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SALT LAKE CITY — The presents keep on coming even after Christmas with another week of bowl games, and it starts with Utah State vs. Memphis in the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl.
Make your Pick'em selections here.
First Responder Bowl: Memphis (6-6) vs. Utah State (6-6)
Tuesday, Dec. 27 at 1:15 p.m. MST at Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas (ESPN)
A pair of .500 teams meet for one final shot at a winning season.
Why Memphis will win: The Tigers lost by just 3 points in their regular-season finale to SMU, who then went on to lose by just 1 point to BYU in the New Mexico Bowl.
Quarterback Seth Henigan leads the Tigers with 19 touchdowns, with his favorite receiver being Caden Prieskorn with six touchdown catches. The Tigers are outscoring their opponents 35-27 on average this season.
Why Utah State will win: The Aggies righted the ship with three wins in their last four games to become bowl eligible.
Quarterback Cooper Legas has 11 touchdowns after taking over midseason, and running back Calvin Tyler Jr. has seven touchdowns on 1,043 yards.
Betting line: Memphis -7.5
Over/under: 60.5
Holiday Bowl: No. 15 Oregon (9-3) vs. North Carolina (9-4)
Wednesday, Dec. 28 at 6 p.m. MST at Petco Park (FOX)
Pacific welcomes Atlantic in a Pac-12 vs. ACC clash.
Why Oregon will win: Two losses in their last three games dropped the Ducks out of the Top 10, but with an offense still averaging nearly 40 points per game and a defense allowing just 27, they find themselves favored by two touchdowns.
Quarterback Bo Nix is already at 27 touchdowns on the season and will look to break 30 against a Tar Heels defense that allows 31 points per game.
Why North Carolina will win: Speaking of breaking 30 touchdowns, Tar Heels quarterback Drake Maye has an absurd 35 passing scores on the season and just seven interceptions. His favorite receiver is Josh Downs, who has 11 touchdowns on 1,029 yards.
Betting line: Oregon -14.5
Over/under: 74
Alamo Bowl: No. 20 Texas (8-4) vs. No. 12 Washington (10-2)
Thursday, Dec. 29 at 7 p.m. MST at the Alamodome (ESPN)
The Longhorns travel just 80 miles down Interstate 35 to San Antonio to take on the Huskies in primetime.
Why Texas will win: Other than the home-state advantage, the Longhorns also have a stout defense that allows just 21 points on average to opponents.
Why Washington will win: The super-powered Huskies offense is averaging 40.8 points, thanks in large part to quarterback Michael Penix Jr., who has put up 29 touchdowns.
Betting line: Texas -4
Over/under: 67.5
Gator Bowl: No. 21 Notre Dame (8-4) vs. No. 19 South Carolina (8-4)
Friday, Dec. 30 at 1:30 p.m. MST at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Florida (ESPN)
The Fighting Irish and Gamecocks round out the pre-New Year's bowls.
Why Notre Dame will win: The Fighting Irish defense is giving up just 21.8 points on average this season and won five games in a row before dropping the regular season finale to USC.
Why South Carolina will win: The Gamecocks got wins over Clemson and Tennessee to close out the season, and star quarterback Spencer Rattler has committed to playing in the bowl game even though his NFL draft status is still up in the air.
Betting line: Notre Dame -2
Over/under: 51.5
Don't forget to make your picks here!
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Caleb Turner
