Bowl Games Schedule 2018-19: Top Games and Odds for College Football Postseason

The plethora of bowl games kicks off December 15 with five games, and while hard-core college football fans may enjoy watching No. 21 Fresno State play Arizona State in the Las Vegas Bowl, the biggest bowl game occur quite a bit later.

The College Football Playoffs feature third-ranked Notre Dame meeting second-ranked Clemson in the Cotton Bowl, while No. 4 Oklahoma meets No. 1 Alabama in the Orange Bowl.

Both games will be played December 29 and will be televised by ESPN, and these matchups should have the drama and importance to keep fans interested until kickoff, but just how will these games play out?

In this piece, we provide the odds and predictions for the New Year's Six bowl games, and we go into more detail for the two playoff games and what fans should expect.

New Year's Six Bowl Games (all time Eastern)

Saturday, December 29

Peach Bowl: No. 10 Florida vs. No. 7 Michigan (-7) (noon, ESPN), Michigan 33, Florida 24

Cotton Bowl (Playoff Semifinal): No. 3 Notre Dame vs. No. 2 Clemson (-11) (4 p.m., ESPN), Notre Dame 28, Clemson 27 

Orange Bowl (Playoff Semifinal): No. 4 Oklahoma vs. No. 1 Alabama (-14) (8 p.m., ESPN), Alabama 45, Oklahoma 28    

Tuesday, January 1

Fiesta Bowl: No. 11 LSU (-7.5) vs. No. 8 UCF (1 p.m., ESPN), LSU 31, UCF 28 

Rose Bowl: No. 9 Washington vs. No. 6 Ohio State (-7) (5 p.m., ESPN), Washington 24, Ohio State 23 

Sugar Bowl: No. 15 Texas vs. No. 5 Georgia (-11.5) (8:45 p.m., ESPN), Georgia 37, Texas 13 

Odds via OddsShark

Cotton Bowl

Notre Dame vs. Clemson

This matchup features one of the elite teams in college football in Clemson, as the Tigers are making their fourth consecutive trip to the College Football Playoffs, while Notre Dame is making its first.

Clemson features quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who has enjoyed a brilliant season and is one of college football's best playmakers. Lawrence has completed 212 of 326 passes this season for 2,606 yards with 24 touchdowns and four interceptions.

Lawrence's ability to avoid costly interceptions has allowed Clemson to remain one of college football's most dominant teams, and head coach Dabo Swinney has full confidence that Lawrence is going to put the ball on the money when his team needs him most.

The Tigers also have one of the best running backs in the nation in Travis Etienne, who has rushed for 1,463 yards and 21 touchdowns with an eye-catching 8.3 yards per carry. Wideout Tee Higgins is Clemson's most dangerous receiver, and he comes into the Cotton Bowl having caught 52 passes for 802 yards and 10 touchdowns.

It's not just offense that is going to write the script of this game for the Tigers. Christian Wilkins led the Tigers with 13.5 sacks, while Austin Bryant was close behind with 10.5 sacks, and those two will be difficult for Notre Dame to contain. Linebacker Tre Lamar had 74 tackles and 5.5 tackles for loss, and he can roam sideline-to-sideline to make plays.

Notre Dame is a clear underdog in the game, but the Irish have made a big jump up the college football ladder this season, and one of the primary reasons has been the accuracy of quarterback Ian Book. He has completed 197 of 280 passes for 2,468 yards with 19 touchdowns and six interceptions. His 70.4 completion percentage is an indication that he can string passes together and help the Fighting Irish light up the scoreboard.

Dexter Williams does not have the prolific rushing numbers that Etienne has with Clemson, but he is an explosive runner who can dominate a game. Williams has rushed for 941 yards with 12 touchdowns and he is averaging 6.6 yards per carry.

Miles Boykin has caught 54 passes for 803 yards with eight TD receptions, while Chase Claypool has caught 48 passes for 631 yards and four touchdowns.

Linebacker Te'von Coney leads the Notre Dame defense with 107 stops and 9.0 tackles for loss, while cornerback Julian Love has 61 tackles, one interception and 15 passes broken up.

Even though Notre Dame is a significant underdog, look for the Fighting Irish to stay in this game for three quarters and come through with the big plays needed to win the game in the late stages of the fourth quarter. Book makes all the throws when the Fighting Irish needs them most, and the Fighting Irish advance to the national title game.

Orange Bowl

Oklahoma vs. Alabama

This is the more dramatic of the two CFP matchups as it features the 1-2 finishers in the Heisman voting.

Alabama's Tua Tagovailoa was the front-runner throughout the season, and he put huge numbers on the board as he led the Crimson Tide to one-sided victory after one-sided victory.

However, that changes in the SEC title game, as Tagovailoa suffered an ankle injury that kept him from being at his best. Alabama trailed Georgia throughout the majority of the game, and it was backup quarterback Jalen Hurts who led the comeback effort in the late stages of the game that allowed Alabama to win and stay undefeated.

Oklahoma's Kyle Murray took advantage of Tagovailoa's injury and ended up winning the sport's most prestigious individual trophy.

Tagovailoa completed 199 of 294 passes with 3,353 yards with 37 touchdowns and four interceptions. Tagovailoa is not a running quarterback, but he is an excellent athlete, and he knows how to slide in the pocket and buy time with his escapability.

Tagovailoa ran for 190 yards with five touchdowns and averaged 4.0 yards per carry.

Murray was able to build sensational statistics as he completed 241 of 340 passes for 4,053 yards with 40 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Unlike Tagovailoa, he is a brilliant runner, as he has gained 892 yards and scored 11 touchdowns while averaging 7.3 yards per carry.

Running back Kennedy Brooks and Trey Sermon have combined for 1,949 yards and 24 touchdowns, while wideouts Marquise Brown and CeeDee Lamb are the Sooners' two best receivers.

Brown has caught 75 passes for 1,318 yards with 10 touchdowns and Lamb has 57 receptions for 1,049 yards and 10 touchdowns.

The Crimson Tide has a three-headed running attack led by Damien Harris, Najee Harris and Josh Jacobs. Damien Harris has 771 rushing yards and seven touchdowns while Najee Harris has 679 rushing yards and four touchdowns. Jacobs has 495 yards and has powered the ball into the end zone 11 times.

Tagovailoa has four big-time receivers in Jerry Jeudy, Jaylen Waddle, Henry Ruggs III and Irv Smith Jr., and that foursome has combined for 36 TD receptions.

While the Sooners are an explosive offensive team, that's not enough to stay in a game with the powerful Crimson Tide for four quarters. If Tagovailoa is able to recover from his ankle injury, the Crimson Tide should roll. Even if he is not at his best or can't play, look for Hurts to lead Alabama to the victory.