College Football Bowl Picks 2022-23: Odds and Predictions for Every Game
In the era of college football bowl season being affected by opt-outs and the transfer portal, two games stand out over the next week because of returning quarterbacks.
Quinn Ewers of the Texas Longhorns will face off with Michael Penix Jr. and the Washington Huskies in the Alamo Bowl.
One day before that contest, Drake Maye leads the North Carolina Tar Heels against Bo Nix and the Oregon Ducks in the Holiday Bowl.
The Alamo and Holiday Bowls were affected by some opt-outs, but the quality at quarterback should make up for that and produce a pair of fantastic Power Five bowl games.
Bowl Schedule and Odds
1 of 3
Monday, December 26
Quick Lane Bowl: New Mexico State vs. Bowling Green (-3) (2:30 p.m., ESPN)
Tuesday, December 27
Camellia Bowl: Georgia Southern (-4) vs. Buffalo (Noon, ESPN)
First Responder Bowl: Memphis (-7.5) vs. Utah State (3:15 p.m., ESPN)
Birmingham Bowl: Coastal Carolina vs. East Carolina (-7) (6:45 p.m., ESPN)
Guaranteed Rate Bowl: Wisconsin (-3.5) vs. Oklahoma State (10:15 p.m., ESPN)
Wednesday, December 28
Military Bowl: UCF vs. Duke (-3) (2 p.m., ESPN)
Liberty Bowl: Kansas vs. Arkansas (-3) (5:30 p.m., ESPN)
Holiday Bowl: Oregon (-14.5) vs. North Carolina (8 p.m., Fox)
Texas Bowl: Texas Tech vs. Ole Miss (-3.5) (9 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Thursday, December 29
Pinstripe Bowl: Syracuse vs. Minnesota (-9.5) (2 p.m., ESPN)
Cheez-It Bowl: Oklahoma vs. Florida State (-9.5) (5:30 p.m., ESPN)
Alamo Bowl: Washington vs. Texas (-3.5) (9 p.m., ESPN)
Friday, December 30
Duke's Mayo Bowl: Maryland vs. NC State (-1) (Noon, ESPN)
Sun Bowl: Pittsburgh vs. UCLA (-5.5) (2 p.m., CBS)
Gator Bowl: South Carolina vs. Notre Dame (-2.5) (3:30 p.m., ESPN)
Arizona Bowl: Ohio vs. Wyoming (Pick 'Em) (4:30 p.m., Barstool.TV)
Orange Bowl: Tennessee vs. Clemson (-5.5) (8 p.m., ESPN)
Saturday, December 31
Sugar Bowl: Alabama (-6.5) vs. Kansas State (Noon, ESPN)
Music City Bowl: Iowa (-2) vs. Kentucky (Noon, ABC)
Fiesta Bowl: TCU vs. Michigan (-8) (4:30 p.m., ESPN)
Peach Bowl: Ohio State vs. Georgia (-6.5) (8 p.m., ESPN)
Monday, January 2
ReliaQuest Bowl: Mississippi State vs. Illinois (Pick Em) (Noon, ESPN2)
Cotton Bowl: Tulane vs. USC (-2) (1 p.m., ESPN)
Citrus Bowl: LSU (-15) vs. Purdue (1 p.m., ABC)
Rose Bowl: Penn State vs. Utah (-2.5) (5 p.m., ESPN)
All times ET; Predictions against the spread.
Holiday Bowl: Oregon (-14.5) vs. North Carolina
2 of 3
Bo Nix and Drake Maye will be two of the top names in the Heisman Trophy conversation when next season begins.
Nix thrived in his first season at Oregon after transferring from the Auburn Tigers. He opted to stay in school instead of testing the draft waters.
Maye was one of the breakout stars of the college football season. He will be back with the Tar Heels despite some transfer portal interest from other programs.
The two quarterbacks should lay a foundation for next season with their performances in the Holiday Bowl.
Nix and Oregon have the advantage because UNC will not have its top wide receiver, Josh Downs, for the trip to San Diego.
Both teams lost their offensive coordinators in the coaching carousel. Kenny Dillingham left Oregon to be the head coach at Arizona State. Phil Longo moved to Wisconsin in the same position he held at UNC.
Despite those coordinator absences, Nix and Maye should be able to run their respective offenses with efficiency.
Oregon's biggest advantage is going up against a UNC defense that rarely got stops throughout the regular season.
UNC conceded 31 points and 438.2 yards per game in the regular season. The Tar Heels also lost their final three games.
Oregon stumbled to the finish line as well, but its defense has better overall numbers than the Tar Heels.
The defensive differences should lead to Nix posting better numbers than Maye.
Oregon will put up a ton of points, but UNC can do enough with Maye to at least cover the spread, which is the second-largest number on the bowl board.
Prediction: Oregon 42, North Carolina 31
Alamo Bowl: Washington (+3.5) vs. Texas
3 of 3
The Alamo Bowl contains an interesting dynamic.
The game is played in San Antonio, which makes you think Texas will have a home-field advantage.
However, Washington's trip to the Alamo Bowl is a culmination of the program's first 10-win season since 2018. The Huskies are playing in their first bowl in three years. That could motivate a reinvigorated fanbase to travel to Texas to celebrate the end of Kalen DeBoer's first season as head coach.
The DeBoer-Penix combination was a perfect fit for the Huskies, and they have another year to work together.
Washington is the Alamo Bowl underdog, but it could have the better chance to win the game than the Longhorns.
Texas has to reconfigure its offense a bit with running back Bijan Robinson preparing for the 2023 NFL draft. More pressure will be on Ewers to lead the offense than it was all season.
Washington does not have many opt-outs, and it has the extra motivation of trying to win a bowl at the end of a successful season for the first time since 2019.
The game could also serve as an early showcase for Penix to get Heisman voters excited for 2023.
Ewers needs a great performance as well because Arch Manning enters the Texas program next year, and there will be pressure to start the nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning right away.
Both teams have motivation to win, but Washington has a bit more and that could show over four quarters.
Prediction: Washington 24, Texas 20
Gambling problem? Call (877-8-HOPENY) or text HOPENY (467369).
If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL/IN/MI/NJ/PA/WV/WY), 1-800-NEXT STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO/NH), 888-789-7777/visiting ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), 1-877-770-STOP (7867) (LA), visiting OPGR.org (OR), or calling/texting TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) or 1-888-532-3500 (VA).
Odds and lines subject to change. 21+ (18+ NH/WY). AZ/CO/CT/IL/IN/IA/LA/MI/NH/NJ/NY/OR/PA/TN/VA/WV/WY only. Eligibility restrictions apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for full terms and conditions.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
