College Football Bowl Picks 2025-26: Odds, Predictions for Every Game and CFP Bracket
Three more teams will join the Alabama Crimson Tide as College Football Playoff first-round winners on Saturday.
Saturday's headliner is the first game on the docket between the Miami Hurricanes and Texas A&M Aggies.
Texas A&M was a top-three team for most of the regular season, but the Aggies displayed some flaws in November.
The Oregon Ducks and Ole Miss Rebels are expected to win big in the other two games against the James Madison Dukes and Tulane Green Wave.
Oregon and Ole Miss are both double-digit favorites at DraftKings Sportsbook. The bigger question regarding their respective games is if each home team can comfortably cover the spread rather than if they will win.
No. 10 Miami at No. 7 Texas A&M (-3)
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Texas A&M didn't lose its first game until November 28, but it played with danger a few weeks before that.
The Aggies needed a massive second-half comeback to beat the South Carolina Gamecocks. They then lost to the Texas Longhorns in their SEC finale.
Marcel Reed's four interceptions across those two games were one of the concerning stats from those games. Reed threw six picks in the first nine games of the season.
A&M's defense conceded 388 and 397 total yards to South Carolina and Texas as well.
Reed is going up against a Miami defense that allowed 41 points over its last four games. The Hurricanes only allowed 229 total yards to the Pittsburgh Panthers in their ACC finale.
Carson Beck's made his share of mistakes as well, but he has just one interception over the last four games.
Beck and the Miami defense are trending in the right direction, while Reed and the A&M defense went in the opposite direction in November.
If those trends hold, the Hurricanes can pick up a win in College Station.
Prediction: Miami (+3)
No. 11 Tulane at No. 6 Ole Miss (-17.5)
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Tulane can't sneak up on Ole Miss as an upset-minded Group of Five playoff team.
The Green Wave lost by 35 points in Oxford on September 20.
Tulane has improved since its last trip to Mississippi, but Ole Miss will be aware of the Green Wave's strengths.
Ole Miss put up 548 total yards in the first meeting, led by 419 total yards from quarterback Trinidad Chambliss.
Chambliss and running back Kewan Lacy formed quite the one-two punch inside the Ole Miss offense. Lacy ran for over 140 yards in three of the last four games.
The Chambliss-Lacy duo could be too much for the Green Wave to handle, and if they have success on the ground again, the Rebels can once again run away with a victory over Tulane.
Prediction: Ole Miss (-17.5)
No. 12 James Madison at No. 5 Oregon (-21)
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James Madison comes into Eugene with the second-best rushing defense and the 10th-best scoring defense in the FBS.
The Dukes have a chance to be competitive if they slow down Oregon's deep stable of running backs.
Oregon averages 218.4 rushing yards per game and it has three running backs with at least 480 yards on the ground this season.
JMU only gave up 264 total yards in its lone clash with a power-four opponent in September, but it still lost by multiple scores to the Louisville Cardinals.
Oregon will throw much more at the JMU defense than Louisville did, and it would not be a surprise if the Ducks cover the three-touchdown spread.
The start will determine whether JMU can cover. A fast open from the Ducks could usher in a long evening in Eugene for the Sun Belt champion.
Prediction: Oregon (-21)
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