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College Football Odds & Best Bets Today: Matchups, Picks for Bowl Season

Henry John

Last Updated: December 16, 2022 11:24 AM EST • 4 min 13 sec read.

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College football best bets

From the point spread in the Gasparilla Bowl to the game total in the Quick Lane Bowl, our best bets menu for the College Football Bowl Season has plenty to offer!

Handicapping the College Football Bowl Season is a fairly chaotic endeavor now. Thanks to the coaching carousel, NFL draftees opting out and the relatively new transfer portal phenomenon, plenty of teams playing in bowl games across the country will look very different compared to the regular season. 

Access to reliable news sources is critical when betting on college football bowl games. Unlike the regular season, sometimes it can be a smart strategy to avoid wagering on contests until closer to kickoff to get the most accurate picture of which players will be on the field. It’s also important to stay away from betting on numbers that are too far gone as a result of a market overreaction. 

Here are our best bets for the college football bowl season (odds via BetMGM, DraftKings Sportsbook, and Caesars Sportsbooks).

Check out our college football bowl season picks roundup, upset picks, and bold predictions.

College Football Best Bets for Bowl Season

  • Florida +10.5 (-110 via BetMGM)
  • Wake Forest -1 (-110 via DraftKings)
  • New Mexico State-Bowling Green Under 48 (-110 via DraftKings)
  • Ohio ML (+100 via Caesars)

Top College Football Picks for Bowl Season

Florida +10.5 (-110 BetMGM)

Florida will be without starting quarterback Anthony Richardson when it faces Oregon State in the Las Vegas Bowl. Along with offensive lineman O'Cyrus Torrence and linebacker Ventrell Miller, Richardson has opted out to prep for the 2023 NFL Draft. The betting odds for the Gators' game against Oregon State have undergone a massive adjustment in the Buckeye's favor as a result.

Redshirt freshman and Ohio State transfer Jack Miller III is expected to make his first career start at quarterback for Florida on Saturday. Although the lack of experience is a minus, the Gators' passing attack can't be much worse than it was over the final two regular-season games with Richardson under center. 

Also, there's a potent rushing attack for Miller to lean on in this matchup. Montrell Johnson and Trevor Etienne have been one of the country's better backfield tandems in 2022. So much has been made about the opt-outs on the Florida side that some may be forgetting Oregon State is playing a backup QB as well. 

The Gators certainly possess the talent to cover the double-digit point spread. Add in the massive line move that's already transpired, and it's impossible to feel good about backing the Beavers.

Wake Forest -1 (-110)

There’s no denying the SEC was viewed more prominently as a conference than the ACC in 2022. So bettors may be surprised that Wake Forest is getting the nod as a slight favorite over Missouri in the Gasparilla Bowl. Like many other bowl games, player opt-outs and the transfer portal are the primary reasons to like the Demon Deacons in this virtual tossup.

While both teams have lost multiple players for the bowl game, the losses on the Missouri side are far more significant. That includes leading receiver Dominic Lovett, who entered the transfer portal at the end of the regular season. A middling Tigers passing attack is poised to struggle even more in his absence.

The biggest losses for Mizzou are on defense. The Tigers were able to stay in games all season with their elite defensive front. D.J. Coleman and Isaiah McGuire, the two stars of that front, have both opted out to prepare for the NFL draft. Missouri will also be without safety Martez Manuel for the same reason.

With the Tigers’ defense stripped of its most talented playmakers, Wake Forest QB Sam Hartman should be able to put together a solid performance and lift the Demon Deacons to victory.

New Mexico State-Bowling Green Under 48 (-110)

The Quick Lane Bowl is one of the few bowl games in which the vast majority of players are expected to be available for both teams. Jerry Kill has led New Mexico State back to the postseason in his first year as head coach. After opening as the favored side, the Aggies are now a short underdog to Bowling Green.

The game total jumps out here. When New Mexico State was matched up against relatively even competition in 2022, games tended to be lower-scoring affairs. Games against Nevada, UTEP, FIU, New Mexico, and UMass all failed to reach the 40-point threshold, let alone get all the way to 48.

Bowling Green is a similar team while ranking 111th in overall adjusted efficiency. What’s more, the Falcons’ offense was largely shut down during the back half of the regular season. BGSU was held to 17 points or fewer in five of its final seven games.

The Aggies’ defense certainly benefitted from playing lesser competition in 2022. The issue with expecting Bowling Green to dictate the terms in this matchup is that the school failed to do so against poor defensive opponents in the MAC. NMSU quarterback Diego Pavia being banged up only reinforces the decision to play the Under.

Ohio ML (+100)

The 2022 Arizona Bowl matchup between Ohio and Wyoming features two teams that exceeded expectations. Before the season, many betting analysts projected the Cowboys would fall short of even making it to a bowl game. Wyoming may have proved some doubters wrong, but the state of its roster is very cloudy.

One of the biggest losses for Wyoming is running back Titus Swen, who has opted out of playing in the team’s bowl game. His absence looms even larger because three other RBs are also set to miss the game due to injuries or entering the transfer portal. The Pokes will be without their leading receiver and three defensive starters, too.

Of course, Ohio also lost one of its leaders in starting quarterback Kurtis Rourke. However, the Bobcats at least know what they have in CJ Harris after Rourke’s season-ending injury came in mid-November. But Ohio’s roster remains largely intact beyond quarterback heading into the Arizona Bowl.

Naturally, the Bobcats’ offense gets a downgrade without Rourke under center. However, Ohio still should be able to outscore a Wyoming outfit that relied solely on Swen and the ground game in 2022. An even-money price for the Bobcats to win the game outright is quite appealing.

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Written By:
Henry John
Henry’s passion for sports dates all the way back to childhood and has ultimately led to a full-fledged career as an analyst and content creator. After getting his start penning fantasy football articles, he forrayed into the betting side of the business in early 2019. His love for sports and statistics proved to be an ideal match with the dedicated research and strategy that handicapping requires. Henry currently specializes in betting analysis and picks for college football, college basketball, and NASCAR. He counts NFL, WNBA, and NBA player props as additional leagues/markets of interest. Henry graduated from SUNY Buffalo in 2021 with a Communication Studies degree and a Psychology minor. A native of the Finger Lakes region in Upstate New York, he and his pup, Harold, have since relocated to Laramie, Wyoming. Thanks to his professional goals within the sports betting industry, there has been a whole lot of steam on the odds for a move to Las Vegas in 2023! Most of Henry’s free time is spent on outdoor adventures, playing chess, snowboarding, or reading a good book. He is also a competitive powerlifter and aspires to qualify for the USAPL Nationals meet within the next 2-3 years.