College Football Picks

For the 3rd time in the last 4 years, the two most elite programs in college football will meet in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game when the no. 2 Clemson Tigers meet the no. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide on Monday, January 7th. The Crimson Tide and Tigers will meet for the 4th consecutive year in the playoffs and for the 3rd time in the title game. The oddsmaker has the ‘Tide as a seven-point favorite to win the title with a total of 59.5. CFB handicapper Jay Horne breaks down the game and gives out his ATS prediction.

This season’s Sugar Bowl game matches the Texas Longhorns versus the Georgia Bulldogs. The college football boards have the Dawgs as a large favorite with some betting shops hanging as high as a -13. On paper they’re certainly the better team, but are they going to be motivated after being left out of the CFB Playoffs? Our handicapper decided to skip a point spread play on this game and has gone with a total pick. Read on to get his analysis and O/U forecast.

Despite going 12-1 SU along with a dominating win over Michigan and a Big Ten Championship, the No. 6 Ohio State Buckeyes did not get enough votes for a College Football Playoffs appearance in Urban Meyer’s farewell tour. Will they be looking to prove the voters wrong with a big game against the Huskies in the Rose Bowl or will they be in a letdown mode? Predictem CFB handicapper Jay Horne has a solid take on this game and explains why he has no problem backing this side. Check it out.

The defending self-proclaimed National Champions in the UCF Knights will put their NCAA leading 25 game winning streak on the line in this year’s Fiesta Bowl when they travel to Glendale, Arizona for a date with the No. 11 LSU Tigers. The No. 8 Knights are on the heels of their second straight undefeated season including an impressive win over Memphis in the American Athletic Conference Championship Game without star quarterback McKenzie Milton. The sportsbooks have LSU as a large -7.5 point favorite with the total offered up at 55.5 points. Read on to get a free pick on the Fiesta Bowl.

The No. 14 Kentucky Wildcats capped off one of their most successful regular seasons in recent memory with a 9-3 SU 2018 campaign highlighted by a 56-10 blowout over Louisville in the season finale. As a result, the Wildcats will get to meet the no. 12 Penn State Nittany Lions at Camping World Stadium for the New Year’s Day ARBO Citrus Bowl. While the Nittany Lions are listed as 6.5 point favorites among the Big Ten’s top programs, it is the Wildcats that enter this game as the Cinderella story after escaping the pits of the SEC. The biggest question in who should you bet in the Citrus Bowl? Our capper breaks it down and his research all leads to one team.

When we are talking about the Bowl Season, you want to be watching your favorite team playing on New Year’s Day. Unless you are in the College Football Playoff, finishing up the 2018 season on the first day of 2019 is a sure sign of success. The further you get from New Years, the less likely it is that a team had a good season. That doesn’t mean the second-tier bowls aren’t worth going to however. Just making a bowl gets a team another month of practice, which helps the young guys develop further and a win can be a nice springboard to next season. In the pantheon of bowl games, The Pinstripe Bowl is a little short on history but two tradition-rich schools will tangle in Yankee Stadium this year with the Miami Hurricanes taking on the Wisconsin Badgers. Both teams had plans to be elsewhere but neither were able to live up to preseason expectations. One team will leave feeling a bit better about their 2018 season and the other will be doing all they can to move on as quickly as possible. Who is the one to bet is the big question. Get Ted Walker’s handicapping opinion plus his opinion on where your money should land.

The Outback Bowl has historically produced intriguing pairings between quality opponents from the SEC and Big 10 which have provided great football games. This year’s pairing should be no different when the no. 18 Mississippi State Bulldogs meet the Iowa Hawkeyes at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa for a New Year’s Day showdown. The betting boards have Mississippi State as a -7 betting line favorite with the total offered up at 43.5. Predictem CFB handicapper Jay Horne breaks down the game and gives out his bowl pick.

The final game of the 2018 calendar year will take place in Jacksonville, Florida when the NC State Wolfpack and the No. 19 Texas A&M Aggies collide at TIAA Field in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl. NC State had the better record at 9-3 compared to Texas A&M’s 8-4, but keep in mind that two of their losses were to the top two ranked teams in college football. The CFB odds board favors the SEC’s Aggies asking bettors to lay six points on Texas A&M with the O/U line posted at 58.5 points. Expert NCAAF analyst Jay Horne thinks the total is the way to go here. Find out why.

The Northwestern Wildcats play the Utah Utes in the Holiday Bowl on December 31 in America’s Finest City. Both teams had a successful season, each winning their division before coming up short in their respective conference championship games. The odds maker has Utah as a -7 point spread favorite over Northwestern with a total of 46 points. Are the Utes worthy of laying a converted touchdown or is Northwestern under-rated here? Read prognosticator Loot Levinson’s take on the game and get his point spread winner.

The Missouri Tigers face the Oklahoma State Cowboys on December 31, 2018 in the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tennessee. The lines maker has Mizz as a -8 point spread favorite with the total on most boards at 74.5 points. No question the total is high, but both teams have the offense to give the scorekeeper a workout. Predictem football handicapper Franks is banking on a total angle to come up with his side play – Check it out.