CFB Betting: Guide To NCAA Football Bowl Season
The Army vs Navy football game is one of the great rivalries that goes beyond the usually varsity bragging rights. It is also a great American football tradition that signals the official end of the NCAA Football regular season. So where does that leave fans of the SEC, Big Ten, Pac-12 and all the other great football conferences?
Good news is the best may be yet to come. It’s time for the CFB Bowl Season to get underway.
Like every other year, there are a great number of very interesting matchups. Of course, that includes the Peach Bowl and the Fiesta Bowl, which are the designated bowl games for this year’s NCAA College Football Playoffs.
Let’s take a look at a few key matchups, including the two playoff semi-finals. The lines have been included for the benefit of sports bettors who live in states where sports betting is legal.
Fiesta Bowl – #3 TCU Horn Frogs vs #2 Michigan Wolverines (Dec. 31, 2022)
The line on this game has Michigan favored by 7.5 with the over/under set at 58.5.
The Michigan Wolverines come into the Fiesta Bowl as one of two undefeated teams at 13-0. While the schedule they played was on the lite side, it’s noteworthy that they destroyed the only two ranked teams they played (beat #11 Penn State 41-7 and #4 Ohio State 45-23). They are led by the #5 defense in the nation, allowing 13.4 PPG.
The TCU Horn Frogs have a legitimate shot at a national title for the first time in the team’s history. They enter the game at 12-1 behind the #6 offense in the nation at 40.8 PPG.
Peach Bowl – #4 Ohio State Buckeyes vs #1 Georgia Bulldogs (Dec. 31, 2022)
The line on this game has Georgia favored by 6.5 with the over/under set at 62.0.
The Bulldogs enter this game as college football’s other undefeated team at 13-0. They are deserving of their #1 ranking after easily handling six (6) ranked opponents. This is a well-balanced team with an offense that is ranked #12 (39.2 PPG) in the nation and a defense that is ranked #2 (12.8 PPG).
At 12-1, the Buckeyes might well be the only team that can match the Bulldogs for talent. They’ll be going at Georgia’s #2 defense with the nation’s #2 offense, scoring 44.5 PPG.
Both teams are led by a Heisman Trophy QB Candidate – Georgia’s Stetson Bennett, and Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud.
Orange Bowl – #7 Clemson Tigers vs #6 Tennessee Volunteers (Dec. 30, 2022)
The line on this game has Clemson favored by 6.5 with the over/under set at 64.0.
At 11-2, the Tigers had a fine season. However, they failed to distinguish themselves against ranked opponents, going 2-2.
After beating #5 Alabama in mid-October, the Volunteers vaulted to the #1 team in the nation. It was only a 63-38 shocking loss to #19 South Carolina is all that kept the nation’s top offense (47.0 PPG) out of the playoffs.
Fiesta Bowl – #9 Kansas State Wildcats vs #5 Alabama Crimson Tide (Dec. 31, 2022)
The line on this game has Alabama favored by 3.5 with the over/under set at 54.5.
The Wildcats enter this matchup with a record of 9-3. Whether or not they can be competitive against the Tide is questionable after going 0-3 against ranked opponents, though all three games were close.
After entering the season as the #1 ranked team in the nation, Tide (10-2) fans have to be disappointed that their team didn’t make the playoffs. With that said, both losses to #6 Tennessee and #!7 LSU were by a combined 4 points.
Rose Bowl – #11 Penn St. Nittany Lions vs #8 Utah Utes (January 2, 2023, 2022)
The line on this game has Utah favored by 3 with the over/under set at 52.0.
Penn State (10-2) enters the game with the #9 defense in the nation at 18.0 PPG. It’s noteworthy that the team’s only two losses came versus #4 Michigan 41-17 and #2 Ohio State 44-31.
After upsetting then #4 USC 47-24 in the Pac 12 Championship game, Utah (10-3) catapulted to #8 in the nation and a place in the Grand-daddy of them all, the Rose Bowl. This is the #8 offensive team in the nation at 40.0 PPG.