Sun Bowl: #19 Oregon State vs #16 Notre Dame Odds, and Picks (Dec 29)

• Oregon State enters this game on a 2-game losing streak, after a solid season.
• Notre Dame is seeking their 10th win, after failing to reach that mark in 2022.
• These two teams last met on December 28, 2004, in a game Oregon State won 38-21.

The college football season has hit its peak! Let’s preview the 2023 Sun Bowl between the Oregon State Beavers and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. They’ll both aim to finish strong after fading down the stretch.

How to Watch

• CBS

Preview

Oregon State had their best season since 2006 last year, and aimed to build on that with more success this season. They started the year ranked #18 and climbed to as high as #11, before settling back at #19 after losing their last two games. Before their matchup against Oregon, the Beavers hadn’t lost a game by more than 3 points. They’ll be aiming to bounce back after a poor final result, and end the year on a high.

Notre Dame had a solid season, but once again came up short of the CFP. Despite bringing in experienced QB Sam Hartman from Wake Forest, the Fighting Irish struggled to defeat ranked teams. Based on current rankings, Notre Dame went 0-3 in those games, losing to #7 Ohio State, #15 Louisville, and #22 Clemson. The Fighting Irish will aim to get into the ranked win column in this bowl game against #19 Oregon State.

Prediction

This game has changed quite a bit since Oregon State QB DJ Uiagalelei announced he would be entering the transfer portal. Without Uiagalelei available for this game, the Beavers are all of a sudden considered to be heavy underdogs. While I lean towards Notre Dame winning here, I don’t expect a scrappy Oregon State to go down very easily, regardless of who is over center. I’ll take Notre Dame to win, but not cover.

NCAAF Picks:

• Notre Dame 27, Oregon State 21 ()