Sports Betting This Weekend: Cotton Bowl, Orange Bowl, Dolphins-Ravens

New Year’s weekend is an epic time for football. BetMGM has you covered with online sports betting options spanning both college and NFL odds.

College Football: Cotton Bowl

No. 9 Missouri vs. No. 7 Ohio State

Friday, Dec. 29  |  8 p.m. ET  |  ESPN

NCAA fans love to argue about college football bowl picks between the SEC and Big Ten. Friday night’s marquee game offers another fun data point: Ohio State vs. Missouri in a top 10 showdown.

After losing to Michigan for the third straight year, Ohio State draws an SEC team as its bowl prize. Missouri is dangerous, as it’s been deeply underrated throughout much of the season. This is a top three SEC team that’s balanced and deep. 

The modern bowl season is centered around who’s available and motivated, and Missouri has a slight advantage here. Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord is transferring to Syracuse, leaving backup Devin Brown as the go-to guy for the Cotton Bowl. 

Running back TreVeyon Henderson is playing, but No. 2 back Chip Trayanum and No. 3 receiver Julian Fleming are not. The status of Heisman finalist Marvin Harrison Jr. is unknown. 

Missouri is mostly whole. It’s missing linebacker Ty’Ron Hopper and No. 2 corner Ennis Rakestraw Jr. thanks to injuries. 

BetMGM’s college football lines price Ohio State as a 3-point favorite, but that line has crept toward Missouri after opening at Ohio State -6.5.

College Football: Orange Bowl

No. 6 Georgia vs. No. 5 Florida State 

Saturday, Dec. 30  |  4 p.m. ET  |  ESPN

It’s the great debate of 2023: Was undefeated Florida State robbed of a chance to compete in the college football national championship odds market?

FSU fans will have to find satisfaction with a pretty potent consolation prize: a New Year’s Six showdown with Georgia. The Bulldogs spent the entire regular season as the AP Poll’s No. 1 team in college football. 

At present, Georgia is a whopping 19.5-point favorite.

Florida State will need to rely heavily on its two-deep in this game. As many college football fans know, Jordan Travis suffered a season-ending injury in November, which was a key factor in the committee’s decision to leave the Seminoles out. No. 2 quarterback Tate Rodemaker is in the transfer portal and will not play. 

True freshman quarterback Brock Glenn, who started the ACC Championship Game, will operate the FSU offense. 

Additionally, Florida State will also be without No. 1 rusher Trey Benson, No. 1 receiver Keon Coleman, No. 2 receiver Johnny Wilson, and top pass rusher Jared Verse – all of whom have opted out to focus on the NFL Draft.

NFL

Dolphins at Ravens

Sunday, Dec. 31  |  1 p.m. ET  |  CBS

Sunday’s all-important contest between the Ravens and Dolphins is essentially a game for the No. 1 seed in the AFC. 

A Baltimore win would lock up home-field advantage; a Miami win would leave both teams at 12-4. Miami would have the head-to-head advantage for now but would still need to beat Buffalo next week. 

Baltimore has been climbing the Super Bowl odds board throughout the second half of the season. The Ravens are the clear AFC favorite at +175 and are down to +400 to win it all.

But Baltimore is also in the midst of its most challenging stretch of the season, having secured consecutive wins over the Rams, Jaguars, and 49ers. All three are playoff teams if the season ended today. 

After a difficult December, does Baltimore still have enough in the tank to beat Miami? For now, BetMGM’s NFL odds have the Ravens as a 3.5-point favorite. That’s the same closing line the two teams had in September 2022, when Baltimore hosted the Dolphins. 

Tua Tagovailoa threw for 469 yards and six touchdowns, and the Dolphins won 42-38.