College Football Bowl Picks 2018-19: Predictions for Every Postseason Game
Bowl season gets underway Saturday with a five-game slate that begins with the Cure Bowl in Orlando, Florida.
Over the next few weeks, we will be treated to a wide array of contests, but some of them won't be as exciting as we'd hoped because of player absences.
Whether you like the growing trend of players skipping bowl games to prepare for the NFL or not, it's a reality we have to respect and get used to. Unfortunately for some programs, it will put them at a disadvantage in the postseason.
Other bowl matchups are intriguing because of the clash of styles they present, and while some games will catch your attention with a high number of points, others will be grind-it-out defense-first affairs.
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) 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 (Even) (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 (-2) vs. No. 20 Syracuse (5:15 p.m., ESPN)
Alamo Bowl: No. 24 Iowa State vs. No. 13 Washington State (-3.5) (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) 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 (-8) 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 (-5) (7:30 p.m., ESPN)
Tuesday, January 1
Outback Bowl: No. 18 Mississippi State (-7) 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 (-11.5) (8:45 p.m., ESPN)
Predictions
Syracuse 42, West Virginia 20
The December 28 Camping World Bowl appeared to be one of the top matches, but now it's looking like more of a one-sided contest.
West Virginia quarterback Will Grier decided to skip the Camping World Bowl against Syracuse in order to focus on preparing for the next level, as the program's official Twitter account announced.
Without Grier, the Mountaineers can't be considered favorites to knock off their old rival from the Big East.
The good news for Dana Holgorsen's team is Jack Allison has a few weeks to prepare for the game as a starter and develop chemistry with David Sills and the rest of the receiving corps.
While Allison might put in a good performance, it's hard to compare him to Grier, who threw for 3,864 yards and 37 touchdowns.
With Grier out, the Orange should be able to roll to their 10th victory of the season behind quarterback Eric Dungey.
The 22-year-old was in line to duel with Grier, but instead the bowl stage could be his to star on and no one else's.
The Syracuse senior threw for 2,565 yards and 17 touchdowns and added 732 yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground as the Orange went 9-3.
Going up against a West Virginia defense that gives up 254.6 passing yards and 150.8 rushing yards per game sets up the perfect opportunity for Dungey to lead Dino Babers' team to the 10-win mark for the first time since 2001.
Mississippi State 10, Iowa 6
If you wake up on New Year's Day hoping to see a shootout in the first game of the day, you should now temper your expectations for the Outback Bowl.
Mississippi State ranks first in the FBS in scoring defense, as it has given up 12 points per game, while Iowa sits 11th at 17.4 points conceded per contest.
Joe Moorhead's Bulldogs gave up over 20 points on two occasions in the regular season in losses to Alabama and Kentucky, and in their last two games, they held Arkansas and Ole Miss to a combined nine points.
Iowa shut out Maryland and Illinois, and it held bowl teams Northern Illinois and Iowa State to one score.
Despite putting together some solid defensive performances, the Hawkeyes gave up 24 or more points in three of their last five games.
Kirk Ferentz's team will reverse that trend and limit the production of Mississippi State's dual-threat quarterback Nick Fitzgerald, who threw for 1,615 yards and ran for 1,018 yards.
Although he'll be contained for the majority of the contest, Fitzgerald will make one big play with his legs to create separation between the Bulldogs and Hawkeyes, which is all that will be needed for the win.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90
Statistics obtained from ESPN.com
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