It’s the most wonderful time of the year.
That’s right! College football bowl season is upon us for the holiday season.
Inevitably, bowl games are among the hardest to pick each and every year. The two-to-three week layoff for teams levels the playing field from a number of perspectives. Some teams are disappointed in their season and their bowl destination. Others are rested and rejuvenated, ready to big for bigger and better things. Some teams that were hot to end the year lose cannot pick up where they left off, while teams that struggled to close out the season have one more shot to send their seniors off with a victory.
In recent years, a number of other variables have been tossed into the mix. The most obvious is coaching changes. Some coaches have accepted bigger and better jobs, some have been fired and some may just be ready to retire like Chris Petersen. It’s not only the head coaches, but the position coaches that shuffle around this time of year.
Then there are the players. More and more elite players are opting to skip bowl games to begin their preparations for the NFL Draft. Others may be suspended for various reasons, typically academics as semesters have drawn to a close. And last but not least, there are the fresh faces that may still have a game to play without losing eligibility or even a transfer that had to sit out the regular season that may now be eligible to play.
If that last part doesn’t make sense right away, Syracuse was a perfect example of this last season. The Orange had two players that had not previously played during the year combine for three touchdowns in a 34-18 victory over West Virginian in the Camping World Bowl. The players were transfers that enrolled in school for the spring semester, and by the time the fall semester had ended, each had completed a year in residency, which is required for transfers not granted a waiver for immediate eligibility. Once that year in residency was complete, they were eligible to play. And because of the new four-game redshirt rule that went into effect in 2018, each could play in the bowl game without losing a season of athletic eligibility.
Sure, those cases are rare, but they do exist as the sports continues to adopt new rules to accommodate the current climate.
What it all means is that when teams take the field for their bowl games, they can often look much different than what we saw during the regular season. It can make picking these games difficult even for the oddsmakers in the desert.
So perhaps ‘tis the season for the underdog?
During the regular season, my Picks to Click went 242-61 straight up, 143-139-2 against the spread and 146-133-5 against the point totals. Championship Weekend produced a strong 9-1 straight up record (only loss was in Pac-12 Championship), including 6-4 against the spread and 7-3 against the totals.
Now for the picks …
Picks to Click – Bowl Season
Friday, Dec. 20
Makers Wanted Bahama’s Bowl
Buffalo vs. Charlotte
Noon | ESPN
Spread: Buffalo, -7 | O/U: 51.5
Pick: Charlotte, 28-24
Nassau, Bahamas (Thomas Robinson Stadium)
Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl
Utah State vs. Kent State
5:30 p.m. | ESPN2
Spread: Utah State, -7 | O/U: 67.5
Pick: Utah State, 38-33
Frisco, Texas (Toyota Stadium)
Saturday, Dec. 21
New Mexico Bowl
Central Michigan vs. San Diego State
Noon | ESPN
Spread: San Diego State, -3.5 | O/U: 40.5
Pick: San Diego State, 23-13
Albuquerque, N.M. (Dreamstyle Stadium)
FBC Mortgage Cure Bowl
Liberty vs. Georgia Southern
12:30 p.m. | CBSSN
Spread: Georgia Southern, -4 | O/U: 58.5
Pick: Georgia Southern, 37-30
Orlando, Fla. (Orlando City Stadium)
Cheribundi Boca Raton Bowl
SMU vs. Florida Atlantic
1:30 p.m. | ABC
Spread: SMU, -3.5 | O/U: 68.5
Pick: SMU, 41-38
Boca Raton, Fla. (FAU Football Stadium)
Camellia Bowl
Florida International vs. Arkansas State
3:30 p.m. | ESPN
Spread: Arkansas State, -2.5 | O/U: 60.5
Pick: Florida International, 30-27
Montgomery, Ala. (Cramton Bowl)
Mitsubishi Motors Las Vegas Bowl
Boise State vs. Washington
5:30 p.m. | ABC
Spread: Washington, -3 | O/U: 49
Pick: Washington 31-24
Las Vegas, Nev. (Sam Boyd Stadium)
R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
Appalachian State vs. UAB
7:30 p.m. | ESPN
Spread: Appalachian State, -17 | O/U: 47.5
Pick: Appalachian State, 35-14
New Orleans, La. (Mercedes-Benz Superdome)
Monday, Dec. 23
Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl
UCF vs. Marshall
12:30 p.m. | ESPN
Spread: Central Florida, -17 | O/U: 61.5
Pick: Central Florida, 42-17
Tampa, Fla. (Raymond James Stadium)
Tuesday, Dec. 24
SoFi Hawai’i Bowl
BYU at Hawai’i
6 p.m. | ESPN
Spread: BYU, -2 | O/U: 64
Pick: Hawai’i, 36-33
Honolulu, Hawai’i (Aloha Stadium)
Thursday, Dec. 26
Walk-On’s Independence Bowl
Louisiana Tech vs. Miami (Fla.)
2 p.m. | ESPN
Spread: Miami, -6 | O/U: 50
Pick: Miami, 28-24
Shreveport, La. (Independence Stadium)
Quick Lane Bowl
Pittsburgh vs. Eastern Michigan
6 p.m. | ESPN
Spread: Pittsburgh, -11 | O/U: 48.5
Pick: Pittsburgh, 24-21
Detroit, Mich. (Ford Field)
Friday, Dec. 27
Military Bowl Present by Northrup Grumman
North Carolina vs. Temple
10 a.m. | ESPN
Spread: North Carolina, -4.5 | O/U: 53
Pick: Temple, 28-27
Annapolis, Md. (Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium)
New Era Pinstripe Bowl
Michigan State vs. Wake Forest
1:20 p.m. | ESPN
Spread: Michigan State, -3.5 | O/U: 50
Pick: Michigan State, 31-28
New York, N.Y. (Yankee Stadium)
Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl
Oklahoma State vs. Texas A&M
4:45 p.m. | ESPN
Spread: Texas A&M, -7 | O/U: 54
Pick: Texas A&M, 28-23
Houston, Texas (NRG Stadium)
San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl
USC vs. Iowa
6 p.m. | FS1
Spread: Iowa, -2 | O/U: 51.5
Pick: USC, 24-17
San Diego, Calif. (SDCCU Stadium)
Cheez-It Bowl
Air Force vs. Washington State
8:15 p.m. | ESPN
Spread: Air Force, -3 | O/U: 68.5
Pick: Air Force, 34-27
Phoenix, Ariz. (Chase Field)
Saturday, Dec. 28
Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic
Memphis vs. Penn State
10 a.m. | ESPN
Spread: Penn State, -6.5 | O/U: 60.5
Pick: Penn State, 28-21
Arlington, Texas (AT&T Stadium)
Camping World Bowl
Notre Dame vs. Iowa State
10 a.m. | ABC
Spread: Notre Dame, -3.5 | O/U: 54
Pick: Notre Dame, 27-24
Orlando, Fla. (Camping World Stadium)
Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl (CFP Semifinal)
Oklahoma vs. LSU
2 p.m. | ESPN
Spread: LSU, 13.5 | O/U: 75.5
Pick: LSU, 44-30
Atlanta, Ga. (Mercedes-Benz Stadium)
PlayStation Fiesta Bowl (CFP Semifinal)
Clemson vs. Ohio State
6 p.m. | ESPN
Spread: Clemson, -2 | O/U: 63
Pick: Ohio State, 31-28
Glendale, Ariz. (State Farm Stadium)
Monday, Dec. 30
SERVPRO First Responder Bowl
Western Kentucky vs. Western Michigan
10:30 a.m. | ESPN
Spread: Western Kentucky, -3.5 | O/U: 53
Pick: Western Kentucky, 28-24
Dallas, Texas (Gerald J. Ford Stadium)
Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl
Mississippi State vs. Louisville
2 p.m. | ESPN
Spread: Mississippi State, -4 | O/U: 63
Pick: Louisville, 38-34
Nashville, Tenn. (Nissan Stadium)
Redbox Bowl
California vs. Illinois
2 p.m. | FOX
Spread: California, -6.5 | O/U: 43
Pick: California, 24-16
Santa Clara, Calif. (Levi’s Stadium)
Capital One Orange Bowl
Florida vs. Virginia
6 p.m. | ESPN
Spread: Florida, -14.5 | O/U: 54.5
Pick: Florida, 28-23
Miami, Fla. (Hard Rock Stadium)
Tuesday, Dec. 31
Belk Bowl
Virginia Tech vs. Kentucky
10 a.m. | ESPN
Spread: Virginia Tech, -2.5 | O/U: 46.5
Pick: Kentucky, 24-21
Charlotte, N.C. (Bank of America Stadium)
Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl
Florida State vs. Arizona State
Noon | CBS
Spread: Arizona State, -4 | O/U: 54
Pick: Arizona State, 31-24
El Paso, Texas (Sun Bowl)
* Odds taken from Caesars Sportsbook (not listed on sportsbetting.ag)
AutoZone Liberty Bowl
Navy vs. Kansas State
1:45 p.m. | ESPN
Spread: Navy, -2.5 | O/U: 52
Pick: Navy, 27-24
Memphis, Tenn. (Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium)
NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl
Wyoming vs. Georgia State
2:30 p.m. | CBSSN
Spread: Wyoming, -7 | O/U: 49
Pick: Wyoming, 31-20
Tucson, Ariz. (Arizona Stadium)
Valero Alamo Bowl
Utah vs. Texas
5:30 p.m. | ESPN
Spread: Utah, -7.5 | O/U: 55
Pick: Utah, 24-20
San Antonio, Texas (Alamodome)
Wednesday, Jan. 1
Outback Bowl
Minnesota vs. Auburn
11 a.m. | ESPN
Spread: Auburn, -7 | O/U: 53.5
Pick: Minnesota, 31-27
Tampa, Fla. (Raymond James Stadium)
Vrbo Citrus Bowl
Michigan vs. Alabama
11 a.m. | ABC
Spread: Alabama, -7 | O/U: 58.5
Pick: Alabama, 35-17
Orlando, Fla. (Camping World Stadium)
Rose Bowl Game Presented by Northwestern Mutual
Oregon vs. Wisconsin
3 p.m. | ESPN
Spread: Wisconsin, -3 | O/U: 51
Pick: Wisconsin, 30-24
Pasadena, Calif. (Rose Bowl)
Allstate Sugar Bowl
Baylor vs. Georgia
6:45 p.m. | ESPN
Spread: Georgia, -6 | O/U: 41
Pick: Baylor, 21-20
New Orleans, La. (Mercedes-Benz Superdome)
Thursday, Jan. 2
Ticketmaster Birmingham Bowl
Boston College vs. Cincinnati
1 p.m. | ESPN
Spread: Cincinnati, -7 | O/U: 55.5
Pick: Cincinnati, 28-20
Birmingham, Ala. (Legion Field)
TaxSlayer Gator Bowl
Indiana vs. Tennessee
5 p.m. | ESPN
Spread: Tennessee, -1.5 | O/U: 51.5
Pick: Indiana, 30-27
Jacksonville, Fla. (TIAA Bank Field)
Friday, Jan. 3
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Ohio vs. Nevada
1:30 p.m. | ESPN
Spread: Ohio, -8 | O/U: 59
Pick: Nevada, 34-30
Boise, Idaho (Albertsons Stadium)
Saturday, Jan. 4
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl
Southern Mississippi vs. Tulane
4:45 p.m. | ESPN
Spread: Tulane, -7 | O/U: 57
Pick: Tulane, 35-21
Fort Worth, Texas (Amon G. Carter Stadium)
Monday, Jan. 6
LendingTree Bowl
Louisiana vs. Miami (Ohio)
5:30 p.m. | ESPN
Spread: Louisiana, -14 | O/U: 55.5
Pick: Louisiana, 33-23
Mobile, Ala. (Ladd-Peebles Stadium)
Monday, Jan. 13
CFP National Championship Presented by AT&T
Clemson vs. LSU
6 p.m. | ESPN
Spread: LSU, -5 | O/U: 67.5
Pick: Clemson, 34-31
New Orleans, La. (Mercedes-Benz Superdome)
Notes:
- All times listed are MST
- Rankings from the Associated Press Top 25
- Point spread/game totals from http://www.sportsbetting.ag (as of Dec. 20 at 7 a.m.). CFP Championship as of Jan 13 at 7 a.m.
- Pac-12 games shaded above in gray
2019 Record (Week 15)
All Games Straight Up: 242-61 (9-1)
All Games ATS: 143-139-2 (6-4)
All Games O/U: 146-133-5 (7-3)
Pac-12 Straight Up: 50-29 (0-1)
Pac-12 ATS: 37-34-1 (0-1)
Pac-12 O/U: 38-32-2 (1-0)
* Arizona games not included
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