Bowl Games 2018-19 Printable Schedule, Latest Odds and Picks For Every Matchup
The 39-game college football bowl frenzy begins December 15, and by that time, you might be champing at the bit to bet on the sport after a short layoff.
Seven of the 39 favorites opened with two-score spreads, with Alabama, Georgia and Clemson standing out as the heaviest favorites.
Even though some teams looked dominant during the regular season, there are certain matchups that are favorable to the underdogs.
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The first double-digit favorite takes the field on the first day of bowl season, and the final two play on New Year's Day.
There are plenty of factors involved, including players sitting out to start the draft process as well as coaching changes, but we have a general idea of what to expect out of each contest.
A printable version of the bowl schedule can be found on NCAA.com.
2018-19 Bowl Schedule and Odds
All Times ET. Picks against the spread in bold.
Saturday, December 15
Cure Bowl: Tulane (-3.5) vs. Louisiana (1:30 p.m., CBS Sports Network)
New Mexico Bowl: North Texas vs. Utah State (-10) (2 p.m., ESPN)
Las Vegas Bowl: No. 21 Fresno State (-4.5) vs. Arizona State (3:30 p.m., ABC)
Camellia Bowl: Georgia Southern vs. Eastern Michigan (-3.5) (5:30 p.m., ESPN)
New Orleans Bowl: Middle Tennessee vs. Appalachian State (-7) (9 p.m., ESPN)
Tuesday, December 18
Boca Raton Bowl: UAB vs. Northern Illinois (-1) (7 p.m., ESPN)
Wednesday, December 19
Frisco Bowl: San Diego State vs. Ohio (-3) (8 p.m., ESPN)
Thursday, December 20
Gasparilla Bowl: Marshall vs. South Florida (-2) (8 p.m., ESPN)
Friday, December 21
Bahamas Bowl: Florida International vs. Toledo (-4.5) (12:30 p.m., ESPN)
Idaho Potato Bowl: Western Michigan vs. BYU (-12.5) (4 p.m., ESPN)
Saturday, December 22
Birmingham Bowl: Memphis (-4) vs. Wake Forest (noon, ESPN)
Armed Forces Bowl: Houston (-1.5) vs. Army (3:30 p.m., ESPN)
Dollar General Bowl: Buffalo (-4) vs. Troy (7 p.m., ESPN)
Hawaii Bowl: Hawaii (-2.5) vs. Louisiana Tech (10:30 p.m., ESPN)
Wednesday, December 26
First Responder Bowl: Boston College vs. No. 25 Boise State (-2.5) (1:30 p.m., ESPN)
Quick Lane Bowl: Minnesota vs. Georgia Tech (-3.5) (5:15 p.m., ESPN)
Cheez-It Bowl: California vs. TCU (Even) (9 p.m., ESPN)
Thursday, December 27
Independence Bowl: Duke vs. Temple (-3.5) (1:30 p.m., ESPN)
Pinstripe Bowl: Miami (-2.5) vs. Wisconsin (5:15 p.m., ESPN)
Texas Bowl: Baylor vs. Vanderbilt (-2.5) (9 p.m., ESPN)
Friday, December 28
Music City Bowl: Purdue vs. Auburn (-3.5) (1:30 p.m., ESPN)
Camping World Bowl: No. 16 West Virginia (-7) vs. No. 20 Syracuse (5:15 p.m., ESPN)
Alamo Bowl: No. 24 Iowa State vs. No. 13 Washington State (-1) (9 p.m., ESPN)
Saturday, December 29
Peach Bowl: No. 10 Florida vs. No. 7 Michigan (-7.5) (noon, ESPN)
Belk Bowl: South Carolina (-3.5) vs. Virginia (noon, ABC)
Arizona Bowl: Arkansas State vs. Nevada (Even) (1:15 p.m., CBS Sports Network)
Cotton Bowl (Playoff Semifinal): No. 3 Notre Dame vs. No. 2 Clemson (-10.5) (4 p.m., ESPN)
Orange Bowl (Playoff Semifinal): No. 4 Oklahoma vs. No. 1 Alabama (-14.5) (8 p.m., ESPN)
Monday, December 31
Military Bowl: Cincinnati (-7.5) vs. Virginia Tech (noon, ESPN)
Sun Bowl: Stanford (-7) vs. Pittsburgh (2 p.m., CBS)
Redbox Bowl: Michigan State vs. Oregon (-1.5) (3 p.m., Fox)
Liberty Bowl: No. 23 Missouri (-4.5) vs. Oklahoma State (3:45 p.m., ESPN)
Holiday Bowl: No. 22 Northwestern vs. No. 17 Utah (-8.5) (7 p.m., FS1)
Gator Bowl: NC State vs. No. 19 Texas A&M (-3) (7:30 p.m., ESPN)
Tuesday, January 1
Outback Bowl: No. 18 Mississippi State (-4) vs. Iowa (noon, ESPN2)
Fiesta Bowl: No. 11 LSU (-10) vs. No. 8 UCF (1 p.m., ESPN)
Citrus Bowl: No. 14 Kentucky vs. No. 12 Penn State (-7) (1 p.m., ABC)
Rose Bowl: No. 9 Washington vs. No. 6 Ohio State (-4) (5 p.m., ESPN)
Sugar Bowl: No. 15 Texas vs. No. 5 Georgia (-11.5) (8:45 p.m., ESPN)
Predictions
Alabama Fails to Cover Largest Spread of Bowl Season
Mighty Alabama barrels into the Orange Bowl with 15 consecutive wins and as a 14.5-point favorite over Oklahoma.
The spread is the biggest of bowl season, and it shows that the oddsmakers believe the Crimson Tide can roll through the Oklahoma defense regardless of which quarterback lines up to the start the game.
The Sooners defense isn't the best, but it showed signs of improvement against West Virginia and Texas, which leads us to believe they will be able to make a few stops and keep the game close.
But in all reality, no one wants to talk about defense in the second of two national semifinals because of the two quarterbacks expected to do battle.
Alabama's Tua Tagovailoa and Oklahoma's Kyler Murray are expected to finish first and second in the Heisman Trophy voting, and they'll receive a rare chance to face each other after the voting is completed on one of the sport's grandest stages.
With Murray making plays with his arm and legs, Oklahoma will keep up with Bama deep into the fourth quarter. The Tide should eventually pull away thanks to their tremendous defense full of NFL talent and the play of Tagovailoa, but they won't be in any position to cover.
Utah State Helps Open Bowl Season with Double-Digit Cover
On the opposite end of the spectrum lies Utah State and North Texas, who square off in the New Mexico Bowl on the first Saturday of bowl season.
While a Conference USA vs. Mountain West matchup doesn't tickle everyone's fancy, it will be worth tuning into as both quarterbacks can put on a marvelous display.
North Texas' Mason Fine and Utah State's Jordan Love are two of the most underrated quarterbacks in the country, and they'll earn the opportunity to shine as we start to feed our college football addiction at the start of bowl season.
Fine passed for 3,734 yards and 37 touchdowns, while Love threw for 3,208 yards and 28 touchdowns.
Although the game will be close during the first half as the teams trade long touchdown passes, the second half will be in favor of the Aggies, who are a 10-point favorite.
In eight of their 10 victories, Utah State won by double digits and its scored over 50 points on six occasions. North Texas' offense eclipsed 50 points on one occasion, in Week 2 against Incarnate Word.
By taking Utah State, you'll start off your bowl season betting on a high note with trickier matchups ahead on the slate.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
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