The NCAA Football Bowl Game season is nearing its completion as all but one will remain once January 1’s contests conclude. The New Year’s Six Bowl Games will take up most of the oxygen at 18+ college football sportsbooks for the next three days, and there are some unusually large point spreads being offered.
The Orange Bowl
We’re talking about this game first for two reasons. First, both Florida State and Georgia have built resumes deserving of placement in the 2023-24 College Football Playoffs, but the selecting body chose Texas instead.
The Seminoles are the first undefeated Power 5 conference champion to miss the CFP in the final year the Selection Committee will have to make a decision that matters. Following next season, the playoffs will expand to 12 teams.
Have a look at the current CFP rankings. Anyone listed ninth or beyond has no business competing for a College Football National Championship, and that’s the case most seasons. There will be no future uproar for a 2-loss, 13th-ranked team that was excluded.
The second reason we’re highlighting this contest is due to the 19.5-point spread. The Bulldogs are expected to blow out FSU because several of the best Seminoles players are sitting out the Orange Bowl to avoid risking injury in a game that doesn’t mean anything.
This entire scenario has been a disgrace to FSU fans, the Orange Bowl, and college football in general.
The Sugar Bowl
Alabama and Michigan are the top two teams favored to win it all at CFP betting sites. That means whoever wins the Sugar Bowl will be favored to beat the winner between Texas and Washington in the Rose Bowl.
The Wolverines are favored to win by two points on Monday.
The Rose Bowl
The Texas Longhorns are favored by four over the undefeated Pac-12 champions, the Washington Huskies. No team has managed to beat Michael Penix Jr. and the Huskies so far this season, and Texas has already proven fallable with their loss to Oklahoma.
Don’t be surprised to see Washington cover. The Huskies could win outright, but covering is the safer bet. When it comes to betting on the CFP National Championship, we wouldn’t lay any action on either of these teams winning the whole thing.
The Fiesta Bowl
Due to next year’s conference-friendly rules for CFP inclusion, seeing teams like the Liberty Flames competing for a championship could become the norm. The Oregon Ducks are favored by -16.5 over Liberty, and we don’t expect this game to be competitive.
The Cotton Bowl
This contest between Ohio State and Missouri will also be heavily impacted by several players opting out. This time it is the Buckeyes who will be relying on a few second-teamers, but they are still three-point favorites over the Tigers.
Outside of FSU and Georgia, OSU has the next-best argument for being included in the playoffs. They lost to the best team in the country on the road by six points on the final day of the regular season and finished 11-1.
The Peach Bowl
Penn State is favored by five against Ole Miss on Monday. The Peach Bowl and the Fiesta Bowl feature teams that have no righteous claim to a CFP berth. Once again, this bowl game will feature several opt-outs, so tune in at your own risk.
- Bovada 18+ Sportsbook (Bovada Review) | Sporting News | Tallahassee Democrat
