Louisiana vs TCU New Mexico Bowl Prediction & Best Bet – 12/28/2024

The Louisiana Ragin Cajuns will take on the TCU Horned Frogs in the New Mexico Bowl on December 28, 2024 at 2:15 pm EST. The betting odds from DraftKings Sportsbook favor the TCU Horned Frogs by 12.5 points. The total for the game is set at 58 points. Both teams will be looking to secure a victory in what promises to be an exciting bowl matchup. Louisiana will need to bring their A-game to compete with the favored TCU team, though stranger things have happened this bowl season.

For a full preview of Louisiana vs TCU in the New Mexico Bowl, continue reading below. Here, we have combined our analysis of this game with the projections from our college football betting model to come up with our best bet for this contest. With over a decade of college football betting success under our belts, we can promise that our prediction for this game is more than just a wild guess and is backed by actionable data and strategies.

Can Louisiana Bounce Back After Sun Belt Title Disappointment?

The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns went 10-3 this season, but their most recent game was their most disappointing performance of the 2024 season. Louisiana lost 31-3 to the Marshall Thundering Herd, who had to opt out of their bowl game due to excessive transfer portal activity due to a coaching change. Now, the Ragin' Cajuns will look to rebound from that loss in the Sun Belt Conference Championship Game, though this week's college football odds show them as massive underdogs against TCU of the Big 12.

The Louisiana defense will get a huge break in this game with a pair of key wide receivers opting out of this contest for TCU. Most notably, Jack Bech's absence will cause major problems for the TCU passing game. But it is up to Louisiana to take advantage of those absences and to do what it takes to win this game in New Mexico.

TCU Looks For Fourth Straight Win to End Season

The TCU Horned Frogs were 5-4 late in the regular season, but won their final three games to get to 8-4 and secure a decent bowl spot. The Horned Frogs were fortunate to play the weakest part of their schedule late in the year, as they beat Oklahoma State, Arizona, and Cincinnati to close out the regular season. Here, the Horned Frogs take on a tougher challenge as they face a 10-win Louisiana team that will be hungry to prove it can hang with a power conference opponent.

TCU's offense was incredibly pass-heavy this season, with no rusher eclipsing 500 yards individually this season. But with Bech and Savion Williams sitting this game out for the Horned Frogs, the passing game of TCU could struggle relative to its usual lofty standards. If that slows down the TCU offense in a meaningful way, the Horned Frogs could see their three-game winning streak snapped in the final game of their 2024 campaign.

Louisiana vs TCU Best Bet

We are going to take the points with Louisiana in this Louisiana vs TCU matchup in the New Mexico Bowl. The Ragin' Cajuns are not as good as their 10-3 record would suggest, but they should be able to keep this game reasonably close if they do lose, thanks to the absences in the receiving corps for TCU. Look for the Ragin' Cajuns defense to keep them in this game, even if the offense of Louisiana might not be enough for them to win this game.