The 12-team College Football Playoff field is set, and while we still have a week to go before that action kicks off, bowl season officially gets underway Saturday night with the LA Bowl between the Washington Huskies and the Mountain West champion Boise State Broncos.
Washington enters the contest at 8-4 after going 2-2 to close out the year in November, while Boise State won its third consecutive Mountain West championship by beating UNLV for the second time this season. The Huskies are aiming to improve to nine wins in Year 2 under Jedd Fisch after going 6-7 in 2024, while the Broncos can reach double-digit wins for the 16th time since the turn of the century.
Washington-Boise State isn’t the only college football game on the docket for Saturday, either. While it’s not technically a bowl game, this game has all the pageantry of one, and that’s the annual Army vs. Navy clash. Navy can secure a 10th win as the Midshipmen enter this matchup at 9-2, while Army is 6-5 on the year.
This rivalry was one-sided for a while with Navy winning 14 straight from 2002-15, but Army has won six of nine since then, though Navy was victorious in this matchup last year with a 31-13 upset win over a ranked Black Knights squad.
Army-Navy kicks off the two-game college football slate at 3 p.m. ET, while the LA Bowl begins at 8 p.m. ET. Additionally, there are two NBA Cup semifinal matchups on the schedule in addition to a loaded college basketball slate with 16 games involving ranked teams as well as 13 NHL games.
Below is a snapshot of what to watch and bet on at the top sportsbooks on Saturday, Dec. 13. All times Eastern.
CFB best bets today, where to watch
Army vs. Navy
Time: 3 p.m. | Location: Baltimore | TV: CBS and Paramount+ | Stream: Fubo (try for free)
SportsLine picks — Model: Army ML | Expert: Over 38.5 (Mike Tierney)
This annual battle of rival service academies is always a fun way to end the college football regular season, with the game featuring no shortage of pageantry. Additionally, it’s a battle of willpower, so to speak, with each team featuring option-heavy offenses that churn clock. Navy ranks No. 1 in the nation in rushing yards while Army is No. 1 in time of possession, with Navy close behind at 17th in the country. The Midshipmen will look for quarterback Blake Horvath to have a big game as he leads the team with 1,040 rushing yards and 14 rushing scores. Army’s Cale Hellers has passed for just 500 yards on the year but has over 1,000 rushing yards and 15 rushing touchdowns.
The SportsLine Projection Model, which simulates every college football game 10,000 times, sees value in backing Army on the money line with the Black Knights winning outright in more than 40% of simulations at plus money. SportsLine expert Mike Tierney thinks the Over will cash on Saturday, noting these two offenses are more efficient and playing a bit faster than previous iterations.
Washington vs. Boise State (LA Bowl)
Time: 8 p.m. | Location: Los Angeles | TV: ABC | Stream: Fubo (try for free)
SportsLine pick — Model: Boise State +10
The Broncos enter this game with plenty of momentum as they’ve won three in a row, including the Mountain West Championship Game over UNLV. Boise State has been as consistent of a Group of Five team as there is in the country in recent years, and the program can reach 10 wins once again with an upset win over Washington. The Huskies had a chance to make some noise in the CFP race as they entered November with a 6-2 record, but they were upset in Madison by Wisconsin in a low-scoring affair before falling to rival Oregon to close the year out at 8-4. This matchup features two very good quarterbacks with Boise’s Mason Maddux passing for just over 2,200 yards in a year in which he missed three games, while Washington’s Demond Williams completed 70% of his passes for 2,850 yards while also rushing for 595 yards.
The SportsLine model has the Broncos covering the 10-point spread in 52% of its 10,000 simulations.
More CFB best bets:
NBA best bets today, where to watch
San Antonio Spurs at Oklahoma City Thunder
Time: 9 p.m. | Location: Oklahoma City | TV: Prime Video | Stream: Fubo (try for free)
SportsLine pick — Model: Thunder -10.5
Just four teams remain in the NBA Cup with the Magic and Knicks squaring off in the Eastern Conference and the Spurs taking on the defending-champion Thunder. The winner of Saturday’s two contests will meet on Tuesday to determine the NBA Cup champion. As for Saturday, the Thunder are off to a ridiculous 24-1 start after winning the NBA Finals a year ago. They enter Saturday with 16 consecutive wins as they’ve rarely broken a sweat this season. The 17-7 Spurs will look to change that and pull off a big upset in the first meeting between these two Western Conference foes this season. The model expects the Thunder to roll again on Saturday, not just winning in a whopping 86% of simulations but covering 70% of the time.
CBB best bets today, where to watch
Arizona at Alabama
Time: 9:30 p.m. | Location: Birmingham, Ala. | TV: ESPN | Stream: Fubo (try for free)
SportsLine pick — Model: Alabama +1.5
There are 16 games with ranked teams on Saturday, including four ranked vs. ranked matchups. The biggest matchup of the day is down in Alabama where the No. 12-ranked Crimson Tide take on No. 1 Arizona in a massive battle of prime title contenders. The Wildcats are a perfect 8-0 to begin the year and rose to No. 1 in the latest AP Poll after Purdue lost to Iowa State last week. The Tide are 7-2, though their two losses came to top teams in Gonzaga and Purdue. These teams last squared off in 2023, with Arizona winning 87-74. The Wildcats boast a deep lineup headlined by Koa Peat’s 15.9 points per game, while the Crimson Tide are led by the dynamic duo of Labaron Philon Jr. and Aden Holloway, both of whom average at least 18.2 points per game. Holloway is banged up with a wrist injury and is seen as a game-time decision. The model anticipates a close game with a slight lean towards No. 1 Arizona on the money line, but it has Alabama covering in 54% of simulations.
