Bowl Games Schedule 2014-15: Viewing Info, Latest Odds for Every Matchup
Do you agree with the College Football Playoff selection committee's Top Four?
Whether you do or don't, there's good news for all of us: It's bowl season, and we're in for a couple weeks of some darn good football. Whether your team is contending for a national championship or just barely squeezed into a bowl game after a six-win season, the upshot is that you get to watch it at least one more time.
While college football enthusiasts are excited about the upcoming slate of games, so are savvy bettors. There's plenty of money that can be taken off the hands of Vegas oddsmakers in the coming weeks.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
As we all impatiently await the return of the nation's top teams to the amateur gridiron, here's a look at the full schedule of bowl games and the corresponding odds for each.
| R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl | Nevada vs. Louisiana-Lafayette | Dec. 20 | 11 a.m. | ESPN | NEV -2 |
| Gildan New Mexico Bowl | UTEP vs. Utah State | Dec. 20 | 2:20 p.m. | ESPN | USU -11 |
| Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl | Colorado St. vs. Utah | Dec. 20 | 3:30 p.m. | ABC | UTAH -5 |
| Famous Idaho Potato Bowl | Western Michigan vs. Air Force | Dec. 20 | 5:45 p.m. | ESPN | WMU -1.5 |
| Raycom Media Camellia Bowl | Bowling Green vs. South Alabama | Dec. 20 | 9:15 p.m. | ESPN | SAU -1.5 |
| Miami Beach Bowl | BYU vs. Memphis | Dec. 22 | 2 p.m. | ESPN | Even |
| Boca Raton Bowl | Marshall vs. Northern Illinois | Dec. 23 | 6 p.m. | ESPN | MAR -10.5 |
| San Diego County CU Poinsettia Bowl | Navy vs. San Diego State | Dec. 23 | 9:30 p.m. | ESPN | SDSU -1.5 |
| Popeyes Bahamas Bowl | Western Kentucky vs. Central Michigan | Dec. 24 | 12 p.m. | ESPN | WKU -2.5 |
| Sheraton Hawaii Bowl | Rice vs. Fresno State | Dec. 24 | 8 p.m. | ESPN | FSU -1.5 |
| Zaxby's Heart of Dallas Bowl | Illinois vs. Louisiana Tech | Dec. 26 | 1 p.m. | ESPN | LT -5 |
| Quick Lane Bowl | Rutgers vs. North Carolina | Dec. 26 | 4:30 p.m. | ESPN | UNC -3 |
| BITCOIN St. Petersburg Bowl | NC State vs. UCF | Dec. 26 | 8 p.m. | ESPN | UCF -1.5 |
| Military Bowl | Virginia Tech vs. Cincinnati | Dec. 27 | 1 p.m. | ESPN | CIN -3.5 |
| Hyundai Sun Bowl | Duke vs. Arizona State | Dec. 27 | 2 p.m. | CBS | ASU -8 |
| Duck Commander Independence Bowl | Miami (Fl.) vs. South Carolina | Dec. 27 | 3:30 p.m. | ABC | Even |
| New Era Pinstripe Bowl | Boston College vs. Penn State | Dec. 27 | 4:30 p.m. | ESPN | BC -2.5 |
| National University Holiday Bowl | Nebraska vs. USC | Dec. 27 | 8 p.m. | ESPN | USC -7 |
| AutoZone Liberty Bowl | West Virginia vs. Texas A&M | Dec. 29 | 2 p.m. | ESPN | WVU -4 |
| Russell Athletic Bowl | Clemson vs. Oklahoma | Dec. 29 | 5:30 p.m. | ESPN | Even |
| AdvoCare Texas Bowl | Texas vs. Arkansas | Dec. 29 | 9 p.m. | ESPN | ARK -4.5 |
| Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl | Notre Dame vs. LSU | Dec. 30 | 3 p.m. | ESPN | LSU -8 |
| Belk Bowl | Louisville vs. Georgia | Dec. 30 | 6:30 p.m. | ESPN | UGA -7 |
| Foster Farms Bowl | Maryland vs. Stanford | Dec. 30 | 10 p.m. | ESPN | STAN -13 |
| Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl | Ole Miss vs. TCU | Dec. 31 | 12:30 p.m. | ESPN | TCU -3 |
| Vizio Fiesta Bowl | Boise State vs. Arizona | Dec. 31 | 4 p.m. | ESPN | ARI -3 |
| Capital One Orange Bowl | Mississippi State vs. Georgia Tech | Dec. 31 | 8 p.m. | ESPN | MIST -7.5 |
| Outback Bowl | Michigan State vs. Baylor | Jan. 1 | 12 p.m. | ESPN2 | BAY -3 |
| Goodyear Cotton Bowl | Minnesota vs. Missouri | Jan. 1 | 12:30 p.m. | ESPN | MIZZ -5.5 |
| Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl | Wisconsin vs. Auburn | Jan. 1 | 1 p.m. | ABC | AUB -7 |
| Rose Bowl Game | Oregon vs. Florida State | Jan. 1 | 5 p.m. | ESPN | ORE -9.5 |
| Allstate Sugar Bowl | Alabama vs. Ohio State | Jan. 1 | 8:30 p.m. | ESPN | ALA -10 |
| Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl | Pittsburgh vs. Houston | Jan. 2 | 12 p.m. | ESPN | PITT -2.5 |
| TaxSlayer Bowl | Iowa vs. Tennessee | Jan. 2 | 3:20 p.m. | ESPN | TENN -3 |
| Valero Alamo Bowl | Kansas State vs. UCLA | Jan. 2 | 6:45 p.m. | ESPN | KSU -1.5 |
| Cactus Bowl | Oklahoma St. vs.Washington | Jan. 2 | 10:15 p.m. | ESPN | WASH -5.5 |
| Birmingham Bowl | Florida vs. East Carolina | Jan. 3 | 1 p.m. | ESPN2 | FLA -8 |
| GoDaddy Bowl | Toledo vs. Arkansas State | Jan. 4 | 9 p.m. | ESPN | TOL -1.5 |
| College Football Championship Game | TBD | Jan. 12 | 8:30 p.m. | ESPN | TBD |
Early Odds to Bet
Music City Bowl: Notre Dame vs. LSU (-8)
The Fighting Irish fooled us all until about halfway through the regular season. Notre Dame looked like one of the nation's dominant teams after beginning the year with a 6-0 record.
However, the wheels fell off after the team suffered its first loss to Florida State.
After that 6-0 start, Notre Dame played the remainder of the season at 1-5, quickly falling out of contention for all top-tier bowl games. The Fighting Irish did finish the season 7-5 and earned a berth in the Music City Bowl, but they will have their hands full against the stout defense of LSU.
The Tigers finished the season ranked third in the nation in points allowed, giving up an average of 16.4 per game.
While the team's offense has struggled, its defense has provided many wins in low-scoring affairs, and that's exactly how LSU will defeat Notre Dame.
In the season finale against Texas A&M, LSU running back Leonard Fournette rushed for 146 yards while quarterback Anthony Jennings rushed for 119. As a team, the Tigers put up a total of 384 yards on the ground en route to a 23-17 victory.
Notre Dame ranked 62nd against the run this season, allowing an average of 161.2 yards per game on the ground. The team struggled mightily against run-first opponents, allowing 336 rushing yards and three scores to Navy in a 49-39 victory.
Rest assured, the Irish won't put up 49 points on LSU's defense.
When factoring in the massive amount of turnovers committed by quarterback Everett Golson this season—he's thrown at least one interception in each of his last nine games—and LSU's 20 takeaways in 12 games, it becomes difficult to bet against the Tigers.
Prediction: LSU 27, Notre Dame 17
Outback Bowl: Michigan State vs. Baylor (-3)
We know Michigan State's defense is very good. After all, the unit finished the regular season ranking 12th in points allowed, giving up an average of just 19.9 per game.
With that said, we also know one other thing about that defense: It really struggles against better offenses.
The Spartans played two of the nation's most prolific offenses in Oregon and Ohio State this season. The Ducks rattled off 46 points and the Buckeyes accumulated 49 against Sparty. That's not a good omen considering the team's next opponent is a Baylor squad that owns the nation's most potent offense, averaging 48.8 points per game.
Baylor finished the season against Kansas State's respectable defense, and quarterback Bryce Petty simply picked the Wildcats apart. He earned his team a share of the Big 12 title after completing 34 of his 40 passing attempts for 412 yards and one touchdown in a 38-27 victory.
Michigan State does have a good offense of its own, ranking seventh in the nation with an average of 43.1 points per game. However, this team hasn't been able to keep up with the offensive juggernauts in 2014, scoring 27 points against Oregon and 37 against Ohio State.
This contest won't be a blowout by any stretch of the imagination, as the Spartans certainly aren't pushovers. However, a win shouldn't be expected considering the team's track record this season.
Prediction: Baylor 45, Michigan State 38
All game odds courtesy of Odds Shark and current as of December 8. All team statistics and rankings courtesy of NCAA.com and current as of December 8.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
