Bowl Games Schedule 2018-19: Times and NCAA Championship Odds for Every Team
It's no surprise that Alabama and Clemson emerged as favorites to win the national championship.
The top two seeds in the College Football Playoff are double-digit favorites to win their respective semifinal games and set up a rematch in the final at Levi's Stadium.
While it may seem like an easy decision to bet on the Crimson Tide and Tigers, Notre Dame and Oklahoma are worth betting on with the championship odds they possess.
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Since the Fighting Irish and Sooners are considerable underdogs, the best betting decision come December 29 might be putting money on both of their national championship odds and hoping for the best.
Bowl Schedule and Odds
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 (-5.5) (12:30 p.m., ESPN)
Idaho Potato Bowl: Western Michigan vs. BYU (-12.5) (4 p.m., ESPN)
Saturday, December 22
Birmingham Bowl: Memphis (-3.5) vs. Wake Forest (noon, ESPN)
Armed Forces Bowl: Houston vs. Army (-3.5) (3:30 p.m., ESPN)
Dollar General Bowl: Buffalo (-2) 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 (-6) (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 (-4) vs. Wisconsin (5:15 p.m., ESPN)
Texas Bowl: Baylor vs. Vanderbilt (-4) (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 (-1.5) 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 (-1.5) 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 (-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 (-6) (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 (-6.5) (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)
Odds via OddsShark.
NCAA Championship Odds
Odds via OddsShark.
Alabama -240 (Bet $240 to Win $100)
No matter how the Alabama quarterback situation unfolds between now and December 29, the Crimson Tide are still the favorites to defend their crown.
Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa practiced Friday with heavy taping on his left ankle instead of the sleeve he previously wore, per AL.com's Michael Casagrande.
Even if the left-handed sophomore isn't 100 percent, the Crimson Tide possess one of the most experienced backups in college football in Jalen Hurts.
Both quarterbacks will likely be needed to get past Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl, where the Crimson Tide carry a bit more motivation than they would usually have after Kyler Murray beat out Tagovailoa for the Heisman Trophy.
Although they have the lowest odds, the Crimson Tide are still worth betting on because of the five championships they have won in the Nick Saban era.
Clemson +275 (Bet $100 to Win $275)
Clemson is seen by many as the only legitimate challenger to Alabama because of its playoff experience.
The Tigers were one of the most dominant teams in college football during the regular season, and they could impose their will on Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl to return to the CFP National Championship.
Dabo Swinney's team is balanced on offense, with freshman quarterback Trevor Lawrence and running back Travis Etienne leading the way.
While much of the attention is centered on Lawrence for his rise inside the Clemson program, Etienne is the key to the offense.
Defensively, the monstrous unit on the interior with four potential NFL draft picks has the ability to shut down any offense, even Alabama with a healthy Tagovailoa.
Notre Dame +1,400
Out of the four playoff teams, Notre Dame probably has the least amount of backing to reach the CFP National Championship.
Brian Kelly's Fighting Irish are no slouches, but compared to the other three playoff participants, they're viewed by most as the weakest because of the lack of a game-changing playmaker.
Notre Dame will be an overwhelming underdog in the Cotton Bowl, but it stands a chance with a defense that deserves more credit that it's gotten.
The most points the Fighting Irish conceded in a single game was 27 to Wake Forest, and they have limited eight opponents to less than 20 points.
Notre Dame is worth taking a risk on because of the large payout you would receive if it runs the table in the playoff, but it wouldn't be the first team we'd recommend placing a wager on.
Oklahoma +1,400
Taking the Oklahoma Sooners at +1,400 feels like a steal, especially with the Heisman winner at quarterback.
Murray will wreak havoc on the Alabama defense because of his ability to keep plays alive with his legs, and there's a chance he leads the Sooners to a 40-point outburst against one of the most talented defenses in the nation.
What might be most impressive about Murray is he's covered up some of the defensive flaws in his team by making big play after big play.
However, if Alabama gets one or two stops in timely situations in the Orange Bowl, we don't have any faith in the Sooners defense's ability to force punts or limit the Tide to field goals.
The defense is the reason why Lincoln Riley's team sits at +1,400 to win the title, as it's given up 216 points in its past five games.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
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