Christmas Eve features just one football game -- the 2024 Hawaii Bowl-- and it is the South Florida Bulls (6-6) taking on the San Jose State Spartans (7-5) in an AAC vs. Mountain West clash. Head coach Alex Golesh navigated a tough schedule and the loss of quarterback Byrum Brown for much of the season to guide the Bulls to the postseason. Brown, who has been out since late September with a leg injury, hasn't been ruled out for this game. Ken Niumatalolo's SJSU squad started fast at 4-1 and then worked its way to a seven-win campaign that culminated with a win over Stanford in the regular-season finale.

Kickoff for the Hawaii Bowl 2024 is at 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday in Honolulu. The Spartans are 1.5-point favorites in the latest USF vs. San Jose State odds via SportsLine consensus. The over/under is 64.5, the highest total on the college football odds board currently for bowl season. Before making any San Jose State vs. USF picks, be sure to see the college football predictions and betting advice from Bruce Marshall, SportsLine's current No. 1 college football expert. 

For years Vegas-based Bruce Marshall was synonymous with The Gold Sheet, the famed sports betting newsletter. Marshall is now one of SportsLine's top handicappers and he enters this matchup on a 50-26 roll on college football spread picks, returning more than $2,100 on for $100 bettors. Anyone following at sportsbooks and on betting apps has seen huge returns.

The he has set his sights on USF vs. San Jose State in the Hawaii Bowl 2024. You can head to SportsLine now to see  picks. Here are several college football betting lines for the San Jose State vs. USF game:

  • San Jose State vs. USF spread: San Jose State -1.5
  • San Jose State vs. USF over/under: 64.5 points
  • San Jose State vs. USF money line: San Jose State -120, USF +100
  • San Jose State vs. USF picks: See picks at SportsLine
  • San Jose State streaming: FuboTV (Try for free)

Why South Florida can cover

Getting Brown back in any capacity would be a huge boost for the underdogs. However, even if he doesn't go, backup Bryce Archie gained valuable experience this season and he'll be able to competently lead the Bulls. USF played a brutal early schedule that included Alabama, Miami, Tulane and Memphis. However, the Bulls saw dividends later in the year as they finished the season by winning four of their last six to get to bowl eligibility. 

SJSU is also missing a crucial piece in receiver Nick Nash. Nash, who led college football in receiving yards (1,382), receptions (104) and touchdown catches (16), has opted out of this matchup to prepare for the NFL Draft, giving the Spartans significantly less firepower heading into this matchup. See which team to pick here. 

Why San Jose State can cover

Outside of Nash, a majority of SJSU's roster remains in place for this matchup. Receiver Justin Lockhart was a solid No. 2 option and he should be comfortable as the No. 1 after recording 52 catches for 973 yards and five touchdowns this season. Junior quarterback Walker Eget took over in the middle of the year and he can air it out, throwing for at least 385 yards in three of the past four games. His best outing came against Stanford in the finale when he completed 67.3% of his passes for 385 yards and four touchdowns.

While USF is flying more than 4,000 miles, adjusting to the location shouldn't be much of a challenge for a SJSU program that made the trek to Hawaii twice last season. Niumatalolo, who won and covered in five of last six bowl trips with Navy, is also a native of Hawaii and an alum of the University of Hawaii, so this game could have some extra significance for him. See which team to pick here. 

How to make USF vs. San Jose State picks

Marshall is going Under on the total. He also has identified a critical x-factor that has him jumping all over one side of the spread. See what it is, and get all of Marshall's college football picks, at SportsLine. 

So who wins USF vs. San Jose State in the 2024 Hawaii Bowl, and what critical x-factor makes one side hit hard? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread to jump on, all from SportsLine's No. 1 CFB expert who is on a sizzling 50-26 roll on college football spread picks.