College Bowl Picks 2018-19: Recent Odds and Predictions Against the Spread

College football's regular season wrapped up Saturday, with Army taking down Navy 17-10 in their annual showdown. Now all eyes turn to bowl season, which kicks off on Saturday and continues through the CFP National Championship on January 7. 

If you're participating in a bowl pool or just placing individual bets, always be sure to consider each team's motivation heading into its bowl.

Unlike most regular-season games, not every team is focused during December practices, and sometimes the team with more to play for has an advantage. For example, a team on a bowl losing streak might be motivated to reverse that trend—this could apply to a school such as Arizona State, which hasn't won a bowl since 2014.

On the flip side, a team that fell far short of expectations this season might already be checked out. This might apply to Auburn, which had hopes of competing for a national championship and will instead be playing in the Music City Bowl against 6-6 Purdue.

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 (-9) (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 (-1) vs. Eastern Michigan (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 (-2.5) vs. Northern Illinois (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 (-2.5) vs. South Florida (8 p.m., ESPN) 

Friday, December 21

Bahamas Bowl: Florida International vs. Toledo (-6) (12:30 p.m., ESPN) 

Idaho Potato Bowl: Western Michigan vs. BYU (-12.5) (4 p.m., ESPN) 

Saturday, December 22

Birmingham Bowl: Memphis (-5) vs. Wake Forest (noon, ESPN) 

Armed Forces Bowl: Houston vs. Army (-3) (3:30 p.m., ESPN) 

Dollar General Bowl: Buffalo (-2.5) vs. Troy (7 p.m., ESPN) 

Hawaii Bowl: Hawaii (-1.5) vs. Louisiana Tech (10:30 p.m., ESPN) 

Wednesday, December 26

First Responder Bowl: Boston College vs. No. 25 Boise State (-3) (1:30 p.m., ESPN) 

Quick Lane Bowl: Minnesota vs. Georgia Tech (-4) (5:15 p.m., ESPN) 

Cheez-It Bowl: California vs. TCU (-2) (9 p.m., ESPN) 

Thursday, December 27

Independence Bowl: Duke vs. Temple (-3) (1:30 p.m., ESPN) 

Pinstripe Bowl: Miami (-4) vs. Wisconsin (5:15 p.m., ESPN) 

Texas Bowl: Baylor vs. Vanderbilt (-3.5) (9 p.m., ESPN) 

Friday, December 28

Music City Bowl: Purdue vs. Auburn (-4) (1:30 p.m., ESPN) 

Camping World Bowl: No. 16 West Virginia (-1.5) vs. No. 20 Syracuse (5:15 p.m., ESPN) 

Alamo Bowl: No. 24 Iowa State vs. No. 13 Washington State (-4) (9 p.m., ESPN) 

Saturday, December 29

Peach Bowl: No. 10 Florida vs. No. 7 Michigan (-7.5) (noon, ESPN) 

Belk Bowl: South Carolina (-4) vs. Virginia (noon, ABC) 

Arizona Bowl: Arkansas State (-1.5) vs. Nevada (1:15 p.m., CBS Sports Network) 

Cotton Bowl (Playoff Semifinal): No. 3 Notre Dame vs. No. 2 Clemson (-11.5) (4 p.m., ESPN) 

Orange Bowl (Playoff Semifinal): No. 4 Oklahoma vs. No. 1 Alabama (-14) (8 p.m., ESPN) 

Monday, December 31

Military Bowl: Cincinnati (-5) vs. Virginia Tech (noon, ESPN) 

Sun Bowl: Stanford (-6.5) vs. Pittsburgh (2 p.m., CBS) 

Redbox Bowl: Michigan State vs. Oregon (-3) (3 p.m., Fox) 

Liberty Bowl: No. 23 Missouri (-7.5) vs. Oklahoma State (3:45 p.m., ESPN) 

Holiday Bowl: No. 22 Northwestern vs. No. 17 Utah (-7) (7 p.m., FS1) 

Gator Bowl: NC State vs. No. 19 Texas A&M (-4.5) (7:30 p.m., ESPN) 

Tuesday, January 1

Outback Bowl: No. 18 Mississippi State (-6.5) vs. Iowa (noon, ESPN2) 

Fiesta Bowl: No. 11 LSU (-7.5) vs. No. 8 UCF (1 p.m., ESPN) 

Citrus Bowl: No. 14 Kentucky vs. No. 12 Penn State (-6) (1 p.m., ABC) 

Rose Bowl: No. 9 Washington vs. No. 6 Ohio State (-6.5) (5 p.m., ESPN) 

Sugar Bowl: No. 15 Texas vs. No. 5 Georgia (-11) (8:45 p.m., ESPN) 

Odds via OddsShark.

Unfortunately, the cloud hanging over bowl season is the growing number of NFL prospects choosing to sit out. ESPN.com's Mark Schlabach has been compiling a list that is up to 13 names. 

This new tradition started out primarily with running backs—most notably LSU's Leonard Fournette and Stanford's Christian McCaffrey, who skipped their respective bowl games following the 2016 season. It was a decision that was easy to understand for two elite prospects (both ended up as top-10 picks in the 2017 NFL draft) at one of the most injury-prone positions on the field. 

However, this trend has spread to players at all positions and of all abilities. 

The most notable recent addition to the list was West Virginia quarterback Will Grier, who will skip the Camping World Bowl against Syracuse. Grier will be joined in his early preparations for the NFL draft by teammate Yodny Cajuste, the Mountaineers' starting left tackle.

From the players' perspectives, most of these decisions are easy to understand. Players such as Grier and Cajuste have put more than enough quality performances on film for NFL scouts to evaluate.

From the college football fans' perspectives, however, it's understandable if you're disappointed. These decisions are having significant implications on games. West Virginia entered bowl season as a seven-point favorite over Syracuse, but the spread has dropped to just 1.5 points.

For those betting on games, this is an important trend to track. Be sure to check out the potential NFL prospects on each roster and see whether they have announced their bowl decisions before placing any bets. 

Since the trend of sitting is out is becoming more common, some players are also making a point to announce when they are not skipping bowl season.

Ohio State quarterback and Heisman finalist Dwayne Haskins is among those who have announced an intention to play. This should make any fans interested in betting on Ohio State in the Rose Bowl feel significantly more comfortable.

In regard to Ohio State, the Buckeyes' motivation should also be considered a positive indication in their matchup versus Washington. Sometimes, teams that just miss out on the College Football Playoff suffer a letdown in the bowl game, which feels like a consolation prize—take Auburn's loss to UCF last year as an example.

Ohio State, however, will likely be motivated to send out Urban Meyer as a winner. Meyer announced his intention to retire because of health concerns following Ohio State's bowl game. This will, theoretically, be Meyer's last game on a sideline and also his first opportunity as a head coach in the Rose Bowl.

The opportunity to wave goodbye to Meyer with a Rose Bowl championship should be enough to keep the Buckeyes focused during December practices despite the disappointment of missing out on the playoff.

With Haskins suiting up and the motivation to play for Meyer, Ohio State could unexpectedly be one of the safer bets this bowl season.