Two college football bowl games are in the books after the Celebration Bowl and the LA Bowl unfolded over the weekend. The 2025-26 college football bowl schedule really kicks into gear this week, however, with 10 matchups on the schedule, including the first round of the College Football Playoff. No. 8 Oklahoma is a 1.5-point underdog against No. 9 Alabama on Friday in the latest college football odds.
Saturday is nothing but CFP action, and the latest College Football Playoff lines are No. 7 Texas A&M (-3.5) vs. No. 10 Miami, No. 6 Ole Miss (-17.5) vs. No. 11 Tulane and No. 5 Oregon (-21.5) vs. No. 12 James Madison, with the higher seed hosting all of those games on campus. Before locking in any college football bowl picks for those games or others, be sure to see the latest bowl and playoff college football predictions from SportsLine’s proven model.
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The model simulates every FBS game 10,000 times, and it is profitable on its top-rated money-line picks since the beginning of the 2024 season. Anybody following those college football betting picks at sportsbooks and on betting sites could have seen strong returns.
Now, it has turned its attention to the latest college football odds and 2025-26 bowl season college football betting lines on the spread, money line and over/under. Head here to see every pick.
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Top college football predictions for bowl season
One of the college football picks the model is high on during the 2025-26 college football bowl schedule: Penn State (+3.5, 48.5) covers against Clemson in the Pinstripe Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 27 at noon ET. Both schools vastly underperformed this year but had strong finishes, with each finishing the season 3-1 ATS. However, Dabo Swinney has lost four of his last six bowl games, with each defeat coming by at least 14 points. This year, his Tigers are averaging 28.7 points, which ranks 61st in the nation, while Penn State, despite playing in the much tougher Big Ten, ranks 37th nationally in scoring. Also, the location of this game in New York City favors a northeastern university like Penn State over Clemson from South Carolina. The Nittany Lions cover almost 60% of the time, while the model also says the Under hits in almost 60% of simulations. See which other picks the model likes here.
Another prediction: Missouri (-6.5, 48.5) covers versus No. 20 Virginia in the Gator Bowl on Dec. 27 in well over 50% of simulations. UVA is coming off an ACC Title Game loss to Duke, in which the Cavaliers would have made the CFP if they had won. Thus, you have to wonder about motivation now that they have to settle for a lesser bowl game, and Virginia has struggled in bowls to begin with, going 1-4 over the last 19 years. Mizzou has won back-to-back bowls under Eli Drinkwitz, and the Tigers’ only losses this season came versus teams ranked in the top 10 of the AP Poll at the time. Missouri is 4-1 ATS at neutral sites since Drinkwitz took over in 2020, and the Tigers are 12-4 ATS as favorites since the start of last season. See the rest of the model’s picks here.
How to make college football picks for bowl season
The model has also made the call on who wins and covers in every 2025-26 college football bowl game, and it’s calling for five underdogs to outright win in bowl matchups of power conference teams. You can only get every pick for every game at SportsLine, and for a limited time you can use promo code CHAMPIONSHIP to get your first month at SportsLine for $1.
So what college football picks can you make with confidence, and which five underdogs are projected to win outright? 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.
2025-26 college football bowl odds (through 12/24)
See full college football bowl picks, odds, predictions here
(odds subject to change)
Tuesday, Dec. 16
Salute to Veterans Bowl: Troy vs. Jacksonville State (-1.5, 49.5)
Wednesday, Dec. 17
Cure Bowl: Old Dominion vs. South Florida (-3, 53.5)
68 Ventures Bowl: Louisiana vs. Delaware (+3, 61.5)
Thursday, Dec. 18
Xbox Bowl: Missouri State vs. Arkansas State (-1.5, 54.5)
Friday, Dec. 19
Myrtle Beach Bowl: Kennesaw State vs. Western Michigan (-3.5, 49.5)
Gasparilla Bowl: Memphis vs. NC State (-4.5, 58.5)
CFP First Round: Alabama at Oklahoma (+1.5, 40.5)
Saturday, Dec. 20
CFP First Round: Miami at Texas A&M (-3.5, 51.5)
CFP First Round: Tulane at Ole Miss (-17.5, 56.5)
CFP First Round: James Madison at Oregon (-21.5, 49.5)
Monday, Dec. 22
Potato Bowl: Washington State vs. Utah State (-3, 52.5)
Tuesday, Dec. 23
Boca Raton Bowl: Toledo vs. Louisville (-7.5, 44.5)
New Orleans Bowl: Western Kentucky vs. Southern Miss (+4, 56.5)
Frisco Bowl: UNLV vs. Ohio (+4.5, 62.5)
Wednesday, Dec. 24
Hawaii Bowl: Cal vs. Hawaii (+1.5, 54.5)
