Best Bowl Bets for Monday, December 31

Military Bowl: Cincinnati vs Virginia Tech

Scott’s Pick: Cincinnati -5.5

Cincinnati was 10-2 SU and ATS this season with an average winning margin of 26.8, while Virginia Tech was 2-4 SU and ATS in its final six games of the season with an average losing margin of 23.5. The Bearcats average the 25th-most ppg this season, while the Hokies surrender the 46th-most. Lastly, VT will be without its best pass rusher Houshun Gaines as he suffered a season-ending injury in Week 11.

Sun Bowl: Stanford vs Pittsburgh

Scott’s Pick: Pittsburgh +5.5

Pittsburgh had the eighth-toughest strength of schedule this year and still had a 7-6 record and went 8-5 ATS. The Panthers and Cardinal had one common opponent in Notre Dame, both teams lost but Pitt fell 19-14, while Stanford was taken advantage of late in the game and fell 38-17. Stanford running back Bryce Love will not be participating as he prepares for the upcoming NFL draft and the Cardinal average just 108.3 rushing yards per game which is the eighth-fewest.

Redbox Bowl: Michigan State vs Oregon

Scott’s Pick: UNDER 48

When Oregon struggles to move the ball on the ground, its entire offense struggles. Three times this season the Ducks were held to fewer than 120 rushing yards and they scored an average of 20 points in those games. Meanwhile, Michigan State allows the fewest rushing yards per game in the nation at 81.3, giving up more than 120 rushing yards just twice all season, once to Penn State and once to Michigan, both have better rushing attacks than Oregon. The Spartans went UNDER in their last seven games with no game going OVER 48 points.

Liberty Bowl: Missouri vs Oklahoma State

Scott’s Pick: OVER 74 points

Missouri played three teams this season that finished 75th or worse for points allowed per game and it scored an average 51 points in those games – Oklahoma State ranks 96th. Meanwhile, Oklahoma State was only held to fewer than 20 points twice all year and averaged the 14th-most at 38.4 ppg. Lastly, the total went OVER in four of Oklahoma States’ last five games with an average combined score of 75.

Holiday Bowl: Northwestern vs Utah

Scott’s Pick: UNDER 46 points

Northwestern scored the 25th-fewest points per game this season, while Utah surrendered the 16th-fewest ppg in the nation. Additionally, the Wildcats were held to 21 or fewer points when they faced a team that finished in the top 50 in pass defense, scoring an average of just 15.4 ppg – the Utes rank 52nd.

Gator Bowl: NC State vs Texas A&M

Scott’s Pick: Texas A&M -7

Texas A&M had the toughest strength of schedule in the nation this season, falling 28-26 to Clemson and 45-23 to Alabama. Yet, the Aggies still racked up an average of 34.7 points per game and pounced on weaker teams such as Ole Miss when they won 38-24. NC State has the 72nd-toughest strength of schedule and will be without arguably its best wide receiver in Kelvin Harmon (81 catches for 1,186 yards and seven TDs) as he is preparing for the upcoming NFL draft.

Best Bowl Bet for Saturday, December 29

Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl: Florida vs Michigan

Scott’s Pick: UNDER 51.5 points.

Florida allowed just 20.4 points per game which was 21st-fewest in college football, while Michigan surrendered just 17.6 ppg ranking in 12th. The Wolverines are without starting running back Karan Higdon, who rushed for 1,178 yards which is the 23rd-most in the nation, as he prepares for the upcoming NFL draft. Meanwhile, the averaged just 212.9 passing yards per game and QB Shea Patterson is dealing with a knee injury. 

Belk Bowl: South Carolina vs Virginia

Scott’s Pick: OVER 53.5

South Carolina averaged 32.6 points per game this season which was the 39th-most in the nation, despite playing the eighth-toughest strength of schedule. Virginia’s stats are inflated from a weak ACC schedule and it was exposed when it played tougher opponents such as Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech. The Gamecocks will be without leading receiver Deebo Samuel as he prepares for the upcoming draft. The total went OVER in each of the Cavaliers’ last three games, and four of the last five Gamecocks games.

Arizona Bowl: Arkansas State vs Nevada

Scott’s Pick: Arkansas State -1.5

Arkansas State averages 282.0 passing yards per game which is the 23rd-most in the nation, while Nevada allows the 45th-most passing yards per game at 243.1. Although the Red Wolves give up the 29th-most rushing yards per game, the Wolf Pack average the 47th-fewest rushing yards per game. Arkansas State finished the season 5-1 SU and ATS.

Cotton Bowl: Notre Dame vs Clemson

Scott’s Pick: OVER 55 points.

Notre Dame has some vulnerabilities stopping the run allowing Wake Forest to rush for 259 yards and Clemson’s Travis Etienne had the fifth-most rushing yards per game this season at 1,463. Meanwhile, the Tigers had a few games in which their secondary was exposed, most notably allowing Jake Bentley (South Carolina) to throw for 510 yards and five touchdowns and ND’s Ian Book threw for 2,455 yards and 18 TDs in eight games as a starter.

Orange Bowl: Oklahoma vs Alabama

Scott’s Pick: OVER 77 points

The top two offenses in the nation colliding as Oklahoma averaged 49.5 points per game this season, while Alabama averaged 47.9. Now, the Crimson Tide also had the fourth-best defense surrendering just 14.8 points per game but haven’t faced an offense like the Sooners, the best offense they faced was Georgia which scored 28 vs the Crimson Tide. The Sooners gave up an average of 32.4 points per game which was the 35th-most in college football.

Best Bowl Bets for Friday, December 28

Music City Bowl: Auburn vs Purdue

Scott’s Pick: Auburn -4

When Auburn matched up against teams that had weak secondaries, it was able to run up the score, but they never got to play a team that allowed as many passing yards per game as Purdue (276.9). The next closest was Liberty, and the Tigers racked up 53 points and QB Jarrett Stidham threw for 178 yards and two touchdowns. Liberty isn’t exactly a powerhouse so how about at Ole Miss or Texas A&M, Auburn scored 31 in the first and 28 in the second with Stidham throwing for 454 yards and three TDs combined. Auburn also surrenders the 18th-fewest ppg in the nation at 19.6.

Camping World Bowl: Syracuse vs West Virginia

Scott’s Pick: Syracuse -1.5

No Will, no way. West Virginia had the ninth-most points per game in the nation this season at 42.3, including the third-most passing yards per game at 358.1. However, starting QB Will Grier is not suiting up for this game as he prepares for the upcoming NFL draft and it’ll be sophomore Jack Allison as the signal caller. Allison threw for 75 yards with one TD and one interception this year so I expect a bit of reduction in scoring for the Mountaineers. The Orange were 10th in college football with 40.8 points per game and were 8-4 ATS this season.

Alamo Bowl: Iowa State vs Washington State

Scott’s Pick: Washington State -3

Washington State led the nation with 379.8 passing yards per game, while Iowa State surrendered the 62nd-most passing yards per game at 228.8. Washington State gives up the 39th-fewest points per game in the nation this year, while Iowa State scores the 48th-fewest ppg. Lastly, the Cougars went 10-2 SU and ATS this year.

Best Bowl Bets for Thursday, December 27

Independence Bowl: Temple vs Duke

Scott’s Pick: Temple -3.5

Duke’s main attack is through the air from Daniel Jones, but he’s going up against a Temple team that allowed the seventh-fewest passing yards per game this year. Meanwhile, the Blue Devils scored the 53rd-fewest points per game and the Owls gave up the 46th-fewest ppg. Temple was 8-4 ATS this season and scored an average of 35.6 points per game which is the 21st-most in college football going up against Duke, which allows the 61st-most ppg and was just 3-6 ATS in its final nine games of the year.

Pinstripe Bowl: Miami-FL vs Wisconsin

Scott’s Pick: UNDER 48

Miami allows the 15th-fewest points per game, including the nations-best pass defense that gave up just 140.8 pass yards per game, while only surrendering 127.5 rushing yards per game that should gobble up Wisconsin RB Jonathan Taylor. Meanwhile, offensively, freshman QB N’Kosi Perry played well throwing 13 TDs and just five interceptions, but his off-field antics have left his status up in the air. Wisconsin gave up the 43rd-fewest ppg at 24.3 and went UNDER in four of its last five games.

Texas Bowl: Baylor vs Vanderbilt

Scott’s Pick: Vanderbilt -4

Vanderbilt had the 10th-toughest strength of schedule this season and still held its opponents to just 25.1 points per game which ranked in a tie for 49th-fewest in the nation. Additionally, Baylor will be without its leading receiver Jalen Hurd, who secured 69 catches for 946 yards and four touchdowns. Three times this year Vandy was favored between -3 and -6 points and it was a perfect 3-0 SU and ATS in those contests.

Best Bowl Bets for Wednesday, December 26

First Responder Bowl: Boston College vs Boise State (Canceled)

Scott’s Pick: Boise State -2

Boston College dropped its last three games of the season after sophomore QB Anthony Brown suffered an injury to Clemson, he continued to play but not as strong as he finished the year with back-to-back games with two interceptions, one fewer than he had in the previous 10 games. The Eagles allow the 34th-most passing yards per game, while Boise State averages the 18th-most passing yards per game. BC averages 189.1 rushing yards per game which are the 50th-most in the nation, but Boise State allows the 22nd-fewest rushing yards.

Quick Lane Bowl: Minnesota vs Georgia Tech

Scott’s Pick: Georgia Tech -5.5

Minnesota gives up an average of 170.7 rushing yards per game and is going up against Georgia Tech, which averages the most rushing yards in the nation at 334.9. The Yellow Jackets scored the 21st-most points per game in college football compared to the Gophers’ 68th-ranked offense. Minnesota’s quarterbacks threw almost as many interceptions as TDs and Georgia Tech grabbed 12 picks this year. Lastly, the Gophers will be without leading tackler Blake Cashman as he prepares for the upcoming NFL draft.

Cheez-It Bowl: TCU vs California

Scott’s Pick: UNDER 38.5 points

TCU held its opponents to an average of just 24.4 points per game in the offensive-minded Big 12 conference, while California surrendered the 24th-fewest points per game in the nation at 21.3. Offensively, the Golden Bears score the 20th-fewest points per game at 22.8 and the Horned Frogs score the 31st-fewest. The Bears went UNDER 38.5 points in four of their last five games.

Best Bowl Bets for Saturday, December 22

Birmingham Bowl: Memphis vs Wake Forest

Scott’s Pick: Memphis -3.5

Memphis will be without lead back Darrell Henderson, who rushed for 1,909 yards and 22 touchdowns, as he has elected not to play in this game to prepare for the upcoming NFL draft. But backup running back Patrick Taylor Jr. quietly rushed for 1,012 yards and added 15 TDs, running for an average of 113.5 yards through the last four games of the season. Wake Forest surrenders the 40th-most rushing yards per game in the nation this year and it went 4-8 ATS this season.

Armed Forces Bowl: Army vs Houston

Scott’s Pick: Army -6

Houston’s standout defensive tackle Ed Oliver will not be participating in this game as he prepares for the upcoming NFL draft and the Cougars also fired defensive coordinator Mark D’Onofrio at the end of the regular season. Houston allows the 33rd-most rushing yards against per game, including giving up 401 rushing yards in its season finale vs Memphis. Meanwhile, Army averages the second-most rushing yards per game at 296.3 and is on an eight-game winning streak.

Dollar General Bowl: Buffalo vs Troy

Scott’s Pick: OVER 49.5

Buffalo’s last five games of the season had a combined score that went OVER 51.5 points and it averaged 34.8 points per game this year, the 26th-most in the nation. Meanwhile, Troy went OVER 51.5 points in seven of its 12 games this year, and it averaged 29.8 ppg, ranking in a tie for 58th. Although Troy doesn’t score at the same rate as its opponent, Buffalo’s defense has surrendered an average of 28.17 ppg over its last six games, which shows some vulnerabilities.

Hawai’i Bowl: Hawaii vs Louisiana Tech

Scott’s Pick: UNDER 61 points

LA Tech has gone UNDER in eight of its last nine games, including its last five in a row, having just one match going OVER 60 points this year. The Bulldogs allow just 23.8 ppg, which is the 41st-fewest in college football, including the 29th-fewest passing yards per game. Hawaii’s defense has been bad, giving up the 20th-most ppg, but LA Tech scores the 30th-fewest ppg in the nation.

Best Bowl Bets for Friday, December 21

Bahamas Bowl: Florida International vs Toledo

Scott’s Pick: Florida International +7

Toledo has given up 257.8 passing yards per game, which is the 26th-most in college football, while Florida International averaged the 51st-most passing yards per game at 247.6. Additionally, the Rockets rank 84th among 130 schools in FBS for points allowed per game at 30.2. Lastly, the Golden Panthers went 9-3 ATS this season, including a perfect 3-0 in games as the underdog.

Idaho Potato Bowl: BYU vs Western Michigan

Scott’s Pick: OVER 49.5

Western Michigan has gone OVER in its last four games, allowing an average of 43.25 points per game over that span. Meanwhile, BYU has been scoring an average of 31 ppg since making a quarterback change midway through the season with five of its last six games going OVER 49 points. Lastly, the Broncos only had one game all year go UNDER 49 points, when they played to a combined score of 45 against Central Michigan.

Best Bowl Bet for Thursday, December 20

Gasparilla Bowl: Marshall vs South Florida

Scott’s Pick: OVER 51

South Florida quarterback Blake Barnett is expected back under center after missing two of the last three games of the year. The Bulls averaged 33.33 ppg in the first nine games of the season when he was healthy but just 16.67 ppg through the final three matches since he got injured. Meanwhile, Marshall racked up 30-plus points in each of its two games against schools that rank 90th or worse in points allowed per game. USF ranks 91st, surrendering 31.5 ppg.

Best Bowl Bet for Wednesday, December 19

Frisco Bowl: Ohio vs San Diego State

Scott’s Pick: Ohio -2.5

Ohio had an average winning margin of 24.63 this season with its four defeats all coming on the road – against Virginia and Cincinnati, both at one point ranked in the Top 25, MAC champs Northern Illinois, and rival Miami-OH – by an average margin of 5.75 points. San Diego State has a defensive mindset but gave up 26.4 points per game through its last five games of the season, 4.6 points higher than its season average.

Best Bowl Bet for Tuesday, December 18

Boca Raton Bowl: Alabama-Birmingham vs Northern Illinois

Scott’s Pick: UAB -2.5

The biggest storyline will be the battle between UAB’s Spencer Brown, who set a Blazers single-season record of 16 rushing touchdowns, and the Northern Illinois defense, which is surrendering just 109.7 rushing yards per game, the 14th-fewest in the nation. The Huskies score the 11th-fewest points per game in college football this season, while the Blazers allow the ninth-fewest ppg at 17.3.

BEST Bowl BETS FOR Saturday, DECEMBER 15:

Las Vegas Bowl: Fresno State vs Arizona State

Scott’s pick: Fresno State -4 

Arizona State’s top receiver N’Keal Harry will not be playing in this game because he signed with an agent to prepare for the upcoming NFL draft, forcing the Sun Devils to rely more on their run game. The Bulldogs allows just 129.8 rushing yards per game which is 27th-fewest in the nation. Fresno State was 11-2 SU and 9-4 ATS in its 13 games this season.

Cure Bowl: Tulane vs Louisiana

Scott’s pick: UNDER 59 points  

Louisiana has a two-headed monster in the backfield in Elijah Mitchell and Trey Ragas who combined for over 2,000 rushing yards and had 20 touchdowns, however, Tulane allows just 152.6 rushing yards per game which is the 51st-fewest in the nation. Meanwhile, Ragin’ Cajuns quarterback Andre Nunez threw 12 interceptions this year and the Green Wave rank in a tie for 49th in college football with 11 picks, led by cornerback Donnie Lewis Jr. who had three himself. Tulane went UNDER 59 points in nine of its 12 games this season.

New Mexico Bowl: Utah State vs North Texas

Scott’s pick: Utah State -8.5

The Aggies’ strength of schedule was tougher than the Mean Green’s, with Utah State falling only to then-No. 11 Michigan State 38-31, and then-No. 23 Boise State 33-24, while North Texas’ three losses came against unranked schools. Both teams rely on a solid passing game with Jordan Love (USU) throwing for 3,208 yards with 28 touchdowns and five interceptions and Mason Fine (UNT) tossing 3,734 yards with 27 TDs and five picks. Lastly, North Texas was 4-8 ATS this season, while Utah State was 9-3 ATS.

Camellia Bowl: Georgia Southern vs Eastern Michigan

Scott’s pick: OVER 47.5 points 

Eastern Michigan struggled against teams that could run the ball well, falling 37-22 to Army, 35-28 to Buffalo and 27-24 to Western Michigan. Georgia Southern averages the ninth-most rushing yards per game at 260.8, 30 yards per game fewer than Army. Meanwhile, most of Georgia Southern’s wins came against teams that struggled through the air, getting roughed up by teams like UL Monroe (44-25) which averages 247.5 passing yards per game, 52nd-most in the nation. Lastly, Eastern Michigan went OVER 47.5 points in eight of its 12 games, while Georgia Southern went OVER that total in eight of its 12 matches.

New Orleans Bowl: Middle Tennessee vs Appalachian State

Scott’s pick: Appalachian State -7 

This is the lowest spread that the Mountaineers have been given this season, outside of being a 24-point underdog vs Penn State a game in which them lost 45-38. App State surrenders the sixth-fewest points per game in the NCAA at 15.7, including allowing the third-fewest passing yards per game at 148.1. Meanwhile, most of Middle Tennessee’s attack comes through the air from Brent Stockstill who threw for 3,214 yards with 28 touchdowns and just eight interceptions. App State went 10-2 SU and 7-3-2 ATS this year with one of its losses coming against Penn State and it is 3-0 SU and 2-1 ATS in its last three bowl games.

NCAA Football Bowl Season 101

Most sports culminate in a big game. There’s the World Series, the Super Bowl, the Stanley Cup Finals, and the NBA Finals. The College Football Playoff National Championship is the big game of the NCAA football world.

The College Football Playoff National Championship

The college football post-season consists of bowl games played by teams in the NCAA’s Division I. The winners of the two semi-final games advance to the National Championship game. The College Football Playoff committee, primarily made up of athletic directors from each major conference, former players, coaches and administrators, meets in early December and ranks the Top 25 along with selecting the top four teams and seeding them into semi-final games.

Once the committee ranks the teams, they place the top-seeded team at the closest site to their home field to prevent a road-game environment. Cities can bid to host the championship game years in advance. The 2019 College Football Playoff National Championship will be played at Levi’s Stadium – where the 49ers play, also the makers of jeans – in Santa Clara, California on January 7th.

The semi-finals are assigned to a different pairing of the six major bowl games each year:

In the years that the bowl games aren’t host to the semi-finals, they host their bowl’s affiliated conferences or committee selections. The Rose Bowl usually hosts the Big Ten champions against Pac-12 champions. The Orange Bowl plays host to the ACC champion and either the second-place SEC team, second place Big Ten team or Independent Notre Dame. The Cotton, Fiesta and Peach Bowls are all decided by committee selection.

A Brief History of the College Football Bowl System

While bowl games have been around for over a century, the current College Football Playoff system has only been in effect since 2014. College football teams have been battling each other in front of a live audience before there were television crews to document it, but it wasn’t until bowl games became a staple of our New Year’s Day TV viewing habits that people realized they could bet on them.

Everything’s Coming up Rose Bowls

The year was 1901. New York became the first state to require automobiles to have license plates, Theodore Roosevelt was sworn in as President of the United States, and a Michigan schoolteacher named Annie Edson Taylor went over Niagara Falls in a barrel (she survived). It was also the year that the president of the Pasadena Tournament of Roses decided to stage a sporting event other than the traditional porcupine wrangling experience to promote the village’s floral festival.

Instead of watching people tussle with a spiky beast, the citizens of Pasadena were treated to the first incarnation of a college football bowl.

With the two best teams from the East and West taking the field, January 1st, 1902 marked the inaugural Rose Bowl. Featuring Michigan and Stanford, the game lasted only eight minutes with Stanford begging for mercy after trailing by 49 points. In other words, Stanford quit the game.

Due to the short Michigan/Stanford game, it took 14 years for another college football championship game between East and West to return to Pasadena. It’s unclear if porcupine wrangling was brought back but hopefully for those prickly creatures and the people that tussle with them, it was not.

Television, Naming Rights, and the Death of the BCS

After a 14-year hiatus, bowl games came back with a vengeance. Here’s how things went from 1916 until present day:

• In 1916 the Tournament of Roses featured a match between Washington State and Brown. Washington State won.
• In 1923 the tournament was moved to a new stadium called the Rose Bowl where the New Year’s Day game would be played from then on.
• After the success of the Rose Bowl game, other warm-weather regions decided to get in on the New Year’s Day bowl game action.
• The Festival of Palms Bowl was played in 1933 between Manhattan College and the University of Miami.
• The Sugar Bowl started in 1935 in New Orleans, and the Sun Bowl started in El Paso a year later.
• 1937 saw the launch of The Cotton Bowl in Dallas and the Bacardi Bowl was played in Havana, Cuba.
• Bowl games continued to crop up after World War ll with creative names like the Great Lakes Bowl (Cleveland), the Raisin Bowl (Fresno), the Salad Bowl (Phoenix), the Cigar Bowl (Tampa), and the Camellia Bowl (Lafayette, LA).
• Fast forward to 1965 when the magic of television was able to capture the majority of the bowl games on a national level. Bowl directors realized they could make more money with marquee teams playing the games.
• By the 1980s, bowl games were a sponsorship haven where sponsors from all walks of life could pay to have their name plastered everywhere, even in the name of the bowl (Sunkist Fiesta Bowl, FedEx Orange Bowl, Outback Bowl, and the Scrambled Eggs Bowl – Okay, we made the last one up but give it time and Big Egg will eventually sponsor their own game).
• In the 90s, amidst the grunge sounds coming from Seattle, a movie of talking toys, pagers and Dolly the cloned sheep, the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) was born.
• From 1998 until 2013, the BCS system resulted in five bowl game matchups of the 10 top ranked College Football Division I teams. But first there was the Bowl Coalition (92-94) and the Bowl Alliance (95-97) and like the “Rachel” haircut, they fell out of favor for a more modern system.
• The BCS saw its demise after the 2013 season and was replaced by the current system, the College Football Playoff. Four teams play in two semi-final games with the winner of each advancing to the College Football Playoff National Championship game.
• The College Football Playoff is one of the top sports betting events of the year. There’s plenty of action throughout the playoffs, so be sure to keep an eye on our NCAA football section for odds, picks, betting trends and enough content to keep you busier than former LSU head coach Les Miles in a field of grass. Below you’ll find info one the New Year’s Six. Click on each one to learn more.