We are all anxiously awaiting the start of the college football playoffs, which, as we all know, will now feature 12 teams.

The first of those games will be coming soon enough, but serving as bookends to the postseason, we also have a slew of bowl games to feed our football appetite.

Bowl Game Matchups Lines Analysis

As is always the case during bowl season, some matchups are better than others, and while some of you will take in as many games as possible, we are sure that there will be others who will be carefully selecting the games they watch and wager on.

With that in mind, we are going through the list, checking it twice, and picking out the bowl game matchups that we think are nice.

There won’t be any predictions in this piece, but if you are planning on betting on any of the bowl games, particularly those outside the playoffs, please do remember that teams are going to have players opting put before they enter the portal or NFL Draft.

Those omissions will impact on the odds and the way you wager, but without further ado, let’s get to the best matchups of college football bowl season.

Scooters Coffee Frisco Bowl: Memphis -220 vs West Virginia +185

When: December 17

In my opinion, the first notable game of this year’s bowl season comes when the Memphis Tigers and West Virginia Mountaineers go head-to-head next week. The Tigers finished the season ranked in the top 25 after going 10-2, while the Mountaineers became bowl eligible by the skin of their teeth, going 6-6 this season. This may look like a mismatch, but the Tigers are a mere 4 ½ point favorite, so not a slam dunk in the eyes of the bookies.

Art of Sport LA Bowl: California -123 vs UNLV +101

When: December 18

Simply looking at the final records of teams in bowl matchups can be deceiving, as you also need to consider the strength of schedule for both in the regular season. UNLV finished 24th in the National Rankings with a 10-3 record, while the Golden Bears went just 6-6, but you also have to say that Cal had a much tougher schedule, which may explain why the bookies are giving them the slight edge over UNLV, putting the Golden Bears in as a 1 ½ point favorite.

College Football Playoffs Round 1

When: December 20 & 21

The first game of the new playoffs will see Indiana travel to South Bend to face the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, with the home team in as a 7 ½ point favorite. The winner of this one will have a tough matchup in the next round, but we will get to that a little later on.

The bulk of the Round 1 action comes on December 21, with no less than 3 playoff games on the schedule. SMU will go up against Penn State on the road, with the home team favored by 8 ½ points. We will then have ACC champions Clemson go on the road to face Texas in a matchup that a lot of people see as a potential upset, despite the fact that the Longhorns are currently favored by 11 points.

Finally, in what is arguably the best game of Round 1, Tennessee will travel to face Ohio State as a 7-point underdog. I have a feeling this one might be a good deal closer.

SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl: USC +129 vs Texas A&M -172

When: December 27

There are a couple of games that could have made the cut on this day, but this one stands out as the best of the bunch, in my humble opinion. It was a massively disappointing season for the Trojans, who scraped a bowl game appearance by going 6-6 in the regular season. While the Aggies were better, going 8-4, that was still seen as being somewhat underwhelming by fans and pundits alike. Both teams will be looking to close out the year on a high note. The Aggies are currently a 3-point favorite.

Pop-Tarts Bowl: Iowa State +135 vs Miami -182

When: December 28

In what some viewed as a bit of a collapse, the Miami Hurricanes snatched defeat from the hands of victory, taking what looked like a definite playoff spot to miss out entirely. It is going to be interesting to see how this team reacts to playing in a bowl game against a very decent Iowa State team. The bookies are of the belief that the Hurricanes will dig deep and get the win, installing them as a 4-point favorite, but this is a game that I think could yield a slight upset.

ReliaQuest Bowl: Alabama -410 vs Michigan +275

When: December 31

The best games in bowl season tend to come around the New Year, and this season is certainly no different. While these two teams saw something of a drop-off from where they were last season, this is still a matchup that jumps right off the bowl schedule to become a game that we are all going to wager on. Alabama is a big favorite in this game, coming in as a 10-point favorite, but let’s not forget that Michigan delivered a huge upset against Ohio State in the final week of the regular season.

College Football Playoffs Round 2

When: December 31 and January 1

It goes without saying that we don’t know the matchups in these games just yet, but there are some mouthwatering possibilities. New Year’s Eve will deliver the first of 4 games, with #3 Boise State set to start their playoffs against the winner of the SMU/Penn State game.

The bulk of the action comes on the first day of 2025, with no less than 3 games on the playoff schedule. The New Year will start with either Clemson or Texas going up against Arizona State, after which we will get Oregon playing either Tennessee or Ohio State. Either option will make for a fantastic game. Finally, we will have the winner of the Indiana/Notre Dame game going up against the Georgia Bulldogs.

This is gonna be good 🍿 👀 pic.twitter.com/gcwmDziv1b

— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) October 21, 2024

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