College Football Bowl Predictions 2017-2018: Las Vegas Betting Odds, Picks Against The Spread

If you love college football and gambling, there’s no shortage of games to choose from on the 2017-2018 bowl schedule. Including the College Football Playoff semifinal games, only two contests feature betting lines in double digits. One-third of the bowls feature a point spread of a field goal or less, and 10 games pit two ranked teams against one another.

Below are the complete betting odds for every bowl game, as well as early predictions against the spread. All point spreads and over/unders are courtesy of OddsShark.

New Orleans Bowl: Troy (-6.5) vs. North Texas, 62

Allowing more points per game than 104 teams, North Texas needs to score a ton in order to win. The Mean Green have given up an average 44.3 points against seven bowl teams, while Troy hasn’t surrendered more than 25 points in a game all season.

Prediction ATS: Troy

Cure Bowl: Georgia State (+6) vs. Western Kentucky, 52

Western Kentucky’s offense is about as one-dimensional as it gets. Quarterback Mike White is fourth in the country in passing yards, and no one on the team has rushed for more than 362 yards. Fortunately for the Hilltoppers, Georgia State is just 97th out of 130 teams in opponents’ passer rating.

Prediction ATS: Western Kentucky

Las Vegas Bowl: No.25 Boise State (+7.5) vs. Oregon

Injuries to running back Alexander Mattison and tight end Jake Roh will make it difficult for the Broncos to pull off the upset, but they’ve certainly got a chance to keep this game within a score. Oregon just lost head coach Willie Taggart to Florida State. Boise State has enough offensive talent in wide receiver Cedrick Wilson and quarterback Brett Rypien to stay competitive with the Ducks.

Prediction ATS: Boise State

New Mexico Bowl: Marshall (+5.5) vs. Colorado State, 58

Will Marshall’s top-25 defense be able to contain Colorado State’s top-15 offense? The Thundering Herd held their own against the offenses of Western Kentucky and Florida Atlantic in recent weeks, and they’ve got a chance to slow down running back Dalyn Dawkins. Marshall ranks 18th in yards allowed per carry.

Prediction ATS: Marshall

Camellia Bowl: Arkansas State (-3.5) vs. Middle Tennessee, 62.5

Only five FBS teams average more yards through the air than Arkansas State and quarterback Justice Hansen. Middle Tennessee is just 70th in opponents’ passer rating, and quarterback Brent Stockstill hasn’t produced quite as expected when he’s been on the field.

Prediction ATS: Arkansas State

Boca Raton Bowl: Florida Atlantic (-22.5) vs. Akron, 61.5

Good luck if you decide to lay more than three touchdowns with a team that isn’t from a Power Five conference.

Prediction ATS: Akron

Frisco Bowl: SMU (-5) vs. Louisiana Tech, 70

SMU essentially won the games they were supposed to win this season with their only losses coming against bowl teams. Ben Hicks is ninth in the country with 32 touchdown passes, and Louisiana Tech’s offense can’t keep up with the Mustangs if the quarterback posts his usual big numbers.

Prediction ATS: SMU

Gasparilla Bowl: Florida International (+7) vs. Temple, 56

Temple doesn’t do anything particularly well, and they didn’t even have any blow out wins against the easiest part of their non-conference schedule. Florida International might be playing their best football of the year with 104 combined points in their last two games.

Prediction ATS: Florida International

Bahamas Bowl: Ohio (-7.5) vs. UAB, 57.5

This should end up being one of the most exciting early bowl games. Quarterbacks A.J. Erdely and Nathan Rourke could both have big games, and the team that has the ball last might be the ultimate winner.

Prediction ATS: Ohio

Potato Bowl: Central Michigan (+1) vs. Wyoming, 46

If Josh Allen is actually a potential first-round draft pick, he should be able to have success against Central Michigan.

Prediction ATS: Wyoming

Birmingham Bowl: USF (-2.5) vs. Texas Tech, 67

Texas Tech barely finished the season at .500, though their record would’ve been much better if they faced the same teams that South Florida did. The Red Raiders defeated Houston, who beat USF. All of Texas Tech’s losses came to bowl teams.

Prediction ATS: Texas Tech

Armed Forces Bowl: Army (N/A) vs. San Diego State

There is currently no betting line for this game.

Dollar General Bowl: Appalachian State (+7.5) vs. Toledo, 63

Appalachian State gave up 52 points to Louisiana Monroe a couple of weeks ago. How are they going to stop the team that’s fifth in total offense?

Prediction ATS: Toledo

Hawaii Bowl: Fresno State (+2.5) vs. Houston, 50

Taking the points is probably the best bet here. Fresno State ended the regular season with a victory over No.25 Boise State, and they’ve given up more than 21 points just once in the last 10 games, albeit against mostly subpar competition.

Prediction ATS: Fresno State

Heart of Dallas Bowl: Utah (-7) vs. West Virginia, 57.5

It’s hard to believe West Virginia will keep this one close if Will Grier’s finger injury prevents him from playing. The Mountaineers have one of the worst defenses of any bowl team.

Prediction ATS: Utah

Quick Lane Bowl: Duke (-4.5) vs. Northern Illinois, 47.5

Duke wasn’t impressive enough in their last two wins to be giving Northern Illinois this many points. The Blue Devils had a six-game losing streak toward the end of the season, failing to score more than 21 points once during that stretch.

Prediction ATS: Northern Illinois

Cactus Bowl: Kansas State (-2.5) vs. UCLA, 63.5

A disappointing season for UCLA cost Jim Mora his job, and the team might be hard-pressed to win their bowl game. The Bruins ended the season with six losses in 10 games, and no team from a Power Five conference gave up more yards.

Prediction ATS: Kansas State

Independence Bowl: Florida State (-15.5) vs. Southern Mississippi, 49

Southern Mississippi didn’t exactly shine in their contests against schools from the big conferences, losing to Kentucky by a touchdown and Tennessee by 14 points. Florida State ended the regular season strong with three straight wins, and their only loss over their last five games came to No.1 Clemson.

Prediction ATS: Florida State

Pinstripe Bowl: Boston College (+3) vs. Iowa, 45

Points could be at a premium in this game between two teams that struggle to score. The difference might come down to the play of the quarterbacks. Boston College has thrown for fewer than 2,000 yards as a team, and Iowa is ranked 12th in opponents’ passer rating. Hawkeyes’ starter Nathan Stanley has the ability to make a few plays and win Iowa this game.

Prediction ATS: Iowa

Foster Farms Bowl: Arizona (-3.5) vs. Purdue, 65

Khalil Tate and Arizona have one of the nation’s best offenses, but the Wildcats can’t stop anyone. They’ve given up more than 40 points in three of their last four games, and the Boilermakers can pull off the upset if their defense is able to make some key plays. Purdue hasn’t given up more than 28 points since the season opener.

Prediction ATS: Purdue

Texas Bowl: Texas (+3) vs. Missouri, 60.5

Missouri ended the regular season with a six-game winning streak against an extremely soft schedule. Texas might have lost four of their last seven games, but they were tested by three top-20 opponents, holding their own in competitive contests. That should benefit the Longhorns in their final game of 2017.

Prediction ATS: Texas

Military Bowl: Virginia (N/A) vs. Navy

There is currently no betting line available.

Camping World Bowl: No.19 Oklahoma State (-5.5) vs. No.22 Virginia Tech, 63

It’s the sport’s No.1 passer against the No.5 scoring defense. Mason Rudolph struggled in a loss to TCU, who has the best defense that Oklahoma State has faced. Texas, the second-best defense to play the Cowboys, held them to just 13 points. Virginia Tech has a chance to make this a close, low-scoring affair, at least compared to what Oklahoma State is used to.

Prediction ATS: Virginia Tech

Holiday Bowl: No.16 Michigan State (+3) vs. No.18 Washington State, 45

Can Michigan State force Luke Falk to make mistakes? That’s what it’s going to take for the Spartans to pull off the upset. The quarterback should be good enough to put the game out of reach for an underwhelming Michigan State offense.

Prediction ATS: Washington State

Alamo Bowl: No.13 Stanford (+2.5) vs. No.15 TCU, 49

Look for Kenny Hill to have a big game against a defense that struggles against the pass. Heisman Trophy finalist Bryce Love might not put up his typical monster numbers against TCU, who allows just 2.9 yards per rushing attempt.

Prediction ATS: TCU

Belk Bowl: Wake Forest (-3) vs. Texas A&M, 64.5

The Aggies had trouble scoring at times, but that’s going to happen when you play in a conference with some of the country’s best defensive teams. Texas A&M had big offensive performances against the likes of Arkansas and New Mexico, and they’ve got a chance to put up a lot of points against Wake Forest’s 105th ranked defense.

Prediction ATS: Texas A&M

Sun Bowl: Arizona State (+6.5) vs. No.24 NC State, 59.5

This could end up being one of the most exciting bowl games on the schedule, but ultimately NC State might win by double digits. The Sun Devils have one of college football’s worst defenses, having given up at least 40 points in three of their last four games.

Prediction ATS: NC State

Music City Bowl: Kentucky (+7) vs. No.21 Northwestern, 51

Kentucky hasn’t beaten a bowl team since their sixth game of the season, suffering four losses since then by an average of more than 24 points. Northwestern is on a seven-game winning streak, having won all of those games by at least a touchdown.

Prediction ATS: Northwestern

Arizona Bowl: New Mexico State (+3.5) vs. Utah State, 61

Utah State isn’t particularly good on either offense or defense, while New Mexico State quarterback Tyler Rogers is the country’s No.5 passer. Take a shot on the Aggies in this one.

Prediction ATS: New Mexico State

Cotton Bowl: No.5 Ohio State (-7) vs. No.8 USC, 64.5

The Trojans didn’t have a resume worthy of making the playoffs, but they were overlooked in the final CFP discussions. USC has the same record as Ohio State after winning their conference championship, and both of their losses came on the road to top-20 teams. Sam Darnold and the Trojans aren’t seven-points worse than the Buckeyes after finishing the season strong with five straight victories.

Prediction ATS: USC

TaxSlayer Bowl: No.23 Mississippi State (+6.5) vs. Louisville, 62

It would be hard enough to pick Mississippi State if the team had only lost their head coach and defensive coordinator, who left for Florida. Starting quarterback Nick Fitzgerald is out with ankle surgery and will be replaced by a freshman that’s thrown just 46 career passes. That makes 2016 Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson and Louisville the easy choice.

Prediction ATS: Louisville

Liberty Bowl: No.20 Memphis (-3.5) vs. Iowa State, 66.5

While Memphis was dominant against what was largely a weak schedule, the team did beat bowl teams like Navy, Houston and UCLA. Their offense was almost good enough to upset UCF in their last game, and Iowa State probably doesn’t have the firepower to keep up with quarterback Riley Ferguson and the Tigers.

Prediction ATS: Memphis

Fiesta Bowl: No.9 Penn State (-2) vs. No.11 Washington, 55

Stop Saquon Barkley and you can beat Penn State. That’s what both Ohio State and Michigan State were able to do in the Nittany Lions’ two losses as the running back was held to 44 yards and 63 yards, respectively. Washington is No.1 in the nation in both opponents’ yards per carry and rushing yards.

Prediction ATS: Washington

Orange Bowl: No.10 Miami (+6.5) vs. No.6 Wisconsin, 45.5

After going undefeated during the regular season, the Badgers are in danger of ending the year with two straight losses. The fact that quarterback Alex Hornibrook has 15 interceptions and Miami is second in the FBS in turnover margin does not bode well for Wisconsin’s chances of winning by a touchdown.

Prediction ATS: Miami

Outback Bowl: Michigan (-7.5) vs. South Carolina, 43

Both teams came up short when they were tested in the regular season by playoff contenders. It’s probably smart to take the points against a Michigan team that has just one more passing touchdown than they do interceptions. The Wolverines are averaging 13.3 points in their last four matchups with teams that have winning records.

Prediction ATS: South Carolina

Peach Bowl: No.7 Auburn (-9.5) vs. No.12 UCF, 66.5

It’s incredibly difficult to go undefeated in college football, no matter what conference a team might play in. Undefeated Western Michigan kept last year’s bowl game against Wisconsin within single digits, and UCF’s explosive offense should be able to do the same this year.

Prediction ATS: UCF

Citrus Bowl: No.14 Notre Dame (+3) vs. No.17 LSU, 51

The Fighting Irish didn’t exactly end the regular season on a high note, losing two out of three games and beating Navy by just a touchdown. LSU’s only loss over their final seven games came to national title favorite Alabama. LSU’s top-20 pass defense should carry them to a win over a team that doesn’t have a ton of success throwing the ball.

Prediction ATS: LSU

Rose Bowl (CFP Semifinal): No.2 Oklahoma (+2) vs. No.3 Georgia, 60

Baker Mayfield hasn’t faced a defense as good as the one he’ll see in the Rose Bowl all season. The Sooners won’t score 40-plus points like they’re used to doing, and Georgia can seize control of this contest with one of the nation’s best rushing attacks.

Prediction ATS: Georgia

Sugar Bowl (CFP Semifinal): No.1 Clemson (+2.5) vs. No.4 Alabama, 47

Despite what the rankings might indicate, Alabama is the best team in the country. Their only misstep came on the road against a top-10 team, and they dominated almost the entirety of their schedule. The Tigers won’t be able to score against the Crimson Tide the way they did the last few years when Deshaun Watson was under center.

Prediction ATS: Alabama