College Football Betting Guide: Odds, Trends & Picks For Dec. 29-31 Bowl Games
BetQL highlights key betting trends for the upcoming college football bowl games
Bryan Zarpentine - Dec 19, 2022, 9:17am ESTCollege Football Betting Lines, Odds & Picks For Dec. 29-31 Bowl Games
College football bowl season rolls along, and BetQL is your source for NCAAF best bets, live college football public bets, live NCAAF sharp data, college football line movement and historical betting trends in addition to our NCAAF articles that cover the sport from top to bottom. Scroll down to see all the best bets and key betting trends for the upcoming bowl game matchups.
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Pinstripe Bowl: Syracuse vs. Minnesota
ATS Record: Minnesota 7-5, Syracuse 6-6
O/U Record: Minnesota 4-7-1, Syracuse 5-7
It’s almost hard to believe that Syracuse started the season 6-0. The Orange snapped a five-game losing streak in their season finale and lost five in a row ATS to finish the season. In fairness, all five of Syracuse’s losses this season came against bowl teams. The Orange also beat four bowl teams early in the season, so they have good wins and played a tough schedule. Plus, Dino Babers is 9-0 ATS in his time at Syracuse when facing teams that give up 17 points or fewer, which Minnesota did this season. But even with four wins in their last five games, the Golden Gophers struggled offensively this season. They were also just 2-3 ATS when favored against bowl teams.
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Cheez-It Bowl: Oklahoma vs. No. 13 Florida State
ATS Record: Oklahoma 4-8, Florida State 8-4
O/U Record: Oklahoma 5-6-1, Florida State 6-6
After a rough patch in the middle of the season, the Seminoles finished strong with five straight wins to end the regular season. FSU was favored in all five games and covered the spread in four of them. In fact, they were 6-3 ATS as favorites in 2022. Meanwhile, Brent Venables didn’t have a great first season in Norman. The Sooners suffered some tough losses early in the year and also lost three of four games to close out the season. In many ways, they were fortunate just to win six games and get to a bowl game. Oddly enough, this will only be the second time the Sooners are underdogs this season; the first time was a 49-0 loss to Texas.
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Alamo Bowl: No. 12 Washington vs. No. 21 Texas
ATS Record: Washington 7-5, Texas 8-4
O/U Record: Washington 8-4, Texas 6-6
This should be a fascinating matchup, as the Huskies closed the season with six straight wins, nearly getting into the Pac-12 Championship game. Washington coach Kalen DeBoer is also 7-0 ATS in non-conference games during his one season at Washington and two at Fresno State before that. Meanwhile, Steve Sarkisian clearly has the Longhorns moving in the right direction. Their four losses this year came by a total of 18 points, so they were competitive even in losses, including those to Alabama and TCU. Also, Sarkisian is 18-7 ATS during his career when his team is favored between 3.5 and 10 points.
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Duke's Mayo Bowl: Maryland vs. No. 25 N.C. State
ATS Record: Maryland 6-6, N.C. State 4-8
O/U Record: Maryland 4-7-1, N.C. State 5-6-1
These teams have some history together despite not playing since 2013 when Maryland left the ACC. In fact, the all-time series is tied 33-33-4, so the winner of this game will take the series lead. Obviously, N.C. State had some problems late in the year after losing QB Devin Leary to injury. But the Wolfpack scored November wins over Wake and UNC. As for the Terrapins, they beat Rutgers in their season finale to avoid a four-game losing streak at the end of the season. But only two of their seven wins this season came against bowl teams, and both came in September in non-conference games.
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Sun Bowl: Pitt vs. No. 18 UCLA
ATS Record: Pitt 5-7, UCLA 6-6
O/U Record: Pitt 9-4, UCLA 8-4
Believe it or not, from 1958-1972, these programs met almost every year, although this will be the first time the Panthers and Bruins have crossed paths since 1972. Pitt didn’t quite match last year’s accomplishments when the Panthers were ACC champs. But they did close out the season with four straight wins, including their only two wins against bowl-eligible teams. It’s also worth noting the Panthers were 0-3 ATS as underdogs this season. Meanwhile, late-season losses to Arizona and USC cost the Bruins a chance to play for the Pac-12 title. They were also 0-3 ATS to finish the season. Oddly enough, this will be the first time UCLA has been favored in a game by fewer than 11 points all year.
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Gator Bowl: No. 22 South Carolina vs. No. 19 Notre Dame
ATS Record: South Carolina 8-4, Notre Dame 6-6
O/U Record: South Carolina 7-5, Notre Dame 7-5
The Gamecocks ended up being one of the biggest surprises in the SEC this season. In addition to being 8-4, South Carolina was 4-3 SU as an underdog this season, including wins over Tennessee and Clemson to close out the season, so they won’t be intimidated by Notre Dame. Of course, the Irish started slowly this season but won five of six to end the season. However, Notre Dame was just 3-5 ATS when favored this season, including straight-up losses to Marshall and Stanford. Oddly enough, the Fighting Irish went 5-2 ATS against bowl-eligible teams despite being 3-4 SU in those games.
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Arizona Bowl: Wyoming vs. Ohio
ATS Record: Wyoming 6-6, Ohio 9-4
O/U Record: Wyoming 5-7, Ohio 7-5-1
These programs have met twice before with Wyoming winning both games by a single point. With the spread at one point in this matchup, this figures to be an intriguing game for fans despite being lost amidst a sea of bigger bowl games. Keep in mind that Ohio had won seven straight games before losing the MAC title game. The MAC Championship game was also the first time in eight games that the Bobcats lost a game when the spread was six points or fewer. Meanwhile, the Cowboys took care of business against the lesser teams on their schedule, but with the 125th-ranked passing attack in the country, Wyoming struggled against quality opponents, going 2-5 SU against bowl-eligible teams.
Orange Bowl: No 10. Clemson vs. No. 6 Tennessee
ATS Record: Clemson 7-6, Tennessee 9-3
O/U Record: Clemson 7-6, Tennessee 7-5
Fittingly, these two orange-tinged schools will be meeting in this year’s Orange Bowl. But both will head into the game with inexperienced quarterbacks, as Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker was hurt late in the year, while Clemson will start Cade Klubnik after DJ Uiagalelei entered the transfer portal. Despite capturing another ACC title, the Tigers were just 4-4 ATS against bowl-eligible teams. They also suffered a loss when playing an SEC team late in the season. As for the Vols, they lost a couple of games in November but did blow out Vanderbilt, 56-0, without Hooker to get back on track. This will be just the third time Tennessee enters a game as an underdog, splitting the first two with a win over Alabama but a loss to Georgia.
Sugar Bowl: No. 11 Kansas State vs. No. 5 Alabama
ATS Record: Kansas State 9-3-1, Alabama 6-6
O/U Record: Kansas State 6-7, Alabama 5-7
Surprisingly, Alabama isn’t the team in this game that’s coming off a conference championship. Kansas State beat TCU in the Big 12 Championship game to wrap up a 10-win season and won four in a row SU and ATS to close out the season. While Alabama is a slight favorite in this game, the Wildcats went 2-2 SU as an underdog this year. As for the Tide, they were one of the worst teams in the country ATS during the second half of the season. They lost as favorites against Tennessee and LSU, and failed to cover the spread in wins over Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Auburn and even Austin Peay. Of course, this will be the smallest spread that the Crimson Tide has been asked to cover all season. Alabama is also 15-6 SU under Nick Saban in bowl games or College Football Playoff games.
Music City Bowl: Iowa vs. Kentucky
ATS Record: Iowa 7-5, Kentucky 8-4
O/U Record: Iowa 4-8, Kentucky 1-11
These teams are meeting in a bowl game for the second straight season, as the Wildcats beat Iowa, 20-17, in the Citrus Bowl last season. This year’s meeting will be unique in the sense that it has one of the lowest over/under totals imaginable for a college game. That’s because Kentucky went 1-11 O/U this year, averaging just 41.2 total points in their 12 games. Yet, only two of their games ended with 31 points or fewer. Of course, while the Wildcats conceded just 19.1 points per game this year, Iowa only gave up 14.4 points per game while only averaging 17.4 points per game. The Hawkeyes saw 30 or fewer total points scored in six of their 12 games. The Hawkeyes also won four of five games down the stretch but were 3-3 ATS as favorites, whereas the Wildcats were 5-1 ATS as underdogs, including SU wins over Florida, Mississippi State and Missouri as underdogs.
MORE BOWL GUIDES: DEC. 19-24 | DEC. 26-28 | CFP GAMES | JAN. 2
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