Bowl Schedule 2015-16: Latest TV, Live Stream Coverage, Odds and Picks
The 2015-16 bowl season has already been eventful, but the fun is just getting started, with the top teams getting their chance to shine on the national stage.
Between the start of the College Football Playoff on New Year's Eve and a loaded schedule of intriguing battles on New Year's Day and beyond, there will be plenty to keep college football fans entertained for another couple of weeks.
For those also looking to add a little more excitement to the action, the latest spreads feature some favorable bets to make in the coming days. With that in mind, here is a look at the latest schedule and a breakdown of the top picks remaining in the bowl season.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
| Dec. 31 | Chick-fil-A Peach | Florida State vs. Houston | 12 p.m. | ESPN | HOU +7 |
| Dec. 31 | Capital One Orange | Oklahoma vs. Clemson | 4 p.m. | ESPN | OKLA -3.5 |
| Dec. 31 | Goodyear Cotton | Alabama vs. Michigan State | 8 p.m. | ESPN | MSU +10 |
| Jan. 1 | Outback | Northwestern vs. Tennessee | 12 p.m. | ESPN2 | NW +8.5 |
| Jan. 1 | Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus | Michigan vs. Florida | 1 p.m. | ABC | MICH -4 |
| Jan. 1 | BattleFrog Fiesta | Ohio State vs. Notre Dame | 1 p.m. | ESPN | OSU -6 |
| Jan. 1 | Rose | Stanford vs. Iowa | 5 p.m. | ESPN | STAN -6 |
| Jan. 1 | Allstate Sugar | Ole Miss vs. Oklahoma State | 8:30 p.m. | ESPN | OSU +7 |
| Jan. 2 | TaxSlayer | Georgia vs. Penn State | 12 p.m. | ESPN | UGA -6.5 |
| Jan. 2 | AutoZone Liberty | Arkansas vs. Kansas State | 3:20 p.m. | ESPN | ARK -13 |
| Jan. 2 | Valero Alamo | TCU vs. Oregon | 6:45 p.m. | ESPN | ORE +1 |
| Jan. 2 | Motel 6 Cactus | Arizona State vs. West Virginia | 10:15 p.m. | ESPN | WVU -1 |
| Jan. 11 | CFP National Championship | TBD vs. TBD | 8:30 p.m. | ESPN | N/A |
All games can be viewed online courtesy of WatchESPN.
Best Bets
Michigan (-4) vs. Florida
Fans shouldn't expect too many points scored in this game. Michigan and Florida have had two of the top defenses in college football this season, each averaging fewer than 20 points allowed per game.
To make matters worse, both sides have had some inconsistent play on offense, although the Gators' issues have been much more apparent. Quarterback Treon Harris has had some big plays, but he has not been able to replace the suspended and now-transferred Will Grier, and the offense has suffered in the second half of the year.
Florida only averaged 14 points in the last five games, including just 17 combined in the last two. Adam Gorney of Yahoo Sports questioned the entire SEC East while watching the team play in the SEC title game:
The Gators rushed for just 15 yards on 21 carries, while Harris finished just 9-of-24 passing. Alabama deserves credit for its defensive play, but Michigan has just as much of an opportunity to keep this unit in check.
On the other side of the ball, the Wolverines have more dynamic offensive playmakers, while Jake Rudock seemingly improves every single game. The senior passer should be able to avoid mistakes against the aggressive Florida defense and lead his team to victory.
Stanford (-6) vs. Iowa
With two losses, Stanford didn't have much of an argument that it deserved to be in the College Football Playoff. However, this still could be the best team in the nation.
The Cardinal ranked 19th in the country with 37.2 points per game, although Pro Football Focus rated the offense as the best in college football thanks mostly to the dynamic play of Christian McCaffrey. The running back had a record-breaking year as a do-it-all player for Stanford, including 1,847 rushing yards to rank second in the nation behind Derrick Henry coming into the bowl season.
While Henry came away with the Heisman Trophy, McCaffrey was honored with the Associated Press' Player of the Year Award, as shown by the Pac-12 Twitter account:
His 461 all-purpose yards in the Pac-12 title game over Southern California showed what he could do. With an experienced quarterback in Kevin Hogan, this will be as good an offense as Iowa has seen all year.
The Hawkeyes got to this point with their strong defense and consistent offense, but they didn't face the toughest schedule while building a 12-0 record. They gave Michigan State a tough run in the Big Ten title game, but the more dynamic offense from Stanford should provide more of a challenge.
Although this might not become a blowout, Stanford will try to show it is the best team not in the playoff by handily winning this one.
Michigan State (+10) vs. Alabama
After Alabama was upset by Ohio State in last year's semifinals, there is no reason to underrate a Big Ten team's chances in this matchup. While the two situations are obviously different, Michigan State still has a lot of confidence as the underdog.
Head coach Mark Dantonio explained the team's impressive ability to survive different issues throughout the season and keep winning, per Mike Griffith of MLive.com:
"I think they're pretty special, we've won a lot of games down the stretch and when you've got the ability to make a play at the end of the game, you just start to expect it, and that's what's happened to our football team. It's no one person, it's different people. We've won without our quarterback, we've won without running backs in certain situations, our offensive linemen, and we've just found a way.
"
The win without starting quarterback Connor Cook was actually the best of the season for the Spartans, a 17-14 upset on the road against Ohio State. That game featured top running back Ezekiel Elliott being held to just 33 yards on 12 carries for the Buckeyes.
Alabama is definitely going to give Derrick Henry more chances to break free against this defense, but nothing will be easy against this front seven. Defensive linemen like Shilique Calhoun and Malik McDowell can match up with the Crimson Tide's offensive line and prevent open holes for the Heisman Trophy winner.
Considering how dependent this offense is on Henry moving the football (including 90 carries in the last two games combined), Michigan State's ability to stop the run will be huge.
This will likely be a low-scoring game decided by one possession in either direction. No matter who wins, the Spartans should be able to cover a double-digit spread.
Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter for more year-round sports analysis.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
