College football odds, picks, predictions for 2024-25 bowl season, playoffs: Computer backs LSU, Michigan

Posted by Admin December 21, 2024 Football

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The 2024-25 college football bowl schedule began on Dec. 14 and continues through January, culminating with the College Football Playoff title game on Jan. 20. This year’s bowl schedule features the inaugural 12-team CFP bracket, with three more first-round games taking place Saturday after No. 7 Notre Dame defeated No. 10 Indiana on Friday. No. 6 seed Penn State is an 8.5-point favorite in the latest college football odds against No. 11 seed SMU. The other CFP spreads for first round games are No. 5 seed Texas (-13.5) vs. No. 12 seed Clemson and No. 8 seed Ohio State (-7) vs. No. 9 seed Tennessee.

There are also plenty of other college football bowl spreads to comb through, as teams like No. 11 Alabama and No. 13 Miami (FL) try to salvage their respective seasons after missing the playoff field. The Crimson Tide are 10.5-point favorites against Michigan in the ReliaQuest Bowl, while the Hurricanes are 3-point favorites over Iowa State in the Pop-Tarts Bowl. Before locking in any college football bowl picks on those games or others, be sure to see the latest college football predictions from SportsLine’s proven model.

The model simulates every FBS game 10,000 times. Since its inception, it has generated a betting profit of well over $2,000 for $100 players on its top-rated college spread football picks, and it went a profitable 43-34 on top-rated picks during the 2024 regular season. Anyone following at sportsbooks and on betting apps has seen impressive returns.

Now, it has turned its attention to the latest college football odds and college football betting lines for the 2024-25 bowl season. Head here to see every pick.

Top college football predictions for bowl season

One of the college picks the model is high on during bowl season: Michigan (+10.5) stays within the spread against No. 11 Alabama in the ReliaQuest Bowl at noon ET on Saturday, Dec. 31. The Crimson Tide were ultimately left out of the College Football Playoff in favor of SMU, making this a potential motivational mismatch. Alabama had aspirations of winning a championship this season, while Michigan has not been in that conversation since October.

The Wolverines were able to generate momentum down the stretch of the regular season though, covering the spread in three straight games. They are coming off their biggest win of the campaign, taking down then-No. 2 Ohio State as 20.5-point road underdogs in their rivalry tilt. Michigan’s defense has not allowed more than 21 points in five of its last six games, which is a big reason why the Wolverines are covering the spread in well over 60% of simulations. See the rest of its college football picks for bowl season here.

Another prediction: LSU (-1) cruises to a blowout win over Baylor in the Texas Bowl at 3:30 p.m. ET on Dec. 31. The Tigers suffered a costly three-game losing streak from late October to mid November, but they were able to respond with wins over Vanderbilt and Oklahoma to wrap up the regular season. Junior quarterback Garrett Nussmeier completed 22 of 31 passes for 277 yards and three touchdowns in a 37-17 win against the Sooners, helping the Tigers easily cover the spread as 6-point favorites.

Nussmeier, who has announced that he’ll return for his senior season next year, completed 63.7% of his passes for 3,735 yards and 26 touchdowns in the regular season, while running backs Caden Durham and Josh Williams combined for more than 1,000 rushing yards and 11 scores. Baylor rattled off a six-game winning streak to close the campaign, but the Bears lost to all three ranked opponents they faced this season. SportsLine’s model does not expect them to hold up against a strong SEC opponent in this matchup, as the Tigers are covering the spread in well over 60% of simulations. See picks for every other game during bowl season here.

How to make college football picks for bowl season

The model has also made the call on who wins and covers in every FBS matchup during the 2024-25 bowl season, and it’s calling for a whopping six underdogs to win outright. You can only get every pick for every game at SportsLine.

So what college football picks can you make with confidence, and which underdogs win outright during bowl season? Check out the latest college football odds below, then visit SportsLine to see which teams win and cover the spread, all from a proven computer model that has returned well over $2,000 in profit since its inception, and find out.