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College Football Bowl Game Anytime Touchdown Scorer Picks (Thursday)

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Bowl season continues on Thursday as we get closer and closer to the College Football Playoff Semifinals on New Year's Day.

Today's slate of games includes some pretty fun matchups like Kansas State vs. NC State and Oklahoma vs. Arizona, plus some less appetizing matchups with Boston College vs. NC State and Miami vs. Rutgers. I have an array of different positions to score today, even including a defensive TD with some huge odds.

Let's keep the Anytime TD train rolling and get some of these tickets to the window on Thursday.

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Thursday’s Best CFB Touchdown Scorer Picks

Boston College vs. SMU - Wasabi Fenway Bowl - 11:00 a.m. EST

SMU

With a total floating around 47.5, there are actually pretty favorable odds for TD scorers in this game. Jaylan Knighton was the leading ball carrier for the Mustangs during the regular season, toting the ball 128 times for 720 yards and seven TDs.

He has an extremely favorable matchup in this game, going up against a Boston College defense that ranked as the second-worst in the ACC at defending the rush and conceded nearly 30 PPG to their opponents.

The Mustangs will also be without their starting QB, Preston Stone, who suffered a season-ending injury in their regular season finale, so I expect them to lean on their running game. It's been rare to find a starting RB at plus money this bowl season, so I'm jumping on Knighton to score in the early game.

Miami vs. Rutgers - Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl - 2:15 p.m. EST

Rutgers

This is my longest shot on an anytime TD scorer this Bowl season, and for good reason. This game features the lowest total on the board today and one of the lowest in the entire Bowl season. This Rutgers defense is pretty underrated, ranking toward the top of the Big 10 in nearly all defensive statistics despite being compared to the likes of Iowa, Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State.

They'll be up against a Miami offense that will be missing two starting offensive linemen, their starting QB and at least one starting WR. So, I think it's incredibly likely for them to have miscommunication and mistakes on the offensive side of the ball.

I also think Rutgers is the far more motivated team to play this Bowl game in Yankee Stadium, and Greg Schiano has fared much better in Bowl games than Mario Cristobal has in his career. In a game with this low of a point total and so many question marks when the Miami offense takes the field, I think taking a shot on the Rutgers defense to score a TD is a nice dart throw in this game.

Kansas State vs. NC State - Pop-Tarts Bowl - 5:45 p.m. EST

Kansas State

I'll start with the Kansas State side in this game, with QB Avery Johnson filling in to start for the season-long starter Will Howard. This will not be the first action that Johnson is getting this year, as he consistently entered games throughout the regular season to give the Wildcats a different look on the offensive side of the ball. He's much more of a runner than Howard, as he logged 45 carries (for comparison, he only attempted 35 passes) on the year for 225 yards and six total rushing TDs, which was good for third on the team. These are great odds for Johnson to find paydirt as an extremely mobile QB.

NC State

On the NC State side of the ball, this prop seems to only be available at DraftKings Sportsbook, but I'm looking at WR Kevin Concepcion to record over 0.5 receiving TDs in this game. For comparison, at other books, his anytime TD odds are in excess of -150 because he did log 38 carries for 297 yards on the season, but he never got in the end zone as a rusher. As a receiver, though, he was one of the best in the entire country, with 10 receiving TDs on 64 catches at 12.0 yards per reception. He is, by far, QB Brennan Armstrong's favorite target, and I think these odds are a little bit mispriced because of his rushing ability. I would not play the straight-up anytime TD for Concepcion, but I will be playing strictly the receiving TD angle.

Oklahoma vs. Arizona - Valero Alamo Bowl - 9:15 p.m. EST

Arizona

Arizona seems to be the far more motivated team in this game, evident by the laundry list of opt-outs and transfers on the Oklahoma side. The Wildcats had two receivers net over 80 receptions on the year, with Jacob Cowing actually leading the team with 83 receptions and 11 TDs. I'm choosing him for this prop as opposed to his running mate Tetairoa McMillan, though, because McMillan’s odds are priced at a much higher premium, even though he had fewer catches and TDs on the season.

With a total just shy of 60 points, this game should be an absolute shootout, and I have no doubt that QB Noah Fifita will want to put on a show. I'll take his favorite target in terms of receptions and TDs to find the end zone in this game at close to even money.

Make sure to check out our other best bets for Thursday:

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