College Bowl Picks 2020-21: Latest Odds and Predictions Against the Spread

The limited number of bowl games to finish off the 2020 college football season means we do not get to see many Group of Five versus Power Five matchups. 

There are three of those matchups over the next week-and-a-half, with the Peach Bowl headlining the trio of clashes. 

The Peach Bowl will serve as a measuring stick for the Cincinnati Bearcats, as they face one of the elite SEC programs in the Georgia Bulldogs. 

One day before the Peach Bowl, the Armed Forces Bowl features an intriguing matchup between a rising Mississippi State Bulldogs squad in Mike Leach's first season and the Tulsa Golden Hurricane, who were three points shy of beating Cincinnati in the American Athletic Conference Championship Game. 

Bowl Schedule and Odds

Brynn Anderson/Associated Press

All Times ET; Predictions against the spread in bold.

Thursday, December 24

New Mexico Bowl: Hawai'i vs. Houston (-10) (3:30 p.m., ESPN)

Friday, December 25

Camellia Bowl: Marshall vs. Buffalo (-4.5) (2;30 p.m., ESPN)

Saturday, December 26

First Responder Bowl: Louisiana (-14) vs. UTSA (3:30 p.m., ABC)

LendingTree Bowl: Western Kentucky vs. Georgia State (-4.5) (3:30 p.m., ESPN)

Cure Bowl: Liberty vs. Coastal Carolina (-7.5) (7:30 p.m., ESPN)

Tuesday, December 29

Cheez-It Bowl: Oklahoma State (-2.5) vs. Miami (5:30 p.m., ESPN)

Alamo Bowl: Texas (-9.5) vs. Colorado (9 p.m., ESPN)

Wednesday, December 30

Duke's Mayo Bowl: Wake Forest vs. Wisconsin (-6.5) (Noon, ESPN)

Music City Bowl: Iowa (-15) vs. Missouri (4 p.m., ESPN)

Cotton Bowl: Florida (-3.5) vs. Oklahoma (8 p.m., ESPN)

Thursday, December 31

Armed Forces Bowl: Tulsa (-2.5) vs. Mississippi State (Noon, ESPN)

Arizona Bowl: Ball State vs. San Jose State (-7.5) (2 p.m., CBS)

Liberty Bowl: Army vs. West Virginia (-7.5) (4 p.m., ESPN)

Texas Bowl: Arkansas vs. TCU (-6.5) (8 p.m., ESPN)

Friday, January 1

Peach Bowl: Georgia (-7.5) vs. Cincinnati (Noon, ESPN)

Citrus Bowl: Auburn vs. Northwestern (-3.5) (1 p.m., ABC)

Rose Bowl: Alabama vs. Notre Dame (+19.5) (4 p.m., ESPN)

Sugar Bowl: Ohio State vs. Clemson (-7.5) (8 p.m., ESPN)

Saturday, January 2

Gator Bowl: Kentucky (-2.5) vs. NC State (Noon, ESPN)

Outback Bowl: Ole Miss vs. Indiana (-6.5) (12:30 p.m., ABC)

Fiesta Bowl: Oregon vs. Iowa State (-4.5) (4 p.m., ESPN)

Orange Bowl: Texas A&M (-6.5) vs. North Carolina (8 p.m., ESPN)

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

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Peach Bowl: Georgia (-7.5) vs. Cincinnati

L.G. Patterson/Associated Press

The Peach Bowl should be a fun clash of styles, as JT Daniels and the Georgia offense try to break down the stingy Cincinnati defense. 

Since Daniels took over Georgia's starting quarterback spot, the Bulldogs scored over 30 points in every game. The USC transfer threw for 839 yards and nine touchdowns and was intercepted just once.

Even without Daniels at the helm, Kirby Smart's team was expected to roll Mississippi State, the South Carolina Gamecocks and Missouri Tigers. 

On New Year's Day, Daniels receives a chance to prove his mettle against one of the nation's best defenses and to create momentum going into the 2021 season. 

Cincinnati allowed 192.3 passing yards and 118.4 rushing yards per game and held all but one of its nine opponents under 30 points. 

Although the Bearcats' defense will keep them in the game, they will not be able to overpower Georgia since their top offensive strength can be taken away by the SEC East side. 

Georgia conceded 69.3 yards per game on the ground, and it could shut down the duo of Desmond Ridder and Gerrid Doaks, who both ran for over 600 yards. 

Ridder could beat the Bulldogs through the air, but he may be forced into long-yardage situations in which Georgia can dial up blitzes and put him under duress. 

The top betting play for the Peach Bowl may be Under 50.5, but Georgia could cover the 7.5-point spread if Daniels continues to throw well and its defense smothers Cincinnati's rushing attack.

Armed Forces Bowl: Tulsa vs. Mississippi State (+2.5)

Rogelio V. Solis/Associated Press

Mississippi State took its lumps during Leach's first year in charge, but it played better toward the end of the season. 

The Bulldogs are coming off a 51-32 win over Missouri, which occurred one week after holding the Auburn Tigers to 24 points. 

If Mississippi State unlocks its offense against Tulsa, it could pull off one of the more surprising victories of bowl season. 

Freshman Will Rogers has settled into the starting quarterback role with at least 200 passing yards in each of his last five games. He had multiple turnovers and was sacked more than three times on one occasion in that stretch. 

If he works the ball downfield through his handful of wide receivers, Mississippi State could negate Tulsa's biggest strength on defense in linebacker Zaven Collins. 

Since Mississippi State does not run the ball much, Collins will be forced to make an impact through either rushing the quarterback, or in coverage. 

If the Bulldogs open up the game with a handful of scoring drives, Tulsa may not be able to match their abundance of touchdowns. The Golden Hurricane did not score over 30 points in each of the last four games. 

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90

Statistics obtained from ESPN.com