College football bowl and CFP picks, predictions: Legendary Vegas expert reveals best bets for today
Fifteen bowl games are already scheduled, including the first round of the College Football Playoff, with the CFP quarterfinals scheduled to begin Dec. 31. In the meantime, there’s still plenty of other college football bowl action, especially on Saturday, December 27. Today’s contests include Penn State vs. Clemson (-2.5), BYU vs. Georgia Tech (+3.5), Missouri vs. Virginia (+4) and LSU vs. Houston (-1.5), featuring LSU’s quarterback. Garrett Nussmeier opted out for the Tigers.
The final college football game of the calendar year will be at the Cotton Bowl and Ohio State vs. Miami. The Dec. 31 CFP quarterfinal game has the defending champion Buckeyes favored by 9.5 points, according to the latest college football bowl odds. Before locking in any college football picks on these or any other games during bowl season, be sure to check out legendary Vegas handicapper Bruce Marshall’s college football betting guide.
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For years, Vegas-based Marshall was synonymous with The Gold Sheet, the popular sports betting newsletter. He has also won various handicapping titles and is also working on several book projects. Marshall crushed his 2024 college football betting pick, going 64-43 and returning over 16 units, finishing the season as SportsLine’s top pundit. He enters this week on a 9-3 streak on his official SportsLine college football over/under picks. Anyone who followed could have seen solid returns.
Now, using his Tech Corner technique that evaluates all trends, Marshall has turned his attention to the latest college football odds for every bowl game and CFP and rated every game. You can head to SportsLine to see each pick.
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Best College Football Bowl Predictions
One of the top college football picks Marshall recommends for the remaining 2025-26 bowl schedule: He backs Illinois (+2.5) to cover against Tennessee in the 2025 Music City Bowl on Dec. 30. The line opened at Tennessee -8.5, but dropped significantly with Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer deciding to play. Tennessee receiver Chris Brazzell II, cornerback Colton Hood and linebacker Arion Carter are among Tennessee’s removals.
Marshall took a close look at the trends for this one and found that Tennessee has only covered twice in its last nine games this season. Illinois, meanwhile, is on an 11-4-1 ATS streak dating back to last season, making the Illini the valuable team in Nashville. Go to SportsLine to see all of Marshall’s picks and bet on this pick here:
How to make college football conference championship picks
Marshall has evaluated every other matchup, and he’s backing a coach who has covered in 17 of the past 23 times when he has been the underdog. Get betting analysis for each matchup at SportsLine, and use promo code CHAMPIONSHIP to get your first month at SportsLine for $1.
So what college football picks can you make with confidence, and what alarming trends do you need to know about this week? Check out the latest college football odds below, then visit SportsLine to see which teams to back, all from the legendary Vegas expert who has won multiple handicapping titles, and find out.
2025-26 college football bowl odds
See full college football bowl picks, odds, predictions here
(odds subject to change)
Saturday, Dec. 27
Military Bowl: Pittsburgh vs. East Carolina (+13.5, 52.5)
Pinstripe Bowl: Clemson vs. Penn State (+2.5, 47.5)
Fenway Bowl: Army vs. UConn (+7.5, 42.5)
Pop-Tarts Bowl: Georgia Tech vs. BYU (-3.5, 55.5)
Arizona Bowl: Miami (OH) vs. Fresno State (-5.5, 40.5)
New Mexico Bowl: North Texas vs. San Diego State (+6.5, 52.5)
Gator Bowl: Virginia vs. Missouri (-4, 43.5)
Texas Bowl: LSU vs. Houston (-1.5, 41.5)
Monday, Dec. 29:
Birmingham Bowl: Georgia Southern vs. Appalachian State (+7, 59.5)
Tuesday, Dec. 30
Independence Bowl: Louisiana Tech vs. Coastal Carolina (+9.5, 51.5)
Music City Bowl: Tennessee vs. Illinois (+2.5, 61.5)
Alamo Bowl: USC vs. TCU (+6.5, 55.5)
Wednesday, Dec. 31
ReliaQuest Bowl: Iowa vs. Vanderbilt (-4.5, 46.5)
Sun Bowl: Arizona State vs. Duke (-3, 49.5)
Citrus Bowl: Michigan vs. Texas (-7.5, 48.5)
Las Vegas Bowl: Nebraska vs. Utah (-14.5, 50.5)
CFP quarterfinal/Cotton Bowl: Miami vs. Ohio State (-9.5, 42.5)
Thursday, Jan. 1
CFP quarterfinal/Orange Bowl: Oregon vs. Texas Tech (+2.5, 52.5)
CFP quarterfinal/Rose Bowl: Alabama vs. Indiana (-7, 48.5)
CFP quarterfinal/Sugar Bowl: Ole Miss vs. Georgia (-6.5, 56.5)
Friday, Jan. 2
Armed Forces Bowl: Rice vs. Texas State (-11.5, 59.5)
Liberty Bowl: Navy vs. Cincinnati (+7, 54.5)
Holiday Bowl: Arizona vs. SMU (+3, 51.5)
Duke’s Mayo Bowl: Wake Forest vs. Mississippi State (-3.5, 53.5)
