Computer model reveals college football picks, best bets for Tuesday, Dec. 30

SportsLine's model reveals its college football picks and best bets for Tuesday, Dec. 30

By Blake Von Hagen

Dec 30, 2025 at 10:09 am ET • 3 min read

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The 2025-26 college football bowl schedule continues Tuesday with a three-game slate, including No. 16 USC vs. TCU in the nightcap at 9 p.m. ET. USC fell short of a College Football Playoff berth and had multiple players opt out of the Alamo Bowl, where TCU will have a home-state advantage. The Trojans are 6.5-point favorites in the college football bowl odds, while the over/under is 55.5. SportsLine's proven computer model is backing the Over in that matchup, and it has also revealed two other picks for Tuesday's action.

The model has Coastal Carolina (+9.5) covering the spread against Louisiana Tech in the Independence Bowl, while Tennessee (-2.5) covers 71% of the time against Illinois in the Music City Bowl. Before locking in your college football picks for Tuesday, Dec. 30, be sure to check out the top college football betting picks from SportsLine's advanced computer model.

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The model simulates every FBS game 10,000 times, and it is 31-19 on its top-rated college football money-line picks since the beginning of the 2024 season. Anybody following those college football betting picks at sportsbooks and on betting sites could have seen strong returns.

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College football best bets for Tuesday, Dec. 30 (odds subject to change):

Coastal Carolina (+9.5) vs. Louisiana Tech
Tennessee (-2.5) vs. Illinois
Over 55.5 in USC vs. TCU

Combining the model's three picks into a college football parlay would result in a payout of +588 (risk $100 to win $588). Bet it now at Caesars Sportsbook:

Coastal Carolina (+9.5) vs. Louisiana Tech

Coastal Carolina is appearing in a bowl game for the sixth season in a row, but head coach Tim Beck was fired on Nov. 30. Interim coach Jeremiah Johnson was Louisiana Tech's defensive coordinator last season, so he is familiar with the Bulldogs. They lost to Army in the 2024 Independence Bowl, and they dropped four of their final seven games down the stretch of the regular season. Coastal Carolina is on a three-game skid, but one of those losses came to South Carolina, and another came against College Football Playoff entrant James Madison. The model is expecting a much closer game than the oddsmakers, as Coastal Carolina is covering in 66% of simulations.

Tennessee (-2.5) vs. Illinois

Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar will play his final game for the Vols on Tuesday after leading the SEC with 3,444 passing yards and accounting for 27 total touchdowns. He will be without wide receiver Chris Brazzell II, but he was the only key opt out for Tennessee's offense. Illinois is going to be without left tackle J.C. Davis, who opted out and declared for the NFL draft. The Fighting Illini struggled against the top teams they played during the regular season, losing to Indiana and Ohio State by a combined score of 97-26. The model has Tennessee cruising to a double-digit win on Tuesday in front of an in-state crowd, as the Vols cover in 71% of simulations.

Over 55.5 in USC vs. TCU

USC is going to be without star wide receivers Makai Lemon and Ja'Kobi Lane, who opted out to prepare for the draft. However, quarterback Jayden Maiava is still running the show after racking up 3,431 yards and 23 touchdowns during the regular season. Freshman wide receiver Tanook Hines had 28 receptions for 398 yards and two scores this year, so he is one player who can fill the void left by Lemon and Lane. TCU scored 45 points in its regular-season finale and does not have many opt outs for this contest. The model is projecting 64 points, as the Over hits 64% of the time.