I’ll be attacking the College Football Playoffs with gusto starting next week, but for now we need a way to earn some coin prior to those matchups. So all the big time college bowl game betting picks are here including the Orange Bowl, Citrus Bowl, Outback Bowl, Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Cotton Bowl and Outback Bowl. A few others caught my attention for sheer value proposition alone, including the first one I’m going to go heavy on so I can start with a big bankroll as I enjoy the holidays like every gambler should be – with college football.
ARMED FORCES BOWL (Friday, December 23rd at 4:30pm EST)
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs -5.0 over Navy Midshipmen
As we saw in their shocking loss to Army, Navy is not the same without quarterback Will Worth who was the team’s best player by a mile. Louisiana Tech probably flew under your radar but are an outstanding college bowl betting pick because their offence can bury teams in a heartbeat. The Bulldogs averaged a blistering 44.0 points while amassing the 8th most yards in the country with 516.3 per game. Navy won’t be able to option their way to safe shores in this one.
MILITARY BOWL (Tuesday, December 27th at 3:30pm EST)
#24 Temple Owls -11.5 over Wake Forest Demon Deacons
I hate to use the term “easy money” but this is a great bankroll builder. I don’t totally trust the other Tuesday games as much. Army is a bit random in the post season, as is North Texas. Boise State is a mess against the spread and Baylor is a mess overall. And Minnesota is in disarray as they try to contend with a good Washington State team. So I’ll easily grab the Temple Owls, who went an awesome 12-1 ATS this season against an overblown Wake Forest team that people are siding with in college bowl game betting simply because of their name value.
RUSSELL ATHLETIC BOWL (Wednesday, December 28th at 5:30pm EST)
Miami Hurricanes -3.0 over #16 West Virginia Mountaineers
People tend to fall in love with West Virginia because of their high flying offence and overall metrics, but gamblers know better. They simply never come through when they play tougher opponents, which shows in their 6-14 ATS record when playing ACC teams. Neither team has been truly strong in the post season, going a combined 1-13 ATS in their last 14 college bowl game betting matchups combined so you’re not getting any intrinsic value based on circumstantial success there. But the bet here is against West Virginia, especially with Miami surging on a 4-0 SU and ATS win streak to end the season.
SUN BOWL (Friday, December 30th at 2pm EST)
#18 Stanford Cardinal -3.5 over UNC Tar Heels
I love what the Tar Heels have done this season. Going 8-4 SU and 7-5 ATS overall while steadying the progress they’ve made in becoming a mild threat in the ACC is awesome for college football. The problem with backing htem here is that they’re running in to Christian McAffery who is about to unleash all hell in his final college game. The Tar Heels surrender 235.5 rushing yards per game, plus Stanford is 6-1 ATS in the post season over the last 7 years. Remember last year’s Rose Bowl where McAffery ignited for a billion yards including a score on his first touch? This is a must-see event just to witness McAffery rolling.
ORANGE BOWL (Friday, December 30th at 8pm EST)
#6 Michigan Wolverines -7.0 over #11 FSU Seminoles
I’m not ignoring the gravitas of this matchup. It’s a spectacular draw with big time programs involved. However, to put things simply, Michigan’s defence is simply too blitz-centric for this FSU offensive line. Freshman quarterback Deondre Francois was crushed by strong defences all year, and was either running for his life or getting sacked during the year. That’s not good when Michigan is coming in with 44.0 sacks to their credit. Ignore the trends in this college bowl game betting battle. Michigan is simply way too good for these Seminoles.
CITRUS BOWL (Saturday, December 31st at 11am EST)
#20 LSU Tigers -3.5 over #13 Louisville Cardinals
There’s no doubt that Lamar Jackson deserved the Heisman. He is worth every penny that you pay to see him (or watch him on TV). The biggest problem is that he moved the line so heavily due to his popularity that the Cardinals couldn’t keep up with the bookmakers. Louisville was an awful 3-2 SU and 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games against much lesser competition. This is a friendly reminder that while LSU got beat up in their own conference, their defence was as remarkable as ever. LSU should be a much bigger favorite here. You’re getting a gift because of Lamar Jackson’s presence.
COTTON BOWL (Monday, January 2nd at 1pm EST)
#8 Wisconsin Badgers -7.5 over #15 Western Michigan Broncos
Congratulations on your undefeated season, Western Michigan! Now, for all that belly aching you did about not being considered as a top-10 team or a playoff candidate, you’re being fed to the Wisconsin Badgers who have been cut from the grindstone this season and are as nasty as they get. At 9-3 ATS in one of the toughest football conferences that exists, Wisconsin is a no-brainer here.
OUTBACK BOWL (Monday, January 2nd at 1pm EST)
Iowa Hawkeyes +2.5 over #17 Florida Gators
I don’t know what it is about Iowa, but they’re just a solid play. Burly Big Ten teams often have their way with lesser opponents, and the fact that they’re chugging in to the Outback Bowl with so much momentum is favorable. Iowa is 3-0 SU and ATS in their last three games and also have a top notch defence which ranked 11th in the country with just 17.9 points against per game. Florida is a fine team, but it’s tough to envision them getting going against such a physical defence.
ROSE BOWL (Monday, January 2nd at 5:00pm EST)
#5 Penn State Nittany Lions +6.5 over #9 USC Trojans
You’ll hear a lot about people creating a social justice stink about Penn State returning to prominence this season, especially after they just missed the cut. Let’s remember that what completely ruined the prestige of this franchise was the horrifying decisions of a couple coaches. It was not the players’ fault, and they should be allowed to carve their own legacies as the school tries to move forward instead of dwelling on a past that won’t be forgotten, but needs to be put behind them.
What James Franklin has done to return this school to glory is nothing short of phenomenal. The truth is, however, that USC’s Clay Helton has done the very same in making USC a credible team after it turned in to a laughing stock in the wake of the Pete Carroll and Reggie Bush fiasco. Both schools went a rip roaring 17-7 ATS combined over the course of the season.
If anything, you’re taking the points here because you just have to assume that Penn State will turn this matchup in to a fist fight. Unlike USC, they can change gears by pouring on points or turning a game in to a meat grinder. It’s either going to be a lot closer than the oddsmakers believe, or Penn State rides their wave of momentum. I don’t love Pac-10 teams in college bowl game betting, but you truthfully can’t go wrong with either team. When I’m caught in a situation like that, I take the points.
SUGAR BOWL (Monday January 2nd at 8:30pm EST)
#14 Auburn Tigers +3.0 over #7 Oklahoma Sooners
Simple fact in college football betting – you never side with Bob Stoops and Oklahoma when they’re in a big game, especially when they’re favored. Oklahoma could very well go against the grain of their 3-7 ATS record in college bowl game betting, or their 0-5 ATS record in non-conference matchups, or their 0-6 ATS record when playing on neutral territory…but I highly doubt it. Besides, Auburn is the king of betting in the post season having gone 4-1 ATS in their last 5 bowl games. This is a great bankroll builder as you build in to the College Football National Championship game, which will be played January 9th, 2017 out of Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay.
