Sam Avellone
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There are not many warmer places to enjoy Christmas Eve than Hawai’i, where the South Florida Bulls (6-6) and the San Jose State Spartans (7-5) will meet in the Hawai’i Bowl. The Bulls salvaged bowl eligibility by winning 4 of their last 6 games after a 2-4 start to the season, whereas the Spartans limped into this spot by losing 4 of their last 7. There are not too many transfer portal entries or opt-outs to speak of for this matchup, but both teams will be without a few key pieces – including San Jose State’s star wide receiver Nick Nash. Despite not winning the Biletnikoff Award, Nash was just the 4th-ever college wide receiver to earn the Triple Crown as the nation’s leader in yards, receptions and touchdowns, and was clearly a massive part of the Spartan offense. He will miss this game in preparation for the NFL Draft.
Being Christmas Eve’s only bowl game and one of the few sporting events of the day in general, the Hawaii Bowl sets up as a perfect opportunity for a Same Game Parlay. I selected a couple of my favorite bets in this matchup and combined them for an increased payout in hopes of starting the Christmas celebration a little early. Let’s get to the picks, and don’t forget to check Pickswise daily for college football picks and CFB predictions on all of the bowl and playoff games.
South Florida ML (+124)
Keshaun Singleton (USF) over 39.5 receiving yards (+115)
South Florida vs San Jose State Same Game Parlay odds: +375
Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook at the time of publishing. Playable to +300.
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South Florida Bulls ML over San Jose State Spartans (+124)
Not only are the Spartans without the best offensive player in the game, but they will be without the best defensive player (PFF overall defensive grade) in the matchup as well in corner back DJ Harvey. With their notable absences, in addition to the way they limped into the postseason, I don’t have much confidence that the Spartans will be up for this game like the Bulls. This is a familiar trip for San Jose State being in the Mountain West with Hawaii (which may dampen some of the lure of traveling to a bowl), and coach Brent Brennan has not had much success leading the Sparans in bowl games. For reference, San Jose State is 0-3 SU in its postseason appearances under Brennan, and each of those losses were by double digits – including last season’s 24-14 loss to Coastal Carolina in this same Hawai’i Bowl.
Read our full prediction for South Florida vs San Jose State
Keshaun Singleton (USF) over 39.5 receiving yards (+115)
Keshaun Singleton has emerged as USF’s deep-play threat in recent weeks, and should be primed for success against a San Jose State secondary that will be without its leader in Harvey and another starter in Michael Dansby. Singleton’s season numbers don’t jump off the page because he only played 5 games, but he corralled 22 passes for 367 yards and 3 touchdowns in his limited regular season action. At 6’3”, he has a big frame and locates the ball very well, providing USF’s quarterback – whether it’s Bryce Archie or Byrum Brown – with a reliable target down field. In fact, Singleton leads the team in yards per route run despite his size, has surpassed 95 yards in 3 of his 5 games, and averages over 16.5 yards per reception. I really like the matchup for him against the Harvey-less San Jose State defense.
