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The 2023-24 college football bowl season kicks off on Dec. 16, and the New Orleans Bowl is one of the most intriguing matchups of the day. It pits Jacksonville State, which is in its first bowl game in its first year in the FBS, against Louisiana. The Ragin’ Cajuns are gunning for history as a victory would give them a .727 win percentage in bowl games, which would be the best in college football history (min. 10 games). However, the Gamecocks are 3-point favorites in the latest college football bowl odds, despite Louisiana having the geographic advantage with this game taking place at the Superdome.
Five of the six games on Dec. 16 have a college football bowl spread of 4 points or fewer. Most of the teams involved are Group of Five programs don’t get much national exposure, so it would certainly be wise to have some college football bowl betting advice. Before locking in any college football bowl picks, be sure to see the latest college football predictions from SportsLine’s proven 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 on its top-rated college football picks against the spread. It finished the 2023 regular season a profitable 13-9 on top-rated spread picks. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, it has turned its attention to the latest college football odds for bowl season and locked in picks for every FBS matchup. Head here to see every pick.
Top college football predictions for bowl season
One of the college football picks the model is high on during bowl season: No. 10 Penn State (-3.5) easily covers versus No. 11 Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl on Dec. 30 at noon ET. This is a matchup of 10-2 teams, with both succumbing to the elite in their respective conferences. However, while Ole Miss lost to both Alabama and Georgia by double-digit margins, with a combined minus-49 point differential, Penn State’s defeats to Michigan and Ohio State were both by single-digits. Additionally, as a head coach, Lane Kiffin is just 1-4 in bowl games versus Power Five teams, including back-to-back defeats.
Penn State has the kind of balance that most teams long for, as it is one of five teams in the nation that ranks in the top 12 in both scoring offense and scoring defense. As for the Rebels, they ranked outside the top 15 in both categories. The Nittany Lions also lead all of college football in, perhaps, the most important stat in the sport: turnover margin (plus-18). Generating extra possessions will keep Ole Miss’ potent offense off the field, as the model projects the Rebels to score 15 points fewer than their season average. With that, Penn State covers nearly 60% of the time.
Another prediction: No. 8 Oregon (-16) cruises to a blowout win over No. 23 Liberty in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 1 in a 1 p.m. ET kickoff as the Ducks cover nearly 60% of the time. The Ducks missed out on the College Football Playoff due to a pair of losses against rival Washington, but they still put together an impressive campaign that was rewarding to their bettors. They have covered the spread in seven of their last 10 games, including four out of five prior to their 34-31 setback against the Huskies in the Pac-12 title game.
Senior quarterback Bo Nix, who does intend to play in this matchup, has thrown for more than 4,100 yards, 40 touchdowns and just three interceptions, leading an offense that averages 44.2 points per game. Liberty’s schedule has not prepared them for this type of opponent, as the Flames have not faced a ranked team this season. They have allowed at least 25 points in three straight games, and this will be the best offense that they have faced by a wide margin. See which other teams the model likes here.
How to make college football picks for bowl season
The model has also made the call on who wins and covers in every other FBS matchup during bowl season, and it’s calling for several underdogs to win outright. You can only get every pick for every game at SportsLine.
So what college football picks can you make with confidence, and which underdogs win outright? Check out the latest college football odds below, then visit SportsLine to see which teams win and cover the spread, all from a proven computer model that has returned well over $2,000 in profit since its inception, and find out.
College football odds for bowl season
See full college football bowl picks, odds, predictions here.
Saturday, Dec. 16
Myrtle Beach Bowl: Georgia Southern vs. Ohio (+3.5, 49)
New Orleans Bowl: Louisiana vs. Jacksonville State (-3.5, 56.5)
Cure Bowl: Miami (OH) vs. Appalachian State (-5.5, 47)
New Mexico Bowl: Fresno State vs. New Mexico State (-3.5, 51)
LA Bowl: Boise State vs. UCLA (-2.5, 49.5)
Independence Bowl: California vs. Texas Tech (-3, 57.5)
Monday, Dec. 18
Famous Toastery Bowl: Western Kentucky vs. Old Dominion (-2.5, 55.5)
Tuesday, Dec. 19
Frisco Bowl: Marshall vs. UTSA (-9.5, 54.5)
Thursday, Dec. 21
Boca Raton Bowl: USF vs. Syracuse (-4.5, 61)
Friday, Dec. 22
Gasparilla Bowl: Georgia Tech vs. UCF (-4.5, 64)
Saturday, Dec. 23
Camellia Bowl: Northern Illinois vs. Arkansas State (-1.5, 52.5)
Birmingham Bowl: Duke vs. Troy (-7, 44.5)
Armed Forces Bowl: Air Force vs. James Madison (-2.5, 41.5)
Idaho Potato Bowl: Utah State vs. Georgia State (-2.5, 63.5)
68 Ventures Bowl: Eastern Michigan vs. South Alabama (-15.5, 47.5)
Las Vegas Bowl: Northwestern vs. Utah (-7.5, 42.5)
Hawaii Bowl: Coastal Carolina vs. San Jose State (-9.5, 54.5)
Tuesday, Dec. 26
Quick Lane Bowl: Bowling Green vs. Minnesota (-5.5, 37.5)
First Responder Bowl: Rice vs. Texas State (-4.5, 60.5)
Guaranteed Rate Bowl: UNLV vs. Kansas (-11.5, 63.5)
Wednesday, Dec. 27
Military Bowl: Tulane vs. Virginia Tech (-7.5, 47.5)
Duke’s Mayo Bowl: North Carolina vs. West Virginia (-3.5, 56.5)
Holiday Bowl: USC vs. Louisville (-7.5, 57.5)
Texas Bowl: Oklahoma State vs. Texas A&M (-3.5, 53.5)
Thursday, Dec. 28
Fenway Bowl: Boston College vs. SMU (-10.5, 50.5)
Pinstripe Bowl: Rutgers vs. Miami (-3.5, 42.5)
Pop-Tarts Bowl: North Carolina State vs. Kansas State (-3.5, 47.5)
Alamo Bowl: Oklahoma vs. Arizona (-3.5, 62.5)
Friday, Dec. 29
Gator Bowl: Kentucky vs. Clemson (-7, 47.5)
Sun Bowl: Oregon State vs. Notre Dame (-10.5, 46.5)
Liberty Bowl: Memphis vs. Iowa State (-6.5, 57.5)
Cotton Bowl: Missouri vs. Ohio State (-2.5, 48.5)
Saturday, Dec. 30
Peach Bowl: Ole Miss vs. Penn State (-3.5, 48.5)
Music City Bowl: Maryland vs. Auburn (-2.5, 49.5)
Orange Bowl: Florida State vs. Georgia (-14, 45.5)
Arizona Bowl: Wyoming vs. Toledo (-1.5, 45.5)
Monday, Jan. 1
ReliaQuest Bowl: Wisconsin vs. LSU (-10.5, 55.5)
Fiesta Bowl: Liberty vs. Oregon (-16, 64.5)
Citrus Bowl: Iowa vs. Tennessee (-7, 35.5)
Rose Bowl: Alabama vs. Michigan (-1.5, 46.5)
Sugar Bowl: Washington vs. Texas (-4.5, 63.5)
