Best College Football Bowl Games to Bet On This Weekend
Bowl season is the perfect opportunity for bettors looking for a chance to get as much college football betting in before the season ends. The first weekend of bowl season may not be stacked up with matchups that regular college football fans want to watch, but do provide plenty of opportunities to get a few dollars down.
Here’s a look at some of the better betting opportunities for this weekend.
SMU Mustangs vs. BYU Cougars (+4)
If SMU didn’t have to play defense, the Mustangs may be one of the best teams in the country. SMU has played at a breakneck pace all season. The Mustangs rank 13th nationally by putting up 38.4 points per game.
SMU quarterback Tanner Mordecai has done much of the damage for the Mustangs. He has passed for 3,306 yards this season. Rashee Rice has been his top target. Rice has 1,355 receiving yards. The issue for the Mustangs, who are 7-5 straight up and 5-7 against the spread, is they can’t stop anybody.
SMU has only forced nine turnovers and allows 34.7 points per game. The Mustangs’ opponent in the New Mexico Bowl, BYU, has a similar problem. The Cougars score 31.9 points per game while allowing 30. BYU, which is 7-5 overall and 4-8 against the spread, had bizarre peaks and valleys to its schedule.
The Cougars beat Baylor and played Notre Dame tough in a close loss but were blown out by Arkansas and Liberty.
Washington State Cougars at Fresno State Bulldogs (-3.5)
Everyone at the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl will be ready for Haener time. Fresno State’s quarterback, Jake Haener, has set the nation on fire since returning from an injury after the Bullodgs’ 4-1 start. He also made it abundantly clear that he wanted to play in the bowl game and wasn’t overly worried about his draft stock.
Since Haener returned, Fresno State closed the season with eight consecutive victories. The Bulldogs are a well-rounded team that is difficult to play against. Fresno State allows 20.5 points per game, which ranks 25th nationally. The Bulldogs also take care of the ball. Fresno State has only turned the ball over five times this season.
Washington State’s offense started to heat up down the stretch. The Cougars scored 30 or more points in three of their last four games. Washington State, which is 7-5 overall and 8-4 against the spread, struggled against the pass. The Cougars allow 266.8 yards per game, which ranks 113th nationally. Haener will find holes in the secondary, and Fresno State will cover.
Cincinnati Bearcats (+1.5) vs. Louisville Cardinals
The Bearcats are in the position of getting ready to transition away from former coach Luke Fickell, who took the Wisconsin job. Cincinnati hired Louisville’s coach, Scott Satterfield, to take his place. While Satterfield won’t be involved in the Fenway Bowl, both teams will still have to play.
Louisville took a big hit when quarterback Malik Cunningham chose to opt out to focus on the NFL Draft. The Cardinals, who are 7-5, struggled throughout the season with consistency, especially on offense. Cincinnati won this season by leaning heavily on its defense.
The Bearcats limited their opponents to 20.3 points per game. Cincinnati will do so again in this game to grab a minor upset in a win.
UTSA Roadrunners vs. Troy Trojans (-1.5)
There was a time that Conference USA featured a number of strong football programs and produced competitive games. However, realignment in college football saw Louisville, TCU, Memphis, Cincinnati, and others depart for greener pastures. UTSA would like to grab a bowl win to show the conference still has some juice left.
In the latest round of realignment, several teams from Conference USA fled to the Sun Belt, which Troy won this season. The Trojans, who finished the year 11-2 overall and 10-3 against the spread, were a defensive power this season, ranking in the top 10 nationally by allowing 17.5 points per game. Troy’s defense isn’t necessarily a swarming one, as the Trojans only forced 11 turnovers.
Troy’s offense was mostly middle of the pack at best. UTSA, which finished 11-2 and 7-6 against the spread, had to survive several scares in a conference that only produced four teams with a winning record. UTSA’s offense was strong.
The Roadrunners ranked 12th nationally by scoring 38.7 points per game and did a good job protecting the ball. UTSA only forced seven turnovers. The Roadrunners’ defense was built around making splash plays. UTSA has 13 takeaways, which ranks 26th nationally.
Derek Hudson
Derek is a long time sports bettor who grew up in Providence, RI. Derek is data driven and believes the key to betting the sportsbooks is finding an edge in analytics. Derek is happily married and has two young boys. Derek will bet on anything if you let him.
