College Bowl Picks 2016-17: Recent Odds and Predictions Against the Spread
In less than a week, the New Mexico Lobos and the University of Texas at San Antonio Roadrunners kick off what will be a frenzied bowl season.
The Gildan New Mexico Bowl serves as the curtain-raiser on Saturday, with four more games sprinkled throughout the day.
College football fans need little extra incentive to get excited about the "New Year's Six" matchups, as they have the highest stakes and the best teams in the country. The three bowl games below won't receive anywhere near as much attention, but they should provide just as much entertainment.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Bowl Schedule
| Dec. 17 | Gildan New Mexico Bowl | New Mexico vs. UTSA | 2 p.m. | ESPN | New Mexico (-7) | New Mexico |
| Dec. 17 | Las Vegas Bowl | Houston vs. San Diego State | 3:30 p.m. | ABC | Houston (-3) | San Diego State |
| Dec. 17 | Raycom Media Camellia Bowl | Appalachian State vs. Toledo | 5:30 p.m. | ESPN | Toledo (-1) | Appalachian State |
| Dec. 17 | AutoNation Cure Bowl | UCF vs. Arkansas State | 5:30 p.m. | CBSSN | UCF (-6) | Arkansas State |
| Dec. 17 | R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl | Southern Miss. vs. Louisiana-Lafayette | 9 p.m. | ESPN | Southern Miss. (-3.5) | Southern Miss. |
| Dec. 19 | Miami Beach Bowl | Central Michigan vs. Tulsa | 2:30 p.m. | ESPN | Tulsa (-11.5) | Tulsa |
| Dec. 20 | Boca Raton Bowl | Memphis vs. Western Kentucky | 7 p.m. | ESPN | Western Kentucky (-4.5) | Western Kentucky |
| Dec. 21 | San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl | BYU vs. Wyoming | 7 p.m. | ESPN | BYU (-8.5) | BYU |
| Dec. 22 | Famous Idaho Potato Bowl | Idaho vs. Colorado State | 7 p.m. | ESPN | Colorado State (-13.5) | Colorado State |
| Dec. 23 | Popeyes Bahamas Bowl | Eastern Michigan vs. Old Dominion | 1 p.m. | ESPN | Old Dominion (-3.5) | Eastern Michigan |
| Dec. 23 | Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl | Louisiana Tech vs. Navy | 4:30 p.m. | ESPN | Navy (-1) | Navy |
| Dec. 23 | Dollar General Bowl | Ohio vs. Troy | 8 p.m. | ESPN | Troy (-3.5) | Ohio |
| Dec. 24 | Hawaii Bowl | Hawaii vs. Middle Tennessee State | 8 p.m. | ESPN | N/A | N/A |
| Dec. 26 | St. Petersburg Bowl | Miami (OH) vs. Mississippi State | 11 a.m. | ESPN | Mississippi State (-12.5) | Mississippi State |
| Dec. 26 | Quick Lane Bowl | Maryland vs. Boston College | 2:30 p.m. | ESPN | Maryland (-1.5) | Maryland |
| Dec. 26 | Camping World Independence Bowl | North Carolina State vs. Vanderbilt | 5 p.m. | ESPN2 | N.C. State (-4) | N.C. State |
| Dec. 27 | Zaxby's Heart of Dallas Bowl | Army vs. North Texas | 12 p.m. | ESPN | Army (-9.5) | North Texas |
| Dec. 27 | Military Bowl | Temple vs. Wake Forest | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN | Temple (-13) | Temple |
| Dec. 27 | National Funding Holiday Bowl | Minnesota vs. Washington State | 7 p.m. | ESPN | Washington State (-7) | Minnesota |
| Dec. 27 | Motel 6 Cactus Bowl | Boise State vs. Baylor | 10:15 p.m. | ESPN | Boise State (-7.5) | Boise State |
| Dec. 28 | New Era Pinstripe Bowl | Pittsburgh vs. Northwestern | 2 p.m. | ESPN | Pittsburgh (-5.5) | Pittsburgh |
| Dec. 28 | Russell Athletic Bowl | West Virginia vs. Miami | 5:30 p.m. | ESPN | Miami (-3) | West Virginia |
| Dec. 28 | Foster Farms Bowl | Indiana vs. Utah | 8:30 p.m. | Fox | Utah (-8) | Utah |
| Dec. 28 | AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl | Texas A&M vs. Kansas State | 9 p.m. | ESPN | Texas A&M (-2.5) | Texas A&M |
| Dec. 29 | Birmingham Bowl | South Florida vs. South Carolina | 2 p.m. | ESPN | USF (-10.5) | USF |
| Dec. 29 | Belk Bowl | Arkansas vs. Virginia Tech | 5:30 p.m. | ESPN | Virginia Tech (-7) | Arkansas |
| Dec. 29 | Valero Alamo Bowl | Oklahoma State vs. Colorado | 9 p.m. | ESPN | Colorado (-3) | Oklahoma State |
| Dec. 30 | AutoZone Liberty Bowl | Georgia vs. TCU | 12 p.m. | ESPN | Georgia (-1) | TCU |
| Dec. 30 | Hyundai Sun Bowl | Stanford vs. North Carolina | 2 p.m. | CBS | Stanford (-3.5) | North Carolina |
| Dec. 30 | Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl | Nebraska vs. Tennessee | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN | Tennessee (-3) | Tennessee |
| Dec. 30 | Nova Home Loans Arizona Bowl | South Alabama vs. Air Force | 5:30 p.m. | Campus Insiders | Air Force (-13.5) | South Alabama |
| Dec. 30 | Capital One Orange Bowl | Michigan vs. Florida State | 8 p.m. | ESPN | Michigan (-7) | Michigan |
| Dec. 31 | Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl | LSU vs. Louisville | 11 a.m. | ABC | Even | Louisville |
| Dec. 31 | TaxSlayer Bowl | Georgia Tech vs. Kentucky | 11 a.m. | ESPN | Georgia Tech (-3.5) | Kentucky |
| Dec. 31 | Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl | Washington vs. Alabama | 3 p.m. | ESPN | Alabama (-17) | Washington |
| Dec. 31 | PlayStation Fiesta Bowl | Ohio State vs. Clemson | 7 p.m. | ESPN | Ohio State (-3) | Clemson |
| Jan. 2 | Outback Bowl | Florida vs. Iowa | 1 p.m. | ABC | Florida (-2.5) | Iowa |
| Jan. 2 | Goodyear Cotton Bowl | Western Michigan vs. Wisconsin | 1 p.m. | ESPN | Wisconsin (-7.5) | Wisconsin |
| Jan. 2 | Rose Bowl Game | USC vs. Penn State | 5 p.m. | ESPN | USC (-7) | Penn State |
| Jan. 2 | Allstate Sugar Bowl | Auburn vs. Oklahoma | 8:30 p.m. | ESPN | Oklahoma (-4) | Oklahoma |
| Jan. 9 | College Football Playoff National Championship | TBD vs. TBD | 8 p.m. | ESPN | N/A | N/A |
Games to Watch
Las Vegas Bowl
Having filled the vacancy at Texas, former Houston head coach Tom Herman won't be on the sideline for the Cougars in the Las Vegas Bowl. As a result, defensive coordinator Todd Orlando will serve as interim head coach. Herman's absence shouldn't make the Las Vegas Bowl any less exciting.
San Diego State running back Donnel Pumphrey is enough of a reason to tune into this game by himself. The senior has rushed for 2,018 yards and 16 touchdowns and caught 26 passes for 205 yards.
As Fox Sports' Stewart Mandel tweeted, fans may see history on Dec. 17:
Although he could also compete in the Senior Bowl, the Las Vegas Bowl will be one of Pumphrey's last big opportunities to impress NFL scouts. In his most recent big board, Bleacher Report's Matt Miller ranked the Aztecs star as the No. 14 running back in the 2017 draft class.
Having a strong game against Houston, which is third in rushing yards per game allowed (97.9) and second in yards per carry allowed (2.9), might move Pumphrey up draft boards.
For Houston, the Las Vegas Bowl is a chance to get the post-Herman era off to the right start. Orlando knows the game carries an added significance, according to the Houston Chronicle's Joseph Duarte:
Although the Cougars will lose quarterback Greg Ward Jr., they'll return second-leading rusher Duke Catalon, leading receiver Linell Bonner and fellow wideout Steven Dunbar on the offensive side. On defense, linebacker Matthew Adams and safety Garrett Davis are back, and most importantly, Ed Oliver will only be a sophomore.
Houston could once again be among the top "Group of Five" schools in 2017, and a win in the Las Vegas Bowl would be a good start toward that goal.
Armed Forces Bowl
Louisiana Tech vs. Navy will be a great clash of styles, as Uproxx's Matt Hinton tweeted:
The Bulldogs are eighth in total offense (516.1 yards per game), and Football Outsiders ranks them No. 8 in S&P+ offensive rating. Quarterback Ryan Higgins, who's averaging 350.6 yards per contest, sets the tone with the passing game.
While Navy is just as effective offensively, the running game is the Midshipmen's calling card. They're averaging 310.9 yards per game on the ground, fourth-best in the country, and they've hardly missed a beat after the graduation of Keenan Reynolds.
Neither team is exactly stout on defense, either. Louisiana Tech is allowing 418.0 yards and 32.7 points per game, while Navy is giving up an average of 429.2 yards and 29.7 points.
Part of the fun of bowl season is watching Group of Five schools throw caution to the wind on a national stage. The Bulldogs and Midshipmen have the offensive firepower to make the Armed Forces Bowl one of the most high-scoring affairs in the month ahead.
Bahamas Bowl
With only two games in the event's history, the Bahamas Bowl is off to a great start.
The 2014 Bahamas Bowl featured one of the craziest finishes ever in a bowl game. Central Michigan scored 34 points in the fourth quarter—a comeback attempt that included a touchdown pass involving four different ball-carriers as time expired. Central Michigan fell short after failing to convert its two-point attempt:
The 2015 edition wasn't nearly as dramatic, but Western Michigan running back Jamauri Bogan ran for 215 yards and four touchdowns. Wideout Corey Davis caught eight passes for 183 yards and a touchdown as well. The Broncos used their 45-31 win as a springboard for this year's 13-0 regular-season record.
A vacation in Nassau and an 11 a.m. ET kickoff is a combination that guarantees the Bahamas Bowl will be crazy. Even Old Dominion head coach Bobby Wilder can't help but enjoy the scenery:
Neither Eastern Michigan nor Old Dominion boasts a standout offensive star, but that shouldn't matter, given that the Eagles and Monarchs rank 105th and 74th, respectively, in S&P+ defensive rating, according to Football Outsiders.
Neutral fans can get behind Old Dominion, which has risen quickly through the FBS ranks under Wilder. The Monarchs went 9-3 in just their third season since making the transition from the FCS. A Bahamas Bowl win would be among the biggest victories in program history.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
