College Football Bowl Picks 2016-17: Odds and Predictions for Every Game
Get excited, folks. For the next three weeks, your lives will be consumed with all of the college football you could possibly want, and then some. It's going to be glorious.
Below, we'll break down every piece of viewing information you need, along with odds and picks for every bowl game. And then we're going to break down all of the things we're looking forward to seeing this bowl season.
Let the fun begin.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
| Miami Beach | Dec. 19 | 2:30 p.m. | Central Michigan vs. Tulsa (-11) | ESPN | Tulsa |
| Boca Raton | Dec. 20 | 7 p.m. | Memphis vs. Western Kentucky (-6.5) | ESPN | Memphis |
| Poinsettia | Dec. 21 | 9 p.m. | BYU (-7.5) vs. Wyoming | ESPN | BYU |
| Potato | Dec. 22 | 7 p.m. | Idaho vs. Colorado State (-13) | ESPN | Colorado State |
| Bahamas | Dec. 23 | 1 p.m. | Old Dominion (-4) vs. Eastern Michigan | ESPN | Old Dominion |
| Armed Forces | Dec. 23 | 4:30 p.m. | Louisiana Tech vs. Navy (-1) | ESPN | Navy |
| Dollar General | Dec. 23 | 8 p.m. | Ohio vs. Troy (-5) | ESPN | Troy |
| Hawaii | Dec. 24 | 8 p.m. | Hawaii vs. Middle Tennessee | ESPN | Hawaii |
| St. Petersburg | Dec. 26 | 11 a.m. | Mississippi State (-11.5) vs. Miami (Ohio) | ESPN | Mississippi State |
| Quick Lane | Dec. 26 | 2:30 p.m. | Boston College (-1) vs. Maryland | ESPN | Maryland |
| Independence | Dec. 26 | 5 p.m. | NC State (-4) vs. Vanderbilt | ESPN2 | Vanderbilt |
| Heart of Dallas | Dec. 27 | Noon | Army (-9.5) vs. North Texas | ESPN | Army |
| Military | Dec. 27 | 3:30 p.m. | Wake Forest vs. Temple (-12.5) | ESPN | Temple |
| Holiday | Dec. 27 | 7 p.m. | Minnesota vs. Washington State (-5.5) | ESPN | Washington State |
| Cactus | Dec. 27 | 10:15 p.m. | Baylor vs. Boise State (-10) | ESPN | Boise State |
| Pinstripe | Dec. 28 | 2 p.m. | Northwestern vs. Pitt (-3) | ESPN | Pitt |
| Russell Athletic | Dec. 28 | 5:30 p.m. | Miami (Fla.) (-1.5) vs. West Virginia | ESPN | Miami |
| Foster Farms | Dec. 28 | 8:30 p.m. | Indiana vs. Utah (-6.5) | Fox | Utah |
| Texas | Dec. 28 | 9 p.m. | Kansas State vs. Texas A&M (-2.5) | ESPN | Texas A&M |
| Birmingham | Dec. 29 | 2 p.m. | USF (-11) vs. South Carolina | ESPN | USF |
| Belk | Dec. 29 | 5:30 p.m. | Virginia Tech (-6) vs. Arkansas | ESPN | Virginia Tech |
| Alamo | Dec. 29 | 9 p.m. | Oklahoma State vs. Colorado (-2) | ESPN | Oklahoma State |
| Arizona | Dec. 30 | 5:30 p.m. | Air Force (-14) vs. South Alabama | Campus Insiders | Air Force |
| Liberty | Dec. 30 | Noon | TCU (-1.5) vs. Georgia | ESPN | TCU |
| Sun | Dec. 30 | 2 p.m. | North Carolina vs. Stanford (-2.5) | CBS | North Carolina |
| Music City | Dec. 30 | 3:30 p.m. | Nebraska vs. Tennessee (-3) | ESPN | Tennessee |
| Orange | Dec. 30 | 8 p.m. | Michigan (-6.5) vs. Florida State | ESPN | Michigan |
| Peach | Dec. 31 | 3 p.m. | Alabama (-14) vs. Washington | ESPN | Alabama |
| Fiesta | Dec. 31 | 7 p.m. | Ohio State (-3) vs. Clemson | ESPN | Ohio State |
| TaxSlayer | Dec. 31 | 11 a.m. | Georgia Tech (-5) vs. Kentucky | ESPN | Kentucky |
| Citrus | Dec. 31 | 11 a.m. | Louisville vs. LSU (even) | ABC | Louisville |
| Outback | Jan. 2 | 1 p.m. | Florida (-2) vs. Iowa | ABC | Iowa |
| Cotton | Jan. 2 | 1 p.m. | Western Michigan vs. Wisconsin (-6.5) | ESPN | Wisconsin |
| Rose | Jan. 2 | 5 p.m. | Penn State vs. USC (-6.5) | ESPN | USC |
| Sugar | Jan. 2 | 8:30 p.m. | Auburn vs. Oklahoma (-5.5) | ESPN | Oklahoma |
| CFP National Championship | Jan. 9 | 8:30 p.m. | TBD | ESPN | Alabama |
You got your odds. You got your predictions. Now, what should you be excited about this bowl season?
The two hottest teams outside of Alabama in college football, Penn State and USC, playing in the Rose Bowl. USC is the only team to have beaten Washington, and Penn State the only team to have beaten Ohio State. If these teams had started the season better, we'd likely be talking about each as a playoff team.
Instead, we'll get the best matchup of the entire bowl season. Strap in.
How about a playoff that includes perhaps the most dominant team in recent memory (Alabama), a team with one of the more impressive resumes we've seen in quite some time (Ohio State), a team that came very close to winning a national championship last year (Clemson) and a team with plenty of talent that has been derided for playing a weak schedule and should have a chip on its shoulder in the playoff (Washington)?
You should be excited about an Alabama defense that is loaded with NFL talent. Or how a wideout like John Ross might deal with that talented defense. Or a quarterback matchup between J.T. Barrett and Deshaun Watson in the other playoff semifinal, with the one that plays better likely leading his team to victory.
You shouldn't miss Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson facing LSU, who could become just the second man in college football history to be a two-time Heisman winner next season.
Another potential first-round pick at running back, Christian McCaffrey, will finish his career against North Carolina. And Florida State's Dalvin Cook will join that list if he declares for the draft, as he'll try to break through Michigan's excellent defense in a fantastic Orange Bowl showdown.
If you want games featuring teams with a lot to prove, look no further than the Alamo Bowl between Oklahoma State and Colorado. The Cowboys were unjustly handed a loss earlier in the year and were never even considered a possibility for the College Football Playoff despite entering the final week of the season with just two losses—they would go on to lose to Oklahoma—while Colorado lost in the Pac-12 title game and saw itself drop out of a New Year's bowl game.
If ever there were two teams who want to end their seasons on high notes, it's these two.
Fancy yourself an NFL draft buff? You'll want a chance to see North Carolina quarterback Mitch Trubisky in action against Stanford, as he may yet emerge as the top quarterback off the board in this year's draft. Or Texas A&M's Myles Garrett, arguably the best player in this draft class, against Kansas State. Or, again, half of Alabama's defense. Or Clemson's Mike Williams and Watson, the top receiver and one of the top quarterbacks in this year's draft.
There's plenty to watch for during this year's bowl season. Ultimately, however, outside of bragging rights (and perhaps betting lines), only the CFP results truly matter. And while Alabama feels like the prohibitive favorite, Ohio State and Clemson are each loaded with talent and Washington has the weapons to make things interesting.
Excited yet?
Me too.
You can follow Timothy Rapp on Twitter.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
