College football playoff games take center stage on Jan. 1, with No. 1 Michigan against No. 4 Alabama in the opening game, followed by No. 2 Washington against No. 3 Texas. Three more games will be played on January 1st, including two top 25 showdowns. The No. 23 Liberty Flames will face the No. 8 Oregon Ducks in the Fiesta Bowl, while No. 17 Iowa will face No. 21 Tennessee in the Citrus Bowl.
According to the latest College Football Bowl odds from SportsLine consensus, Michigan has a 1.5-point advantage over Alabama, while the Longhorns are a 4-point favorite over the Huskies. Before locking in any college football bow picks for these or any other games, be sure to check out the latest college football predictions from SportsLine's trusted model.
The SportsLine projection model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times. Since its inception, it has generated a strong profit of well over $2,000 for $100 players with its top-rated college football picks against the spread. The model enters bowl season with a profitable 13-9 record with top spread picks this season. Anyone who has followed it has seen strong returns.
Now it has turned its attention to the latest college football odds for bowl season, setting picks for every FBS matchup. Head here to see each selection.
The best college football predictions for bowl season
One of the college football picks the model has high on during bowl season: No. 10 Penn State (-4.5) is building on a 10-win season with a convincing win in the Peach Bowl on Dec. 30 against No. 11 Ole Miss at noon ET. This is a matchup between 10-2 teams, but their records against the spread are very different. Penn State is 9-3 ATS, which is one of the top five ATS records in all of college football. Meanwhile, Ole Miss is just 6-4-2 against the spread and has failed to cover in any of its last four games.
The Nittany Lions also entered the game as favorites, going 9-1 in those games, and that 90% coverage percentage is the best in the FBS (minimum five games). The balance that James Franklin's roster brings is a big reason for its success, as PSU ranks in the top 12 in both offense and defense. Any team Lane Kiffin coaches has no trouble putting up points, but the Rebels are 41st in scoring defense and gave up 300 rushing yards to Georgia last month. The fact that Penn State is able to eat up yards on the ground will keep Ole Miss' offense off the field as the Nittany Lions (-4) cover nearly 60% of the playing time.
Another prediction: No. 8 Oregon (-16.5) cruises to a blowout win over Liberty in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 1 at 1 p.m. ET. The Ducks have one of the most explosive offenses in college football. Led by quarterback Bo Nix, Oregon ranked second in the country in total offense, averaging 526.6 yards per game.
Nix has been a standout performer at center for the Ducks all season. He finished the regular season with 4,145 passing yards, 40 touchdowns and just three interceptions. He also added 228 rushing yards and six additional scores. Liberty gave up a respectable 22.7 points per game this season, but the Flames didn't face an offense as dynamic as Oregon. In fact, Liberty hasn't played against a ranked team all season and the defense has given up at least 25 points in six of the last seven games. These are important reasons why Oregon covers the spread in nearly 60% of simulations. See which other teams like the model here.
How to make college football picks for bowl season
The model also determined who would win and cover in every other FBS matchup during bowl season, calling for multiple underdogs to win the overall. Only at SportsLine can you get every pick for every game.
So which college football picks can you make with confidence and which underdogs will win outright? Check out the latest college football odds below, then visit SportsLine to see which teams are winning and covering the spread, all with a proven computer model that has returned well over $2,000 in profits since its inception has, and find out.
College football odds for bowl season
Complete College Football Bowl picks, odds and predictions can be found here.
Friday, December 29th
Gator Bowl: Kentucky vs. Clemson (-3.5, 44.5)
Sun Bowl: Oregon State vs. Notre Dame (-6, 41)
Liberty Bowl: Memphis vs. Iowa State (-10.5, 57.5)
Cotton Bowl: Ohio State vs. Missouri (+4.5, 49)
Saturday December 30th
Peach Bowl: Ole Miss vs. Penn State (-4.5, 48.5)
Music City Bowl: Maryland vs. Auburn (-6.5, 47.5)
Orange Bowl: Florida State vs. Georgia (-20, 44.5)
Arizona Bowl: Toledo vs. Wyoming (-3.5, 44.5)
Monday, January 1st
ReliaQuest Bowl: Wisconsin vs. LSU (-10, 55.5)
Fiesta Bowl: Liberty vs. Oregon (-16.5, 67)
Citrus Bowl: Iowa vs. Tennessee (-6.5, 35)
Rose Bowl: Alabama vs. Michigan (-1.5, 45)
Sugar Bowl: Washington vs. Texas (-4, 63.5)