Betting on a spot in the College Football Bowl is a more difficult task than betting on the regular season. From the transfer portal for opting out of the NFL Draft to lingering injuries and lack of motivation, there are many hurdles to successful bowl betting.
NBC Sports analysts Vaughn Dalzell, Drew Dincik and Eric Floton gave their first thoughts on each of the eight bowls involved in the Big Ten.
las vegas bowl
Utah State (-275) vs. Northwestern (+220)
Spread: Utes -6.5 | O/U: 41.5
Dalzell (@VmoneySports): Utah is 4thth String QB (at least) and Northwestern will rely on its backup in what should be a sloppy game. Utah has a top-15 rushing and third-down defense, while Northwestern has a top-30 passing defense.
play: Total games less than 41.5
Dinsic (@whale_capper): Utah is at least 4th, so I took Northwestern +7.5.th quarterback, and potentially five.th.
Play: Northwestern +7.5
Floton (@CFFloton): These two schools play great defenses, but more important is the fact that each will be without their starting quarterback.For Utah, they start 4 gamesth Or maybe 5th String quarterback.
play: Total games less than 41.5
quick lane bowl
Minnesota (-185) vs. Bowling Green (+150)
Spread: Golden Gophers -4 | O/U: 38.5
Dalzell: Minnesota lost its starting quarterback in the transfer portal, so P.J. Fleck will rely on defense against former Indiana and Missouri QB Connor Bazelak. Bowling Green’s defense is also strong, holding five of the seven teams to 19 points or fewer.
Played: less than 38.5 total games
Floton: Bowling Green comes into this game having won five of their last six games, so it’s easy to see which team will come into this game with some momentum. On the other hand, Minnesota State lost in the last four and is in a terrible state offensively.
Play: Bowling Green +4 and game total under 38.5
pinstripe bowl
Rutgers (+110) vs. Miami (-130)
Spread: Hurricanes -3.5 | O/U: 41.5
Floton: Van Dijk and a handful of players at top skill positions for the Canes have either entered the portal or opted out of this game. Rutgers’ defense under coach Greg Schiano is sound, especially with its excellent pass defense.
Plays: Game total under 41.5 (leaning to Rutgers +3.5)
Dalzell: With QB Tyler Van Dyke knocking on the door to transfer to Miami and Rutgers having the worst passing 5 offense next to Gavin Wimsatt, defensive sharpening and chess between Greg Schiano and Mario Cristobal The match is expected.
Played: less than 41.5 total games
Dincik: Rutgers will definitely be supercharged heading into this game. Yankee Stadium should be filled with Scarlet Knights fans and alumni. Additionally, Miami, which has been on the decline in the bowl, has been a very profitable operation for the past 15 years or so.
Play: Rutgers +3.5
peach bowl
Penn State (-165) vs. Ole Miss (+140)
Spread: Nittany Lions -3.5 | O/U: 49.5
Floton: Questions remain as to who will opt out of the game from that stout Penn State defense. I haven’t played this game yet, but I think Penn State will do enough to win this game and cover the spread.
Play: Penn State -3.5
Bet the Edge is your daily source for sports betting.Get all the insights from Jay Croucher and Drew Dincik weekdays at 6am ET. here it is Or wherever you get your podcasts.
Music City Bowl
Maryland (+105) vs. Auburn (-125)
Spread: Tigers -2.5 | O/U: 50.5
Floton: Auburn has been terrible at throwing the ball all season. Looking back at their season, he doesn’t have any notable quality wins. Maryland brings an underrated defense to this bowl game, and although the team struggled for a few weeks in the middle of the season, they won two of their last three games and were on par with other teams against Michigan. showed a performance.
Play: Maryland +2.5
cotton bowl
Ohio State (+100) vs. Missouri (-120)
Spread: Tigers -1 | O/U: 49.5
Dinsic: I’ve got Missouri with a better number (Mizzou +3), but I know most if not all of the best Buckeyes will be absent from this game…and probably Ryan Day as well. They will probably be leaving by then. Either way, let him go to the Tigers.
Play: Missouri -1
Floton: This time, we begin by examining motivating factors. This is one of the biggest games in Missouri school history. Ohio State will likely be without most of its skill position starters. I got Missouri +2.5, but I like them to win outright. Huge game for that program.
Play: Missouri -1
Dalzell: This is the Super Bowl in Missouri. The Tigers went 6-6 in each of the past two seasons, losing to Wake Forest and Army in bowl games. Ohio State has moved down its starting QB (portal) and many other players are expected to opt out of the bowl or enter the transfer portal to prepare for the NFL Draft. Mizzou is motivated.
Play: Missouri -1
lilia quest bowl
LSU (-400) vs. University of Wisconsin (+310)
Spread: Tigers -10.5 | O/U: 55.5
Floton: First of all, if I were Jaden Daniels, I wouldn’t play. That aside, we still expect LSU to move the ball on offense…and allow Wisconsin to do the same. The Badgers lost badly in coach Luke Fickell’s first year. I like the OVER because LSU’s pass defense is so bad, but I think Nussmeyer can move the Tigers’ ball against this Wisconsin defense.
Plays: LSU -10.5 and game total of 55.5 or higher.
Bet the Edge is your daily source for sports betting.Get all the insights from Jay Croucher and Drew Dincik weekdays at 6am ET here it is Or wherever you get your podcasts.
citrus bowl
Iowa (+260) vs. Tennessee (-350)
Spread: Volunteer -7.5 | O/U: 35.5
Dalzell: Deacon Hill vs. Joe Milton will be a memorable matchup as both offenses will struggle. If the Hawkeyes win, it’s because Tennessee can’t score more than his two touchdowns, and if Tennessee wins, it’s because Iowa can’t score more than his two touchdowns. It’s for a reason.
Played: less than 35.5 total games
Floton: This isn’t Tennessee’s offense from last year with Hendon Hooker. We all know what Iowa’s offense was like this season. When you combine the two, there’s no way you can do anything other than under the game total. I grabbed it at 36.5, but I have no choice but to take the under.
Played: less than 35.5 total games
rose bowl
Michigan (-115) vs. Alabama (-105)
Spread: Wolverines -1 | O/U: 45.5
Dalzell: This might be one of, if not the most epic game of the college football season. I trust JJ McCarthy and the Michigan defense more than I trust Jalen Milroe and the Alabama defense. I saw firsthand Nick Saban lose the title against Georgia in 2021, and people don’t forget. Jim Harbaugh got his first ring, and in doing so, it went through Nick Saban.
Play: Michigan -1
Floton: This is one of the true games of the year. We wanted to get three points against Alabama, but we couldn’t do that. I’m leaning toward Michigan, but I’m hoping for points.
Plays: Game total of 45.5 or higher (leaning toward Michigan)
Have fun betting on any or all of the eight Big Ten Bowl games (or nine if the University of Michigan advances to the championship game). But do your homework wisely. As the team mentioned, know who is playing and who is absent. Also, try to gauge how motivated a particular school is to be on that bowl field.
Enjoy the game and work up a sweat.
*Odds provided by BetMGM