College Football Picks

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.

The Michigan State Spartans face the Oregon Ducks on December 31 in the Redbox Bowl from Levi’s Stadium. It’s a closer trip for the 8-4 Ducks, while the Spartans cross the country looking for a strong finish to a strange season. They could never gain much traction this year, but look to get what would be a nice win over favored Oregon. The Ducks last played on the 23rd, with the Spartans having last seen the field a day later. The oddsmaker has Oregon as a three point favorite with the total a low 48 points. Offensive line health was the hurdle that Michigan State couldn’t get over and will be a key to keeping up with ther opponent in tis bowl. Get our prognosticators take on this contest and his spread winner forecast .

The Stanford Cardinal take on the Pittsburgh Panthers in the Sun Bowl on December 31 in El Paso. The college football board has Stanford as the betting favorite with Cardinal backers having to lay six points. The total line line is a reasonable 52 points considering both team’s average and may be a good play here. Predictem handicapper Loot Levinson thinks the point spread is the way go and he believes one of these teams is not like the other. Read on to get his Sun Bowl wager.

The Cincinnati Bearcats and the Virginia Tech Hokies take to the field of the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on New Year’s Eve in Annapolis Maryland. Kickoff is set for 12:00 PM ET with TV coverage provided by ESPN. The betting line for this game is listed at Cincy -6 with an O/U line posted at 53.5 points. This key match-up in this game appears to be VTech’s run defense against the Bearcats running game led by RB Michael Warren (Questionable) and QB Desmond Ridder. Get CFB handicapper Franks view on how you should play this game at the betting windows.

The Camping World Bowl will provide one of the most intriguing postseason match-ups when the no. 16 West Virginia Mountaineers meet the no. 20 Syracuse Orange in Orlando, Florida. Both the Orange and Mountaineers have produced somewhat breakout seasons, but will WVU be able to make up for the absence of starting QB Will Grier? NCAA football handicapper tackles that question and more with his analysis and Camping World Bowl betting forecast.

In the first of the BCS Semifinal Playoff games, two undefeated teams face off when Clemson and Notre Dame meet in the Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium in Arlington Texas. Kickoff is slated for December 29th at 4 PM ET and will be broadcast on ESPN. The betting line on this game opened with Clemson favored by 11.5 points but was quickly bet up to -13. The public has been playing the underdog with Notre Dame getting about 60% of the wagering action. Our handicapper has a different opinion on the game. Read on to get his Cotton Bowl prediction.

The Florida Gators take on the Michigan Wolverines in the Peach Bowl on December 29 in Atlanta. Both teams were successful this season, just a step away from really special seasons. The CFB board has Michigan as a 7.5 favorite on the betting line with the O/U line at 50.5. The big question on many minds is whether or not Big Blue can rebound from that spanking by the Buckeyes. Check out Loot’s forecast on how the game will play out along with his prediction.

The Boston College Eagles take on the Boise State Broncos in the First Responder Bowl in Dallas on December 26. Boise State is coming off a ten-win season. While successful in many ways, coming up short at home against a team they had beaten in Fresno in the MWC title game was a tough pill to swallow. They hope to make up for it in this bowl spot against the Eagles. It was shaping into a good season for BC until the end, but they still ended up bowl-eligible and could give their season some extra credence with a nice win in this game. Get Loot’s complete analysis and college bowl pick.

The California Golden Bears take on the TCU Horned Frogs on December 26 at Chase Field in Phoenix in the Cheez-It Bowl. The name of the bowl alone might elicit laughter, but both Cal and TCU will be looking to finish the season strongly. The betting line is on the board as a pick’em with the total line listed at a low 40 points. P handicapper Loot weighs out the lines and gives out his suggested wager.

The Baylor Bears and the Vanderbilt Commodores will battle it out in the 2018 Texas Bowl at NRG Stadium in Houston Texas. The college football bowl board has Baylor listed as a -3.5 point spread favorite with the total posted at 55 points. The public is laying down on Vandy with the Commodores getting around 60% of the spread betting action. Will our handicapper be following the public or will he fade “Joe Bettor” and get down on Baylor? Read on to get his selection and why.

The South Carolina Gamecocks will meet the Virginia Cavaliers in the 2018 Belk Bowl on December 29th in the Queen City at Bank of America Stadium. Both the Gamecocks and Cavaliers finished at 7-5 SU on the season including profitable ATS records (South Carolina 7-5 ATS/Virginia 8-4 ATS). The Gamecocks are currently listed as slight 4 point favorites but carry a disappointing mark of 3-6-1 ATS in their last 10 games as favorites dating back to the 2017 season.