much to amass confidence. His most previous one came against an average defensive team in Ole Miss. In that game, Horton was erratic, throwing an interception on 15 of 37 passing.

I won't tell you that Virginia Tech has some frightening defense, but it's a group that has improved a ton, and there isn't a massive defense between it and the Ole Miss one. It can put pressure on the opposing quarterback, and when that's happened to Horton previously, he needs to show more of an ability to avoid mistakes or be accurate. How can he command much trust from an interim coaching staff here? And, even if he does, why should we expect him to make many plays?

There are a significant amount of things that point to Tulane's offense being inefficient. The motivation, the matchup, and more are all part of this handicap. I also expect a ball-control-type game from the Waves as they shorten the game. That is another feather in our cap when playing their team total under. I'll confidently back Virginia Tech to do enough here.

My best bet: Tulane team total Under 16.5 (+100 at FanDuel)
Picks made at time of writing may not reflect live odds.

Virginia Tech vs Tulane same-game parlay

Tulane team total Under 16.5

Virginia Tech first quarter moneyline

Virginia Tech first half moneyline

Virginia Tech full game moneyline

This one looks excessive, but it's relatively simple. I'd expect a dysfunctional Tulane team, and naturally, I'm expecting Virginia Tech to take advantage of that.

We're taking our best bet and pairing it with that logic. We'll take the Hokies to lead from beginning to end for a modest cashout. Virginia Tech has an offense that can attack Tulane; meanwhile, as we've mentioned, we're still determining how much desire Tulane will have to play this one.

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Virginia Tech vs Tulane spread and Over/Under analysis

I spoiled it above, but we expect Virginia Tech to win here. The spread has ballooned from open up to -10.5 after the multiple opt-outs for Tulane. I don't have much of an opinion from that perspective of things.

We have not mentioned the Hokies offense because they haven't impacted our handicap. However, there are some things to like about this matchup for Virginia Tech. The biggest of those is that this will be an entire Virginia Tech team going against a side that is far from that version of themselves. Outside of that, Tulane has been average against the pass, and Virginia Tech's young QB in Kyron Drones has had his best three games stretch at the end of the season coming into this one.

I indeed lean towards the Under of 44.5 here; I just saw more of an edge on the team total Under.

Tulane will be without a few pieces on the defensive side, but it's still been a stout unit, ranking 35th in total defensive EPA and 42nd in success rate. Those would match the numbers of an above-average ACC team, which are the exact types of teams that the Virginia Tech offense has sputtered against. I expect the Hokies to be in control of this game, but it's hard to imagine that coming via an offensive explosion.

Virginia Tech vs Tulane betting trend to know

Tulane has hit the Game Total Under in 11 of their last 14 games (+7.70 Units / 50% ROI). Find more college football betting trends for Virginia Tech vs Tulane.

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