College Bowl Picks 2015-16: Latest Odds and Predictions Against the Spread
College football's postseason is right around the corner, as the holiday season will be filled not only with cheer and good tidings but also with bowl games. Forty, to be exact.
The game's best teams will be vying for some serious hardware, which will be headlined by the New Year's Six games and the College Football Playoff.
Below you can find the complete bowl schedule, minus the national championship, as that matchup is yet to be decided, along with the current odds and my picks against the spread. All odds are courtesy of Odds Shark.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
| Sat. Dec. 19 | ||||
| Celebration | Alcorn St. vs. NC A&T | 12 p.m. | N/A | Alcorn St. |
| New Mexico | Arizona vs. New Mexico | 2 p.m. | AZ -11.5 | Arizona |
| Las Vegas | BYU vs. Utah | 3:30 p.m. | UTAH -3 | Utah |
| Camellia | Ohio vs. Appalachian St. | 5:30 p.m. | APP -9.5 | Ohio |
| Cure | San Jose St. vs. Georgia St. | 7 p.m. | SJ -4 | San Jose St. |
| New Orleans | Arkansas St. vs. Louisiana Tech | 9 p.m. | AKST -1 | LA Tech |
| Mon. Dec. 21 | ||||
| Miami Beach | Western Kentucky vs. South Florida | 2:30 p.m. | WKY -3 | W. Kentucky |
| Tue. Dec. 22 | ||||
| Famous Idaho Potato | Akron vs. Utah St. | 3:30 p.m. | UT ST -6.5 | Utah St. |
| Boca Raton | Toledo vs. Temple | 7 p.m. | TEM -1 | Temple |
| Wed. Dec. 23 | ||||
| Poinsettia | Boise St. vs. No. Illinois | 4:30 p.m. | BOISE -8 | Boise St. |
| GoDaddy | Georgia Southern vs. Bowling Green | 8 p.m. | BG -7.5 | Bowling Green |
| Thur. Dec. 24 | ||||
| Bahamas | Mid. Tennessee vs. W. Michigan | 12 p.m. | WM -3 | Middle Tennessee |
| Hawaii | San Diego St. vs. Cincinnati | 8 p.m. | CIN -2.5 | San Diego St. |
| Sat. Dec. 26 | ||||
| St. Petersburg | UConn vs. Marshall | 11 a.m. | MAR -4.5 | Marshall |
| Sun | Miami (FL) vs. Washington St. | 2 p.m. | WST -1.5 | Miami |
| Heart of Dallas | Washington vs. Southern Miss | 2:20 p.m. | WSH -8.5 | Southern Miss |
| Pinstripe | Indiana vs. Duke | 3:30 p.m. | IND -2 | Duke |
| Independence | Tulsa vs. Virginia Tech | 5:45 p.m. | VT -14 | VA Tech |
| Foster Farms | UCLA vs. Nebraska | 9:15 p.m. | UCLA -6.5 | UCLA |
| Mon. Dec. 28 | ||||
| Military | Pittsburgh vs. Navy | 2:30 p.m. | NAVY -5 | Navy |
| Quick Lane | Central Michigan vs. Minnesota | 5 p.m. | MIN -6 | Minnesota |
| Tue. Dec. 29 | ||||
| Armed Forces | California vs. Air Force | 2 p.m. | CAL -6.5 | Air Force |
| Russell Athletic | North Carolina vs. Baylor | 5:30 p.m. | BAY -3.5 | North Carolina |
| Arizona | Nevada vs. Colorado St. | 7:30 p.m. | COL -3.5 | Colorado St. |
| Texas | LSU vs. Texas Tech | 9 p.m. | LSU -7.5 | LSU |
| Wed. Dec. 30 | ||||
| Birmingham | Auburn vs. Memphis | 12 p.m. | AUB -2.5 | Memphis |
| Belk | NC State vs. Mississippi St. | 3:30 p.m. | MSST -7 | Mississippi St. |
| Music City | Texas A&M vs. Louisville | 7 p.m. | A&M -2.5 | Texas A&M |
| Holiday | USC vs. Wisconsin | 10:30 p.m. | USC -3 | USC |
| Thur. Dec. 31 | ||||
| Peach | Houston vs. Florida St. | 12 p.m. | FLST -6.5 | Florida State |
| Orange | No. 4 Oklahoma vs. No. 1 Clemson | 4 p.m. | OU -4 | Clemson |
| Cotton | No. 3 Michigan St. vs. No. 2 Alabama | 8 p.m. | ALA -9.5 | Alabama |
| Fri. Dec. 1 | ||||
| Outback | Northwestern vs. Tennessee | 12 p.m. | TEN -9 | Northwestern |
| Citrus | Michigan vs. Florida | 1 p.m. | MICH -4 | Michigan |
| Fiesta | Notre Dame vs. Ohio State | 1 p.m. | OSU -6 | Ohio State |
| Rose | Stanford vs. Iowa | 5 p.m. | STAN -6.5 | Stanford |
| Sugar | Oklahoma St. vs. Ole Miss | 8:30 p.m. | OM -7 | Ole Miss |
| Sat. Dec. 2 | ||||
| TaxSlayer | Penn State vs. Georgia | 12 p.m. | GA -7 | Georgia |
| Liberty | Kansas State vs. Arkansas | 3:20 p.m. | ARK -13 | Arkansas |
| Alamo | Oregon vs. TCU | 6:45 p.m. | Even | TCU |
| Cactus | West Virginia vs. Arizona St. | 10:15 p.m. | AZST -1.5 | Arizona State |
Non-NY6 Game to Watch
Russell Athletic Bowl: North Carolina vs. Baylor
Tuesday, Dec. 29, 5:30 p.m. ET on ESPN
If you like offense, then this game is going to be for you.
North Carolina and Baylor are two of the most formidable offensive teams in the country, and they will surely put up plenty of points at the Russell Athletic Bowl come Dec. 29. Here is how both teams' units stack up:
| 11th | Total Offensive National Ranking | 2nd |
| 6,330 | Total Yards | 7,255 |
| 487 | Yards Per Game | 605 |
| 264.0 | Pass Yards Per Game | 304.4 |
| 222.9 | Rush Yards Per Game | 300.2 |
| 40.9 | Points Per Game | 48.0 |
Baylor has hobbled into bowl season, having lost three of its last four games, including a shocking 23-17 loss to Texas in the final week of the regular season. In their past two games, they haven't scored more than 21 points.
Much of that, though, has to do with their situation at quarterback, as they had to finish the season with a combination of freshman third-stringer Chris Johnson and junior wide receiver Lynx Hawthorne under center. Starter Seth Russell went down in the Bears' seventh game with a neck injury, sidelining him for the rest of the season. Second-stringer Jarrett Stidham started the next three games, winning two of them before sustaining an ankle injury.
There is a chance, however, that Baylor could get Stidham back, according to head coach Art Briles, who spoke with the Austin American Statesman's Suzanne Halliburton on Monday:
"Next Monday we’ll know a lot more. If it shows where it’s healed, then I think he can start his rehab. It’s about the time we start our bowl prep. It’s hard to walk around on crutches 3½ weeks and all of a sudden be ready to go. There’s a time period involved where you have to get your body back right to move where you can protect yourself mainly.
"
Baylor fans should be hoping that Stidham will be able to come back because things just haven't worked with Johnson as the starting quarterback, who left the Texas game with a concussion, forcing the Bears to turn to Hawthorne.
Stidham completed 68.8 percent of his passes compared to Johnson's 39.5 percent. Johnson has attempted just 38 passes in his time under center this season as his presence makes Baylor more of a one-dimensional offense.
In the two games Johnson started, Baylor ran the ball 71 and 66 times, respectively, compared to a combined 52 passing attempts. Baylor has a dangerous rushing game led by Shock Linwood, but it's easy for the opposition prepare for just one aspect of an offensive game.
If Stidham plays, game on. If not, it will fall solely on Linwood's shoulders to carry the offense. But there is a chance for some success even if Stidham doesn't play. The North Carolina defense has allowed an average of 216.8 rushing yards per game.
Regardless of who is at quarterback, the Baylor offense will have to keep up with North Carolina's unit, which is capable of scoring at will just like a healthy Bears side is.
The difference is, North Carolina is in fact healthy, and the Tar Heels have one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the nation in Marquise Williams.
Williams has gained almost 3,700 total yards this season, 2,829 through the air, as his legs help him make some big plays, as shown by ESPN's SportsCenter:
Add that with Elijah Hood's 1,345 yards on the ground, and North Carolina is a team that can move the ball with the best of them.
Line UNC up against a Baylor defense that doesn't fare much better than the Tar Heels, allowing 389.0 yards and 27.5 points per game, and plenty of points are going to be scored.
This pick could sway depending on Stidham's health. But at the moment, his status is up in the air. Playing against a freshman quarterback, North Carolina will force enough stops to pull out a win at the Russell Athletic Bowl. But it will be close.
Prediction: North Carolina 41, Baylor 38
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
